Shopping for a Shopping Site? Try these options

For seasoned ecommerce sellers, those struggling through their first year, or even newbies, the decision on how and where to peddle your goods is critical. Everyone is familiar with the colossal platforms Amazon and eBay, Shopify, and more. They offer a vast audience full of potential customers. They also offer an almost insurmountable level of competition.

You aren’t stuck with them. Using good research skills, you can pinpoint an alternative market. We have some tips for exploring product-specific markets, or those that are best suited to your business.

The importance of choosing the right platform relates to the reason they exist in the first place. Ecommerce stores allow you to collectively manage products, offer promotions and sales, personalize the sales and service experience, and access analytics to see what is and is not working. Completely customizable, the best of these facilitate personalized content. In short, you can create a brand for yourself without investing in and counting on a solo website.

In no particular order, here are some potential sites that may hit the mark:
 

1. Magento. This Adobe-affiliated entity isn’t the best for beginners – you may need to tap developers and acquire Magento partners to get certified – but if you have some miles logged, it will offer scalability, full systems integration, open source options, member subscription set-ups, and SEO-friendly content. You can add shipping capabilities, process recurring payments, and offer online customer support.
   
   
2. Volusion. New in town? This platform caters to fledgling online sellers with user-friendly interfaces and options, zero transaction fees, a wide range of free templates, and mobile optimization. Its pricing is elastic, based on your traffic; SSL certification is not included, and there are no options for blogging.
   
   
3. PrestaShop. A respectable middle-of-the-road choice for somewhat experienced sellers, PrestaShop is simple to set up, offers open source customization, charges nothing for transactions, and is free to use. On the down side, it’s limited in scalability, lacks a multi-store feature, and doesn’t offer official team customer support.
   
   
4. BigCommerce. The name says it all. If you’re shooting for the stars, this may be your ticket. If you yearn only for a built-out platform that can accommodate your needs, this is it. BigCommerce offers low-cost subscriptions, affordable customization, small business plans, and SEO tools. It doesn’t offer premium templates for free or even low-cost; there are no native Point-of-Sale features, and they impose sales limits.

 
Others to consider include Shopify itself (they may be big, but they are the marquee non-Amazon platform); Woo Commerce; Bonanza (which has a special section for home goods); and 3DCart (an impressive choice for beginners).
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Any platform you choose should be given careful consideration. Make sure it is either able to grow with your business, or is easily and seamlessly convertible if you decide to switch. What these entities all have in common is a desire to help you start, sustain, and succeed in the skyrocketing sector of online commerce.