Global ecommerce sales were forecast to be $4.9 trillion in 2021 and are anticipated to reach $7.4 trillion by 2025, indicating that ecommerce is expanding quickly. “Cheap Ecommerce Platforms“.
You may desire a piece of the ecommerce pie, whether you're an existing business owner or trying to launch a new project. And every ecommerce journey begins with the correct ecommerce platform. There's no need to spend a fortune when there are so many reasonable (and even free) solutions available.
What is an ecommerce platform?
A software application that enables you to establish a website to sell your products and services online is an ecommerce platform, commonly referred to as an “online store“. Ecommerce platforms sometimes referred to as “ecommerce website builders“, are beneficial for anybody wishing to simplify their ecommerce process, including small businesses, huge corporations, brick-and-mortar shops, and online retailers.
Since ecommerce platforms are end-to-end apps, they benefit both the customer and the vendor. While customers may find and purchase products, sellers can handle inventory, sales, marketing, and customer service.
Why use an ecommerce platform?
Business owners may simply set up a store on ecommerce platforms and begin making sales. You may focus more of your time on developing your products and services while spending less time thinking about how to market them to your target market. Using an ecommerce platform has the following advantages:
- Ease of use. You don't need to be a smart coder to use ecommerce builders, which make it simple for any business to create a website and begin selling products online. Many platforms provide built-in ecommerce features so you can manage and change your online store, and they make it simple for store owners to quickly create an ecommerce site with a professional appearance.
- Shopping cart and checkout. Most ecommerce platforms come with a shopping cart and checkout process that provide customers with an easy method to purchase products from your store. By encrypting and securely storing it, these systems also help safeguard the data and credit card information of your customers.
- SEO. To help your ecommerce website rank well on search engine results pages, ecommerce platforms often have built-in search engine optimization (SEO) functions. SEO may improve traffic to your website and help you draw in more customers.
- Customer support. Customer support is a feature that many ecommerce platforms provide, which may be useful if you have any inquiries or need help setting up your store.
There are also some downsides to using an ecommerce platform, including:
- Cost. The majority of ecommerce platforms charge a fee for full membership, and these expenses quickly add up. While some platforms have a one-time setup price, others have monthly fees. Additionally, you may have to pay extra for web hosting.
- Limited customization. If you have a certain feel or experience in mind for your ecommerce business, it might be annoying that some ecommerce platforms only provide limited customization possibilities. There could only be a few templates made, limited by the platform. Widespread customization often requires coding know-how or a web developer.
- Setting up payment processing. For certain small business owners, using various platforms may require you to set up payment processing via a third-party payment gateway. Beware of payment gateways that tack on additional transaction costs.
10 cheap ecommerce platforms
There are several cheap ecommerce platforms to select from, many of which include low-cost plans. Here are some of the most popular on the market:
1. Shopify
Shopify is the world's most popular ecommerce platform. You will be completely prepared to establish your online store with over 600 templates, simple tools, and 24/7 customer support. Shopify plans begin at $5 per month and include a three-day free trial.
2. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a WordPress online store plug-in. WooCommerce is a popular option among small business owners since it is free to use and offers a variety of features such as product management, order tracking, and payment processing.
3. BigCommerce
BigCommerce offers customizable plans starting at roughly $30 per month—for exact pricing, you must request a quotation. Depending on your goals and budget, BigCommerce offers specialized help via customer success and technical managers, solution architects, and enterprise launch coaches. Unlimited items and built-in SEO tools are standard features.
4. Wix Stores
Wix Stores is a free ecommerce platform made possible by Wix, a website builder. Wix Stores is accessible to companies that currently use Wix for their websites. Wix Stores offers an infinite number of items, gift cards, discounts, sales across many platforms, automatic emails, SEO services, and Google Analytics integration.
5. Volusion
Volusion‘s plans begin at $15 per month. Volusion's features include limitless product and bandwidth support, email marketing tools, SEO tools, and fraud prevention. If you want a professional to come up with the style and functionality of your site, they also offer an in-house ecommerce design team.
6. BigCartel
BigCartel is a low-cost ecommerce platform for makers and artists. BigCartel offers free plans with limited features as well as premium plans starting at $9 per month. Its most costly package is $20 per month and includes up to 500 goods with five photos each, real-time statistics, inventory management, and a custom domain.
7. Ecwid
Ecwid is designed for small business owners who wish to launch an online store that will enable them to sell on several social media platforms, their websites, and in person. Ecwid offers free plans with limited features as well as premium plans starting at $15 per month. It suggests starting with the Venture plan, which costs $12.50 per month.
8. LemonStand
LemonStand is designed for developers that deal with ecommerce brands and want to provide more customization to their customers. LemonStand's monthly plans begin at $19 and feature built-in SEO tools, back- and front-end development, configurable checkout, and built-in reporting and analytics.
9. PrestaShop
PrestaShop is an open-source ecommerce platform that offers free plans with limited features as well as subscription plans starting at $33 per month. You may pick which features to include in your online stores, such as limitless product listings, social media integration, Google Analytics, and order monitoring.
10. Spree Commerce
Spree Commerce is an ecommerce platform that lets you or your developer connect any front-end to Spree's back-end software. Options for one or several brands, numerous languages and currencies, single- or multi-vendor stores, and storefront customization are among the key features.
Cheap ecommerce platforms FAQ
To sell online, you don't need an ecommerce platform. To create a store and begin selling, you might manually add plug-ins and features to a standard website. The procedure is far less expensive, quicker, and easier to use using an ecommerce platform. Additionally, marketing tools and safe payment processing facilities are often included in ecommerce platforms.
No, using Shopify to sell is not free. Starter, Basic, Shopify, and Advanced are the four available plans; they range in price from $7 to $299 a month. There is a 3-day free trial period available for all four plans.
The Shopify starter plan, which begins at $7 per month, is the least expensive. You can test out this plan before you purchase it thanks to its free trial period.
