Without a good website, the audience cannot take you seriously in the modern world. You need a site that looks professional and clean with no frills or unnecessary elements.
There are so many options for e-commerce website builders, but not all of them are made equal. Selecting the right e-commerce website builderis a crucial step in the process of starting up your business online. It's not an easy decision, so we have created this buyer's guide to help you find the best option for your needs and budget.
What is an E-Commerce website?
An e-commerce website is a platform where you sell your products. While most e-commerce websites are the big tech giants like Amazon, you can also build a custom website for your store. Whether you sell products, services, or anything in between, an e-commerce website helps you maximize your profits. In short, if you are selling products on your site, you need to have a place for your products.
Having a well-thought-out plan and clear categories is essential for your site. It should help you identify your products and help you decide what needs to be done before adding new products. It would help if you also placed a section on your site dedicated to new customers, as it's one of the most important selling points for most of us.
What is a website builder?
A website builder enables a company to create an easy-to-use online store without knowing anything about coding or HTML. It is different from a mobile app builder, which is mainly for mobile apps. The website builder you need depends on your business' needs, so make sure to consider it when picking one.
It is usually installed on your website and the front end of your e-commerce website that you can customize with a wide range of tools. In short, it is similar to a website template editor.
There are many best e-commerce website builders out there, some more popular than others. Thus, you must draft your requirements before selecting one.
The benefits of e-commerce for small business owners
E-commerce is quickly becoming a popular business strategy for business owners. Research shows that by 2020, nearly half of the internet users will be using an e-commerce website. It's the only way for retailers to gain a competitive advantage and significantly impact business success.
For example, Oracle and Dun & Bradstreet studies show that a successful online store adds $450 million to a business's bottom line and drives 15% more traffic to a site. A well-designed e-commerce site is the primary marketing vehicle for a small business. If you're not an expert at building your site, a site builder can give you the best of both worlds: faster, lower-cost options with a step-by-step instruction guide.
How website builder works?
There are several website builders, such as WooCommerce and Magento, each with pros and cons. A typical website builder usually offers a set of features that include creating and selling products, developing a site, and receiving payments.
This tool is designed to handle a specific task, like storing the product inventory, saving the products for online purchase, and enabling e-commerce with payment systems like PayPal, credit cards, etc.
For instance, some builders are popular among business-to-consumer websites. They have a wide selection of quick creation features and almost 100% compatibility among different operating systems, browsers, and platforms. At the same time, these tools are being used mostly by corporate or B2B sites.
How to choose the best eCommerce website builder in 2021?
To help you cut through the noise and find the best website builder for e-commerce, we've put together this buyer's guide to tell you everything you need to know about picking the right platform for you. You'll need to decide on the size, layout, functionality, supported platforms, and more when you start looking for a site builder. It's best to talk to a company representative and web designer to see which one best suits your business and how it could transform it into a real online business.
Set A Budget
Fixing a budget is essential when it comes to building your e-commerce site. You need to find a platform that fits your budget, so you can scale up or add more functionality as you grow.
Time Required For Building
When you need a website to be customized, you'll need to consider how long the developer work will take.
It is vital to ensure that your back-end and site build-out will be wrapped up well before your launch date, so you're not scrambling at the last minute.
Template Availability
It's essential to explore the templates available on the e-commerce site builder you're considering so that you can see what options your brand could use.
If you don't like the options available on the site, you may need to have a custom theme developed for your online store. This can be more time- and cost-intensive.
Compatibility With Your System
Integrations are integral to running your online business, so be sure that the e-commerce site builder you are considering is compatible with the software and tools you depend on.
Before you choose an e-commerce platform, you should make sure that the tools for your business are integrated seamlessly. You may need to double-check logistics, customer data, email marketing, etc.
Customer Support
The suitable support options can make a difference in your store's success. That's why you want to be sure that your builder has the information to succeed with your online business.
Ease Of Use
When choosing an E-commerce website builder, it's important to look for one that provides drag and drop features, which are easier to use than coding or programming.
Finding the right website builder is important. It must be intuitive and user-friendly with an editor that makes it easy to undertake any changes.
Best eCommerce website builders in 2021?
Listed below are some e-commerce builders that are renowned for their work in the year 2021:
- BigCommerce
- WooCommerce
- Shopify
- Squarespace
- WordPress
- Web.com
- Wix
- HubSpot
- Kibo
- Magento
- Shift4Shop
- Weebly
- 3dcart
- Volusion
To Wrap up!
Before you start looking for the best website builder for e-commerce, you need to define what exactly you need it to do. It's not easy to choose the best e-commerce website builder for your business, so you'll need to consider everything you're looking for before making a decision.
Before choosing an e-commerce website builder, ensure that it has a responsive design and basic features like SEO and a shopping cart. You'll also need to consider the price of your chosen website builder. Although there are some premium packages, most e-commerce website builders are very affordable and easy to set up.
If you are prepared to pay more, you can opt for premium themes that will help you with your branding, branding text, email signup forms, and more.
It is crucial to keep certain points in mind when choosing an e-commerce website or e-commerce builder. We've highlighted some of the most important ones to guide you through your decision-making process in the article above.
