Getting your business online is more critical now than it ever was before. With so many people at home or using devices on the go, it is crucial to ensure your products are making it to your potential buyer’s screens. Ecommerce platforms are an incredible way to make your business accessible to everyone.

#1. BigCommerce

  • Founded: 2009
  • Headquarters: Sydney, Australia

Need to know

Mitchel Harper and Eddie Machaalani founded BigCommerce in 2009 with the singular goal to help companies get their businesses online. With over 60,000 merchants using their platform, they can serve over 150 countries worldwide. This value-driven company places heavy importance on their employees, which amounts to over 1,000 people working full-time.

The company became public after a 2020 IPO, giving them the ticker: BIGC, and giving them a chance to measure up with competition. It is truly amazing to think that two people with a clear and straightforward goal were able to turn a thoughtful start-up into a multi-billion-dollar business. This directly translates into the success of their thousands of customers who use the platform to drive their sales.

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#2. Volusion

  • Founded: 1999
  • Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan, United States

Need to know

There wasn’t much going on in the coding space for online shopping carts when Kevin Sproles began his venture in 1999. Without much to base his work on, Sproles relied on his work ethic to persevere through the many trials it took to create the software we now know as Volusion. Kevin created this sophisticated software quite literally piece by piece, often asking for feedback about features he was testing out. Eventually, he found the perfect mix and has since received an enormous amount of recognition for his work, including Businessweek’s “Best 25 Entrepreneurs under 25.”

Today, Volusion sees about 30,000 online retailers using their software, with close to 200 million completed orders since the company’s inception. Users boast about the easy-to-use selling tools that help drive up their results.

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#3. Woo Commerce

  • Founded: 2008
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States

Need to know

Woo Commerce is an innovative, remote-based platform for e-commerce businesses of all sizes and industries. Mark Forrester, Magnus Jepson, and Adii Pienaar decided to one day build a theme for WordPress. This collaboration led them to form a business entity that would focus on producing themes, known as “WooThemes.” The theme-centric company did last for a few years until it faced a rebrand after being sold in 2015.

After being acquired by the parent company Automattic, WooThemes became Woo Commerce. Claiming to be the “most customizable eCommerce platform for building your online business,” WooCommerce is used by over 68,000 of the world’s top one million websites. In other words, 6.8% of the top million websites use WooCommerce to manage their online business!

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#4. Wix

  • Founded: 2006
  • Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel

Need to know

Founded in 2006, Wix is an incredible online platform for website building and provides several sophisticated yet easy-to-use tools for managing eCommerce activities. Tech-savvy co-founders Avishai Abrahami, Nadav Abrahami, and Giora Kapla had an aha moment while deliberating their new website on a beach. Little did they know this modest project would turn into a multi-million-dollar company, easily surpassing any expectations the trio had for their blooming business.

Today, Wix sees revenue surpassing the one billion mark, with more and more users getting on the platform each day. The company remains true to its commitment to constantly improve upon its features, ensuring its users will stay competitive with any other business in the online marketplace. The brand story is both inspiring and reassuring that taking action yields results.

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#5. Squarespace

  • Founded: 2003
  • Headquarters: New York, New York, United States

Need to know

Squarespace was founded in 2003 by Anthony Casalena in his college dorm room as a blog hosting service. The University of Maryland student worked tirelessly to build the company that now employs over 1,100 people and positions him as a billionaire. Anthony understands how important it is to have access to simple business tools right from the beginning. He aims to provide the tools and environment necessary for creative-minded people to thrive and position their businesses for success.

Today, millions of online businesses are using Squarespace to host their online stores and stay competitive in the digital space. Not only does Squarespace want to foster a great business environment for customers, but they are widely and consistently recognized as one of the best places to work in New York.

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#6. SquareUp

  • Founded: September 16, 1908
  • Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan, United States

Need to know

You might recognize Square from their handy credit card technology used in many brick-and-mortar retail locations. The company began in 2009 to enable business owners to receive payments more efficiently. Rather than have an old-fashioned credit card machine set-up, Square allows businesses to conduct transactions at a better rate in a more convenient way. Times have changed quite a bit since then, and business needs moved from the physical into the digital space.

Today SquareUp offers eCommerce solutions for small businesses and massive enterprises alike, all across the globe. Square has a unique positioning in this space when it comes to its competitors. Rather than addressing an online need, it came from a desire to bring digital improvements to the physical space.

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#7. Weebly

  • Founded: March 29, 2006
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States

Need to know

Weebly was founded as a Webhosting and eCommerce service in 2006 by David Rusenko, Dan Veltri, and Chris Fanini. Like many others, they believed that everyone should have equal access to tools and resources to start and grow a business. Placing importance on customization and mobile optimization, they want to ensure that each client’s business can portray itself in a unique and memorable way. Mobile optimization is also increasingly important as online shopping is takes place more on mobile devices than traditional computers.

Weebly proudly powers businesses online, with over 50 million user sites functioning all over the world. Funnily enough, Weebly is owned by the parent company Square, which also has its own ecommerce platform, SquareUp. As more and more companies try to get their piece of the eCommerce pie, it makes sense to see some of them purchased by bigger ones with similar goals.

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#8. Big Cartel

  • Founded: 2005
  • Headquarters: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Need to know

Anna Brozek founded Big Cartel in 2005 when she decided there needed to be an easier way for creatives of all types to sell their work. Understanding the importance of supporting independent artists, Big Cartel is completely independent and does not receive any outside funding. This allows the company remain true to its founding principles. They have amassed over $2.5 billion in sales for their artists and creators, helping people create a sustainable business from true passion.

Big Cartel is also focused on curating the best team available to keep its mission and objectives in line with day-to-day business activities. Their employees are artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other creatives who truly understand where your heart lies and where you need to get to.

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#9. Magento (Adobe Commerce)

  • Founded: 2008
  • Headquarters: San Jose, California, United States

Need to know

Roy Rubin founded Magento in 2008, unprepared for the roller coaster of success that would ensue. It didn’t take long for eBay to purchase the company in 2011 for a reported $180 million. In 2015, a $200 million deal saw the company go private once again, only to later be acquired by Adobe in 2018 for a whopping $1.68 billion.

The eCommerce company allows users to combine their B2B and B2C needs seamlessly under one platform. They offer a variety of plug-ins and themes to customize experiences for different users and purposes. Their open source technology also allows customers to scale their business efforts efficiently, in order to focus on driving business results. Currently, there are about 250,000 stores using the platform, with that number only expected to grow exponentially since Adobe took over.

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