This article was updated in March, 2017 to bring it up to date with the current state of the hosted eCommerce platform market.
eCommerce platforms are always evolving. With several options available in the market, you’ve got to decide which one suits your needs best!
There's always been a lot of contention over which self-hosted eCommerce software is the best, and as the hosted space fills out, things are heating up there as well.
Here are the top 10 hosted eCommerce platforms that we think are best for the undecided.
1. Shopify
Example: EatBoutique Shop
Shopify is one of the most famous online shopping cart tools. It’s popular with small shops because that is the market Shopify is aiming to serve.
Benefits
One of the reasons for Shopify’s success is an app store that makes it simple to expand the abilities of your default web store. Shopify offers hundreds of apps, more than any other competitor. It also offers a nice selection of professional themes.
Shopify features abandoned cart recovery, which sends a reminder to customers who didn’t check out. Unfortunately, this option is only available when you pay $79 a month or more.
Shopify comes with unlimited products and bandwidth, which isn’t as common as you might think.
Noteworthy features
Easily integrate with shipping carriers, fulfilment centers and dropshipping companies
A mobile app for both accepting payments and managing your store
A point-of-sale system to handle transactions in your physical shop
Shopify Experts to help you setup your store
Pricing starts at $29 per month for the most important features, with a limited starter plan called Shopify Lite at $9 a month.
For more on Shopify, check out this behind-the-scenes look.
2. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is the most popular online shopping cart in the "top million sites" category, which means it’s popular for small- to medium-sized web stores. It offers more features to grow your sales than almost any other shopping cart software on the market.
Benefits
While the pricing seems comparable to Shopify, its feature set is a bit better for each plan. Features like real-time shipping quotes, gift cards and 24/7 phone/mail/chat support are included in its base plan for $29.95 a month. Too bad you still have to upgrade to a more expensive plan for the abandoned cart recovery.
The great thing about its pricing is that you don’t need more than the Gold plan at $79.95 a month. It comes with all of the features as well as unlimited products, storage and bandwidth.
Noteworthy features
Google Trusted Store certification assistance
Support assistance 24/7
Easily integrate with eBay, Google Shopping and more
Pricing starts at $29.95 per month for almost all features, with unlimited everything for $79.95 a month.
I wrote an article on BigCommerce before, in a head-to-head comparison with Volusion.
3. Volusion
Example: SlickWraps
Volusion is the second most used online shopping cart, right after Yahoo Store. It is popular in all ranges, from the top 10,000 sites to the entire Internet.
Benefits
It is the "cheapest" cart to offer abandoned cart recovery, as this feature comes with the starter plan at $15 a month. This plan is actually all you need if you want to test the waters. It is limited to just 100 products and 1GB of data usage, but has all the necessary features to get started.
I wrote about Volusion’s feature set before here on SitePoint when I compared it to BigCommerce. With the Pro plan you get some professional features for $75 a month.
Noteworthy features
Built-in loyalty program (MyRewards)
Built-in Deal of the Day option
eBay and Amazon integration
Pricing comes in at just $15 a month for what I believe is a decent starter plan. The best goodies are included in its $75/month plan.
4. Wix
Example: Seven Grams Caffe
Wix is essentially a free website builder, quickly gaining popularity and aggressively funded. What many people don’t realize is that it also offers eCommerce features as part of its premium packages.
Benefits
Wix eCommerce doesn’t impress with its features, but there’s enough to get your store up and running. What really sets Wix apart is its brilliant visual design interface, which you can use to position every element of your site in any color you like.
Particularly if you are selling a limited number of products, you might want to take the time to make beautiful sales pages in a far more convenient way than any other tool.
Noteworthy features
Visual editor (worth mentioning again) with live examples and template reference
Low pricing and easy setup, perfect for testing the waters
No transaction costs, just the monthly fee
You’re best off paying for a full year, which is priced just over $120.
5. 3dcart
Example: Ideal Baby
3dcart is one of the lesser-known online eCommerce solutions, yet it is feature rich. It even has some features specifically built for Web designers, should you be doing research for a client.
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