7 Best Ecommerce Platforms for Small Business in 2024

Are you in search of ways to make your small business stand out amongst a sea of online competitors?

Knowledgeable-looking online store could be a game-changer. With the precise ecommerce tools to your small business, you’ll be able to reach more customers and increase sales.

But which platform do you have to select to your growing enterprise? This post covers the most well-liked and powerful ecommerce platforms designed specifically for small businesses.

7 best ecommerce platforms for small businesses

1. Shopify
2. WooCommerce
3. Squarespace
4. Wix
5. Weebly
6. Square Online
7. BigCommerce

1. Shopify

• Price: $29 per 30 days for Shopify Basic.
• Free trial length: 3 days.
• Integrated sales channels: Online store, in-person, social media, email, marketplaces, online search, B2B, and more.
• Mobile app: Yes.
• Native POS: Yes. 
• G2 rating ⭐: 4.4/5.

Shopify is the very best ecommerce platform for small businesses. The great website builder comes with tools to sell online, in person, on social media, and on marketplaces. With Shopify, you’ll be able to design your store using greater than 100 professionally designed themes—zero coding skills required. 

Shop Pay keeps transaction fees inexpensive, while Shopify POS lets businesses process in-person sales. Shopify merchants also enjoy competitive shipping rates from USPS, UPS, DHL Express, and other carriers.

For webhosting, Shopify’s platform offers unlimited bandwidth and online storage, so hosting prices won’t go up as your small business grows.

Shopify comes with email marketing features, abandoned cart recovery, and SEO tools. You possibly can manage what you are promoting out of your phone using Shopify’s mobile app, where you’ll be able to fulfill orders, add products, view real-time sales, and more. 

Missing a feature? Browse the library of greater than 8,000 third-party apps to increase your website’s capabilities.

See what you’ll be able to create with Shopify, and find inspiration to your ecommerce store, with these examples from successful small businesses that selected Shopify.

2. WooCommerce

• Price: Free (not including essential ecommerce features like hosting, domain registration, SSL, shipping services, and payment processing).
• Free trial length: n/a.
• Integrated sales channels: Online store, in-person, online search, marketplaces, social media.
• Mobile app: Yes (limited functionality).
• Native POS: Yes.
• G2 rating ⭐: 4.4/5.

WooCommerce is WordPress’s online selling platform. What launched as a platform for blogging web sites has now evolved into an internet site builder for small businesses, with the choice of adding WooCommerce for the power to make online sales. 

WooCommerce is open source, which implies it’s highly customizable if you may have the technical skills to design and code web sites.

Like Shopify, there are third-party integrations to expand the platform’s functionality. The WooCommerce plug-in is a free business platform, but as your small business grows, you could have to pay for these additional integrations.

Monetize your WordPress blog without migrating to a brand new platform with the Shopify Buy Button. You possibly can embed the button, products, and a checkout on any sort of website.

3. Squarespace

• Price: $28 per 30 days for the Commerce Basic plan.
• Free trial length: 14 days, with a one-time extension.
• Integrated sales channels: Online store, in-person, social media, marketplaces.
• Mobile app: Yes.
• Native POS: Yes (mobile app).
• G2 rating ⭐: 4.4/5.

With its easy interface, Squarespace is an alternative choice for small businesses. You possibly can arrange an internet store using Squarespace’s templates, drag-and-drop tools, and reliable functionality. 

Squarespace originally launched as an internet site builder, not necessarily an ecommerce platform, but has since added features to accommodate sellers. Many Squarespace users sell services reasonably than products, but you’ll be able to still use it for product-based businesses. 

Features include scheduling and calendar integrations, email marketing, social media integrations, and embeddable maps to assist people find your physical store. Squarespace also offers recurring billing for subscription-based businesses.

4. Wix

• Price: $29 per 30 days for the Core plan, with limited ecommerce features.
• Free trial length: No free trial.
• Integrated sales channels: Online store, in-person, social media, marketplaces, branded app.
• Mobile app: Yes (limited functionality).
• Native POS: Yes.
• G2 rating ⭐: 4.2/5.

Wix has a small-business website builder with ecommerce-specific features. Paid plans offer ecommerce capabilities, including order tracking, online payments, multichannel selling, and abandoned cart campaigns. You wish a paid plan for access to analytics tracking to watch your ecommerce key performance indicators. 

With regards to designing your storefront, there are greater than 500 templates to pick from. The drag-and-drop interface means that you can customize the appear and feel of your online store. Wix supports subscription-based billing and dropshipping through third parties. 

5. Weebly

• Price: Free with limited ecommerce features. 
• Freetriallength: n/a.
• Integratedsaleschannels: Online store.
• Mobileapp: Yes.
• Native POS: No.
• G2rating ⭐: 4.2/5.

Weebly is powered and operated by Square, and integrates with other Square-owned tools. These include a secure online shopping cart and inventory management. 

Weebly’s ecommerce platform for small businesses has a filterable product search tool, optimized mobile checkout, order management and processing, and versatile shipping options. Weebly has basic features but is easy for businesses to start. 

6. Square Online

• Price: Free with limited ecommerce features.
• Freetriallength: n/a.
• Integratedsaleschannels: Online store, in-person, online search, social media.
• Mobileapp: Yes.
• Native POS: Yes.
• G2rating ⭐: 4.3/5.

Square originally launched as a POS device for retailers but has since expanded to incorporate other business management tools. Certainly one of those is Square Online, an internet storefront with templates tailored for small businesses like retailers and restaurants. Square Online offers built-in payment processing with competitive transaction fees.

7. BigCommerce

• Price: $29 per 30 days for the Standard plan.
• Free trial length: 15 days.
• Integrated sales channels: Online store, in-person, social media, marketplaces, comparison shopping engines.
• Mobile app: Yes (some features Android-only).
• Native POS: No.
• G2 rating ⭐: 4.2/5.

BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that’s geared toward large businesses, corporations, and enterprises. Growing small businesses can also profit from its international commerce features and tools for multichannel selling on social media and third-party marketplaces. 

Find out how to select an ecommerce platform to your small business

Cost and pricing

Budget is a key factor when selecting a small business platform. Consider upfront and ongoing costs, which can include hosting fees, transaction fees, additional services or plug-ins, and the price of any vital development work. 

Ease of use

Your ecommerce platform needs to be intuitive and straightforward to navigate, especially in case you’re not tech-savvy. You must have the option so as to add products, create discounts, manage orders and inventory, and perform other key tasks without problems.

Scalability

You would like a platform that may grow with what you are promoting. Be sure that it will probably handle increased traffic and sales volume as what you are promoting expands. Search for platforms that might be prolonged with additional features as needed.

Customization options

One of the best ecommerce platforms for small businesses will let you create a site that reflects your brand. This features a custom storefront, bespoke layouts, and the power so as to add or remove on-page elements as needed.

Security

Security is critical in ecommerce, as you’ll be handling sensitive customer data like bank card information. Be sure that your chosen platform is PCI-DSS compliant and provides SSL certificates.

Integrations

It’s likely that you just’ll want your ecommerce platform to integrate with other software that you just use, like email marketing services, accounting software, or a customer relationship management system. Check to see if the platform supports these integrations.

Mobile responsiveness

With the growing variety of mobile shoppers, your ecommerce platform must provide a seamless experience across all devices. Check whether the platform offers mobile-optimized themes or templates.

Customer support

Search for platforms that provide reliable, round the clock customer support. That is critical once you encounter issues or have questions on using the platform.

Marketing tools

Your ecommerce platform should support your marketing efforts. Search for one that provides features like social media integration, email marketing, abandoned cart recovery, and customer reviews.

Inventory management

Depending on the dimensions and complexity of your catalog, you may need a platform with strong inventory management features, including bulk import/export, stock alerts, and support for multiple product variants.

Payment options

The platform should support a wide range of payment options to cater to different customer preferences, reminiscent of credit and debit cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and more.

Compare small business ecommerce platforms

See how Shopify stacks as much as other small business tools:

Finding the precise ecommerce platform to your small business

Selecting the very best ecommerce platform to your small business relies on your needs and goals. Whether you are specializing in budget, features, or other priorities, there’s an acceptable option on the market for you.

It’s essential to select a platform that is straightforward to make use of and may grow with what you are promoting. Consider testing several options by signing up at no cost trials before making a final decision.