[Software] Best e-commerce platforms in 2021: website software for an online store

[_Happy boy]

The best e-commerce platforms can enable your business to set up an online store that suits your needs.

There is a huge variety of e-commerce platform packages from which to choose, so building an online store has never been easier.

To begin, first you'll need ecommerce web hosting, which is to say hosting that will scale up with your business without interruption.  Next you'll need shopping cart software to run with your ecommerce site. This will probably include a payment gateway for credit card processing, though if you're already established and have a decent enough credit rating you could apply for merchant services to reduce transaction costs. 

Your ecommerce website doesn't have to be expensive to design, either, as there are plenty of ecommerce themes available. Additionally, if you also have a bricks-and-mortar store than a Point of Sale (POS) system for mobile credit card processing can be particularly desirable.

Which e-commerce software is best for your business depends entirely on your specific requirements. If you're an online-only outfit, then POS integration won't be necessary, but you may get a lot of business from overseas, in which case foreign currency support would be a requirement.

In this article, we’re going to highlight some of the best e-commerce platforms available right now, before moving on to consider other options you might want to explore in terms of creating your own e-commerce solution.

Wix is our top-rated website builder

If you want a simpler alternative to some of the full-on web store building solutions here, check out Wix. It’s highly user-friendly, yet there’s still plenty of e-commerce power available to create a suitably impressive online store.

Wix’s e-commerce plan starts from £11 per monthWe've also featured the best tax software.
And the best accounting software.
The best e-commerce platforms:
Wix
Shopify 
BigCommerce
WooCommerce
CoreCommerce 
Shift4Shop

Wix may be better known for providing an all-purpose website builder, but it's not just templates and logos that Wix can provide, but also a fully-functional ecommerce platform.

While other platforms are known for their complexity in being able to deliver an e-commerce platform for all needs, Wix offers a much simpler solution for small businesses who don't need all the bells and whistles of an online megastore.

Additionally, because of the suite of website building tools available through Wix, setting up an ecommerce platform is really simple and easy to do, and just as easy to manage, with no coding skills required. The result is a platform that anyone should be able to use without too much difficulty.

There are over 500 templates available to help you get the look and feel you need for your ecommerce site, and along with inventory management, you can also use Wix payments to choose from a global network of payment providers, including all major credit card companies, as well as other services such as Paypal and Stripe.

Overall, if you want a simpler alternative to some of the full-on web store building solutions here, Wix delivers well. It’s highly user-friendly, yet there’s still plenty of e-commerce power available to create a suitably impressive online store.

Shopify is perhaps the most well known e-commerce platform available. It was set up in 2006 by founders Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake who, as the story goes, felt that there wasn't a simple-to-use e-commerce platform available and so built their own. The company claims that: "You don't need to have any technical or design experience to easily create a beautiful online store." 

According to Shopify, it's possible to get one of its online stores up-and-running within minutes. Users can choose from a wide range of templates, or they can design the look and feel of their store themselves. It accepts a comprehensive range of credit cards, has Level 1 PCI compliance and 256-bit SSL encryption for security, and it offers 24/7 support via phone, instant messaging or email.

The platform provides a full CMS with which users can manage the functionality and layout of their online store. Users can manage their store on-the-go using Shopify's mobile apps, and the platform itself is fully responsive, meaning the store will be optimized for visitors regardless of whether they access it from a desktop computer or a mobile device. A live chat function is available which allows you to have a real time conversation with your customers. There's a built-in support for 3D models and video too. There's also an option to create customizable storefronts on Facebook and Instagram. One of the newer features is the store speed report.

Shopify also offers users unlimited hosting for their stores, in-depth analytics of how visitors are using the store, and functionality for marketing such as SEO optimization, a discount and coupon engine, gift cards and email marketing tools. You can test out Shopify with a 14-day free trial.

Shopify subscription options: