Having an online presence gives your
company the potential to reach more customers, increase your revenue, and
expand. But creating this presence is not an easy task. It´s not just about plopping
your business up on the internet; you have to make the products noticeable,
garner attention with effective marketing strategies and create an intuitive
site that´s easy to use. But, regardless of your tech savviness, e-commerce
platforms can help you.
E-Commerce Platform? What’s that?
An e-commerce platform gives you the option of building your store up online.
It usually means you have a site and an app for orders, social media pages for
promotion and customer service where your customers can ask for help
According to Oracle NetSuit, [1] the good thing about an e-commerce
platform is that it takes away the need to buy expensive software right off the
bat, and they’re usually very beginner-friendly. These software solutions can
take care of all your business needs, from mundane order-taking to an expansion
into the new fields of business.
There are some major improvements you will notice right away when using an
e-commerce platform. You will see that they create a seamless customer
experience without much need for your intervention. Depending on the level
of customization available on the platform you can make it as fun or as sleek
of an experience for the customer as you want. The sheer number of people on
the internet can visit your online store can boost sales significantly.
The more formats you include, the better for your business, because, as
eMarketer [2]states, 73% of sales online nowadays happen via mobile
phones. Finally, with an e-commerce platform, there’s almost no limit to
expansion.
The Top E-Commerce Platforms Available
There is a platform for every company out there, but here are three of the best
that will suit most businesses:
Shopify
According to Inc, [3] it´s the most promising platform for small
business owners. It´s an easy-to-use, intuitive, and highly customizable
platform with mobile support. You can adjust the features and services
according to your budget. If you are not tech-minded, this is our pick for you.
Magneto
Magneto is also wonderful, innovative, and highly customizable platform, but it
is a bit tricky to use. You either need to know a bit of programming or have an
in-house programmer at your disposal to keep the store running.
BigCommerce
Yet another easy to use option for those who just don´t know how to program and
design a website. The platform and its features do it all for you. You have the
option of several template themes for your website that are free, and even more
options if you pay a small fee.
In Summary
All of our picks have a free version that´s sufficient to put your business on
a map and decide whether the whole ordeal of online commerce is for you at all
without pressuring you to commit right away.
So, if you are ready to take it to the next level, give one of these a try,
compare and contrast with other offers on the market, and finally make an
informed decision which suits your business best.
[1]Oracle NetSuite, What Is an E-Commerce Platform?
