If you’re looking to boost your business profits through online sales, finding the right ecommerce website builder is crucial. With so many options on the market, it can be overwhelming to choose the best one for your specific needs. That’s where our research comes in.
At Tech.co, we’ve rigorously tested and evaluated the top ecommerce website builders to help you make an informed decision. In this guide, we’ll provide an overview of what an ecommerce website builder is, compare the top 7 options, and provide a buying guide for 2024. Plus, we’ll share our verdict on the best website builder for ecommerce and answer some frequently asked questions. Let’s dive in.
What Is an Ecommerce Website Builder?
An ecommerce website builder is a software that enables you to create and manage an online store. It offers features that are specifically designed for ecommerce websites, such as a shopping cart, checkout process, multiple payment methods, and analytics. More advanced features may include granular product filtering and options for gift cards or loyalty programs. With an ecommerce website builder, you can easily set up your online store without the need for extensive technical knowledge.
Top 7 Ecommerce Website Builders
Looking for the right ecommerce website builder can be a daunting task, but we’ve got you covered. After rigorous testing and analysis, we’ve narrowed down the top seven ecommerce website builders for you to consider. Whether you’re a large business or just starting out, there’s a builder on this list that will suit your needs.
Shopify
Shopify is our top pick for larger ecommerce businesses. It’s a powerful platform with a wide range of features, including inventory management and multiple sales channel integrations. With Shopify, you’ll have everything you need to run a successful online store.
Wix
If you’re a smaller ecommerce business, Wix is the best option for you. It’s easy to use and has a range of templates to choose from. Plus, Wix offers a free plan, making it a great choice for those just starting out.
Squarespace
Squarespace is the best choice for businesses looking for strong marketing features. It has a range of tools to help you build your brand and reach new customers. Plus, the platform is known for its sleek and modern designs.
Square Online
If you’re on a budget, Square Online is the best option for you. It’s affordable and easy to use, making it a great choice for those just starting out. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with Square’s point-of-sale system.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is the best option for businesses looking for advanced inventory management features. It’s a powerful platform that can handle large inventories and complex product options.
Volusion
Volusion is the best option for non-beginners. It’s a powerful platform with a range of features, including advanced SEO tools and integrations with popular payment gateways.
Big Cartel
Big Cartel is the best option for creatives launching a side gig. It’s affordable and easy to use, making it a great choice for those just starting out. Plus, it has a range of features to help you sell your products online.
Expert Tip
According to Isobel O’Sullivan, Tech.co’s resident website builder expert, Shopify is the most capable ecommerce-focused website builder on this list. It excels in inventory organization and managing multiple sales channels. If you’re looking to get selling quickly, Shopify is the way to go.
1. Shopify – Best for Larger Ecommerce Businesses
Shopify Summary
If you are looking for a powerful ecommerce website builder that can handle large inventories, Shopify is the best option for you. Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce website builders, and it offers a vast selection of integrations and apps, robust customer support options, and excellent AI features to craft content. Shopify scored highest on sales features (4.6 out of 5) in our testing, making it an ideal choice for larger businesses.
Shopify combines top-class sales channel integration with a simple and intuitive UI, and it features great reporting tools that help optimize your sales. The provider is virtually unmatched when it comes to integrating disparate sales channels into a single online platform. For all these reasons, we’ve dubbed Shopify the best option when it comes to ecommerce website builders.
What we like about Shopify
Shopify is the preferred choice for many large or ready-to-scale online stores because there’s no other provider that is better at facilitating the addition and management of large amounts of products. Through its Shopify Payments system, you can track everything from sales on Instagram, Google Shopping, and even real-world point of sale transactions. If you run a brick-and-mortar store, you can manage all your sales, inventory, and accounting through one platform. Shopify also permits 100 other payment gateways if you’re not using Shopify payments – but there will be transaction fees.
Shopify has locked down shipping, with tons of ordering options. For example, Shopify’s carbon-neutral shipping option is great for businesses watching their environmental footprint. Although not nearly as good as Wix for design, Shopify offers loads of different ecommerce website templates, all of which are optimized for mobile, and can be edited and changed to your liking with remarkable depth.
Since our last update…
In November 2023, Shopify enhanced Shopify Tax to support Point of Sale (POS) orders, ensuring that your transactions will be correctly taxed, no matter where they’re being purchased from.
What Shopify should improve
Although Shopify is not disappointing in terms of design function and features, user experience varies across the site. For instance, users might find Shopify’s Checkout and Page Types & Design a little clunky to navigate, especially if they’re new to ecommerce website builders. While this isn’t likely to be a deal breaker, the interface isn’t exactly intuitive when you compare it to Wix or Squarespace.
Another downside is that Shopify is more expensive than most other providers on this list. While its cheapest ecommerce plan weighs in at a modest $29 per month, its app library, which allows users to take advantage of basically any ecommerce feature they can think of, doesn’t come cheap either. This, combined with the lack of built-in apps available right out of the gate, means you could end up spending a lot on Shopify. The transaction fees the provider charges could also mean you lose a bit of profit on purchases.
How much does Shopify cost?
Shopify offers three main pricing plans: Shopify Basic, Shopify, and Shopify Advanced. The Basic plan costs $29 per month when paid annually, and it will give you all the tools you need to run an online store. The Shopify plan costs $79 per month and gives you some cheaper credit card processing rates and some nice, extra features such as gift card issuing. The Shopify Advanced plan costs $299 per month when paid annually and gives you access to report building tools, as well as third-party calculated shipping rates.
Shopify does offer a Starter plan for $5 per month, and Plus, an enterprise-level plan, for $2,000 per month. We recommend sticking to those middle three plans if you’re interested in ecommerce. If you use the “$1-a-month-for-three-months” deal, you’ll have a long runway to see if the features really work for your needs.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning the Shopify POS, which is software that can be used for in-person sales and also integrates with Shopify’s ecommerce and payments services. All Shopify plans include abandoned cart recovery, point-of-sale support, a free SSL certificate, and 24/7 customer support. Hosting and shipping labels are included with all pricing packages except Starter.
| Plan | Price paid annually | The price per month you’ll pay if you choose to be billed annually | Price paid monthly | The price per month you’ll pay if you choose to be billed monthly | Staff accounts | Reporting | Gift cards | Online credit card rates | In-person credit card rates | Transaction fee if not using Shopify Payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29/month | $1/month for first 3 months | – | – | Two | Basic | Standard | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.7% | 2% |
| Shopify | $79/month | $ |
2. Wix – Best for Smaller Ecommerce Businesses
Wix: summary
Wix is an excellent choice for smaller ecommerce businesses. It has a wide range of website features, and its AI features allow you to create a site in just 60 seconds. Wix also offers a quality free plan, making it an affordable option for those just starting out. While its sale features are strong, its ordering, delivery, and cross-channel sale tracking tools aren’t as strong as our top pick, Shopify. However, due to Wix’s ever-evolving toolkit and great deployment of AI technology, its overall score has increased from 4.6/5 to 4.8/5 in recent research.
What we like about Wix
Wix offers an easy-to-understand interface, and its ecommerce platform uses the same design tools as the regular Wix website builder. This means that you can easily build a great-looking online store in minutes using the drag-and-drop editor. Wix also offers a great range of templates for online stores that you’ll be able to customize with new text and images for all your products, plus contact forms and extra pages. Additionally, if you’re using Ascend by Wix — the Marketing & Customer Management Suite provided by the website builder — you’ll be able to control and automate a range of business functions from a central point.
Wix’s SEO capabilities are also top-notch, giving users granular, page-level control over their SEO data. Its partnership with Semrush also gives you access to extensive keyword data, making it easier to identify keywords and user queries to target. Wix is also adding new payment channels, with a March 2023 update adding Tap to Pay on iPhone, allowing users to accept contactless payments. What’s more, you can easily create multilingual sites with Wix, which is ideal for users in countries with one or more major languages.
Since our last update…
Wix has made building a website infinitely easier by launching an AI chatbot that will ask basic questions to get you set up in minutes. All you have to do is converse with the AI chatbot about your website for a few minutes, and the service will provide you with a wide range of components that will get you started on the right track (November 2023).
What Wix should improve
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Wix is the inability to change anything once you’ve published your site. Unlike Shopify and Squarespace, you can’t change the theme post-publishing, which can make for a stressful pre-launch experience if you aren’t sure about your design. This saw Wix score a disappointing 0 out of 5 in our design flexibility tests. Another thing you need to know before signing up with Wix is that it has quite a slow response time when compared with the other ecommerce website builders on this list — but it still wasn’t the slowest we tested.
What Wix should improve
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Wix is the inability to change anything once you’ve published your site. Unlike Shopify and Squarespace, you can’t change the theme post-publishing, which can make for a stressful pre-launch experience if you aren’t sure about your design. This saw Wix score a disappointing 0 out of 5 in our design flexibility tests. Another thing you need to know before signing up with Wix is that it has quite a slow response time when compared with the other ecommerce website builders on this list — but it still wasn’t the slowest we tested.
How much does Wix ecommerce cost?
Wix offers three pricing plans with ecommerce functionality: Core, Business, and Business Elite. The Core plan costs $27 per month when paid annually and gives you all the essentials to start an online store, including 50GB of storage and the ability to sell products online. The Business plan costs $32 per month when paid annually and has some small advantages over the Core plan, such as access to Wix’s logo creator tool. The Business Elite plan costs $159 per month when paid annually, but gives you access to VIP help and customer support.
3. Squarespace – Best for Marketing Features
Squarespace Summary
Squarespace is a website builder with extensive marketing features that can be used to reach new customers. Although it is primarily designed for creating sleek websites, it is also a competent online store builder. In-house testing and research have shown that Squarespace has a better overall score than some dedicated ecommerce website builders, such as BigCommerce.
What We Like About Squarespace
Squarespace’s built-in scalability allows growing businesses to develop alongside the platform. It’s also one of the most improved ecommerce website builders, with a user experience score that jumped from 3.4 out of 5 in our last round of testing to 4.2 out of 5. This means that people who are using the platform are more satisfied with its offering.
Squarespace is compatible with Square, one of the biggest POS providers, which allows businesses to process cash and card payments that integrate with their online store. This can be a significant benefit to physical stores.
Squarespace’s templates are all designed in-house and are completely optimized for cell phones, tablets, laptops, and PCs. With a user-friendly site builder, Squarespace’s back-end design is more intuitive than Wix’s. The platform offers a built-in search engine optimization (SEO) feature to improve your store’s web ranking, social media integrations to drive more traffic to your page, and a free integration with Mailchimp, a leading email marketing tool. Squarespace might be the best ecommerce website builder for your team if you’re looking to maximize the reach of your business.
Since Our Last Update…
Squarespace has launched the Refresh 2023 campaign, which aims to revamp the Squarespace website building experience across the board. The updates that have come along recently include Squarespace Payments, client invoicing, advanced commerce tools, and Squarespace AI, which can help you write content for your site, as well as email marketing and ecommerce descriptions.
What Squarespace Should Improve
While Squarespace has expanded its third-party payment options to include Stripe, Paypal, Apple Pay, and Afterpay, you will be limited in your ability to internationalize as there are tricky language settings and shipping choices. However, Squarespace is launching an in-built payment system, Squarespace Payments, in 2024.
Although Squarespace offers inventory management, you’ll find better systems offered by other providers, such as Shopify’s large capacity for inventory or BigCommerce’s complex inventory tools. It is not the best choice for managing large quantities of stock, but it is a better option for businesses selling digital items rather than physical items.
Figuring out how to use all of Squarespace’s features can be a learning curve, so give yourself several sessions to figure it out. As noted during our testing, make sure to hit the “save” button manually whenever you can because the software won’t save your work automatically.
How Much Does Squarespace Cost?
Squarespace offers two pricing plans for online stores: Basic Commerce and Advanced Commerce.
- Basic plan: $27 per month. For this price, you’ll get a mobile-optimized checkout, which is a great feature for businesses relying on mobile commerce. The plan also offers improved commercial metrics to identify any pain points your users are finding with your site. You also aren’t required to pay any transaction fees on any sales.
- Advanced plan: **$49 per month. **On this plan, you get abandoned cart recoveries, and shipping rate calculations for USPS, FedEx, and UPS. You get access to Squarespace’s Orders API, which allows you to build custom integration with third-party services for order fulfillment and production logistics. Plus, you can sell gift cards and recurring digital services, such as magazines or member-only podcasts.
Squarespace is an excellent choice for businesses that want to create a sleek website with extensive marketing features. It may not be the best option for managing large quantities of physical inventory, but it is a better option for businesses selling digital items. Squarespace’s pricing plans are affordable, and its templates are designed in-house and optimized for all devices. Its compatibility with Square and other POS providers makes it a great choice for physical stores.
4. Square Online – Best for Businesses On a Budget
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use ecommerce platform that won’t break the bank, Square Online is an excellent choice. Here’s what you need to know about this platform.
What You’ll Like About Square Online
One of the biggest advantages of Square Online is that it offers a free plan, which is perfect for small businesses on a budget. With this plan, you can start selling your products online without having to pay a dime. Plus, Square Online has a value for money rating of 4.8/5 based on the features it offers in relation to its price point.
Another great thing about Square Online is its seamless integration with Square’s POS software. This makes it an ideal choice if you’re already using Square’s POS tools for a physical store. With Square Online, all your sales, accounting, and inventory information will be stored together.
Updates Since Our Last Review
As of September 2023, Square has launched Invoices Plus, a paid plan that provides more functionality for invoicing clients. This plan includes multi-package estimates, custom invoice templates, and custom fields.
What Square Online Could Improve
One area where Square Online falls short is in its design and customization options. During our user testing, we found that the platform’s designs were basic and lacked variety. Unlike other platforms like Wix, which offer hundreds of templates, Square Online only provides a basic layout that can be customized to some extent.
Square Online Pricing
As mentioned earlier, Square Online offers a free plan that includes a transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 on all sales. While this fee may seem high, it’s in line with industry standards. The free plan does have some drawbacks, such as the lack of a custom domain name and the presence of Square Online branding on your site.
If you’re willing to pay for a plan, Square Online offers two paid options:
- Plus plan: $29 per month, which removes Square Online branding, provides unlimited storage, and includes some extra marketing and shipping features.
- Premium plan: $79 per month, which lowers the transaction fee to 2.6% + $0.30 and offers improved shipping discounts. This plan also includes the real-time shipping calculator, which lets customers see exactly how much they’ll pay at checkout.
Overall, Square Online is an excellent platform for small businesses on a budget. While it may not have as many design options as some other platforms, its seamless integration with Square’s POS software and value for money rating make it a great choice for many retailers.
5. BigCommerce – Best for Inventory Management
What You Will Like About BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a user-centric ecommerce platform that offers a free trial, excellent reporting and sales analysis tools, granular product inventory detail, and a wide range of sales channels it can integrate. BigCommerce is the only platform that allows you to send transactional emails to confirm purchases, which is a unique feature that sets it apart from other ecommerce platforms.
BigCommerce doesn’t place transaction fees on the sales you make, unlike Shopify, but it does place a cap on the total value of sales you can make, which increases depending on the pricing plan you choose. The provider also offers a very intuitive and easy-to-use analytics dashboard that allows you to monitor your sales performance.
Since Our Last Update…
BigCommerce is always updating its platform, and the newly re-designed BigCommerce Developer Center is a good indicator of that. You’ll now be able to enjoy an easy-to-use interface to build developer tools for your website, allowing even more customizability for your business. The latest update to the platform was in October 2023.
What BigCommerce Should Improve
One of the main drawbacks for BigCommerce is that it has slightly limited template customization options. In addition to this, BigCommerce commits the cardinal user experience sin of having an interface that is difficult to navigate, and it doesn’t provide any helpful tips to help you get the hang of it either. This is especially noticeable when considering sites like Wix, which has so many tutorial elements – especially during setup. Unfortunately, BigCommerce’s clunky UX and steep learning curve make it less than ideal for users with less tech experience and those using an ecommerce builder for the first time.
How Much Does BigCommerce Cost?
BigCommerce has three main pricing plans, and they’re very similar to Shopify’s. The Standard plan costs $29 per month, the Plus plan costs $79 per month, and the Pro plan costs $299 per month. The Standard plan allows you to list an unlimited number of products with any payment processor you want. However, it doesn’t give you access to some of the customer-centric features that are now commonplace, and your annual sales are capped to $50,000. The Plus plan ups the sales cap to $180,000 per year and allows you to create custom groups for targeted marketing. The Pro plan gives you access to Google customer reviews, allows you to import a custom SSL certificate, and lifts the sales cap to $400,000 per annum.
BigCommerce’s pricing plans are based on your annual turnover, which means that it may not be ideal for businesses that are just starting out. However, the platform does offer 24/7 support, and there are no transaction fees.
Overall, BigCommerce is an excellent ecommerce platform that’s ideal for businesses managing large or complex inventories. Its impressive inventory management features mean you could make the case, depending on your needs, that Shopify to BigCommerce migration is a better fit for your business, particularly if you’re a smaller business that still requires advanced ecommerce features like expanded payments options and sales integration with brick-and-mortar stores.
6. Volusion – Best for Non-Beginners
If you’re an experienced user looking for a powerful ecommerce platform, Volusion might be the right choice for you. However, it’s not the most user-friendly option out there, and its design customization is somewhat limited.
What we like about Volusion
One of the biggest advantages of Volusion is its strong site speed performance. With faster loading times, your ecommerce website can potentially benefit from higher rankings on search engines, which can lead to increased organic traffic.
Volusion also offers great mobile-responsive website templates that can help make your site stand out from the competition. Additionally, its highly detailed inventory management and reporting tools can be very useful for managing your stock and analyzing your sales performance.
What Volusion could improve
Although Volusion has many strengths, it can be overly complicated and confusing to use. Some features are located in unexpected places, and its design customization is somewhat restrictive. As a result, Volusion received a low score for ease of use, which places it at the bottom of our list in this category.
Furthermore, Volusion’s knowledge center is not very helpful, making it difficult for users to find the information they need.
How much does Volusion cost?
Volusion offers three fixed pricing plans, as well as a POA plan for larger businesses. The Personal plan, which costs $31.50 per month, is best suited for small businesses with up to 100 products and up to $50,000 in sales per year. The Professional plan, priced at $71.10 per month, allows you to list up to 5,000 products and up to $100,000 in sales per year. The Business plan, which costs $269.10 per month, provides access to Volusion’s API, advanced report builder tools, and a “Dedicated Success Team” for business advice. The POA plan is available for businesses with higher gross merchandise volume, and pricing is based on individual needs.
Overall, Volusion is a powerful ecommerce platform that may be best suited for experienced users. While it has some limitations, its strong site speed performance and detailed inventory management make it a compelling option for many businesses.
7. Big Cartel – Best for Creatives Launching a Side Gig
What You’ll Like About Big Cartel
If you’re an artist or creative who wants to sell your work online, Big Cartel is an excellent choice. The platform’s simple and affordable pricing plans make it easy to set up an online shop and start selling your products quickly. Plus, Big Cartel’s straightforward interface and helpful prompts ensure that you’ll have a great user experience while building your store.
Big Cartel also offers a free plan that includes a custom domain and allows you to sell up to five products. This can be an attractive option if you’re just starting out and don’t have a lot of products to sell. However, if you need access to features like Google Analytics, theme code editing, and inventory tracking, you’ll need to upgrade to one of Big Cartel’s paid plans.
Since Our Last Update…
Big Cartel recently rolled out a mobile update that provides a more intuitive experience for users accessing the platform on their smartphones. This update also unlocks product drafts, which allows you to build out a product site without publishing it right away. These improvements make it even easier to use Big Cartel to sell your products online.
Where Big Cartel Could Improve
While Big Cartel is an excellent choice for artists and creatives, it may not be the best option for businesses looking to broaden their reach. The platform is limited in terms of advanced ecommerce features like gift cards and abandoned cart recovery, and marketing features are virtually non-existent. This makes it difficult to customize your store’s branding and expand your business beyond a small, artistic side gig.
Additionally, Big Cartel’s pricing plans are limited by the number of products you can sell. The Platinum plan allows you to sell up to 50 products, while the Diamond plan allows you to sell up to 500 products. However, if you need to sell more than 500 products, you’ll need to look for an alternative platform.
Big Cartel Pricing
Big Cartel’s pricing plans are straightforward and affordable. The Gold plan is free and allows you to sell up to five products, while the Platinum plan costs $9.99 per month and allows you to sell up to 50 products. The Diamond plan costs $19.99 per month and allows you to sell up to 500 products.
All of Big Cartel’s plans include inventory management, customizable themes, real-time stats, a custom domain, and reporting through Google Analytics. However, if you need access to advanced ecommerce features or want to sell more than 500 products, you’ll need to look for an alternative platform.
Methodology – How We Test the Best Ecommerce Website Builders
When it comes to ecommerce website builders, there are a lot of options out there, and it can be tough to know which ones are worth your time and money. At Tech.co, we take the guesswork out of the equation by putting every ecommerce website builder through extensive, independent testing. Here’s how we do it:
Research Team Insights
Our in-house professional research team focuses exclusively on providing insight into all of the products we discuss, review, and rate. To remain impartial from any affiliate partners, our team ranks providers on a five-point scale. Our testers compile scores from six categories:
- Features
- Design functionalities
- Value for money
- Help and support
- Customer score
- Ease of use
Our team bases these scores on clear evidence from multiple levels of analysis, allowing us to talk with confidence about a given product’s value for money, the estimated return on investment, as well as identify and comment on the latest market trends.
Real-life User Testing
Our insight team is comprised of software experts who conduct real-life user testing, gathering users with a range of skill levels to try out the website builders and provide feedback on how approachable they found them. This way, we can ascertain real-world usability for each online store platform. We take their comments on the variety and quality of templates you can use to create an online store, plus the Help & Support on offer when you need assistance, and factor it into our scoring.
Why You Can Trust Tech.co
Figuring out which technology review websites provide up-to-date, independent information – and actually test the products they’re writing about – can be just as difficult as choosing between website builders or other software. At Tech.co, our research team runs extensive tests on all the products we review in collaboration with Tech.co’s expert writers, which ensures everyone knows what they’re talking about.
In total, we spend over 200+ hours testing and analyzing website builders. We also refresh our research every few months to ensure that our rankings and recommendations remain up-to-date.
Our methodology is transparent, impartial, and evidence-based, which is why you can trust Tech.co to provide you with the most reliable and accurate information on ecommerce website builders.
Buying Guide 2024: Ecommerce Website Builders
Choosing the right ecommerce website builder can be a daunting task, especially with so many quality options available on the market. To help you make an informed decision, we have listed some important factors to consider before you make your final call.
How to Choose an Ecommerce Store Builder
When choosing an ecommerce store builder, it’s important to consider the type of business you run, your budget, whether you are an omnichannel seller, and which online channels you will sell through. Additionally, your level of design experience should also be taken into account.
Different ecommerce builders have different specializations, so it’s important to choose a platform that prioritizes the features that are most important to your business. For example, if you’re selling products, platforms like BigCommerce that prioritize stock management may be a better fit for you.
Your budget is also an important factor to consider. There’s no point in opting for an ecommerce builder that you can’t afford, so it’s essential to choose a solution that complements your budget.
If you sell goods in-store as well as online, you should look for ecommerce builders that integrate with POSs like Square Online, Shopify, or Squarespace. Not all ecommerce builders integrate with social channels, so if you want to sell goods through platforms like Facebook or Instagram, you should check if they offer this capacity first.
If you’re a beginner, choosing an ecommerce builder with a shallow learning curve and user-friendly design functions, like drag and drop builders, is a must.
How Much Does it Cost to Build an Ecommerce Website?
The cost of building an ecommerce website varies depending on the platform you choose. The cheapest ecommerce plans from Wix and Squarespace will cost you between $20-$30 per month. For example, Wix’s ecommerce plans range from $27 per month for the Core plan to $159 per month for the Business Elite plan.
Shopify’s cheapest plan is $29 per month, which gives you access to a serious ecommerce experience. Its other plans cost $79 per month and $299 per month, but they are designed for established ecommerce stores, so there’s no need to worry about the high prices if you’re just starting out.
Which is the Easiest Ecommerce Website Builder to Use?
According to our research, Squarespace is the easiest website builder to use. The simple drag-and-drop functionality allows beginners to fully customize the site, and the ability to change templates after it has gone live makes it that much better than Wix. It scored a 4.2/5 in our ease of use category, topping all other ecommerce website builders in the process.
Which Ecommerce Platform is Best for Small Businesses?
If you’re a small business owner looking to create an ecommerce site, we recommend going with either Wix or Squarespace. Wix makes creating a website incredibly easy, and you’ll have loads of design tools at hand to make it fit your existing branding. Squarespace, on the other hand, has a laser focus on design and has loads of built-in ecommerce tools.
However, Wix does offer a scalable platform when compared with Squarespace’s ecommerce sites. So, while both are good for starting out, Wix will likely be a better fit in the long run.
Next Steps to Create an Ecommerce Site
Once you’ve chosen the right ecommerce website builder, there are several things to consider before, during, and after the creation of your site.
First, pick the right software. Shopify is a fully-featured website builder with the ability to sell products, making it a great choice for larger businesses. However, we advise comparing all the available providers to find the best fit for your needs.
Second, use the trial. Most ecommerce builders offer a free trial period, which normally lasts for a few weeks. This will give you a chance to try out the software before committing to it.
Third, prepare. It’s worth checking whether the software you’re going to use can work with the existing payment systems and accounting software you currently use.
Fourth, get people to try it. Ask friends, family, or even random people to use your store and gather their feedback. This will help you identify any issues with your site and make improvements.
Finally, optimize. Use the reporting tools offered by your ecommerce builder to improve different aspects of your site.
Alternatively, you can take our website builder quiz and you’ll be linked with ecommerce website builders that fit your particular needs.
What is the Best Ecommerce Website Builder?
The best ecommerce website builder overall is Shopify. It offers an unmatched catalog of sales features, solid design functionality, and an excellent customer score. It’s ideal for larger businesses because it provides robust inventory management and reporting tools that can help you grow your business.
Wix is also a solid option with templates that are second to none, feature-rich, and easy to use
Ecommerce Website Builders FAQs
What makes Wix an ideal choice for ecommerce websites?
Wix is an excellent choice for creating online stores, especially if you’re looking to build a small store, a boutique website, or a site to sell products associated with another project you’re working on. Wix is also a great option for an ecommerce site if you’re looking to make an online store as part of a larger website.
What are some good ground rules to follow when designing an ecommerce website?
When designing an ecommerce website, it’s important to ensure that navigation is easy and that high-quality images and videos are used. Mobile optimization is also crucial, as more than 40% of online purchases happen on mobile devices. Incorporating user-generated reviews can also help improve customer loyalty.
How can a well-designed ecommerce website improve revenue?
Research by Shopify has found a correlation between quality online store design and increased customer loyalty. In fact, Shopify has produced a 39-point checklist for all online stores to use when choosing a design. By following these guidelines, you can create a well-designed ecommerce website that can improve your revenue.
How important is mobile optimization for ecommerce websites?
In 2024, mobile commerce (m-commerce) has become increasingly popular, and most ecommerce website builders offer some kind of mobile optimization to help you convert smartphone sales. Wix even offers a Mobile Editor, which allows complete control over your mobile website. Mobile optimization is crucial, as more than 40% of online purchases happen on mobile devices.
What transaction fees can you expect with Shopify’s ecommerce website builders?
Shopify’s transaction fees vary depending on the ecommerce plan you choose. The cheapest plan, Basic, costs $39 per month (deals aside). Basic transaction fees cost 2.9% + 30¢ for each online sale and 2.7% + 0¢ in person. Fees for the most expensive plan, the $399-per-month Advanced plan, drop to 2.4% + 30¢ for each online sale and 2.4% + 0¢ in person. Knowing what range of transaction fees to expect is a key part of figuring out your own store’s product prices.
What are the costs associated with Shopify’s ecommerce website builders?
Shopify’s ecommerce website builders charge a set monthly fee, plus an additional per-sale transaction fee. The transaction fee cost rises if you have a cheaper plan and if the sale is made online rather than in a physical location. Plans cost between $39 per month for Basic and $399 per month for Advanced. The transaction fees range from 2.9% + 30¢ for each online sale with Basic to 2.4% + 0¢ for in-person sales through Advanced.
Note: If you click on, sign up to a service through, or make a purchase through the links on our site, or use our quotes tool to receive custom pricing for your business needs, we may earn a referral fee from the supplier(s) of the technology you’re interested in. This helps Tech.co to provide free information and reviews, and carries no additional cost to you. Most importantly, it doesn’t affect our editorial impartiality. Ratings and rankings on Tech.co cannot be bought. Our reviews are based on objective research analysis. Rare exceptions to this will be marked clearly as a ‘sponsored’ table column, or explained by a full advertising disclosure on the page, in place of this one.
What are the Best Platforms for Launching a Small Business eCommerce Site?
When it comes to launching a small business eCommerce site, there are several platforms to choose from. Some of the best options include Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. These platforms offer a range of features and tools to help you build and manage your online store.
Which eCommerce Website Builder Offers the Best Value for Beginners?
For beginners, it’s important to choose an eCommerce website builder that offers a user-friendly interface, as well as affordable pricing. Some of the best options include Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. These platforms offer a range of features and tools, as well as affordable pricing plans.
What are Some Leading eCommerce Website Builders that Provide Free Plans?
If you’re looking for a free eCommerce website builder, there are several options available. Some of the most popular platforms that offer free plans include WooCommerce, Magento, and OpenCart. While these platforms may have limited features compared to their paid counterparts, they are a great option for those on a tight budget.
How Much Does it Typically Cost to Set Up an eCommerce Website?
The cost of setting up an eCommerce website can vary depending on several factors, such as the platform you choose, the features you need, and the size of your store. Typically, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $300 per month for an eCommerce website builder, depending on the plan you choose.
What are the Most Successful Features to Look for in an eCommerce Platform?
When choosing an eCommerce platform, there are several features to look for to ensure your store’s success. Some of the most important features include a user-friendly interface, mobile responsiveness, secure payment processing, and customizable design options. Additionally, it’s important to choose a platform that offers reliable customer support to help you troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
Can You Recommend a Website Builder that is Particularly Suited for a Clothing Business?
If you’re looking to launch an online clothing business, there are several eCommerce website builders that are particularly well-suited for this industry. Some of the best options include Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. These platforms offer a range of features and tools to help you showcase your products, manage your inventory, and process orders with ease. Additionally, they offer customizable design options to help you create a visually appealing online store.