Best eCommerce Platforms for Small Business: A 2023 Guide

However, determining the best platform and identifying the essential features can be a daunting task if you don’t have a place to start. To assist you in making an informed decision, we have compiled a list of the best eCommerce platforms for small business. Take some time to go through the list and choose the platform that aligns with your specific business needs.

What to look for in an eCommerce platform for small businesses?

When considering an eCommerce platform for your small business, here are some key features to look for:

1. User-friendly interface. Ensure the platform has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, allowing you to manage your online store efficiently without requiring extensive technical expertise.
2. Mobile responsiveness. With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s crucial for your online store to be mobile-friendly, providing a seamless shopping experience across different screen sizes.
3. Customization options. Look for a platform that offers flexibility in design and customization, allowing you to create a unique and branded online store that reflects your business identity.
4. Payment gateways. Check if the platform supports multiple payment gateways, enabling you to offer various payment options to your customers and facilitate smooth transactions.
5. Inventory management. An effective inventory management system helps you track stock levels, manage product variations, and receive notifications when items are running low.
6. Scalability. Consider a platform that can accommodate your business’s growth and handle increased traffic and product catalog sizes without compromising performance.
7. SEO capabilities. Ensure the platform provides SEO-friendly features like customizable meta tags, URLs, and sitemaps, helping your online store rank higher in search engine results.
8. Security measures. Look for robust security features, including SSL certificates, data encryption, and secure payment gateways, to protect your customers’ sensitive information and build trust.
9. Marketing and promotion tools. Check for built-in marketing features such as email marketing, discount codes, social media integrations, and product reviews to effectively promote your products and drive sales.
10. Analytics and reporting. The platform should offer detailed analytics and reporting capabilities, providing insights into sales, customer behavior, and marketing performance, aiding in decision-making and optimization.
11. Customer support. Consider the availability and quality of customer support provided by the platform, as you may require assistance in setting up and troubleshooting issues.

Remember, the best eCommerce platform for your small business will depend on your specific requirements and budget, so evaluate these features accordingly.

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Let’s move on to the reviews of the best eCommerce platforms for your small business.

#1 Weebly

Weebly, acquired by Square in 2018, is widely recognized as a user-friendly website builder. However, it also offers the ability to create an eCommerce site. Building your online store with Weebly is straightforward. The platform provides a simple interface with basic drag-and-drop tools and 15 online store templates to choose from.

Weebly offers essential email marketing, SEO, and analytics tools to help you effectively manage your eCommerce site. Additionally, there’s an app center with over 350 integrations available, allowing you to enhance the functionality of your store. You can set up payments using Square or other preferred payment processors.

Weebly pricing

Weebly does not offer a free trial specifically for online stores. Paid plans start from $12/month with an annual subscription. This includes a free domain, $100 Google Ads credits, SSL certificate, unlimited storage, site search, forms, and analytics tools.

Weebly’s unique features

• Custom templates to go beyond the default editing options
• Custom fonts to give your site a unique and personalized look

Pros of Weebly

• 15 templates to choose from
• 350+ integrations available
• Built-in email marketing and SEO tools
• $100 in Google Ads credits
• Free SSL certificate for secure transactions
• 24/7 email and chat support

Cons of Weebly

• Limited number of online store templates
• Basic customization options
• Missing key features, such as an inventory management system and a shipping calculator, in the cheapest plan

Weebly’s customer support

Customer support is accessible 24/7 via email and chat, with phone support available during business hours.

#2 Shopify

Shopify is a widely recognized and popular eCommerce software known for its user-friendly interface, making it an excellent choice for small businesses. It is designed to be intuitive and easy to set up, with ample guides available for assistance.

With the Shopify Theme Store, you can choose from over 100 template designs and customize them using modern drag-and-drop tools. The platform offers an extensive Shopify App Store with over 7,000 integration options, many of which are free or have free plans. This allows you to set up dropshipping, integrate shipping services for fulfillment, and select from over 100 payment gateways to ensure secure transactions for your customers.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify offers a 3-day free trial without requiring credit card information. Pricing plans start at $32 per month, which includes features like 2 staff accounts, 1,000 inventory locations, abandoned cart recovery, marketing automation, and segmentation.

Shopify’s unique features

• Clean, intuitive, and user-friendly interface to effortlessly create and manage your online store
• Shopify App Store with 7,000+ apps to find integrations for all your business needs within the vast app store
• Integrations with over 100 payment providers to accept payments from customers worldwide with a wide range of payment options.

Pros of Shopify

• Easy to use
• 100+ free and paid templates
• 7,000+ integrations
• Unlimited products, storage, and bandwidth
• PCI compliant transactions
• 100+ payment options
• Abundance of online setup guides
• 24/7 email and live chat support

Cons of Shopify

• Non-self-hosted platform with less freedom for customization
• Relatively short 3-day free trial

Shopify’s customer support

Shopify provides 24/7 support through email and live chat.

#3 Sellfy

Sellfy is an eCommerce platform designed primarily for creators but also suitable for various small businesses. With a 14-day free trial for paid plans and a 30-day money-back guarantee, Sellfy offers an opportunity to explore their features and see if they meet your needs.

Getting started with Sellfy is quick and straightforward. The store builder’s interface is simple to navigate, and while there are only 5 themes available, there are enough design and customization options to create a unique storefront.

Sellfy supports the sale of both physical and digital products, as well as subscriptions. The platform provides built-in marketing apps, website embedding capabilities, and upselling options to enhance your sales and promotional strategies. In terms of integrations, Sellfy offers 7 options including Google Analytics, Zapier, and Facebook Live Chat. You can accept payments through popular gateways like PayPal and Stripe.

Sellfy Pricing

Sellfy offers a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee for their paid plans. Pricing starts from $19 per month with a 2-year plan.

Sellfy’s unique features

• Print-on-demand for selling custom-designed products
• Freebies category to generate leads and attract customers by offering free promotional products

Pros of Sellfy

• Easy to use
• Print-on-demand capabilities
• Freebie category for lead generation
• Abundance of marketing features
• Free SSL
• 14-day free trial for premium plans
• 30-day money-back guarantee for paid plans

Cons of Sellfy

• Limited choice of 5 themes
• Limited integration options (7 available)
• 24/7 support only through email communication

Sellfy’s customer support

Customer service is available 24/7, although support is limited to email communication.

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#4 Ecwid

Ecwid offers an eCommerce widget that can be seamlessly embedded into your existing website, making it a convenient choice. Additionally, it provides a website builder specifically designed for simple single-page eCommerce websites, offering a selection of 70+ themes.

The platform boasts an extensive app market with over 200 integration options, allowing you to incorporate shipping automation, payment gateways, and other third-party apps into your store.

While Ecwid provides basic marketing tools for sharing products on social channels and popular marketplaces, it also ensures secure transactions through its PCI DSS-validated Level 1 Service Provider payment system.

Ecwid Pricing

Ecwid offers a free plan that allows you to sell up to 5 products. Their paid plans start from $19/month, offering features such as support for 100 products, Instagram and Facebook integration, automated tax calculations, discount coupons, and live chat support.

Ecwid’s unique features

• Designed as an add-on to seamlessly integrate Ecwid into your existing website
• Ecwid Mobile to create and manage your online business on the go

Pros of Ecwid

• Easy to use
• Dedicated mobile application
• Cross-platform selling options
• 200+ integrations
• 80+ payment gateways
• PCI DSS validated
• Free plan available, supporting up to 10 products

Cons of Ecwid

• Basic one-page website builder
• Self-service help center with no inventory management in the free plan

Ecwid’s customer support

Customer support options vary depending on the plan you choose. The free plan includes access to help documentation, while chat support is available with the cheapest plan starting from $19/month. Phone support becomes available at a higher price point, starting from $39/month.

#5 Wix

Wix is renowned as a website-building tool, but it also offers an impressive online store creator. Designed with beginners in mind, Wix provides a user-friendly eCommerce platform that allows you to quickly create your store using intuitive drag-and-drop tools and a selection of over 120 templates. Additionally, the Wix App Market offers a wide range of both free and paid integrations, totaling over 250 options.

When it comes to features, Wix is pretty rich. It includes marketing tools, a built-in product zoom feature, Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) for personalized store design suggestions, and encryption to ensure secure transactions. Wix even has its own payment gateway, Wix Payments, but you can also choose from over 50 other payment options.

Wix pricing

Wix offers pricing plans starting from $27/month, which includes a free domain for one year, unlimited products and bandwidth, abandoned cart emails, and a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Wix’s unique features

• Wix App Market with access to over 250 apps specifically designed to seamlessly integrate with Wix
• $75 in ad vouchers to jumpstart your marketing efforts and attract leads from the very beginning. This benefit is available even with the cheapest plan
• Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) to assist you in designing your store by providing suggestions for layouts, images, text, and contact forms

Pros of Wix

• Beginner-friendly platform
• Wide selection of 120+ store templates
• AI-based design suggestions through ADI
• 250+ integrations available in the Wix App Market
• 50+ payment options, including Wix Payments
• Free ad vouchers to boost your marketing
• Free SSL for secure transactions
• 14-day money-back guarantee
• 24/7 support via chat and callback requests

Cons of Wix

• Inability to accept payments on the free plan
• Excessive control over design options may be overwhelming for some users

Wix’s customer support

Wix offers 24/7 technical support through chat and callback requests.

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#6 BigCommerce Essentials

BigCommerce Essentials is an all-inclusive eCommerce platform designed specifically for small business owners. With over 300 templates at your disposal, setting up an online store becomes a breeze.

While the design process may not be as straightforward as Shopify, BigCommerce offers extensive customization options that allow you to tailor your shop to your liking, albeit with a slightly steeper learning curve.

One notable feature of BigCommerce is its ability to create multiple storefronts and manage multiple brands simultaneously. It also facilitates seamless integration with popular marketplaces and social channels, expanding your reach and customer base.

With over 1000 integrations available, BigCommerce offers a robust selection of third-party tools and services. Additionally, the platform provides mobile-responsive sites and a convenient single-page checkout experience. Free SSL and HTTPS security features further ensure the safety of your customers’’ transactions.

BigCommerce Essentials pricing

BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial for users to explore the platform. Pricing plans start from $29.95/month, providing features such as 0% additional transaction fees, point-of-sale capabilities, a built-in blog, unlimited products, file storage, and staff accounts.

BigCommerce Essentials’s unique features

• Cross-channel selling to expand your business by selling on popular marketplaces and social channels, and create multiple storefronts tailored for different countries
• BigCommerce mobile app to stay connected to your store on the go, allowing you to monitor its performance anytime, anywhere
• Built-in promotion tools to effectively promote your products

Pros of BigCommerce Essentials

• Wide selection of 300+ templates
• Unlimited products, storage, and bandwidth
• Extensive integration options with 1000+ integrations
• 55+ payment providers with no transaction fees
• Free HTTPS and SSL for secure transactions
• 15-day free trial for testing the platform
• 24/7 support through chat, phone, and ticket system

Cons of BigCommerce Essentials

• Steeper learning curve compared to some other platforms
• Cheapest plan lacks certain key features, such as abandoned cart emails and product filtering

BigCommerce Essentials’s customer support

BigCommerce offers 24/7 support through phone, chat, and support tickets.

#7 Shift4Shop

Shift4Shop is a user-friendly eCommerce software designed for online retailers and dropshipping businesses. With mobile optimization as the default setting, your store will be easily accessible on various devices. It’s important to note that this platform is currently only available to US merchants.

The platform offers a modern store builder interface with a range of functionalities. With over 100 customizable templates and a convenient drag-and-drop page builder, you can easily create a visually appealing online store.

Shift4Shop provides essential features for running your store, including inventory management, marketing tools, and analytics. Standout features include a single-page checkout, built-in CRM, and AI-driven fraud protection. With more than 100 integrations available, you can enhance your store’s functionality to meet specific business needs.

For dropshipping businesses, Shift4Shop offers a comprehensive suite of features, such as shipping rate options, integrations with international carriers, pre-filled label printing, and customizable shipping types. Additionally, automated tax calculations can be set up for any country.

Shift4Shop pricing

Shift4Shop is free to use when utilizing the Shift4 Payments payment processor. Paid plans start from $29/month, with the option to integrate PayPal as an alternative payment processor.

Shift4Shop’s unique features

• Free use of the platform when you utilize their payment processor, Shift4 Payments
• AI-driven fraud protection to safeguard your store and transactions
• Loads of freebies such as free domain name registration and renewals, as well as free store migration for existing businesses

Pros of Shift4Shop

• Over 100 customizable templates to create a unique store design
• Built-in marketing tools and CRM for effective customer engagement
• Extensive integration options with over 100 third-party apps
• Strong security features, including AI-driven fraud protection
• Free domain name with renewals and free store migration
• 24/7 phone and chat support for reliable assistance

Cons of Shift4Shop

• Transaction fee incurred when using the Shift4 Payments payment processor
• Limited availability to US merchants only

Shift4Shop’s customer support

Shift4Shop provides 24/7 customer support via phone and chat.

#8 Zyro

Zyro is a budget-friendly eCommerce platform that caters to small business owners. With its simplistic design and user-friendly tools, building your online store becomes a straightforward process. Creating your store with Zyro is both fast and hassle-free, thanks to its wide selection of over 140 templates. You won’t be overwhelmed by endless design options that might slow you down.

One of the standout features of Zyro is its AI content creation tool. It automatically generates page copy, allowing you to set up your webshop quickly and effortlessly. Other notable features include mobile-optimized sites, a built-in image editor, and a grid layout editor. While Zyro offers only 5 integrations, including Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, and Hotjar, it stands out as the most affordable eCommerce platform compared to others on this list.

Zyro pricing

Zyro provides a 30-day money-back guarantee with every plan. The cheapest tier starts from $3.99/month with a 2-year plan, offering an affordable option for small business owners.

Zyro’s unique features

• AI content creation tool to automatically generate content for your site, streamlining the webshop setup process
• Built-in image editor to edit images after uploading them, optimizing them for search engine optimization (SEO) and improving rankings
• All the necessary tools to create a store at the lowest monthly fee

Pros of Zyro

• Simple interface and user-friendly tools for a smooth experience
• Wide selection of 140+ templates to choose from
• Affordable monthly cost
• Unlimited bandwidth and storage
• Offers more than 20 payment options
• Includes a free SSL certificate
• 24/7 customer support via email and live chat

Cons of Zyro

• Limited customization options compared to more advanced platforms
• Only 5 integrations available
• Incurs a 1% transaction fee, increasing the total cost

Zyro’s customer support

Zyro provides 24/7 customer support via email or live chat.

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#9 Square

Square provides all the necessary tools to run a successful eCommerce site, including a store builder, shipping options, and payment gateways. With plans suited for various budgets, ranging from free to $69/month and custom plans, Square caters to a wide range of businesses. The interface of Square is user-friendly and easy to navigate. It offers more than 10 attractive templates, although the editing options are somewhat limited.

One of the key strengths of Square is its built-in marketing features. From email marketing to paid ads, Square provides a range of tools to promote your store. Personalization options for logged-in users, such as 3-tap reordering, item recommendations, and loyalty rewards, are also available. Additionally, Square offers over 100 add-ons and third-party integrations to enhance your store’s functionality.

Square pricing

Square offers a free version with basic features. The cheapest paid plan for retail starts at $60/month, with a transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 for each sale.

Square’s unique features

• Personalized ordering. Offers features like 3-tap reordering, loyalty rewards, item recommendations, offers, and discounts for logged-in customers, all included in the cheapest plan.

Pros of Square

• 10+ customizable templates to choose from
• 100+ integrations available for shipping, analytics, and marketing
• Built-in marketing tools to promote your store
• Personalization options to enhance the customer experience
• Unlimited products, bandwidth, and storage
• Free custom domain for one year

Cons of Square

• Limited customization options compared to some other providers
• Transaction fees of 2.9% + $0.30 apply to the free and cheapest plans

Square’s customer support

Customer service for Square is primarily accessible via phone during business hours.

#10 Squarespace

Squarespace stands out in the eCommerce space with its collection of beautifully designed templates, making it an ideal choice for showcasing your products and creating a strong brand presence. With over 140 eCommerce templates available, all of which can be customized using easy-to-use drag-and-drop tools, Squarespace ensures that every design is optimized for mobile devices.

Squarespace offers essential eCommerce features such as product reviews, customer accounts, and single-page checkout, although some of these features are limited to higher-tier plans. The platform provides access to 30+ integrations through the Squarespace Extensions store, allowing you to connect apps for shipping automation, accounting, and marketing purposes.

Squarespace pricing

Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial. The cheapest eCommerce plan starts at $23/month and includes features like a drag-and-drop editor, audience management, SSL security, a video maker, unlimited bandwidth, support for 2 contributors, and 24/7 customer support.

Squarespace’s unique features

• Professionally designed templates to help you create a polished and professional online store
• Video Studio app to create and edit marketing videos directly on the platform, complete with your branding elements automatically incorporated

Pros of Squarespace

• 140+ eCommerce templates to choose from
• Built-in app for creating and editing videos
• Unlimited bandwidth, storage, and products
• Mobile app for convenient store management
• Free SSL certificate
• 14-day free trial
• 24/7 support via email, Twitter, and Facebook Messenger

Cons of Squarespace

• The cheapest plan imposes a 3% transaction fee on each sale
• Limited marketing features and integrations

Squarespace’s customer support

Customer support from Squarespace is available 24/7 via email, Twitter, and Facebook Messenger, while live chat support is available during business days.

How to choose the best eCommerce platform for your small business

Choosing the best eCommerce platform for your small business involves considering several factors:

1. Ease of use. Opt for a platform that is user-friendly and allows you to set up your online store quickly without complex tools or processes.
2. Budget. Take your budget into account and find a platform that offers suitable pricing options. Many eCommerce tools offer free trials or limited features for cost-effective solutions.
3. Customization. Look for a platform that allows for customization, enabling you to create a unique and visually appealing online store that stands out from competitors.
4. Integration options. Consider the platform’s integration capabilities with third-party tools for shipping, marketing, analytics, and other functionalities. This expands your marketing channels and enhances overall efficiency.
5. Payment processors. Ensure that the platform supports a variety of payment gateways to accommodate your customers’ preferred payment methods.
6. Security. Prioritize platforms with robust security features to protect your customers’ transactional and personal data, instilling trust and confidence in your online store.
7. Customer support. Check if the platform offers reliable customer support to assist you in resolving any issues or challenges you may encounter during setup or operation.

Additionally, you can explore in-depth reviews of various eCommerce platforms to gain deeper insights and compare the best online store builders available in the market.

Final thoughts

Choosing the best eCommerce platform for your business can be a subjective decision, as it depends on your unique needs and goals. Whether you prioritize budget, features, or other factors, there is an eCommerce platform out there for you. We recommend exploring the options mentioned above to find the perfect fit for your small business. Take advantage of the free plans or trials offered by these platforms to lay the groundwork for your successful eCommerce venture without any upfront costs.