If you want to sell products and services online, then an e-commerce website is imperative, a platform that unlocks the hypothetical door to exceptional business growth and increased product sales. For this, you need to select the best online store builder that provides you with a place to showcase your merchandise, track financial progress, and assist in online transactions.
These website builder for online stores come with a unique set of features that are designed to boost e-commerce sales. You can sell goods online and ship digital products via online, download, and offline services, and even take prepaid appointments for selling lessons online.
Well, there are a plethora of options available to build an appealing e-commerce store. Some of them are better suited for a specific type of business and budget while others offer better features and tools. These platforms are the fastest and easiest way to create online selling websites and can handle inventory, payments, and shipping within a single portal.
Moreover, these powerful tools are the best to build a website from scratch as they make it easier to piece together and integrate an entire store yourself.
We have listed the:
Best Website builder for online stores, highlighting their features, costs, and other key factors.
Wix eCommerce
Wix is titled the best e-commerce website builder for online stores of 2021 and all thanks to an array of modern designs and online sales capabilities it offers. This easy-to-use platform supports digital and physical products while allowing business owners to display their offerings with videos alongside images.
Also Read: Best WordPress plugins for design to look out in 2021
You can create an exceptional online store using 100+ e-commerce templates along with a fantastic image and video function that gives the entire product galleries an extra pizazz. Wix has made the process of building a great-looking e-commerce website more enjoyable and simple with its wide range of online commerce options which go beyond its product sales features.
Whether you are starting an online store from the ground up or a seasoned business owner, Wix promises to make it as easy as possible to help you start selling in no time. This website builder has grown significantly in recent years, catering to more than half a million stores across the globe by adding excellent muscles to online stores and their capabilities.
You can sell goods, services, subscriptions, tickets, accept orders, or even take online bookings. Give your brand a unique look and identity by customizing the size and color, adding weight details to products, and adding an SKU.
Wix eCommerce is pushing the boundaries of a regular site builder by offering a complete integrated online business solution with a comprehensive suite of tools and features. Although it is an ideal option for small online stores due to its ease of use and reasonable price, the platform aims big on scaling businesses of all sizes with world-class storefronts. You can manage all the products centrally and leverage spectacular features, such as customizable store carts, customer reviews, and secure payment options.
There is also an option to fulfill orders and manage inventory and shipping from a Wix dashboard so you can track everything, from point of purchase to product delivery and more.
Wix eCommerce offers three plans:
Business Basic – $23/month
Business Unlimited – $27/month
Business VIP – $49 per month
Its wide set of features includes:
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Mobile optimization
- Wix chat
- 50+ payment methods
- Global shipping
- Coupons and discounts
- Restaurant features (online orders, reservations, menu)
- Tickets and event management
- Online appointment booking
Also Read: Best CRM Software for Small Businesses in 2022
Shopify
Affordable, feature-packed, and user-friendly, these aspects make Shopify the most powerful and popular e-commerce website builder for online stores in the market, be it for small businesses or startups that want an instant start.
This web-based CMS has got everything that one needs to set up and manage smaller or larger online stores. Shopify is undoubtedly a leading choice for dropshipping sales and users can access its free built-in supplier platform, Oberlo.
Online business owners can display an unlimited number of products without any bandwidth limitation, making it easier for a website to scale. It includes an excellent collection of 70+ free and premium themes and e-commerce design templates that can be edited according to business preferences. One can also select from the best premium WordPress themes for business for more options as per requirements.
You can add features and functionalities to your store and have access to the template code through integrated API or Shopify App Store.
Another best part is that all payments are handled directly through the platform. In addition, Shopify Payment gateway’s built-in plan doesn’t require you to connect to any third-party processors to accept payments. You can choose from over 100 options for another payment option and integrate it with the Shopify website without hassle.
Shopify seamlessly connects with multiple channels, including Amazon, Facebook, Pinterest, eBay, and in-person sales via a convenient system. The platform is a clear winner when it comes to integrating disparate sales channels into a single platform.
The Shopify Payments system enables you to track everything, from Instagram sales to Google Shopping to real-world point of sales transactions. All Shopify plans come with web hosting, unlimited email forwarding, and a content delivery network for optimal performance.
For a brick-and-mortar store, you can manage inventory, sales, and accounting through one platform. Moreover, seek benefits from marketing and SEO tools, mobile optimization, and analytics.
An overview of Shopify plans:
Basic Shopify- $29 per month
Shopify- $79 per month
Advanced Shopify- $299 per month
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a versatile multichannel-focused online store builder that integrates with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google Shopping, eBay, Amazon, POS, and other sales channels seamlessly. This user-friendly platform offers several B2B features, such as bulk pricing rates, customer groups, quote management, and custom price lists.
It offers plenty of ready-to-go designs, making it easier to launch an e-commerce website within a few hours. BigCommerce is extremely intuitive with a drag-and-drop tool that makes it easier to create an impressive website.
The platform has an edge over other e-commerce website builder for online store in one primary area- WordPress integration. Hence, growth-minded brands pair WordPress’ virtually unlimited content features with BigCommerce’s powerful multi channel sales tools.
BigCommerce is packed with an extensive suite of essential features. However, there is one catch- it is not among the most beginner-friendly online store builders as added features make things more complicated.
Also, it is designed for larger sites to scale quickly so startups are likely to pay extra for features that they won’t be using. On the other hand, if you want tons of website customization features without paying an additional amount for apps or extensions, BigCommerce is the right platform. It also tops the list if you want to leverage omnichannel sales. Business owners can seek benefits from its detailed and flexible product management, integrated marketing tools, analytics, and optimized SEO capabilities.
It accepts payments via 40+ pre-integrated gateways and you can customize shipping details according to the business’s requirements. The platform is also known for a network of professional e-commerce designers and developers who help brands build an ultimate shopping experience, in case you don’t want to do it yourself.
Also Read: Best Social Media Marketing Tools To Check In 2022
Once you use BigCommerce, you will be amazed by its search engine features that include all the key options that online stores require and are easy to implement. BigCommerce is great at creating online store-related content, adding products and categories is straightforward.
Here’s a look at price plans for BigCommerce:
Standard- $29.95 per month
Plus- $79.95 per month
Pro- $249.95 per month
Squarespace
Squarespace is a popular user-friendly multipurpose website platform that takes immense pride in its ability to offer “online stores that stand out” with its excellent e-commerce features. It is undoubtedly one of the best e-commerce website builders, providing impressive e-commerce functionality built directly into plans, something you won’t find in most traditional website builder for online stores.
Another reason that business owners love Squarespace is its beautiful, award-winning template designs. Whether it’s a seasoned website designer who wants to create an online store according to the exact design specs or a beginner who is looking for an exceptional website right out of the box, Squarespace helps you build a modern and appealing store for users.
It is not just for physical goods but also supports a variety of sales, including subscriptions, product shipping, online booking and appointments services, digital files, such as photos and music, etc.
Squarespace allows you to customize every element of website pages using its intuitive and highly-responsive, drag-and-drop builder. Brands can manage and edit their website on the go and use the platform as a POS solution for physical locations.
Its built-in SEO tool and blogging tools, analytics, and other features contribute to making an e-commerce store a huge success. However, there is no app store or marketplace for one-click installations. So, to install a third-party app that’s not already built-in to Squarespace, you’ll need a code injection.
Talking about simplicity, Squarespace has an easy six-step process of getting started.
- Pick an e-commerce website template and start a free trial.
- Register business domain name.
- Set up the online store by adding products
- Connect a payment processor.
- Customize the website according to your needs.
- Grow your business with email marketing and SEO.
For websites with a main focus on customer retention, Squarespace encourages users to explore the online store while guiding them to find what they are looking for by suggesting relevant products.
Out of four different plans, three offer fully-integrated e-commerce capabilities:
Personal- $12 per month
Business- $18 per month
Basic Commerce- $26 per month
Advanced Commerce- $40 per month
Zyro
Zyro is known for offering a very beginner-friendly experience at a highly affordable price. Users can launch their e-commerce websites, sell products online, and seek benefits from omnichannel marketing tools via a single dashboard. Its drag-and-drop tools help you to accurately layout how you want your online store to look and make changes in real-time.
In fact, you can set up a great website and get it running within no time. This is also known as the “What You See Is What You Get” method of website building. You don’t need coding knowledge or expertise to build your online store nor need to switch back and forth between editing and preview modes. The drag-and-drop element will take care of all your specifications.
There are a ton of customizable themes across nine categories so you can pick the perfect one to meet your business requirements. Moreover, you can promote the website and sell products on Amazon, Facebook, and Instagram.
Zyro comes with an array of e-commerce features, such as discount coupons, gift cards, and order tracking functionalities along with a dozen of payment options. It also allows you to connect with a domain that you already own. Another excellent feature that sets Zyro apart from other online store builders is its powerful AI business tool. You can leverage AI and ML to create a unique brand identity using:
- Business name generator
- Slogan generator
- Logo maker
- AI content generator
- AI heatmap
The Artificial Intelligence content generator will furnish SEO-friendly content for the website, the best option for those who are starting with copywriting and are not sure about the choice of their words.
Zyro’s SSL certificate protects user data, making all the key internet browsers label the website as secure. It also boosts the Google ranking of the website.
Currently, Zyro offers the following prices and plans:
Basic- $1.30 per month
Unleashed- $1.79 per month
E-commerce- $8.99 per month
E-commerce+- $13.99 per month
You can sell up to 100 products for just $9.90 per month and the platform doesn’t take any commission from what you sell, making you entirely independent.
Weebly
Weebly is another well-known online store builder that is geared toward smaller websites. Its simple structure makes the setup process and product management hassle-free, all thanks to its centralized system. In case your e-commerce business witnesses significant growth, you can import and export products easily.
Furthermore, Weebly helps entrepreneurs to establish an online presence and expand the business easily, making it the best solution for small and local businesses. It promises that online buyers can shop conveniently with a fully-integrated shopping cart and a secure checkout experience. Setting up the shopping cart software is automated while creating an online store. Hence, you can start selling online instantly without any technical skills.
As Weebly is powered by Square, it’s smooth and faster to integrate the Square POS with the online sales system. You can manage products and inventory all in one place. Like other online store builders, the drag and drop feature allows you to launch the store with minimal effort and no coding.
Also, you can make the most of its exclusive tools for site stats, SEO, inventory, shipping, and more. Weebly gives you the ability to manage hundreds of products while tracking inventory, monitoring supply, displaying the number of products remaining, and boosting buying behavior.
Manage your online store with iPhone and Android apps to process and fulfill orders, respond to customer inquiries, provide personalized services, notify users about shipping, upload new photos and products, receive notifications, and check sales in real-time.
Here are Weebly’s prices for online stores:
Pro- $12 per month
Business- $25 per month
Business Plus- $38 per month
Conclusion
There is no denying that some online store builders are better than others when it comes to features and functionality. Many of them like Shopify and WooCommerce are already popular among users as well. However, there is a possibility that other platforms may suit your business needs. There are several successful e-commerce websites that run on such online store builders. Therefore, the best option for you is the one that meets all your specifications and unique selling needs. Take your time, evaluate all the aspects, compare features and plans, and then make an informed decision.