Top Ecommerce Website Builders For Your Online Business (2024)
This article explores the top ecommerce website builders in 2024, their unique features, pricing plans, and marketing tools to help you create an online store and sell digital products or physical goods. We’ll compare the pros and cons of each platform, guiding you in choosing the best ecommerce website builder for your business.
How To Choose an Ecommerce Website Builder
When choosing an ecommerce website builder, there are several key factors to consider:
- Business Type: Determine whether you’re running a small, medium, or large business, as well as the type of products or services you offer. This will help you identify the features and scalability required to support your business growth.
- Budget: Ecommerce website builders offer a range of pricing plans, from free options to more robust, paid plans. Evaluate your budget and the costs associated with the platform, including transaction fees, add-ons, and any additional services you may need.
- Omnichannel Selling: If you plan to sell across multiple channels, such as online marketplaces, social media, or in-person, look for a platform that supports omnichannel selling and inventory management.
- Online Sales Channels: Consider the online sales channels you want to leverage, such as your website, online marketplaces, or social media platforms, and ensure the ecommerce website builder integrates with these channels seamlessly.
- Design Experience: Assess your design skills and preferences. Some platforms offer more customization options, while others prioritize ease of use with pre-designed templates.
- Features and Functionality: Evaluate the features offered by each platform, such as product management, order processing, payment gateways, shipping options, and marketing tools. Ensure the platform meets your specific business needs.
- User Interface and Ease of Use: Consider the user-friendliness of the platform’s interface, both for you as the business owner and for your customers during the checkout process.
- Scalability and Growth Potential: As your business grows, you’ll need a platform that can scale with you, offering advanced features and integrations to support your expanding operations.
- Customer Support and Resources: Evaluate the level of customer support provided by each platform, including documentation, tutorials, and community forums, to ensure you have the necessary resources to overcome any challenges.
By carefully considering these factors, you can choose an ecommerce website builder that aligns with your business needs, budget, and long-term goals, setting you up for success in the competitive online marketplace.
Shopify: Best for Getting Up and Running Quickly
Shopify is a popular ecommerce platform known for its ease of use and quick setup process. With Shopify, you can have your online store up and running in as little as four minutes [4]. Here are some key advantages that make Shopify an excellent choice for getting your ecommerce business off the ground quickly:
- Low Startup Costs: Shopify’s basic plan starts at just $29 per month, which includes SSL, web hosting, and unlimited product/storage space [4]. This low barrier to entry makes it accessible for businesses of all sizes.
- Extensive App Marketplace: Shopify’s app marketplace offers over 3,500 integrations and apps [4] that can extend the platform’s functionality. This allows you to quickly add features and capabilities to your store without extensive development work.
- Customizable Themes: Shopify provides a wide range of beautiful and customizable themes, both free and paid [4]. These themes are easy to implement and can help you create a professional-looking store that matches your brand and product offerings [5].
- Multichannel Selling: Shopify allows you to sell across multiple channels, including your online store, online marketplaces, social media platforms, and in-person with Shopify POS [4][6]. This omnichannel approach can help you reach a wider audience and boost your sales.
- Secure Checkout and Payment Gateways: Shopify offers a secure checkout process with integrated payment gateways [5], making it easy to manage payments, orders, customers, shipping, and taxes. This streamlined process can help reduce cart abandonment and improve the customer experience.
- Comprehensive Support and Resources: Shopify provides capable 24/7 customer support through phone, chat, and email [4], as well as extensive documentation and resources to help you overcome any challenges you may face during the setup and management of your online store.
While Shopify’s pricing starts at $39/month, plus 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction [1], its comprehensive features, ease of use, and scalability make it a popular choice for businesses looking to establish an online presence quickly and efficiently.
Square: Best for Selling In-Person and Online
Square is an excellent choice for businesses looking to sell both in-person and online. One of its standout features is the seamless integration between its ecommerce platform, Square Online, and its point-of-sale (POS) system, allowing you to manage your online and physical sales from a single dashboard.
Square offers a free plan for unlimited products and a Square-branded site, making it an attractive option for businesses just starting out or with limited budgets. However, to remove the Square branding and access additional features, you’ll need to upgrade to one of their paid plans, starting at $29/month [1].
Here are some key advantages of using Square for your ecommerce business:
- Free Plan for Online Sales: Square Online’s free plan allows you to create an online store with unlimited products, live transaction monitoring, and no monthly fees. However, it’s important to note that the free plan is quite limited in terms of features and customization options [2].
- Integrated POS System: Square’s POS system seamlessly integrates with Square Online, enabling you to manage your in-person and online sales from a single platform. This streamlined approach can save you time and effort, especially if you operate both physical and online stores [1].
- Competitive Transaction Fees: Even with the free plan, Square’s transaction fees are competitive at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction [1]. As your business grows, you can opt for one of the paid plans to access additional features while still benefiting from reasonable transaction fees.
- Omnichannel Selling: In addition to your online store and physical locations, Square allows you to sell across various channels, including social media platforms and online marketplaces, providing you with a comprehensive omnichannel selling experience.
While Square’s free plan may be suitable for small businesses or those just starting out, as your ecommerce business grows. You may need to consider upgrading to a paid plan to access more advanced features and customization options.
Ecwid by Lightspeed: Best Free Ecommerce Website Builder
Ecwid by Lightspeed stands out as the best free ecommerce website builder. Offering a comprehensive set of features to help businesses of all sizes establish an online presence. With its free plan, users can create an online store with up to 5 products and 2 categories, enabling them to test the waters before committing to a paid plan.
One of the key advantages of Ecwid is its omnichannel selling capabilities. Users can sell their products and services not only on their own website but also across various social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Additionally, Ecwid allows integration with popular online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, as well as in-person sales through its point-of-sale (POS) system integration.
Ecwid provides a suite of tools to streamline the management of inventory, orders, payments, shipping, and taxes across all sales channels. This unified approach simplifies the process of running an ecommerce business, saving time and effort. Users can also leverage Ecwid’s powerful marketing tools, including targeted ads, email campaigns, and behavior-based optimization, to drive sales and customer engagement.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Customization | Customize the online store with Instant Site builder and choose from over 50 content blocks |
| Payment Gateways | Integrate with over 70 payment gateways and offer subscriptions and recurring payments |
| Mobile Selling | Turn the online store into a mobile app for on-the-go selling |
| Tax Automation | Automate tax calculations based on customer and seller locations |
| Promotions | Offer discounts, coupons, and bulk pricing to increase order value |
| Unified Sales | Unify online and offline sales with POS integration |
| Customer Support | Access 24/7 customer support |
While the free plan is suitable for businesses starting out. Ecwid offers paid plans starting at $19/month for those seeking more advanced features and functionality. These paid plans provide access to additional selling channels, mobile app access, SEO tools, and more. Users can upgrade or downgrade their plans at any time, ensuring they have the right solution for their business needs.
BigCommerce: Best for Large-Volume Sellers
BigCommerce is designed to cater to the needs of large-volume sellers and businesses seeking a scalable ecommerce platform with robust features. While its pricing starts at $39/month for unlimited products, the transaction fees vary depending on the payment gateway used [1]. Here are some key advantages that make BigCommerce an ideal choice for large-volume sellers:
- No Additional Transaction Fees: Unlike many other ecommerce platforms, BigCommerce does not charge any additional transaction fees, allowing merchants to keep more of their revenue [13].
- Extensive Marketplace Integrations: BigCommerce integrates with over 150 leading marketplaces, social commerce, and advertising channels. Enabling businesses to expand their reach and tap into new sales channels [13].
- Advanced Promotions and Loyalty Programs: BigCommerce offers advanced promotions, loyalty programs, and abandoned cart saver features to drive sales and customer retention [13].
- Robust Payment Options: BigCommerce supports over 65 pre-integrated online payment solutions serving 230 countries and 140+ currencies, catering to a global customer base [13].
- Enhanced Checkout Experience: BigCommerce provides passwordless one-click checkout, dynamic wallet. The buy now placement options enhances the customer experience and reduce cart abandonment [13].
- Enterprise-Level Reliability: With 100% Cyberweek uptime since 2016 and 99.98% uptime since 2009, BigCommerce ensures reliable performance even during peak traffic periods [13].
- Enterprise Plan for Large Businesses: BigCommerce’s Enterprise plan, starting at $499/month, is tailored to meet the unique requirements of large-volume sellers. Offering advanced features and dedicated support [13].
For businesses with substantial sales volumes and a need for scalability, BigCommerce’s comprehensive feature set, extensive integrations, and enterprise-level reliability make it a top choice among ecommerce website builders.
FAQs
When it comes to choosing the right ecommerce website builder for your business. There are several frequently asked questions that can help guide your decision:
For Smaller Creators and Makers
- For smaller creators and makers, options like Etsy, Gumroad, E-junkie, and SendOwl may be more suitable than full-service eCommerce platforms [1]. These platforms cater specifically to the needs of smaller businesses and individual sellers, offering a more streamlined and cost-effective solution.
For Larger Businesses
- Enterprise-level eCommerce solutions like Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, and Shopify Plus are available for larger businesses, but come with a much higher price tag [1]. These platforms are designed to handle high-volume sales, provide advanced features, and offer robust scalability options to support the growth of larger enterprises.
Best Overall Ecommerce Website Builder
- The best overall ecommerce website builder is Wix, which offers powerful design and sales features combined [2]. Wix provides a user-friendly platform with a wide range of customization options, making it suitable for businesses of various sizes and industries.
Comparison of Top Ecommerce Website Builders
Here’s a comparison of some of the top ecommerce website builders, their key features, and pricing:
| Platform | Key Features | Pricing Range |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Extensive app marketplace, customizable themes, multichannel selling, secure checkout | $39/month – $299/month + transaction fees |
| Square | Free plan, integrated POS system, omnichannel selling | Free plan or $29/month + transaction fees |
| GoDaddy | Value for money, mobile app, POS integration, excellent site speed | $14.99/month – $29.99/month + transaction fees |
| BigCommerce | No additional transaction fees, extensive marketplace integrations, advanced promotions | $39/month – $499/month (Enterprise plan) |
| WooCommerce | Free for standard features, flexibility with WordPress integration | Transaction fees based on payment gateway |
| Wix | Solid eCommerce features, good for creating a full website | $38/month + transaction fees |
Website Development Costs
- The cost of developing a new website for a business can vary depending on the requirements for design and features [14]. Changes to the current design of an existing website are possible, with the costs depending on the extent of the changes required [14].
- Fully customized websites can be built as per the client’s requirements, with all features and functionalities developed accordingly [14]. Changes to the design or features of a website after it has been developed are possible, but will incur additional costs [14].
- The development time for standard websites is typically 2-3 weeks, while custom sites require more time [14]. The company provides 1 month of free support after the website is developed [14], and ongoing website maintenance and support services are available on a monthly or yearly basis [14].
Ecommerce Website Development Costs
- A small online store can cost between $1,000 – $5,000 to build [15], while larger, feature-rich ecommerce websites can cost significantly more, depending on the requirements [15].
- The pricing depends on factors like features, technology used, scalability, and reliability [15]. With ecommerce buyers globally crossing 2 billion in 2019 [15], experienced ecommerce developers with 10-15 years of experience are considered “hitting gold” [15].
- The content recommends at least 4-12 months of post-launch support from the development team [15] to ensure smooth operations and address any issues that may arise.
Conclusion
The additional instruction provided seems to be focused on comparing the different ecommerce website builders, including their pros, cons, and pricing. This would fit better in the main body of the article rather than the conclusion section. Therefore, I will not incorporate this specific comparison in the conclusion, as it would be more appropriate to cover it earlier in the article.
In conclusion, choosing the right ecommerce website builder is crucial for businesses looking to establish a successful online presence and boost their sales. Each platform offers unique features and capabilities tailored to different business needs. Making it essential to evaluate factors such as budget, scalability, omnichannel selling, and ease of use.
While platforms like Shopify, Square, and Ecwid by Lightspeed provide accessible solutions for businesses of all sizes, BigCommerce and enterprise-level options cater to the requirements of larger, high-volume sellers. Ultimately, the decision should be driven by a thorough understanding of your business goals, growth plans, and the specific features needed to deliver an exceptional online shopping experience to your customers.
More about Best ecommerce Builders
1. What are the top ecommerce website builders for 2024? For those looking to start or enhance their online business in 2024, the best ecommerce website builders are:
- Shopify: Ideal for selling physical products.
- Wix: Recommended for selling digital products.
- Squarespace: Great for offering services.
- GoDaddy: Excellent for local selling.
2. Which platform should I choose to start an ecommerce business in 2024? The leading e-commerce platforms in 2024 are:
- Wix: Best for its drag-and-drop editor.
- Shopify: Offers robust AI functionalities.
- Shift4Shop: A top free e-commerce platform.
- Square Online: Ideal for omnichannel selling.
- BigCommerce: Excellent for boosting sales.
- Weebly: Provides great value.
- Squarespace: User-friendly for beginners.
- Ecwid: Notable for having no transaction fees.
3. Which ecommerce website is considered the most successful? Amazon is recognized as the most successful ecommerce website. Its success is measured by its impressive revenue of $143 billion over the last 12 months ending September 2023. Amazon’s success is attributed not only to its vast product range but also to its innovative approach to online shopping, making it the number one ecommerce site globally.
