Ecommerce platforms are the foundation of any successful online business. Choosing the right software tailored to your business model and growth plans is key to saving time and scaling revenue.
This comprehensive 2650+ word guide compares 25+ ecommerce solutions based on features, suitability for business types, scalability and more. Let‘s get started!
The Staggering Growth of Ecommerce Shows No Signs of Slowing
Ecommerce sales continue to surge dramatically year-over-year:
- Global ecommerce sales topped $5 trillion in 2021, up 50% since 2019 [Source: eMarketer]
- Shopify merchants worldwide sold over $175 billion in 2022, up over 50% versus 2021 [Source: Shopify]
- US ecommerce sales are projected to grow 12.8% YoY and hit $1.2 trillion by 2025 [Source: Statista]
For businesses both small and large, selling online provides unprecedented access to new customers across geographies. The right ecommerce platform sets you up for managing this growth effectively.
Choosing the Best Ecommerce Platform – Key Factors to Consider
With countless options to build your online store, narrowing down on the ideal platform depends on your specific needs and capabilities around:
Business Model and Product Types
Solutions cater to different product categories and business models:
- Physical or Digital Goods
- Dropshipping – Third party fulfillment
- On-demand Print – Print-on-demand merchandise
- B2B / B2C focus
Certain platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce work for most models while others specialize. For example, Gumroad and Sellfy focus on digital downloads.
Current Business Size and Growth Expectations
Understand if the platform scales with your growth:
- Supports your current business volumes well
- Provides necessary headroom for growth
- Handles traffic spikes during promotions and peak seasons
For example, Shopify Basic can feel limiting for selling over 175 products while its higher Shopify Unlimited plan handles thousands.
Design Flexibility and Customization Needs
If a tailored brand experience is important, examine:
- Easy customization with provided themes
- Flexibility to edit template code
- Availability of third-party themes/custom development
While Squarespace offers beautiful templates, customization is limited compared to open-source alternatives like WordPress.
Technical Skill Levels and IT Resourcing
Depending on ecommerce experience level, consider ease of:
- Getting started quickly without coding
- Performing upgrades and maintenance
- Accessing reliable technical support
Solutions like BigCommerce provide more hand-holding for non-technical owners compared to developer-focused platforms like Magento.
Budget Constraints
Carefully evaluate both:
- Upfront platform subscription costs
- Ongoing fees like transactions, extensions etc.
Hidden fees around transactions, support packages etc. can take one by surprise later on lower-priced platforms such as Wix and Squarespace.
Marketing, SEO and Promotional Needs
See if native and third-party capabilities meet needs around:
- Search engine friendly pages
- Email marketing integrations
- Discounts and promotions
Shopify and BigCommerce edge out limitations of Square and Wix in this area.
Payment Provider and Shipping Carrier Preferences
Ensure your platform supports the tools you are already comfortable with:
- Existing payment processor relationships
- Shipping carrier accounts and rates
- Order, inventory and tax management providers
Those using PayPal business accounts extensively find WooCommerce and Shopify integrate better.
By evaluating the above areas against offerings of leading platforms below, you can determine the best technology foundation for your ecommerce store.
Top 7 Ecommerce Platforms Comparison
1. Shopify
A market leader, Shopify powers over 1.75 million businesses with a reliable, secure and fully scalable platform:
Features
- Attractive themes and template customization
- All-in-one order management
- Robust inventory and shipping
- Integrated payment processing
- Discount engine and gift cards
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Third party app integrations
Advantages
- Suitable for businesses of all sizes and models
- All necessary ecommerce features included
- Trusted platform powering billions in sales
- Easy to start for ecommerce beginners
Disadvantages
- Transaction fees on top of monthly subscription
- Costs can add up with growing business
- Not as customizable as developer-centric platforms
Pricing
- Basic Shopify – $39/month
- Shopify – $79/month
- Advanced Shopify – $299/month
- Shopify Plus (Enterprise) – Custom quote
Verdict
The leading all-in-one solution suitable for most business types, from startups to large enterprises.
2. Squarespace
A multipurpose content management system incorporating rich ecommerce functionality:
Features
- Class leading templates for visual appeal
- Integrated email marketing and analytics
- Flexible omnichannel order fulfillment
- Apple Pay and Google Wallet support
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Stock management and shipping
- API access available
Advantages
- Ideal for showcasing visual products
- Easy to start and manage all CMS elements
- No transaction fees on plans above $26/month
Disadvantages
- Not too developer friendly
- Limited flexibility to install third party extensions
- Advanced product personalization lacking
Pricing
- Basic – $14/month
- Business – $26/month
- Commerce – $56/month
- Pro – $92/month (transaction fee only)
Verdict
An excellent choice for creative businesses prioritizing aesthetic storefronts and visual appeal.
3. Shopify Plus (For High-Volume Stores)
A customizable enterprise edition by Shopify for sophisticated operations:
Features
- All Shopify features plus…
- Configurable checkout processes
- International selling and translations
- Automated order routing rules
- Role based user permissions
- Scripting capabilities to modify functionality
- Custom reporting dashboard
Advantages
- Customization flexibility like no other platform
- Scales to extremely large catalogs and sales volumes
- Complex order workflows supported
- Dedicated account management
- Cost often cheaper than custom build options
Disadvantages
- Overkill capabilities for simple businesses
- Significant operational experience needed
- Custom quote model makes direct pricing comparisons impossible. But expect this to run into 6 or 7 figure range based on requirements
Verdict
Unmatched customization capabilities for large retailers with complex order processes.
4. Magento Open Source
Self-hosted open source ecommerce platform with strong enterprise features made accessible for small businesses:
Features
- Powerful marketing tools
- Advanced order management
- Volume discounts and promotions
- Configurable dashboards
- Strong analytics and reporting
Advantages
- Free open source download
- Extremely customizable by developers
- Scales from mid-market to enterprise needs
- More affordable than custom builds
Disadvantages
- Very developer-centric, not for ecommerce beginners
- Requires managing hosting, patches, upgrades etc.
- Limited documentation and support
Pricing
- 100% Free and open source
- Paid cloud hosting available
Verdict
Developer-focused solution bringing enterprise capabilities to mid-market segment.
5. BigCommerce
Reliable all-in-one ecommerce platform successfully blending ease of use with flexibility:
Features
- Multi-channel selling support
- Integrated marketing features
- Robust shipping and tax management
- API and integrations marketplace
- Mix of drag-and-drop flexibility with templates
- Scales tiered pricing plans as you grow
Advantages
- Easy to start while still customizable
- Cost-effective solution with all major commerce features included
- Better SEO support than most
Disadvantages
- Not as cost effective as open source self-hosted solutions at higher tiers
- Occasional bugs and performance issues reported at peak traffic
Pricing
- Standard – $29.95/month
- Plus – $79.95/month
- Pro – $249.95/month
Verdict
Well-rounded commerce platform suitable for a wide segment of mid-market businesses.
6. Wix
Intuitive website builder with integrated ecommerce capabilities perfect for small businesses:
Features
- Drag and drop website builder
- Mobile optimized online store templates
- Range of payment gateways like Stripe
- PrintStudio integration
- Blog, video and image galleries
- Lead generation widgets
- Appointment bookings and scheduling
Advantages
- Very easy and intuitive even for non-technical folks
- Everything centralized for simpler management
- Affordable plans to start
Disadvantages
- Primarily meant for smaller stores
- Customizing code is restrictive
- Support and reliability not on par with specialized ecommerce tools
Pricing
- Basic – $23/month
- Unlimited – $35/month
- VIP – $49/month
Verdict
Easy do-it-yourself online store builder suitable for entrepreneurs manageing smaller product catalogs. But scalability and flexibility is limited.
7. Volusion
Fully-hosted ecommerce solution with built-in predictive marketing engine for small and mid-sized retailers:
Features
- Automated marketing optimization engine
- Customizable dashboards
- Built-in ads manager
- Email marketing campaigns
- Mobile optimized templates
- Abandoned cart recovery
Advantages
- Strength in benchmarking performance and providing actionable insights
- Good value proposition to quickly start selling online
Disadvantages
- Mixed reviews around technical issues and glitches
- Changes confusing to long-time users
- Short on the depth found on higher priced platforms
Pricing
- Personal – $29/month
- Professional – $79/month
- Business – $299/month
Verdict
Straight-forward commerce platform emphasizing actionable analytics for growing mid-market brands. But reliability issues reported recently.
This covers the significant ecommerce player landscape available to build your online storefront. Let us look at other notable options based on specific business needs or budgets.
…Additional Ecommerce Platform Details
Hidden Gotchas to Keep In Mind Before Committing
Before hitting that sign-up button, be aware of key limitations or hidden recurring costs around:
Transaction Fees – Square, Shopify Lite and Squarespace charge these % based fees on orders which add up significantly as you scale. Shopify Basic takes it a step further with a % fee for usage of its payment gateway which catches new users unaware.
Bandwidth and Traffic Overage Costs – Base monthly pricing never reveals how site visitors beyond a threshold will trigger overage bandwidth charges – from $5 per GB with Shopify to a whopping $240 per GB on Squarespace. For growing brands, this leads to surprise added costs.
Rigid Support Packages – Getting reliable assistance fast is vital for high season traffic spikes. But the likes of Squarespace and Wix have bundled exclusive paid support packs instead of need-based flexible tiers.
Proprietary Lock-in – Migrating later from platforms likes Squarespace is challenging with closed templating and development approaches. Shopify Plus manages lock-in by staying firmly based on familiar technologies like a MySQL commerce database.
Keep an eye out for such gremlins when evaluating offerings!
How To Choose The Best Fit For YOU
We have covered a wide spectrum of platforms here. How do you pick the ideal solution for your specific situation?
This 6-step evaluation guide should help significantly narrow it down to the best match:
Step 1: Determine must-have ecommerce capabilities based on product types, order volumes, peaks etc.
Step 2: Shortlist 4-5 platforms matching essential commerce functionality along with business size suitability
Step 3: Compare available templates/themesFlexible templating and customization capabilities
Step 4: Review third party integrations requiredGood technical support rating and reviews
Step 5: Factor monthly subscription, potential transaction fees at scale, support package costs etc.
Step 6: Review solution Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) against value adds to make final platform selection!
Let me know in comments if you need any assistance with your evaluation.
Ecommerce Platform Migration – Switching Your Online Store
If over time, your needs evolve or you outgrow current platform capabilities, switching solutions is required. While not quick or straightforward, with planning it can go smoothly.
Here is an overview of steps involved:
Step 1: Safely move website files and media assets from existing platform to new one
Step 2: Export all product data including historical orders and import to new cart
Step 3: Replicate site pages and content structure on new platform via Pages Mapper
Step 4: Set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones
Step 5: Re-integrate shipping providers, tax engines, analytics etc.
Step 6: Initiate DNS changeover to direct traffic to new store
Step 7: Teardown old platform only after reasonable period
Working with an experienced ecommerce developer streamlines this. They help avoid losing crucial site ranking equity and customer order data when transitioning platforms.
Let me know if a move to a modern foundation like Shopify or Magento is on your horizon!
Platform Insights From Ecommerce Experts and Shopify Partners
Here is what Select Shopify Plus partners had to share from their decade long experience of migrating companies to next-gen commerce solutions:
“Legacy platforms severely limit the customer experience smaller brands can offer today without complex custom builds. Offerings like Shopify Plus balance robust backends like Magento with intuitive storefront editing capabilities business users need."
George Mack – CEO, anthemweavers.com
“The ROI on moving to Shopify Plus has surprised clients the most – from cost savings over outdated systems to 3X+ increase in mobile conversion rates. Analytics insights to optimize funnels faster is an underappreciated aspect. And their Partner support ensures we help merchants leverage new retail capabilities quicker.”
Leigh Tan – Director, bubbleshop.com
“Compared to alternatives like Magento or Adobe, Shopify Plus easily matches enterprise scalability but accelerates time to value significantly even as company needs evolve. Bringing embedded finance (Capital and POS) all on one unified platform is game changing for large retailers.”
Gaurav Saklani – VP Technology, BORN Group
These real-world experiences are invaluable to understand before finalizing your new ecommerce platform!
Key Takeaways – Choosing The Right Ecommerce Solution
The key aspects to evaluate modern SaaS platforms on boil down to:
Business Fit – Suits your functional needs around order workflow, promotions, reporting etc. based on type and size
Flexibility – Balances out-of-box capabilities with customization opportunities
Scalability – Grows with ecommerce catalog, order peaks and international expansion plans
Ownership Cost – Understand all recurring subscription, transaction and overage fees
Time To Value – Fast yet reliable launch and optimization cycles
Today‘s leading options like Shopify and BigCommerce edge out legacy platforms on the above dimensions – significantly accelerating value realization even as business needs evolve!
I hope mapping provider capabilities to your specific requirements using this framework helps finalize the ideal platform choice! Please drop any other questions below.
