Top 5 Ecommerce Platforms to Start that Home Business

In 2019, Shopify Plus estimated that worldwide retail eCommerce sales would reach $4.9 trillion by the year 2021. Thanks to the World Wide Web and smartphones, online shopping has seen tremendous growth. A 2017 Nasdaq report tells us that as much as 95% of shopping will be facilitated by eCommerce by the year 2040. 

So, if you’re thinking of starting that home business, there’s no better time than today to do it. And with that, you need to know the best eCommerce platforms so you can choose wisely. Here are the top 5 eCommerce platforms to jumpstart your online business right in the comfort of your homes. 

WooCommerce 

With 28% of all online stores being run on WooCommerce, it is one of the best platforms to start your home business. It is an open-source solution that allows you to create a robust online store on WordPress. 

This means that WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that’s free to use for personal and commercial purposes. It provides you with extensions that allow you to integrate payment gateways, social media, email marketing, and shipping, among many other features. 

Pros: 

• Regular updates mean it is secure
• Built-in payment options such as PayPal and Stripe
• Unlimited product categories
• 1-click selling option
• Scalability 

Cons: 

• Set up can be laborious
• Hosting and domain name costs aren’t included
• No customer support available
• Extensions can be costly 

WooCommerce’s over 50 million downloads are proof enough that it is one of the most trusted. This is the platform for you if you want to start a dropshipping, retail, subscription, or booking business. Some setbacks such as zero customer support are no deal breaker as WordPress experts are plentiful. 

BigCommerce 

A feature-packed eCommerce platform, BigCommerce is ideal for bigger retail businesses. It’s also suitable for brands that want to extend their reach beyond their brick-and-mortar stores. Unlike WooCommerce that’s free to use, BigCommerce is a paid and hosted eCommerce solution. 

The platform setup is simple and easy, no need for you to have web development skills to use it. There are free themes available, but very limited. With well-known brands such as Toyota, Camelbak, and Gibson Guitars, you won’t go wrong with BigCommerce. 

Pros:  

• Scalable
• Has a good set of reporting tools
• Comes with built-in product review functionality
• Straightforward multiple currency selling
• Comprehensive abandoned cart saver tool 

Cons: 

• Can be expensive for startups or small businesses
• An upgrade is needed if you exceed their sales limits
• Limited free themes
• Adjusting your homepage can be tricky 

Order and product management are simple with BigCommerce. It provides you with analytics and other insightful reports that can help you sell better. It offers integrations with other sites and apps, but sadly, this can cost you more than other platforms. 

Magento 

Whatever size your business is, Magento is a great eCommerce platform. It lets you customize your online store the way you want it to and make it uniquely yours. It is incredibly responsive as well as scalable, making it ideal for small businesses that dream of going big. 

Magento is one of the most user-friendly platforms out there. Even those who aren’t tech-savvy will find it easy to customize their stores. Some of the most notable features are its inventory management, secure handling of shipping charges, multiple payment gateway options, and many more. 

Pros: 

• SEO-friendly
• 1-click selling option
• Highly customizable
• Feature-intensive
• Offers a wide variety of free themes 

Cons: 

• Expensive development, support, and maintenance aspects
• Requires a dedicated server for hosting
• No available customer support
• Needs extensive space and memory

Magento has one of the broadest communities of all eCommerce platforms. You can always get information from them to make up for their lack of customer support. Overall, Magento is one highly recommended platform as what Nike, Cisco, and Procter & Gamble know and understand. 

Shopify 

Whether you plan on selling physical or digital products, Shopify can get your online store up in no time. Its wide range of customizable templates and themes requires no design or technical skills. Its affordable pricing, user-friendly platform, and beneficial features make it a crowd favorite. 

Shopify is a hosted solution. This means it has its own servers, so you won’t have to go somewhere else to buy hosting or software installation for this purpose. Shopify’s more than a million merchants in 175 countries can’t be wrong. 

Pros: 

• Set up can be done in minutes
• Loading time is one of the fastest
• Allows 1-click selling
• Offers plenty of free features
• Has a 24-hour support team 

Cons: 

• It has transaction fees
• Some pages aren’t SEO-friendly
• You’ll need a web developer for its advanced features
• You don’t have full control of your shop 

Shopify is very straightforward to use thanks to its intuitive and easily navigable interface. It has its ups and downs, but with its customer support feature, you can have all your questions and concerns answered directly. 

Volusion 

If you want to sell online but your budget is limited, Volusion is your solid bet. At just $29 a month, you can sell up to 100 products, which is considerably lower than others. Its drag-and-drop and in-page editing features make setting up easy even without technical know-how. 

While some eCommerce platforms take away a cut from your sales called transaction fees, Volusion doesn’t. One thing that makes it stand out is its analytical tools that are unmatched by the others. It is exceedingly helpful when managing your store and scaling it for growth. 

Pros: 

• User-friendly and easy to navigate dashboard
• Offers the best marketing features
• Completely responsive design
• Affordable and flexible
• Has a 24/7 support team

Cons: 

• Doesn’t come with blogging capabilities
• No options for selling digital products
• Restricted bandwidth
• No up- or cross-selling features 

For anyone who’s just starting their career in online selling, Volusion is the right platform for you. It focuses on selling and onboarding with simplified processes. It may not have some features that big companies require, but it can help you get a good starting point.