You need to set up an online e-commerce store for your business but are simply overwhelmed at the choices laid out there before you. Hosted or self-hosted? Expensive all-in-one solution or piece it together?
We feel your pain, and in the interests of making life a little easier in this regard, we've come up with a list of 5 hosted e-commerce software solutions that will do just that.
We're only going to consider hosted e-commerce software solutions this time, as self-hosted is a much more daunting endeavor, requiring a great deal more technical savvy than many new e-commerce entrepreneurs possess. Never fear though, as after looking through these choices, you'll be far better armed to make a smart decision on what's best for your company and business!
5 Software solutions for E-commerce stores
Shopify
Photo Credit: Flickr/Daniel Weinand | CC BY-ND 2.0 License
Shopify is well known as the being dog in this space, and it's definitely an earned reputation. Possessing all of the tools necessary for you to make an attractive and easy to use platform, they also have a lot of awesome themes to give your store the perfect look. Not the cheapest, but clearly the best. So far they have more than 160,000 stores online.
BigCommerce – Another in the drag and drop variety, BigCommerce is similar to Shopify, but in my opinion a bit more complicated to use. Still they have their adherents, as 90,000 stores will attest to!
Wix E-Commerce
One of the easiest to use tools with Wix you can literally have your store up in a matter of a few hours, depending on the number of your offerings. They offer tons of flexibility and a fully integrated shopping cart. Learn more about Wix E-commerce here.
Weebly E-Commerce – The e-commerce tool of choice for more than 440,000 sites, Weebly makes it easy to produce a store, but in my experience the building platform can be slow and unresponsive. Still, a good tool for beginners. Click here for more information.
SquareSpace
Photo Credit: Flickr/SATOSHI TOMIYAMA | CC BY-SA 2.0 License
This solution offers some spectacular looks and can help you produce a good-looking store in no time. Although they may not have as many features as Shopify and BigCommerce, you can picture Squarespace as a lower-cost little brother. Learn more about Squarespace here.