Best eCommerce platforms in 2021

The idea of ecommerce originated from Teleshopping. In 1979, Michael Aldrich connected television to a computer via telephone line and gave birth to online shopping.  Later, after around 40 years, with the establishment of HTTPS protocols, online shopping became a more secure and popular shopping alternative. The variety of buying options, ease of ordering, hassle-free checkouts, the convenience of having items shipped at doorsteps and discounted prices made Ecommerce a widely appreciated trend in the world. The extraordinary popularity of ecommerce is the reason why many of you may wonder, what is behind an online store? The success in Ecommerce requires businesses to implement an integrated buying experience with systems such as content management, customer data tracking tools, inventory management, predictive analytics, shopping cart system, payment tools, and many more. 

To run a frontline ecommerce business with the above systems, companies rely on software technology that equips them with all tools they require to operate their online store. A secure and regulation-compliant Ecommerce Software that takes care of everything that is needed to run an online business is the best investment every ecommerce business can make. Ecommerce software takes all the hassle away by implementing a huge breadth of capabilities in your ecommerce business. The aim of writing this article is to help you in knowing more about different ecommerce software solutions, their types, their characteristics, their features, pricing, and their usage. Once you finish reading this buyers' guide, all your questions regarding ecommerce software solutions will be answered, and you will be able to select the best suitable option.

Business transactions conducted on the internet via online stores are referred to as Ecommerce. It involves a seller, logistic partner, buyer, and a software platform on the internet. From the perspective of the customers, ecommerce stores are much more convenient compared to regular stores. Customers can purchase whatever they need from an ecommerce store without being physically present. It is an added bonus that they receive ordered items at their doorsteps. Availability of reviews of other customers to make a more informed buying decision also led to the unprecedented popularity of e-commerce platforms among customers of different age groups. Ecommerce Companies such as Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, Flipkart, and Shopify need no introduction today. The global ecommerce sales are forecasted to reach 6.5 trillion dollars or around 22% of all global retail sales by 2023. There are majorly three different verticals in which Ecommerce deals:

1. Physical Goods: The best online store platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba, eBay Warby Parker, etc. sell physical goods online. Alibaba is a b2b ecommerce platform.
2. Digital Goods: The best online store platforms such as Coursera, Shutterstock, etc. sell digital goods like online courses and images.
3. Services: Companies such as Upwork, Freelancer.com, etc. sell services or provide platforms to users to buy and sell services.

Ecommerce software is a set of applications based on which an online store is developed. Ecommerce management software carries out activities like Listing products on the website, Management of orders, Inventory management, Payment, Tax calculation, Automated Shipping, Marketing of Products, etc. In most cases, ecommerce software offers a simple user interface so that employees from non-technical backgrounds can also manage it easily. In fact, other activities like product management, Catalog management, Merchant and Vendor management, etc. also become easier to handle. Enhancing the overall customer buying experience and managing the online stores, efficiently, are the primary purposes of using ecommerce tools. 

The working mechanism of ecommerce software is designed to enhance the online shopping experiences of the customers: 

Let us discuss here the steps which an ecommerce software generally follows:

• Once a shopper visits your online store, the ecommerce management system has features that ensure the best possible display of your products/services to the shopper. The software has already listed products and has stored it in a secure database. 

• The shoppers either have an account with your online store or they create one, and all information provided by them like payment mode preference, shipping address, contact number, etc. are stored within your database. 

• When the customer is about to make the payment, i.e., in the checkout stage, the ecommerce software makes sure SSL certificate is used to enter into a secured payment mode.

• At the time of making payment, the ecommerce software uses different third party payment gateways without compromising on the security.

• Once the shopper enters his or her card number or any other payment information, it is sent straight away to the payment processor like PayPal. 

• After the payment is made, the ecommerce software shows the order confirmation sign on the screen. 

Apart from the above steps, some other components of an ecommerce software which can help in making a transaction easier are different web hosting services, shopping cart, etc. 

There are two general classifications of ecommerce software: 

• On-premise – This type of ecommerce management software is managed by the software developers, and it is entirely their responsibility to update the software from time to time, fixing bugs and performing all troubleshooting activities. Generally, it is the first choice of online store owners because of the control and management opportunities. On-premise ecommerce software also comes in the open source model. 

• Software as a Service (SaaS) – This type of ecommerce software is also known as hosted software. In this case, no in-house activities are needed. Updates, maintenance, and the addition of new features can be automatically performed in this case. The option of one-click integration is also available in case of hosted ecommerce management software. Over the years, these types of ecommerce software solutions have changed drastically, and they provide a great degree of customization and flexibility. Hosted ecommerce software solutions can be web-based, cloud-based, open source, free, or free and open source. Most of the packages of hosted ecommerce software solutions available are also very much affordable.

Why do you need Ecommerce Software?

By using ecommerce software, you can perform all the core operations of your online store with a single integrated platform. You are not required to use multiple software programs for different activities. 

Ecommerce software:

• Increases your traffic, 
• Helps you to run your business 24/7
• Provides tools to improve your brand image
• Presents your products in an attractive manner
• Tracks your customer's behavior
• Stores all valuable data
• Lowers your operating costs with automation

An ecommerce software single-handedly manages all necessary activities of your online stores. In fact, a cloud-based ecommerce software is capable of integrating the front-end and back-end activities and provides an automated and customized platform. Therefore, you can easily understand the demands of your customers and can align your business strategies accordingly. You also get marketing and promotional benefits from ecommerce software. 

What will happen without an Ecommerce Software?

It is challenging to develop your online store and to run it without ecommerce software. In that case, you won't receive an integrated approach to perform different core functions of your online store, and you would have to perform them individually. That would be a tedious job and would involve high investment. In the absence of ecommerce software, you will have to plan marketing, customer support, data analytics, inventory management, and other strategies manually. Your operating costs would increase, time management will suffer, and visits to your website will fall down drastically.

An ecommerce software is not restricted within buying and selling of products and services online. It manages to perform many other activities to help the online store owners. The most common functions which are handled by any ecommerce software solution in a unified manner are: 

Customer management 

Registration of customers on the platform, summarising user requests, creating a shopping basket for them, handling their checkout, requesting them for reviews and sending them personalized promotional emails are functions under the customer management module of the ecommerce software. 

Product management 

It lists products in various categories. It lets you assign price tags, product descriptions, subcategories, etc. to your products. 

Order management 

This function takes care of all orders placed with your ecommerce company. 

Marketing and promotions 

With social media integration and other branding tools, this module is a one-stop solution for all marketing and promotional needs.

Data analytics 

This function provides you the birds-eye view of what is happening in your business. Sales reports, customer engagement reports, profit charts, trend analysis, etc. are provided by this section. 

Content management 

This feature lists your products, product description, buying guidelines for your products, personalized suggestions and buying recommendations, etc. 

If you're planning to open your own startup, then you would know that for small businesses, affordability becomes a major issue. To establish a successful online store, you have to set up your own website, manage your inventories and logistics, and create a proper payment gateway. As the owner of a startup, arranging all these aspects by yourself can be difficult. Hence, this is a point where ecommerce software can help you immensely. 

• An ecommerce software for small business can help your startup in accessing inventory management tools, marketing, and promotional tools, payment gateways, analytics, order management tools, and many other core activities of an online store under the same roof. Therefore, once you deploy ecommerce software, you won't have to worry about different aspects. 

• One of the major successes of an online store lies in its accessibility. An online startup should be able to present on as many platforms as possible where it can communicate with the customers. It can be challenging for a startup owner to figure out all these factors, but ecommerce software solutions provide tools to startups to respond to the demands of customers. 

• It is essential for your startup not to miss any opportunity or any potential lead, and the usage of an ecommerce software solution assists in that. The fact that most of the ecommerce software programs come with native artificial intelligence is also an added advantage for the startup owners. They can easily find out through this tool regarding the changes in customers' choices. Hence, the startups can personalize their products/ services to increase the satisfaction levels of the customers. 

The enormous popularity of online stores has made sure that the trend of ecommerce is not restricted within a particular industry or segment. Hence, by efficiently using an ecommerce software solution, you may achieve success in any industry section. We are going to discuss four major industries where ecommerce software is gaining unprecedented momentum. 

Small Businesses (E-Retailers) 

If you're planning to open an online retail store, then ecommerce software for small business can be of great help to you. Inventory management is a crucial aspect of any online retail store, and by using a suitable ecommerce software, you can be relieved in this department. You can easily perform the inventory management activities with ease and at a much lower cost. Furthermore, your ecommerce software can also keep an eye on the buying habits of your customers. Accordingly, it can suggest to you the retail products in which your consumers can be interested. You can, therefore, project different products to different customers to increase the sales of your online retail store. You may also reduce the costs of marketing and promotions to a considerable level by using ecommerce software. Therefore, your online retail store is good to go with a suitable ecommerce platform. 

Fashion, beauty, and wellness 

Since online shopping has become popular, more and more customers are becoming interested in purchasing fashion and beauty products from online stores. Hence, if you're willing to focus on fashion and beauty products in your online store, the chances are that you'll be highly successful as soon as you select a suitable ecommerce software for you. The best support you can get from an ecommerce software is analytics.  The needs and choices of customers in the fashion and beauty industry are unpredictable. Hence, to make your online store a success, you have to track the purchasing pattern of your customers. The installation of an ecommerce software can help you in this case, so that you can observe the changing buying patterns of the customers and can formulate your strategies based on those results. 

Healthcare 

The most important contribution of ecommerce software in the context of a healthcare-focussed store is that it easily streamlines the orders and relevant supplies for your online store. Hence, you won't have to handle such factors on your own, and you can make sure that your customers are getting proper services. In this case, the potential customers are generally patients who are in need of medicines and other medical supplies. Therefore, you need to be doubly careful. The installation of an ecommerce software solution can make you stress-free to a large extent, and you can follow up on your customers based on their past purchases. 

Automotive 

As a business owner of an online automotive store, you can be primarily benefited by using an ecommerce software solution. In an automotive store, processing of orders is a major challenge. It is not as simple as purchasing cloth or groceries. Hence, you need to use ecommerce software to make sure that different consumers of yours are getting all the customizations they have asked for from your automotive store. The usage of an ecommerce software also helps you in simplifying the product search option, and due to this feature, you can definitely expect an increase in your overall sales. 

Broader outreach 

If you're using ecommerce software, you're able to single-handedly access a complete package where you can get complete marketing and promotional support. Furthermore, you can easily access some advanced search engine optimization tactics which help in increasing the organic traffic within your online store. An ecommerce software solution also helps you in reaching out to a large number of potential leads. 

Make your store attractive

There are many professionally designed templates that you can use to make your online store more attractive. As a result, you can enhance your brand image without hiring graphics designers.  

Better customer service 

To retain the buyers of your online store, you must offer them excellent service. An ecommerce software solution can help you with this. This type of software solution helps in browsing desired products with ease, and after posting orders, customers can track their parcel until it reaches their doorsteps. Customers are also happy because ecommerce software solutions make sure that customers can return their purchased products and can get their refunds. It is a common opinion of the buyers that in the presence of an ecommerce software solution, their purchasing experiences are remarkable.

Boosting sales

Your ecommerce software can also help you in analyzing how the purchasing patterns of your regular consumers are changing. Not only that, but it also makes sure that customers are getting buying suggestions based on its analytics, and hence the primary drivers of an online store are utilized successfully by an ecommerce software solution. Hence, this type of software can easily help you in boosting your sales. 

Efficient order management 

In the core functions of any online store, there are some critical steps involved, like managing orders, directing the customers towards payment gateways, checking out delivery details, and many more. A suitable ecommerce software takes care of all these factors and assists the customers until the product is delivered. Managing the transaction records, managing personal information of customers, creation of invoices, etc. are also part of order management, and in the presence of an effective ecommerce software, you don't need to worry about any of it. 

Efficient inventory management 

Inventory management is a very difficult job, and in the case of online stores, it becomes even more challenging. Online stores stock products in different colors, sizes, and quantities. Hence, managing all these things in an organized manner is highly important, or things can become clumsy. If you use an ecommerce software solution, you can get high assistance in this context. These types of software solutions are capable of managing products in variations, and they also arrange them as per catalogs provided by you. You also get notifications from this software when your overall stock is lowering, and you need a refill. 

Are you planning to purchase an ecommerce software for your online store? Here are the questions you should ask yourself before selecting it: 

How much is the software charging you? 

Pricing is the most important thing, especially if you are running a startup business. In most cases, you can expect that the service provider will charge you on a monthly basis. Many companies offer completely free ecommerce software too. However, the costs of ecommerce software packages can vary on the basis of its type i.e.; it is self-hosted or vendor-hosted. However, never select any software only because it is the cheapest ecommerce platform. Make sure you perform quick pros and cons evaluation before zeroing on a particular ecommerce software solution.

Is the software SEO-friendly?

SEO support is synonymous to marketing, and you need to make sure that the ecommerce software solution offers SEO support to your online business. Without this support, the organic traffic of your store will never improve, and your online store will never be able to improve its ranking on search engines. Some major SEO supports you should look for are the integration of blogs, proper domain name, and customer reviews with your online store. 

Is ecommerce software mobile friendly?

Nowadays, online shoppers shop through their smartphones. Hence, you need to ensure that the ecommerce platform you are selecting offers robust mobile support. If the customers aren't able to access your online store from their mobiles, they are most likely to be not interested in your store. So, keep this factor in mind before you finalize the purchase.

Is the software secured? 

The customers will post credit card information, personal address, mobile numbers, and many other details on your ecommerce store. Hence, you need to ensure that all this information is safe, and your ecommerce tool is capable of protecting the personal information posted by the customers. Your selected ecommerce software should support SSL to prove its security. 

Can you get customer service support from the software? 

Will you get 24x7 customer service support through your ecommerce software vendor? As an owner, it is not possible for you to solve everything by yourself. Hence, the ecommerce software you chose should come with chatbots, email support, or telephonic support lines.

The use of social media channels as marketing tools is a buzzing idea. Ecommerce managers use social media to gain more sales and conversion. Integrating websites with social media for customer engagement, customer communication, and promotion of brands benefits brands in gaining more revenues. Social media integration of the ecommerce software allows ecommerce companies to quickly respond to customer queries, increase transactional web presence, and understand customers in a better way. With your engaging posts, you can influence buyers and create a strong brand perception among your customers. Social media integration for your ecommerce management software provides an easy medium to expand your customer reach and increase brand visibility. 

Customer profiles

Learn and analyze your customers, their shopping behavior, spending habits, order history, demographics, etc. 

Order Fulfilment

This feature allows one-click order processing, daily order management, dropshipping options, order generation, order cancellation, order editing, etc. 

Integration

The e-commerce software should be able to integrate with your e-commerce website directly.

Secure Shopping Cart

The shopping cart of customers should be able to provide a secure payment channel and safe storage of customer's data.

Data sourcing and reporting

Users can keep records and reports of the performance of various segments, including sales, purchasing, and financials, marketing, customer service, and stock.

Warehouse Management System

Real-time sales order processing aligned with packaging and delivery tools for efficient warehouse management is also a required feature of ecommerce tools.

Website building options

Ecommerce solutions also provide the best platform for ecommerce websites. Ecommerce software also has features that let you build your ecommerce website with professional themes, built-in mobile commerce plug-in, HTML and CSS editing options, website builder, and many more. 

Mobile commerce ready

Most of the buyers buy online on mobile. Ecommerce solutions should be compatible with mobile devices to provide a seamless buying experience to online buyers. Many online ecommerce platforms provide separate ecommerce mobile apps to their consumers.

Social media integration

Ecommerce software integrates with social media giants such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, etc. for larger customer reach.

Brand and customize your online store

Every order, report, template, payment receipts, bills, etc. that you generate using the ecommerce solution comes with branding features that let you put your logo and customized formats matching your brand.

Accept multiple payment gateways

You can accept debit cards, credit cards, PayPal, and Wallets, with ecommerce software solutions that integrate with your POS.

Offer free shipping

Ecommerce tools let you decide the price point at which the order will fall into the free shipping category.

Multiple languages

Some ecommerce solutions allow you to use multiple languages for a global customer base.

Creative disruption in the retail industry was a threat and an opportunity at the same time. The advent of e-commerce was seen suspiciously and with surprise. But today, ecommerce has established itself as a leading trend in the business world. Technologies such as Progressive web applications (PWAs) and Accelerated mobile pages (AMPs) are driving more growth for ecommerce with fast loading websites and mobile-optimized pages. Automation, warehouse robotics, and artificial intelligence have taken ecommerce to altogether another level of growth. 

There was a time when ecommerce was predicted to be a doomed and unsustainable model of business. But today, with eco-friendly supply chains, zero-waste packaging, and sustainable manufacturing, ecommerce has proved itself to be a sustainable and profitable business sector. Amazon alone posted a net profit of 11.59 billion dollars in the fiscal year 2019. 

With such massive growth prospects in the future, too, companies investing in technology related to ecommerce are bound to outperform their peers. Deploying ecommerce solutions are the first step that a company can take to ensure a bright and profitable future for their ecommerce business.

The ecommerce segment is going through the best phase of its evolutionary journey. The ecommerce has established that it is not a passing trend but a sustainable business idea with trends such as:

• Augmented reality to enhance buyer's experience,
• Voice search options to browse products on ecommerce systems
• Artificial intelligence to help ecommerce owners to understand their shoppers
• Personalized, on-site experience for their buyers
• Chatbots to help and guide the shoppers
• Short video advertisements

Optimizing digital strategies for business to customer market has added to the growth of ecommerce. Business owners who keep following the current trends in ecommerce can be sure of a reasonable ROI. 

The costs of ecommerce software solutions can vary depending on the varieties of features they offer. For example, b2b ecommerce software like Shopify, EWCart, 3D Cart, BigCommerce, etc. can charge you $19/month to $30/month. However, there are enterprise ecommerce solutions like SellerCloud, Magento, etc. which can charge you as high as $500/month to $999/month. Free and open-source ecommerce software solutions such as OpenCart can be a good option if you want to customize ecommerce tools to suit your needs. You can also try some free ecommerce platforms packages like Square, WooCommerce, Shopware, etc.

GoodFirms has made the list of the best ecommerce software systems after performing detailed research, with a focus on reliability, quality, and ability of the vendor. By referring to the list of best ecommerce software from GoodFirms, you can easily do an analysis of your own. This list includes multiple alternatives, and you can make your decision regarding the price range you prefer and the features you want. Goodfirms has listed over 9000 software and services in multiple categories. With the above 15K reviews, it offers a reliable source of information about the performance, pros and cons, and usability of various software solutions.  Filter options are available to sort ecommerce solutions based on deployment criteria, support available, pricing models, devices supported, available resources, and business size type. We suggest that before finalizing anything, please go through the entire list and make a value-oriented purchasing decision.