E-Commerce Platforms

The best e-Commerce platform is a comprehensive software tool that allows merchants to build and manage a digital storefront for their products or services. Because best e-Commerce platforms create a centralized, digital hub for product and customer data, they allow eCommerce businesses to do things like customizing product information, manage web content and layout, allow online transactions to occur, and adjust the platform according to businesses’ online needs.

Top 10 e-Commerce Platforms

These are the Best E-Commerce Platforms:

1. Shopify
2. BigCommerce
3. WooCommerce
4. Salesforce B2C Commerce
5. Ecwid
6. 2Checkout
7. Oracle Commerce
8. nopCommerce
9. Sellfy
10. Miva

Shopify is the largest multichannel web-based trading platform engineered for small and medium scale enterprises. Sellers may use the platform to plan, set up, and operate their businesses through various distribution platforms, like online, smartphone, social networking, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar sites, and pop-ups. The portal often provides a strong back-office to retailers and a clear view of their company. The Shopify framework was built for usability and volume, leveraging company-level technologies made open to companies of all sizes. Read More

BigCommerce allows companies to expand internet revenues at a rate, effort, and expense 80 percent lower than on-site apps. BigCommerce is designed to be from the basic level for easy to use interface. Their late entry into the e-commerce space has been used to develop better functionality. Users will be able to conveniently sell the items with BigCommerce on eBay, Google Shopping, Amazon, Facebook, and Instagram. In specific, B2C stores will be involved in their strong penetration into the social network. Read More

WooCommerce is the WordPress eCommerce plug-in which is the most famous. And it's easy and free to get. Loaded with a maximum of functionality, it built seamlessly into the self-hosted WordPress platform. Customers can use the free eCommerce browser extension to add potent shop infrastructure to the WordPress site. At more than 24 percent of all online stores, WooCommerce makes customers perfectly sell everything. Read More

Salesforce B2C Commerce offers the energy, flexibility, creativity, and outstanding analytics required to navigate a relentless and unexpected transition in the modern retail world. It contains a robust retail data model with core market features that are consistent across consumer apps and delivering platforms. This also contains a system API that enables unique creation without disturbing the continuous update process. This eliminates the obstacles and uncertainties of conventional licensed and hosting apps, which encourages retailers to introduce innovative market strategies stimulating innovation. Read More

Ecwid is a centralized cloud trading network used by more than 1 million traders in more than 170 countries and provides the fastest way to connect an online marketplace to every page, networking media, or several platforms at the same time. With Ecwid, users get everything they need in just minutes to start selling online. Easily integrated into every site presence and leading POS platforms, you can advertise, stock, and offer goods and services remotely at any time from several retail retailers through device control and point of sale compatibility. Read More

2Checkout is a digital trading & payment platform that lets businesses market their goods and services through various platforms, gain multi-touch clients, improve consumer and revenue satisfaction, exploit better payment solutions and monthly billing models, and optimize transaction conversion levels. Read More

Oracle Commerce is indeed the top-ranked e-commerce platform for the market that drives the leading popular brands and offers reliable, customized multiple channels of the consumer experience. Oracle Commerce provides a full company tech framework that helps businesses to provide a customized consumer service shopping experience through all interaction points like the site, call center, mobile apps, social networking, local retailers, and much more. Read More

NopCommerce is the first open-source global e-commerce application operating on ASP.NET. This is free software with robust functionality that appeals to all forms of customers, from small online enterprises to the most challenging eCommerce specialists at the enterprise level. NopCommerce is one of the fastest, most secure, and most extensible shopping stores. The application has a rich design, with multiple apps out of the box. There is also plenty of additional features that users can consider on the platform. There's online assistance accessible on group sites. Read More

Sellfy is a web-based eCommerce application developed to allow online content creators to promote their goods digitally, including authors, visual artists, artists, performers, and filmmakers. Users may set up a customized marketplace to view digital items and attach product icons to their own website/blog. Sellfy stores have specific product sites and enable users to show their items with various pictures and previews from various angles. This also provides unrestricted capacity and safe storage of the goods. Users may also insert their whole shop or specific project widgets into their own platform, including the option to monitor and modify the show of widgets. Read More

Miva's innovative hybrid SaaS platform blends SaaS's user-friendliness and assured protection with the simplicity and robust features contained in open source as well as on-premise applications. The default features of Miva provide a rich array of shopping and merchandising devices that minimize the need for plug-ins from third parties. Miva helps retailers to run B2B and B2C transactions from a common platform, showcasing goods and delivering discounts targeted to different categories of consumers. Read More

Market Overview

Although hundreds of products offer features for online shopping, they are not all e-Commerce platforms. The simple e-Commerce devices are widely referred to as shopping cart apps, and their roles are restricted to building the online store, inserting items, and integrating the cart on a website.

The global market size of best E-Commerce Platforms has been estimated at USD 6.5 billion in 2019 and is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16 per cent between 2020 and 2027. E-commerce tech simplifies complicated procedures and lets firms control their inventory, measure taxes and efficiently handle certain business-related functions. Growing people's embrace of online shopping has contributed to a need for many retailers for e-commerce apps.

In 2019 the cloud segment had the maximum share of the business. This is due to the growing proliferation of cloud-based technologies through various vertical lines of industry. Cloud-based delivery provides many benefits including flexible computing space, streamlined control, fast performance and redundancy. It is projected that the on-premise market would experience a CAGR of over 6.0 per cent between 2020 and 2027. On-premise installation limits the user's complete control and thus decreases the need for extra security. The delivery process allows the customer complete power over the hardware and the program upgrades.

Best E-Commerce Platforms offers hospitals, clinics, and other wellness institutes potential to simplify their buying decision of hospital devices and other supplies. The shift of manufacturing companies of medical devices to digital sites has given market players potential for advancement.

Asia Pacific is expected to see the fastest development over the projected period. This recent surge is due to measures in their respective nations carried out by the government of countries like China and India to encourage digitalisation. Due to this, there has been significant growth in internet users.

The best E-Commerce Platforms tech industry is highly decentralized and marked by strong global competition, as many market participants perform their business operations across the world. The Best E-Commerce Platforms industry has witnessed numerous strategies of inorganic expansion, such as acquisitions and mergers, alliances, and cooperation that businesses have embraced in the past years.

The competitive leadership mapping showcased provides information for Best E-Commerce Platforms Vendor evaluations are based on two broad categories: product offering and business strategy. Each category carries various criteria, based on which vendors have been evaluated. The evaluation criteria considered under product offerings include the breadth of offering, delivery (based on industries that the vendors cater to, deployment models and subscriptions), features/functionality, delivery, product quality and reliability, and product differentiation. The evaluation criteria considered under business strategy include geographic footprint (on the basis of geographic presence), channel strategy and fit, vision alignment, and effectiveness of growth (on the basis of innovations, partnerships, collaborations, and acquisitions).

They have a strong portfolio of best E-Commerce Platforms, solutions, and associated services. These vendors have been marking their presence in the best e-Commerce Platforms market by offering highly customized and easily deployable software for their commercial clients, coupled with their robust business strategy to achieve continued growth in the market.

They have an innovative portfolio of best E-Commerce Platforms solutions and services and have an extensive network of channel partners and resellers to increase the deployment of their services across various vertical markets. Over the years, the Dynamic vendors have been consistently generating positive revenue growth in the Best E-Commerce Platforms market and their market position is enhanced by organic and inorganic strategies undertaken by them over the period.

They have an innovative portfolio of best E-Commerce Platforms and strong potential to build strong business strategies for their business growth to be at par with the Vanguards. These vendors have been providing e-Commerce platforms offerings as per their customer demands. Innovators have been forefront in deploying their solutions for niche and custom requests by their clients requiring the processing of high-performance workloads.

The emerging players are specialized in offering highly niche and tailor-made solutions and services to their clients. A majority of the emerging vendors have been undertaking multiple acquisitions and boosting their sales capabilities in various regions to offer their integrated services to a wide range of clients.

What Does Best E-Commerce Platforms Do?

With comprehensive functionality and apps combined with strong development tools, best e-Commerce platforms are the streamlined all-in-one application that can do the following:

Handling buyers and orders - Best e-Commerce platforms are responsible for handling orders, monitoring the status of the order, and making fast adjustments as appropriate. It will handle payment collection, maintain purchase logs, monitor client details, establish billing and invoicing, carry on reliable accounting, offer monitoring and reporting, among others, on its own or through any other third-party device or company.

Products and stock management - Users get product information from SKUs and different names and photos, helping them to arrange and store products. Users are often informed and brought to the attention of when supplies are small and which products travel rapidly and need to be replenished.

Simplify marketing - Built-in SEO allows online retailers to score higher for enhanced product exposure and inclusion in traditional search engines, as well as reduced consumer acquisition costs.

Automated delivery and taxation - You can quickly and more reliably print shipment labels, measure sales taxes depending on consumer position, and submit notice emails to customers.

Boost customer service - Best e-commerce platforms are designed to allow shoppers to locate what they need in your shop easily and efficiently. Hosted platforms provide service-level agreements that promise 100 % uptime and easy yet comprehensive website maintenance so you can have the greatest online shopping experience for your consumers.

Types of best E-Commerce Platforms

There are two general classifications of best E-Commerce Platforms and they pertain to the type of deployment:

On-Premise - Loaded on local servers and devices, and operated on-site by a team that manages manual upgrades, solves bugs, and does general problem-solving. Initially, on-site solutions were used by online sellers because they enabled more hands-on coordinated control to host systems.

Software as a Service - Technically, SaaS or managed applications are the hands-off choices because all upgrades, fixes, and freshly added enhancements are handled automatically or through one-click integrations. Hosted e-commerce software has advanced radically to enable massive, previously exclusive on-premise customization and versatility, rendering it now a necessary solution for most online retailers. In comparison, the SaaS platform can be easily deployed and comes in inexpensive bundles.

Why Use Best E-Commerce Platforms?

E-commerce sites are the most valuable for small to large businesses who offer their goods or services in many countries or industries and have diverse operations. Many of the features mentioned above might not be appropriate for small businesses but some of them may be required for medium-sized companies.

The key goals that E-Commerce sites will help businesses accomplish are to: Manage retail retailers and other associated data such as product specifics and inventory, prices and promotions, consumer addresses, and payment records. Attract customers, and convince them to purchase the company's goods and services. Resolve post-purchase problems such as errors in returns, shipping or payment, and inconsistencies between what customers expected and what they obtained. Track the quantity and profitability of online purchases, as well as lost opportunities including discarded carts. Comply with the electronic protection requirements to stop computer vulnerabilities to cyber threats or theft online.

Another important benefit to utilizing best e-Commerce platforms is that it produces a huge amount of data that other applications, such as CRM software, payroll software, Enterprise systems, and supply chain and distribution solutions utilize. For example, detailed sales and return information can be used to determine the company's profitability, how to enhance stock levels, or which buyers are the most valuable and which ones do not generate significant income.

With all this intelligence, companies will change their strategies to meet evolving consumer tastes and concentrate on sectors and segments that are most likely to deliver meaningful sales and sustainable income.

Who Uses Best E-Commerce Platforms?

Since eCommerce sites have the most robust functionality on the market, staff members, consumers, and stakeholders may use this kind of tech.

Brand management, which guarantees the product details, is correct so up-to-date and that successful goods are eligible for online purchasing

Marketing, who must ensure that the goods and services sold online are portrayed and promoted in a way which protects the identity of the brand and distinguishes the business from its competitors

Sales, who define and execute strategies to improve revenues and monitor the performance of the products and services sold by the company

Customer service, who deal with customer complaints and other user interactions may impact the purchasing process

Partners may sell their products and services on the best e-Commerce platforms of a company or their online stores.

Suppliers usually provide products and services to other companies and do not sell them directly to consumers. They need access to the best e-Commerce platforms to provide product information and inventory availability.

Distributors buy products from other companies and sell them online. They may sell these products on their online store or platforms like Amazon and eBay.

Retailers combine in-store and online sales to target multiple segments of customers or consumers. For this purpose, they need to integrate eCommerce with POS or retail management software.

Customers: Traditionally, businesses sell products and services to two separate categories of customers: businesses and consumers. These two types of customers can be covered by companies that sell to both, usually known as business-to-many (B2M).

Market Dynamics

Drivers

High customer inclination toward using online channels

Increase in demand for the internet of things (IoT)

Increasing adoption of mobile phones for online shopping

Restraints

Growing cybersecurity attacks and malicious scams can contribute to security breaches and sensitive data leakage 

In turn, exploitation of consumer data causes a drop in client trust contributing to high retention levels

Challenges

Increasing cybercrimes worldwide has posed a significant setback

Huge data volume and internet traffic

Opportunities

A paradigm shift from on-premise deployment toward adoption of cloud-based deployment

Integration of data analytics with e-commerce paves new growth opportunities

Benefits of best E-Commerce Platforms

Here are the advantages of using the best e-commerce platforms:

Boosts promotion and marketing efforts - As stated earlier, best E-Commerce Platforms provide advanced SEO campaigns to help users raise visibility among potential customers and allow them to quickly locate the web. Also, users can use stylish concept models to enhance your branding efforts and create a better organizational identity without the aid of visual artists from outside parties.

Improves revenues - Best E-commerce platforms can increase revenue by continuing to drive more visitors to online shops, and by providing an adaptive web surfing functionality that allows users to find what they need quickly. Advanced programs also propose to customers free resources and goods which can improve up-selling and cross-selling incentives.

Enhances customer service - Online shoppers get a comfortable buying experience for e-commerce app bundles. We make it simple to search and locate different resources and items so it is fast and quick to checkout. In addition, on the platform, customers can monitor the order fulfillment and distribution status. Both of these conveniences will improve consumer loyalty and enable return customers. They can also refer their friends and contacts to your online store, which can broaden their customer base.

Improves efficiency - Users don't need to have coding experience to run an online store with the best E-Commerce Platforms. Users can quickly build, categorize, and arrange new product listings and the app calculates the cost on the checkout page automatically. The systems simplify and standardize site management, making it easy for users to update and expand one's online store as needed.

Gives customer insights - Users may use the data and analytics functionalities to learn about the website visitors' web surfing and purchase habits. Such data may be used to recognize key factors and patterns that affect customer habits and to develop proactive marketing strategies to improve revenue and profits.

Increases security - Best e-commerce platforms have safety procedures and safeguarding of client and customer data. They add additional layers of security to your business transactions, too. In fact, they provide native fraud identification and strong authentication to hold threats in place.

Features of Best E-Commerce Platforms

Best e-commerce platforms are developed to realize its objective with a variety of features and processes that simplify and assist the many key elements involved in online sales. Here are the features common to e-commerce software:

Automation - The checkout method, including correct price estimation, tariffs, delivery prices, and costs of processing, is automated to give consumers a clear understanding of how much they should pay for products they want to purchase..

Website builder - Best e-commerce platforms can help you create the app from the ground if you don't have a website. It provides website builder models for the fast development of a professional-looking webpage and marketplace based on the tastes without the need to recruit business developers.

Central database - Users have a central repository where product details, user data, accounting transactions, product descriptions, browsing history and payment, and shipping status can be easily stored, accessed, and recovered.

Search function - Advanced search features make it easier for customers to locate the things they are searching for or brands. Best E-commerce platforms can list, categorize, and update new products alongside descriptions, images, and feature reports.

Integration - Many best E-Commerce Platforms systems may be combined with specific business software and third-party applications and resources to allow users to manage multiple tasks – accounting, e-mail marketing, order delivery, and payment services – within a single application.

Marketing tools - Users will use the best E-Commerce Platform apps to boost advertisement, advertising, and branding for the website. Users can use a range of tools to develop effective advertising, SEO optimization techniques, and advertising/photo strengthening.

Analytics and reporting - best e-commerce platforms can help users visualize and recognize insights and changes that impact customer buying behavior, offering customer demographics, key phrases, and web searches with insights and statistics. You will know what functions or not, so you should carry out tactics to increase sales.

Potential Issues

The lack of coordination between best E-Commerce Platforms apps and other technologies may be a key problem that can allow the data to be mis-synchronized between online retailers and the back office. This, in effect, could contribute to loss of revenue and disappointing customers.

Lack of customer verification - Cash on Delivery (COD) is a huge challenge for e-commerce companies because they have to go by the expectation of the buyer and assume they compensate for the goods they bought online. For many best E-Commerce Platforms sellers, the COD method of payment has created immense losses. The way out will be to give the consumer an SMS text or email response stating their name and delivery location. Customers won't think you challenged their genuineness and you're always promised reimbursement for the shipped product.

Returns and refunds - Also, e-commerce sellers lose money when the purchaser returns their products and they need to refund the amount. In addition to delivery and distribution prices, e-commerce companies would soon risk losing their prestige. To overcome this issue, businesses need to merge their processes smoothly with logistics suppliers and collaborators so as to reduce losses while at the same time retain intact consumer service.

Lack of Integration - If e-commerce firms use various programs for order processing, inventory delivery, order monitoring, customer service, etc., consumer interaction may be impacted. The remedy is to use a client service technology that can seamlessly integrate various apps, synchronize data across all devices, and view the data in a specific interface that is easily accessible and viewable.

Lack of CRM Tools - Many tech vendors offer CRM tools, such as communication apps, newsletter processing, email marketing, and social network interaction apps, in their e-commerce series. So, to others, this is not an issue. Other best E-Commerce Platforms, however, appears to lack such CRM tools, which are useful for effective operations.

Factors to be considered while choosing e-commerce platforms

The e-commerce site can be developed in-house or can be outsourced using different platforms. There is always a confusion regarding this and to decide which option is better. This section will provide insights on to which factors to look for before choosing the best e-commerce platforms. Some of the factors which need to be considered are as follows:

Pricing and Payment - When looking for an e-commerce site the first factor users can remember is the quality. If you're only beginning a new company or a previously known brick & mortar enterprise that transfers online, users need to learn precisely what you're paying for. Practically both channels should be paid annually. The costs can differ based on the type of platform customers are having (self-hosted vs. sponsored). They will remember even the hosting costs associated with the site. Don't trade those items that you certainly need for a cheaper offer. Consider adding up each one's pros and cons to achieve the best with the goal. You will always understand whether it would work for the clients. Several websites do not provide the option to make purchases by third party providers (such as PayPal). It could wind up being an immense hassle for the clients – an annoyance that may contribute to the dumping of shopping carts.

Integrations - Their integrations and plug-in are another aspect users can remember while searching at eCommerce sites. Most apps, including Shopify, will have a range of resources to operate the company. When choosing on the plug-in the company requirements would be a crucial factor that would fit better for them. While looking at various sites, think of what resources users may use or are already using for the company. Below are some of the most common plug-in styles which one should look for:

1. Plug-in for accounting to aid managing expenses, taxation, income, and earnings
2. Resources for e-mail communication to help businesses stay in contact with the clients
3. A system that allows users to compensate clients for using the good and services
4. Software to help users manage the merchandise

SEO Friendliness - Ecommerce firms are not excluded from needing to focus on SEO. In reality, seeing the store rated high in results pages may be quite advantageous. If they are hunting for goods such as yours, users want the clients to consider you. Some of the crucial factors to look for an SEO friendly platform include:

1. The choice of attaching a blog to the website
2. Being willing to choose your own domain name
3. The opportunity to give comments to consumers

Cloud-based vs. on-premise solutions - Consider the pros and cons that every delivery option has to bring. A cloud-based service requires a recurring subscription fee, and the provider manages managing and upgrading applications. Clients don't have to procure any new equipment or services. An on-site system, though, includes the own equipment and trained IT staff to configure it. In particular, small companies may consider cloud computing applications simpler to set up and use.

Mobile Friendliness - Google's mobile-first filtering allows the website to rank highest in search results to be user responsive to the products. Review if it's prepared to build online stores that offer a mobile-friendly interface before selecting an eCommerce platform. Nowadays, most of the queries occur via cell phones. Such queries also carry on to a mobile app purchase. That implies it's important to search at apps that make it easier for consumers to reach the website and make a purchase on their mobile devices. 

Customer Service - Customer service is a key component of a business. Given that mainstream brick-and-mortar retailers' interaction is centered in a retail location, they usually have greater say about how well their company is going. Ecommerce is indeed a completely separate thing; network outages and system maintenance are sometimes out of reach, which can prohibit some of the consumers from accessing the site. Chances of that happening are the servers would fail in the worst possible time at one stage. It will influence sales as well as brand identity. If companies are looking at eCommerce sites, getting somebody to contact at any moment to help to bring stuff up and running again would be a big consideration.

Security - Nobody wants to insert their payment card details on a sketchy website, which is why privacy is now one of the customers' main concerns. Although most applications today should provide strong protection as a feature, always test to make ensure that the application supports HTTPS/SSL to protect the customers' checkout. Also, make sure every network that you use is compatible with PCI (Payment Card Industry).

Scalability - Both company owners are hoping their company can expand in the future but maybe we don't know how far. Nonetheless, searching for a forum that can scale along with the company is critical. Users don't want to compensate for apps and storage which they don't need before they launch. People do want to stay up with higher expectations while the company is growing up. Choose a site that you will scale up to the level of the market and does not charge the excessive rates for using it.

Templates - The web store architecture plays a huge role in transforming visitors into a client. People don't necessarily support and purchase from badly built websites. Not all can manage to recruit high-profile web developers to build an engaging and stylish online shop. It is where designed in prototypes may be helpful inside an eCommerce framework. Best e-commerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce provide enticing models from which to select. What we need to do is only pick and modify the design as per the company rationale.

Reports and Analysis - Users need to have exposure to evaluate the current situation in the online shop and prepare the potential marketing campaign. How many items did they deliver this month? What company priced to the maximum? The responses to such queries will only be accessed if correct records are accessible to all. Ensure that the eCommerce platform provides customers with the information that will support them handle and sell the web store so that it is able to meet the demands of the future.

Latest Trends

Emerging innovations, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and changes in consumer behaviour, will impact the development of best E-Commerce Platformss.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be used to optimize the customer experience or build bots which can direct buyers through the buying phase. AI can also help detect malicious activities and cyber threats that can result in loss of sales and breaches of privacy.

Changing customer behaviour is pushing eCommerce firms and retailers to transition to different forms of shopping. For starters, millennial and Gen Z participants prefer to mix several methods of identifying, evaluating, selecting and buying goods. They may use online or offline channels (such as stores, events, or public advertisements) for each step of their decision process. best E-Commerce Platforms providers and their customers will have to find ways to engage and influence online and offline buyers alike.

Subscription management typically applies to facilities and applications but this distribution approach is often utilized by certain organizations for goods. A few types of items offered as a package include toiletries or grooming goods that are purchased by customers on a daily basis. The eCommerce websites lets users  subscribe to such goods. 

Multi-channel shopping - The reason why websites like Amazon are common as they sell goods from numerous retailers and vendors. You can find a large variety of exclusive products from various vendors on these websites. Yeah, on this one platform you will do all of your shopping without having to move over to another. Vendors now know that by selling their goods on platforms, including Amazon and Etsy, they will make a lot of income.

Sell on social media - Initially, social networks had been mainly used to get reviews and opinions from users about the product or service. Selling on social networking sites is now the standard. Twitter and Pinterest, for example, have launched buttons which can be used to post and sell the items directly to the supporters. In fact, leading e-commerce sites such as BigCommerce and Shopify offer automated sales on Facebook.

Use of Beacon technology - This new tech unites online and offline sales platforms and brands use it to deliver mobile pleasantries and deals when a buyer enters a store. Enhanced digital mobile devices are adjusted to search for beacons and actual shops use these detectors to offer customers promotions and deals as they enter their store.

Recent Developments

In October 2019, Shopmatic which is the best e-commerce platforms acquired Combinesell to enhance automation and simplify the selling processes

In September 2019, Shopify a cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses acquired 6 River Systems to redefine fulfilment automation for e-commerce and retail operations.

In March 2019, Shopmatic which is an e-commerce platform acquired Octopus Retail Management to help retailers synchronise inventory, on-board customers through mobile platform

In November 2018, Shopify acquired Tictall which is a global community to discover the world’s independent brands

In June 2018, Shopify acquired Return Magic which allows merchants to build loyalty while making shopping more convenient for consumers.