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Congratulations! You have made the decision to launch an internet business. The actual difficulty now is selecting the best e-commerce platform. To be honest, choosing an e-commerce platform is similar to dating. Some appear stunning at first but end up being a nightmare. Some may not be as ostentatious, but they provide genuine, long-term stability. I’m here to assist you in finding the ideal match that you need.
Think About Your Needs (Because One Size Does NOT Fit All)
Think about what you truly need before investing heavily in a platform. Are you aiming for a full-scale online business or are you just going to sell a few handmade crafts? Various platforms serve various purposes.
Just a small company with a few items? Wix or Shopify might be ideal.
A big shop with thousands of items? WooCommerce or Magento might be more appropriate.
Offering digital goods for sale? You may be looking for Sellfy or Gumroad.
If you’re not sure, keep in mind that choosing the incorrect platform will lead to issues later on, much like ordering a triple cheeseburger when lactose intolerant.
Budget: Don’t Spend Like You Own Amazon (Unless You Do)
The cost of platforms varies. Some take a percentage of your sales, while others charge a monthly fee. Then there are the devious hidden expenses, such as transaction fees, add-ons, and the sporadic “premium feature” that ends up being necessary.
Shopify: Has transaction fees unless you use their payment system, but starts at $29 per month.
WooCommerce: Free—until you realize you need security, plugins, and hosting.
BigCommerce: Packed with features but a little pricey.
Decide on a budget and follow it. If not, you may have to justify to your accountant why you paid $200 a month to sell socks on a platform.
Ease of Use: Because Not Everyone is a Tech Wizard
You want something easy to use unless you like coding, in which case you should be respected. While Magento and WooCommerce require a little more technical expertise, platforms like Shopify and Wix are easy for beginners to use. If you don’t want to spend hours watching tutorials or hiring a developer, go for a platform with a simple interface.
Remember, your goal is to run a business, not to become a software engineer overnight.
Customization: Make It Yours
Your store shouldn’t resemble every other store in the area. While some platforms allow you to adjust every single detail, others only allow a limited amount of customization.
Shopify: Offers themes, but unless you know Liquid, their coding language, there isn’t much room for deep customization.
WooCommerce: Complete customization (if you don’t mind tinkering with code and plugins).
BigCommerce: A good balance between customization and ease of use.
Select a platform that provides user-friendly templates if you want your store to stand out but don’t want to spend hours learning HTML.
Payment Options: Avoid Making It Difficult for Clients to Pay You
I take it you want to be paid? Make sure your platform takes credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and, if you’re feeling very fancy, cryptocurrency as payment options. Some platforms charge extra fees for particular payment methods, so be sure to read the fine print. You might as well ask your customers to pay with Monopoly money if your platform only accepts one cryptic payment method.
Scalability: Consider the Long Term
Although your company may begin small, it should eventually expand. Is it possible for your platform to expand with you? Certain platforms have restrictions on how many customers or products you can manage before expenses start to skyrocket. Plan ahead and pick a platform that won’t require you to switch right when your company is starting to grow.
Customer Service: Since Mistakes Will Occur
Something will break eventually. You will require assistance when that occurs. While some platforms give you a vague help document and wish you luck, others offer live chat around-the-clock. While open-source platforms like WooCommerce rely more on community forums, Shopify and BigCommerce offer strong customer support.
Choose a platform with robust support if you don’t want to spend hours searching for answers to the question, “Why is my store broken?”
Marketing & SEO: Because You Must Be Found by Customers
If no one can find your store, what good is it? Your store will appear in Google searches if it has good SEO (Search Engine Optimization). While some platforms make SEO simple, others don’t.
WooCommerce and Shopify are excellent for SEO.
Wix: Good but not as strong.
Squarespace: It may be challenging for SEO, but it looks fantastic.
It’s not a good idea to guess how your store is performing, so make sure your platform supports analytics, social media integration, and email marketing.
Conclusion: Choose Carefully, Prevent Remorse
It’s a big decision to choose an e-commerce platform, but try not to worry too much about it. You can always switch if you make a mistake, so it’s better to get it right the first time.
Consider your company’s size, financial constraints, level of customization, and technical patience. Additionally, keep in mind that the objective is to create a store that benefits you rather than one that makes you want to throw your laptop out the window.
Build your internet empire now! And simply set up a lemonade stand if everything else fails. You won’t have to worry about plugins at least then.
