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Best eCommerce Website Builders

Do you have a physical store that you would like to change or rather have an online one to expand on sales?

Or are you looking to start an online store to sell your products, whether goods, services or digital products?

Do you have the financial muscle to hire a developer to do it for you?

These are questions that must be going through your mind if you are looking for an online store. I have good news for you. First of all, you do not need to be a developer or to hire a developer, you can do this on your own.

Secondly, in this post, we are going to discuss the best eCommerce website builders for you to get started. They include;

eCommerce Website BuilderBasic Price Per MonthTransaction FeesAbandoned Cart RecoveryProducts
Shopify$ 292.9% + 30¢ (additional 2% for payment providers other than Shopify Payments)YesUnlimited
BigCommerce$ 29.950%No$ 50,000 in sales
Squarespace Commerce$ 260%NoUnlimited
Wix $ 170%Yes50,000 products
3DCart$ 9.50 ($ 17.10 after promo)0%NoUnlimited

Shopify

Shopify is one of the largest eCommerce companies that is designed with amazing eCommerce tools to help you design your online store easily and efficiently. They claim to have over one million active users and sales worth over $ 183 billion.

It is a Saas (Software as a Service) system meaning that the software is not yours but you pay a monthly fee to use it. All you need to have is a web browser and the internet and you can access it from anywhere on the go. 

Shopify is solely dedicated to making online stores. It comes with a variety of templates that are easy to customize and that allows you to meet the requirements of your brand. You can sell physical and digital products with Shopify.

It has been designed for everyone even those that lack technical skills. This means that you can easily design your own store without hiring a developer. However, Shopify allows those who have technical skills to edit HTML and CSS code to make sure that the design of the store meets all their requirements.

When signing up for Shopify, you will need to check if the Shopify payments are supported in your country. If not, then you will need to use a separate payment gateway which might charge considerable transaction fees. Shopify has so many eCommerce features that will extend the functionality of your store.

Shopify Pros


  • Affordable: Shopify’s basic plan gives users one of the cheapest online solutions for designing an online store compared to its competitors.
  • Abandoned cart: The abandoned cart functionality is available on all plans at no extra cost.
  • Shopify Payments: You will not get any transaction fees if you use the Shopify inbuilt payment systems.
  • App Market: Shopify comes with an app market that allows you to add apps to your store expanding on its functionality.
  • Shopify’s Inventory: It comes with an amazing inventory system that makes it very easy to manage your store.
  • Templates: Shopify has sleek and well-designed templates that can be easily customized to match your requirements.
  • Code Editing: It allows you to edit the HTML and CSS code, making sure that you have full control over the design of your store.

Shopify Cons


  • Functionality: Some simple store’s functionality that should be available out of the box requires the installation of an app.
  • Custom fields: It gets a little bit complicated to add custom fields such as text boxes. It might even require you to get an app.
  • Built-in Payment System: This allows you to only sell from a number of countries. You will be forced to use other payment gateways if you are not in those countries.
  • Abandoned cart: The abandoned cart saver only allows you to send one automated follow-up email.

Pricing

PlanBasic ShopifyShopifyAdvanced Shopify
Price Per Month$ 29$ 79$ 299
ProductsUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Staff Accounts2515
SSLFreeFreeFree
Abandoned cart recoveryFreeFreeFree

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is another popular Software as a Service system that is designed to help one come up with a modern eCommerce store. Just like Shopify, you can access and modify your store on the go.

BigCommerce is different from Shopify in that it comes with a lot of built-in features. This means that you have access to a lot of customizations without having to necessarily install an app. The advantage of this is that you will be able to cut on costs that you might have used to purchase an app if you were using Shopify.

It also gives you a chance to reach a lot more people through other channels such as Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Square. You will be able to sell more at very low costs. However good BigCommere is, it is not designed to be used by small stores that are not looking to expand. You might find yourself paying for features that you will never use if you are not expanding.

BigCommerce is very easy to use even for those without development skills. However, if you are a developer, you will be happy with the fact that it allows you to tweak the CSS and HTML code to make sure that you have full control over the design of your store.

BigCommerce Pros


  • Multi-channel Integrations: It allows you to sell on many other platforms increasing the reach of your store.
  • Store Growth: BigCommerce is designed to help your business grow, therefore making it ideal for businesses with high growth potential.
  • All in one solution: It is ideal for business people looking to have an all in one solution – hosting, themes and apps – and want to build their store on their own.
  • Transaction fees: There are no transaction fees on all the sales on BigCommerce.
  • Customer Support: BigCommerce offers support through online chat, phone and email as well as a knowledge base that explains almost everything that you need to know.

BigCommerce Cons


  • Extra Fees: BigCommerce charges extra fees if you reach the limit on the sales allowed for your plan.
  • Mobile apps: Does not come with a mobile app to help one manage their store on the go.
  • RSS feeds: Built-in bog does not offer RSS feeds.
  • Abandoned Cart functionality is a little bit more expensive compared to some of its competitors.
  • Ease of use: Even though BigCommerce is easy to use, some users have reported finding it a little bit difficult to get started with.

Pricing

PlanStandardPlusProEnterprise
Cost (Per Month)$ 29.95$ 79.95$ 249.95Custom
Transaction Fees0%0%0%0%
Sales per year$ 50,000$ 150,000$ 400,000Custom

Squarespace Commerce

Squarespace is a website builder that allows you to get a theme, click on the bits of the design you want to tweak, and then adjust controllers to change them to match your requirements. They also came up with Squarespace Commerce that allows you to create an online store the same way.

Squarespace Commerce has of late become one of the best choices for small to medium online stores because of its wide range of in-built eCommerce tools. The tools, such as eCommerce dedicated tools, accounting by Xero, easy to use functions among others, make designing a functional store a very easy process.

It comes with an easy to use product management process that allows you to get products into your store with just a few clicks, add details to the products, have control over your stock and import products from other stores such as Shopify and Big Cartel. This makes Squarespace commerce very easy to use in managing an online store. When it comes to third-party integrations, this platform allows you to easily integrate your store with other applications such as payment gateways to make sure that you meet all the needs of your customers.

Squarespace Commerce Pros


  • Inventory system: It comes with a well-thought inventory system that allows you to easily manage your stock.
  • Templates: Squarespace is known for its sleek website templates. This also applies to the eCommerce templates, giving you a chance to have a modern store.
  • Hosting: It is an all in one solution. With your subscription, you will be able to get hosting, templates and everything else you need to run a successful store.
  • Social Media: Squarespace commerce allows you to have your products on Instagram to increase its reach.

Squarespace Commerce Cons


  • Integrations: Integrations are only limited to payment processors, shipping services, and financial data.
  • App Market: Squarespace commerce comes with all features in-built. You will not be able to add third-party apps to increase the functionality of your store.

Pricing

PlanBasic CommerceAdvanced Commerce
Price Per Month$ 26$ 40
Transaction Fees0%0%
Abandoned Cart RecoveryNoYes

Wix

Wix is one of the best website builder platforms that is designed for complete beginners and comes with all the tools required for designing a modern website. It has not been left behind in coming with a platform that allows users to design an eCommerce store that allows them to sell online with ease.

Wix is very simple to get started with and comes with all the basic eCommerce features required for an online store. Although it does not compare with other platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce, you can easily get a functional store with everything that you need to run a store.

The Wix store allows you to sell both physical and digital products. It comes with a dashboard that is easy to use and a drag and drop interface that works so well for beginners. You also get an app market that allows you to add applications and add-ons to increase the functionality of your store. It comes with eCommerce features such as order management, product management, email marketing, coupon handling, and a shipping zone setup. It also comes with modern and beautifully designed themes for you to choose from.

Wix Pros


  • Transaction fees: Wix does not charge any transaction fees on sales made through the online store.
  • Shipping Calculator: In some countries such as the USA and Brazil, Wix offers a real-time calculator using USPS.
  • Themes: It comes with modern and well-designed themes that are easy to customize to match your requirements.
  • App Market: You also get an app market that gives you a chance to integrate your store with apps to make it more functional.

Wix Cons


  • Large Stores: Wix eCommerce is not good for large stores. For example, you will not easily accommodate complex substructures.
  • Some users have complained of slow backed speeds as their stores grow.

Pricing

PlanBusiness VIPBusiness UnlimitedBusiness Basic
Price Per Month$ 35$ 25$ 17
Storage50 GB35 GB20 GB
Transaction Fees0%0%0%

3DCart

3DCart was founded over twenty years ago and specializes in developing eCommerce software for businesses. The 3DCart eCommerce software comes with a variety of in-built tools to help in coming up with a fully functional eCommerce store.

Among all the eCommerce website builders, 3DCart is known best for its built-in features. You will get over two hundred features that are easy to use in making your store more functional. Apart from the features, you also get over ninety templates on all the plans at no extra cost. Moreover, you get over one hundred and sixty payment gateways that are integrated into the store and easy to set up and use.

When you are getting started with 3DCart, you get an introductory video that guides you through all the steps you need to take to get your store up and running. However, some users have complained of difficulties when getting started and spending a lot of time learning how to effectively use the platform. 

3DCart Pros


  • Payment Gateways: 3DCart has over 160 payment gateways for you to choose from – the most that any other eCommerce website builder offers.
  • Built-In Features: It comes with over two hundred built-in features making the process of customizing your store a simple one.
  • Transaction Fees: 3DCart does not charge any transaction fees on the sales made through the store.
  • eCommerce Templates: You get over ninety eCommerce templates to get you started.
    Sales Limit: You do not get any sales limit on all plans with 3DCart.

3DCart Cons


  • Templates: Even though there are so many templates, they look similar and some of them are outdated.
  • Ease of Use: A beginner might find themselves spending quite a considerable amount of time getting started.
  • Features: Even though you get so many built-in features, 3DCart comes with customization limitations.

Pricing

PlanStart UpBasicPlusPro
Cost Per Month$ 9.50 ($ 17.10 after promo)$ 14.50 ($ 26.10 after promo) $ 39.50 ($ 71.10 after promo)$ 114.50 ($ 206.10 after promo)
Staff Users12515
Transaction Fees0%0%0%0%
Sales LimitationUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited

Conclusion

Those are the best eCommerce website builders that will get you up and running within a short period of time. They all come with similar eCommerce features, but each has other features that might not be available in another store. Make sure that you get the one that meets all your requirements before you get started.

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