Choosing the right e-commerce platform depends on each company's particular needs. We will highlight five of the top e-commerce platforms on the market today. Some are open-source and some are hosted, and each provides a different array of features. While one platform may be great for one business, it may be a poor choice for another. Read on to learn about some of the most popular platforms available.
PrestaShop
“PrestaShop provides more than 230,000 online store owners with the most powerful, dynamic and international e-commerce software enriched with hundreds of innovative tools to build and manage a successful online store at no cost.”
PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce solution that is used in over 160 countries and boasts a large community of more than 800,000 dedicated members. As an open-source solution, PrestaShop may be a lower cost option but does not have the robust support that a hosted platform might have.
Key Features
- Over 310 integrated features with over 3,500 modules and templates
- Mobile-responsive design
- Easily customizable, out-of-the-box themes
- Comprehensive multi-level training and support plans
- Over 50 payment solutions including all major credit and debit cards, e-check, and gift cards
- Multi-store functionality for managing multiple shops
Magento
“As the #1 e-Commerce platform for the Alexa top one million sites, Magento empowers you to focus on engaging your customers and growing your business.”
Magento is owned by eBay Inc. and is a hosted e-commerce platform. Magento also offers a free, open-source version with community-based support known as Community Edition. This platform has an established track record, but Forbes notes that it can be complex to use.
Key Features
- Hundreds of extensions available
- Mobile commerce features
- A network of partners and developers that offer support and training
- Search engine optimized
- Multi-store functionality for managing multiple shops
Shopify
“We focus on making commerce better for everyone, so businesses can focus on what they do best: building and selling their products.”
Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform with over 160,000 active stores, over 100 professional themes, and 24/7 support. According to Ecommerce Platforms, Shopify offers many great features and “still remains easy to use for the novice user”.
Key Features
- Mobile commerce ready
- Full blogging platform
- Full access to edit HTML and CSS
- 70 payment gateways from Bitcoin to PayPal
- Search engine optimized, email marketing, and social media integration
BigCommerce
“A powerful, flexible ecommerce platform that drives big results for established and emerging enterprises.”
BigCommerce is a hosted e-commerce platform with 24/7 tech support and over 100 features. Ecommerce Platforms notes that the differences between BigCommerce and Shopify are subtle and that it is a great platform to use if you don’t mind a bit of a learning curve.
Key Features
- Search engine optimized
- Mobile optimized store
- Over 40 payment gateways
- Email marketing and social media marketing integrations
OpenCart
“OpenCart is designed feature rich, easy to use, search engine friendly and with a visually appealing interface.”
OpenCart is an open-source e-commerce solution that is ready to use out-of-the-box and offers free lifetime support and free software updates. Practical Ecommerce notes that open-source solutions like OpenCart offer many advantages to small businesses in that they are low-cost and can be developed to fit the needs of the particular merchant.
Key Features
- Over 20 payment gateways and more than 8 shipping methods
- Designed to easily manage multiple shops from one admin interface
- Over 2,700 available themes
- Search engine optimized
Whether your sales needs are simple or robust, the development experts at Informatics can make sure that your site is developed with extreme attention to detail, satisfying your business goals and your customers. Contact us today for a consultation.
