Best Ecommerce Platforms

1 Magento

Magento is one of the popular names among the e-commerce platforms, largely used by large-scale retailers. It is based on an open source model of development so that it can be modified easily from scratch. The platform has a high level of security, fully customizable and scalable as well as. It offers a mirage of other features, which are critical to building a high-end e-commerce website.

Magento is moreover like WordPress but it for e-commerce. Given the complexity of store setup and management with Magento, the platform is not recommended for beginners. Few things can still be modified without changing the internals of the Magento platform are

The Benefits of Magento are:

• Good user experience which is easy to use as well as manage
• Open source platform and therefore open to all sorts of customization
• 9000+ plug-in/extensions to scale your business
• Free extensions that enable social commerce so you can sell on social media platforms
• Extensive resource library for store management, growth, demos, and online community of store owners as well as plug-in developers you can tap for help

With almost one-fourth of the market share, Magento is often considered the market leader among e-commerce platforms. For its reliability and scalability, many popular brands use Magento as the underlying technology for their online stores. This platform is considered the best eCommerce platform for enterprise-level online stores.

2 Shopify

Shopify remains the ideal eCommerce solution for beginners with conventional requirements. The platform offers you to choose different packages, which you can choose according to your budget. But, if you have any unique design ideas or features for your online store, better find some other platforms.

Shopify hosts over 325,000 active online shops and with its focus on social commerce and mobile shopping, the platform continue to evolve to meet the growing requirements of online stores.

The Benefits of Shopify are:

Over 100 store templates (themes) to choose from

1500+ apps (plugins/extensions) to extend the store's functionality

Ability to connect your online store with your Facebook page and sell directly on Facebook

Built-in mobile-friendly shopping cart and seller mobile apps (and Shopify provides a platform to connect store owners with app developers for the development of their store's app)

24/7 support via live chat, phone, and tutorials as well as the Shopify community forum

Though there are some advantages, some important downsides are there too with the platform.

First, if you don't use Shopify Payment, there will be an additional transaction fee on every sale. Plus, many of the extensions for additional functionality aren't free, so, running your store on Shopify might cost a little more than you expected.

Lastly, Shopify has its own coding language called 'Liquid', so any customization in the system comes at an additional expense.

3 BigCommerce

If you want a full-fledged store, but don't want the hassles of integrating plug-ins, editing HTML/CSS or other code, then BigCommerce is definitely the go-to e-commerce platform for you. If you are willing to compromise a bit on themes, then BigCommerce is a strong alternative to Shopify at roughly the same pricing (BigCommerce's plans are between $29 and $199/month) without the incremental transaction fees.

Launched in 2009, Big Commerce currently hosts over 55,000 online stores and is among the leading eCommerce software providers. From big names like Martha Stewart & Toyota to SMEs, the platform ideally caters to stores of all sizes. And considering the comprehensive list of built-in features it offers, BigCommerce has often considered the best option for those who have little to no technical knowledge, or simply don't have time to mess with the code.

The Benefits of BigCommerce are:

Extensive built-in features including newsletters, coupons, shipping, tax, analytics, and more

Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce charges no transaction fee

All free and paid themes are responsive and offer a smooth mobile experience

Integrate your store with Facebook, eBay, Google shopping and a range of comparison sites

Powerful support with an extremely helpful setup wizard, educational videos, and extensive guides with visual representations

One concern with BigCommerce is the lack of free themes. Currently, it offers only 7 free themes, while most of their immediate competitors offer more than 20 free themes. However, the platform has a comprehensive list of premium themes, and it also allows customization of these themes if you want to give your store an entirely unique look and feel.

4 Prestashop

Prestashop is an open source E-commerce solution that is published under Open Software License. It is written in PHP programming language. Prestashop is used by more than 250,000 shops worldwide.

Prestashop is an open source eCommerce solution that is declared under the Open Software License. It is programmed in PHP language. Prestashop is used by more than 250,000 shops universally. It utilizes smarty template engine for PHP. Easy Customization, Mobile friendly, Innumerable themes & templates, multiple payment gateways and highly flexible are some of the major benefits of Prestashop.

Prestashop is entirely based on small and medium scale. It has some convenient inbuilt attribute like statics, membership and shipping tracking. Cloud technology and open source integration create Prestashop a robust E-commerce solution.

Marketing Features

• Custom store design with Prestashop Themes
• Unlimited categories, products, and attributes
• Friendly' URL structure
• Order tracking Guest checkout
• One page or multi-page checkout
• Encryption
• Integrates with any payment provider through modules
• Automated follow-up emails
• Unlimited carriers and destinations to fine-tune your shipping options
• Secure admin
• Returns management

Prestashop is easy to modify. Even though it is easily customizable, it is significant only for performing some basic modifications. You need some in deep knowledge to perform changes in the coding section.

Conclusion

Every E-commerce platforms are unique in its terms. It depends upon your requirements and budget. If you are not concerned about the budget and have some coding skill you can go with a platform like Magento since you need to install some paid plug-in for Magento. Or else, if you are not strong with technical skills as well as trying to design your Ecommerce website within your budget you can go with Prestashop platform.

When you have an idea to create an E-commerce Website, do not hesitate to spend some penny for the website. Because reducing the budget may not provide some of the necessary features for your Ecommerce website.