There are 12 million to 24 million ecommerce platforms globally. The best sites can help you create your online store seamlessly. This is why you must be aware of the relevant options.
The best ecommerce platform for beginners depends on your needs and the site’s features. Luckily, you don’t have to do further research for this. Here’s what you must know about the best ecommerce platform for beginners in 2022.
Top 9 Best Ecommerce Platform For Beginners
- Nexcess StoreBuilder – Best overall
- Shopify – Best For An All-Rounded Service
- Wix – Best For High Flexibility
- Squarespace – Best For Creativity
- Square Online – Best For People With POS Needs
- BigCommerce – Best For Beginners With Medium Stores
- Ecwid – Best For Beginners Who Already Have A Website
- Volusion – Best For SMBs
- PrestaShop – Best For MVP Testing
1. Nexcess StoreBuilder – Best overall
Pricing: $19 per month
Nexcess StoreBuilder is the best option for you if you’ve chosen to build a new e-commerce website but aren’t a developer, don’t have any programming knowledge, or would prefer not to code at all.
Key Features
- iThemes Security Pro
- Auto-Updating SSL Certificates
- 1-Click Staging Site
- Image Compression & Lazy Loading
- Analytics and Sales Monitor
- Managed WordPress hosting
- Premium WordPress theme
- Beaver Page Builder
- Nexcess Content Delivery Network
- Daily Backups
Reasons To Buy
- Customer Support
- Templates and designs
- Ease of use
- Affordable
Reasons To Avoid
- Main dashboard is difficult to operate
2. Shopify – Best For An All-Rounded Service
Pricing: $29 per month
Shopify is the best ecommerce platform for beginners because of its easy interface and multiple offerings. The site fulfills the needs of most customers in the basic plan. So you don’t have to invest much to benefit from Shopify. The ecommerce platform also offers a 14-day free trial with advanced features to help you make an informed decision.
Key Features
- User-friendly
- Flexible store builder
- 24/7 customer support
- POS access
Reasons To Buy
- Four payment methods are available for customers
- Easy to use
- It has more than 100 templates
- The platform has been operating since 2004
Reasons To Avoid
- Sellers have to buy a custom domain name
3. Wix – Best For High Flexibility
Pricing: $17 per month
Wix is another great ecommerce platform for beginners because of its drag and drop interface. You don’t have to make much effort to set up your store due to the multiple templates. This means you don’t have to code for your website or require high-tech skills. The program also has a mobile app to make changes to your store instantly.
Key Features
- 100+ templates
- It has a mobile app
- No extra transaction fees
- Supports worldwide shipping
Reasons To Buy
- Best for small stores
- Backs up your store automatically
- No coding knowledge is necessary
- Allows recurring payments
Reasons To Avoid
- Not suitable for large stores
4. Squarespace – Best For Creativity
Pricing: $23 per month
Squarespace is the best ecommerce platform for creatives because it offers high artistic freedom. The site is suitable if you work with templates frequently. The platform has excellent themes for setting up your store. What’s so great is that most of the templates are free. You can also sell unlimited products using the Business plan.
Key Features
- SSL security
- Mobile-optimized websites
- Fully-integrated ecommerce
- Excellent analytic reports
Reasons To Buy
- Every plan offers unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Most templates are free
- It has built-in tax tools for complex calculations
- Let’s you know which of your products are selling the best
Reasons To Avoid
- Store discounts are available on advanced ecommerce plans only
>>More: Best Ecommerce POS Systems | Best Small Business eCommerce Software | Best Fulfillment Software For Ecommerce | Best WordPress Ecommerce Software
5. Square Online – Best For People With POS Needs
Pricing: $12 per month
Square is another robust ecommerce platform suitable for beginners with a brick-and-mortar store. The POS features and chip reader are the top reasons to get this site’s subscription. It allows you to sell products on your ecommerce store, Instagram, and Facebook. You can also enjoy multiple inventory management features for organizing your stock.
Key Features
- Free domain name
- Custom fonts for sellers
- No ads in advanced plans
- Allows you to accept PayPal
Reasons To Buy
- Affordable service
- Provides in-depth reports
- Low shipping rate on advanced plans
- Abandoned cart recovery is available
Reasons To Avoid
- Transactions fees can make you exceed your budget
6. BigCommerce – Best For Beginners With Medium Stores
Pricing: $29.95 per month
BigCommerce is the best ecommerce platform for you if you have a medium or large store. The company offers an extensive range of solutions to meet your high volume and product needs. However, the best thing is that BigCommerce integrates with various sites, including Amazon, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace. So you can easily manage sales without any coding.
Key Features
- Intuitive interface
- Offers extensive product filters
- 65+ payment gateways
- Shipping and inventory management is available
Reasons To Buy
- It has a 15-day free trial
- 12 free templates
- Unlimited staff accounts
- Optimizes your store for faster checkouts
Reasons To Avoid
- Design customization requires more improvement for beginners
7. Ecwid – Best For Beginners Who Already Have A Website
Pricing: $12.50 per month
Ecwid is the top store for many because it does not charge transaction fees. It is a handy platform if you have a tight budget. The best part is that you can opt for a free plan to create your ecommerce store in a short time. Meanwhile, the premium plans offer additional features for a convenient experience.
Key Features
- Allows multichannel sales
- POS features are available
- Provides you with a branded iOS and Android app
- Drag and drop interface
Reasons To Buy
- You can create a store for free
- No transaction fees
- Auto translates your store for foreign visitors
- Integrates seamlessly with WordPress sites
Reasons To Avoid
- Limited designs
8. Volusion – Best For SMBs
Pricing: $31.50 per month
Volusion is loaded with multiple features for ecommerce businesses. The program comes with the built-in launch and management features. This means you can set up your store promptly and start making sales. You can also use the parent and child product categories for items with different versions. The analytic reports will also help you track your revenue and store progress.
Key Features
- 24/7 customer support
- Free homepage slideshow
- Integrates with PayPal
- Free 14-day trial
Reasons To Buy
- Comes with SEO tools
- Includes a CRM system
- No transaction charges
- Unlimited data transfers with every package
Reasons To Avoid
- No phone support for the basic plan
9. PrestaShop – Best For MVP TestingPrestaShop – Best For MVP Testing
Pricing: Free
PrestaShop is an open-source ecommerce platform that is relatively recent. However, many people use it due to its handy features. It is an excellent platform if you don’t want to spend high to create a store. The program also has a multilingual functionality, so it is popular in many foreign countries.
Key Features
- Daily store backup
- 5,000+ themes
- Open-source functionality
- Free to download and use
Reasons To Buy
- Active customer support
- Cost-effective
- Suitable for small stores
- Available in 75+ languages
Reasons To Avoid
- May glitch sometimes
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the some frequently asked questions about the best ecommerce platform for beginners and their answers:
Which Ecommerce Platform Is Best For Big Business?
You may have been operating your physical shop without an online presence for many years. However, a digital store is necessary to maximize profits in this era. The best ecommerce platform for beginners with large businesses is BigCommerce.
The company offers an extensive range of features suitable for large businesses. This is why BigCommerce should be your top choice. It allows you to choose a package by annual sales. If you don’t prefer this platform, you may also select Shopify Plus for your needs.
What Is The Best Ecommerce Platform For Dropshipping?
Shopify is the top platform for you if you want to run a dropshipping store. The main reason behind this is that the company acquired Oberlo in 2016. Oberlo is one of the best dropshipping suppliers for online retailers. So you can seamlessly use it with your Shopify store.
The best part about using dropshipping is that you will not have to keep an inventory. Besides that, you will only buy products for which a customer has placed an order. So there will be stock wastage and minimum losses when using an ecommerce platform for dropshipping.
Do I Need An Ecommerce Platform?
Whether or not you require an ecommerce platform depends on your needs. It is the top solution for you if you want to run an online store. You can use multiple themes and templates to set up your store within a few minutes. The best part is you will also benefit from additional handy features.
There is also another way to create your online store without an ecommerce platform. You can build the website from scratch using coding knowledge. If you cannot do this but want to run an online store, you need an ecommerce platform.
Which Ecommerce Platform Should I Choose For My Store?
You must consider multiple factors before choosing the best ecommerce platform for beginners. The top thing to get right is that the store should be easy to set up. Besides that, the platform should offer you integration options for managing your shop on multiple sites.
The ecommerce platform should also offer SEO-friendly features with a mobile-optimized store. This will allow you to rank high on search results and attract more customers. Once you consider these factors, you can choose the best-suited ecommerce platform for your store.
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