With everything going on in the world, having your business set up to sell online is more important than ever. This is where having a practical e-commerce application comes in handy. If you choose the right e-commerce platform, you’ll be able to quickly list your products, receive payments, and handle shipping without ever leaving your office.
If you’re just getting started with an e-commerce application, there are a few things you need to look for. You should be able to easily use it to make a great-looking website that is user-friendly on all platforms and devices. It should allow you to sell what you want, when you want. You should be able to seamlessly manage the back end of your business (e.g., shipping orders or manage mailing lists). And the e-commerce application should be provided at a reasonable price.
Here are a few of the most notable e-commerce applications you can consider for your business.
1. E-Commerce Application: Shopify
It might not provide hybrid cloud management capabilities. But with over a million stores built on the Shopify platform in less than 15 years, it’s difficult to find a better platform for most small businesses trying to get an online store up and operating quickly.
Sign up for a 14-day trial with no credit card required. You’ll have the first build of your store ready to go in minutes. The onboarding wizard guides you through the process of adding products, changing the layout of your store, connecting your own domain, and setting up payment processing.
You’re unlikely to get lost in Shopify’s user-friendly web app, even if you’ve never constructed a website before. For example, adding a product is as easy as clicking Products on the sidebar and then clicking the Add Products button. Fill in the name, price, quantity on hand, and any other necessary information, change the status to Active, and it’s ready to sell in your online store.
2. Square as an E-Commerce App
Square is the greatest e-commerce application if you want to sell both in-person and online, such as at a farmer’s market or craft fair. Your online and offline orders are all consolidated into a single dashboard. This eliminates the need to switch between apps or rely on haphazard spreadsheets to hunt down customer information.
Square purchased the website building software Weebly in 2018. So that’s what’s running behind the scenes when you put up your store. It’s nothing to be concerned about if you come across a URL that points to weebly.com every now and then.
Square offers some of the strongest onboarding practices in the industry. When you sign up, you must complete a brief questionnaire about your company and its requirements. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can create a single booking page, a full online store, or simply checkout links. The default theme will be changed to fit the business category you choose.
Square is a little more limited than some of the other options when it comes to storefront personalization. Instead of choosing a theme that takes care of the majority of the work, Square requires you to create your own design using the ( arguably superb) site builder—or hire a designer for $99 to do it for you.
3. Ecwid
Ecwid is the best place to start if you’re beginning an online store but need to keep your first investment low. It has a terrific, free plan that enables you to sell your first 10 physical products, as well as inexpensive upgrade tiers starting at $15/month as you grow or need more capabilities. Additionally, there are no additional transaction fees on top of what your payment gateway charges, so it isn’t profiting from hidden fees.
While Ecwid is a fantastic free choice, the pricier plans don’t skimp on features. It connects to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, allowing you to sell directly to your followers, list your things on Amazon or eBay, and accept payments in person. It calculates tax, provides discounts, and keeps track of your inventory. As you create a free Ecwid store, you won’t have to worry about switching platforms if your business grows.
Final Thoughts On E-Commerce Applications
There you have it, the top 3 application for your online business to thrive. While there are pros and cons to each, choosing an application over not having one can make a huge difference in helping your business to succeed and expand.
