HUSTLR Awards for

Best eCommerce Platforms

Have you always wanted to start an eCommerce business? The emergence of eCommerce platforms has made it easier than ever to build an online store in any niche. However, the overwhelming options available on the internet will leave you spoilt for choice. It is, therefore, essential to select the right eCommerce platform according to your niche and end goals.

That’s why we’ve picked the top eCommerce platforms for different users to help you make an informed decision.

Here’s how we shortlisted the top contenders and selected the winners in each subcategory:

BEST FOR SMALL BRANDS

Are you looking for a scalable eCommerce solution that lets you sell products through other channels as well? BigCommerce is the right choice for you. It’s a powerful, easy-to-use, and secure eCommerce platform that is perfect for small and growing businesses.

BigCommerce lets you integrate your online store with your social media profiles. You can even create, build and manage storefronts on other websites such as Amazon and eBay. It’s also known for its round-the-clock customer support, powerful SEO features, and a wide array of responsive templates.

  • Intuitive drag-and-drop page builder
  • No transaction fee
  • Supports popular payment gateways including PayPal
  • Support integration with social media and other storefronts (like Amazon and eBay)
  • Advanced SEO features including 301 redirects and sitemaps
  • 24×7 customer support
  • 15-day free trial
  • Each plan is restricted with an annual sales threshold
  • Creating a multilingual store can be difficult

HUSTLR reviewed more than 10 eCommerce platforms. Our team analyzed various factors including interface, SEO features, payment gateway integration, scalability, versatility, and affordability. We also looked into specific aspects such as customer support, marketing tools, and analytics.

We selected BigCommerce as the winner because it provides the full range of essential features at an affordable starting price. It’s easy to set up your store and integrate it with other channels. This makes it the perfect scalable solution for small businesses.

Apart from ratings, our team considered how well an eCommerce platform worked for online stores in different niches. We also looked into user reviews on various online platforms. Additionally, our team consulted several entrepreneurs, developers, and webmasters who have the first-hand experience of using these platforms.

BEST VALUE

Weebly is one of the most popular and easy-to-use website builders on the internet. Its eCommerce platform offers all the essential features you need to create an online store for physical as well as digital products. You get access to a plethora of awesome-looking responsive themes and storefronts.

Moreover, Weebly provides you with useful tools to manage your inventory and track your sales. You can easily start a blog and create password-protected pages as well. While the free plan offers all the basic features, paid plans start at $12 per month (billed annually).

  • Powerful website builder
  • Professional themes and store templates
  • Offers a feature-rich free plan
  • Built-in inventory and shipping management
  • Suitable for physical and digital products as well as services
  • Beginner-friendly
  • Responsive multi-channel customer support
  • Limited payment gateway integration (PayPal is available on the most expensive plan only)
  • Doesn’t integrate with other platforms and storefronts
  • Doesn’t support offline payments

Hustle reviewed more than 15 eCommerce platforms. Our team evaluated various factors including interface, features, add-ons, scalability, support, and pricing. We also analyzed the quality of free trials/plans offered by these platforms.

We selected Weebly as the winner because it offers a feature-packed free plan and affordable paid plans. However, it doesn’t compromise on features and functionality to cut costs. It’s easy to build and manage your store. Moreover, you get access to powerful analytics to track your revenue.

Apart from ratings, our team also considered how well an eCommerce platform will adapt to the growing needs of a user. We also looked into user reviews on various online platforms. Additionally, we consulted real-life users of these platforms including entrepreneurs, developers, and webmasters.

BEST FOR BEGINNERS

Do you want to build a spectacular online store in just a few clicks? Wix eCommerce is just what you’re looking for. Its robust drag-and-drop website builder gives you complete creative control of your website. Moreover, you can choose from more than 500 mobile-responsive templates.

You can easily set up multiple payment options and even add product videos to your website. The best part is that you don’t need any prior knowledge of web programming to create your online store.

  • Easy to use website builder
  • Plenty of professional-looking templates
  • Offers a free plan
  • Wide array of useful apps and plugins
  • Support multiple payment options
  • Excellent customer support
  • Poor inventory management
  • Doesn’t support multi-channel selling (on social media, Amazon, eBay, etc.)

Hustle reviewed more than 10 eCommerce platforms. Our team analyzed various factors including ease-of-use, features, versatility, integrations, scalability, support, and pricing.

We selected Wix eCommerce as the winner because it boasts one of the most user-friendly website builders. It doesn’t require you to possess impeccable coding or design skills. Moreover, it offers all these amazing features at extremely affordable rates.

Apart from ratings, our team considered how well an eCommerce platform catered to the needs of different users. We also looked into user reviews on various online platforms. Additionally, our team interacted with eCommerce marketers, developers, and webmasters who have the first-hand experience of using these platforms.

BEST FOR ENTERPRISES

Useful plugins, extensive third-party integrations, awesome-looking themes, and affordable rates – that’s Shopify for you. It’s a feature-rich fully-hosted eCommerce platform that’s been designed for new-age enterprises. The best part is that it’s easy to set up and use.

Shopify supports all major payment gateways, currencies, and languages. Moreover, you can choose from more than 1,500 apps to improve your website’s functionality and performance. It also integrates with commonly used CRM platforms.

  • User-friendly interface
  • Reliable, secure, and fully-hosted
  • Round-the-clock customer support
  • Excellent built-in themes and third-party apps
  • Integrates with common CRM platforms
  • Supports a wide range of payment gateways
  • Affordable pricing plans
  • Limited creative control
  • Plugin costs can quickly add up

HUSTLR reviewed more than 5 eCommerce platforms that have been built for enterprises. Our team evaluated various factors including features, third-party integrations, interface, customer support, scalability, and pricing. We also analyzed specific aspects such as support for multiple currencies, languages, and payment gateways.

We selected Shopify as the winner because it’s a reliable, user-friendly, and affordable enterprise eCommerce solution. It provides you with the right tools to manage large sales volumes and product catalogs. Moreover, you can use various plugins and apps to automate routine tasks and improve your website.

Apart from ratings, our team analyzed how well an eCommerce platform fulfilled the needs of different types of businesses. We also looked into user reviews on various online platforms. Additionally, our team interacted with business owners, eCommerce marketers, and web developers who have the first-hand experience of using these platforms.

Conclusion

Choosing the right eCommerce platform is a crucial part of building an online store. You need a platform that’s user-friendly, reliable, secure, and the right fit for your needs. We’ve reviewed more than 30 eCommerce platforms to curate the top ones in each subcategory.

Our team evaluated the features, pricing plans, performance, and user reviews of each shortlisted platform. In addition to ratings, we analyzed how well a platform fulfilled the needs of different users and adapted to their growing needs. We also interacted with various real-life users including entrepreneurs, marketers, developers, and webmasters.

Which eCommerce Platform Is The Best?

Which eCommerce Platform Is The Best? 

With the current technological advancements in society and the change in the workforce, people are hopping onto the eCommerce journey. Before starting your journey, the most important thing to do is to set your foundation. This will be a platform that will not just help you from the start, but to grow without limits.

ECommerce has seen a huge rise in recent years. The growth of digital buyers is at a staggering pace, and China is leading the way with global eCommerce sites like Taobao and Aliexpress.

With the trend moving more to online shopping rather than retail, Customers are always looking for something new. Starting an eCommerce business now could potentially be a gold mine for you! But you’re probably wondering, “What would be the best platform I should start on?”.

We got you covered as we have listed down and tested a couple of platforms so you wouldn’t have to do it! We have used Woocommerce, Magento, and Big Commerce in the past, but one particular eCommerce platform has grown tremendously over the years with huge clients such as Kylie Cosmetics, Red Bull, Budweiser, Yeezy Supply and even Tesla!

This eCommerce platform is, of course, Shopify.

Why Shopify?

Shopify is easy to use and has brought me the best services so far compared to others. While WooCommerce is a good and free platform, I feel it tends to get a little clunky at times and not very beginner friendly. It’s best for someone to have knowledge and experience in WordPress if you wish to start your store in WooCommerce.

After making the switch to Shopify, I see the traffic to my store increasing, and with that revenue as well. This is because Shopify places a lot of focus in the speed of pages loading which is very important for SEO and using this platform has helped me rank at the top for searches of certain products and brands.

Shopify has tons of different themes to suit your store, some free and some at a cost. Their order and fulfillment center is easy to use and regular updates are done to make sure everything works well for the user. 

Lastly, a huge selection of apps are available on Shopify similar to an App Store or Play Store but for eCommerce purposes. Depending on your type of business. There is a huge collection of dropshipping companies that works and integrate well with Shopify. With free and paid apps to help you from small tasks such as collecting emails, letting customers know when your items are back in stock, inserting a promotional banner in your store all the way to inventory management, reward systems for customers and many others.

For me, Shopify is a no brainer. It’s one of the best eCommerce platforms out there. Whether you are starting out, or to expand your business, there is a package available for you.

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Which eCommerce Platform Is The Best?

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Our Methodology for Best eCommerce Platforms Award

How We Shortlisted the Top Contenders:

HUSTLR reviewed more than 30 eCommerce platforms and software to cover all the subcategories. Our team shortlisted between 5 and 15 top contenders for each subcategory. While the selection criteria were tailored for each subcategory, here are the commonly used parameters:

  • User-level – Is a platform suitable for beginners as well as developers?
  • Versatility – How well does a platform cater to the needs of eCommerce business in different niches?
  • Integrations – Does a platform support frequently used payment gateways? Does it support third-party plugins and apps?
  • Creative freedom – How much creative control does a platform give to its users?
  • Scalability – How well does a platform adapt to the growing needs of a user
  • Affordability – Is a platform affordable for beginners? Does it offer a feature-rich free trial/plan?

Apart from these parameters, our team evaluated specific criteria for each subcategory. For instance, CRM integration and multi-language support were considered for the “Best for Enterprises” subcategory. Likewise, ease-of-use and customer support were analyzed for the “Best for Beginners” subcategory.

How We Selected the Winners for Each Subcategory:

After selecting the top eCommerce platforms for each subcategory, our team assigned ratings (between 1 and 5) to each contender. Here are some of the common rating parameters:

  • Ease-of-use – How easy is it to create an account and start using a platform? Does the platform offer a user-friendly website builder?
  • Themes & templates – Does the platform offer plenty of responsive and professional-looking templates?
  • Support – What are the customer support channels offered by a platform? Are the support reps available 24×7?
  • Value for money – Do the features, add-ons, and integrations justify the cost?
  • Wow factor – Does a platform fulfill or exceed the expectations of its target users?

Thereafter, we shortlisted the top 5 contenders in each subcategory based on these ratings. The final winner selection was based on the usefulness, versatility, and scalability of a platform.

How We Validated the Winners:

Our team analyzed more than 100 user reviews on various online platforms. We also verified the features and pricing details from an eCommerce platform’s official website. Additionally, our team consulted various entrepreneurs, eCommerce marketers, webmasters, and developers who have the first-hand experience of using these platforms.

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