5 Top Ecommerce Platforms

By John Russell on 27 July 2012 @ 11:43 AM.

Tags: ecommerce, opensource, shopify, magento, big commerce, opencart, yahoo merchant solutions.

As a business owner looking to makes sales online, you need the right tools to sell your products. You need good shopping cart software and a powerful platform from which to track and sell your products. That is where these 5 top ecommerce platforms below can help.

1. Shopify

Shopify not only provides tons of features that your business can choose to take advantage of, but that isn't all the site offers. There is a reason Shopify is one of the top e-commerce platforms. It has a slick user interface and provides both simple and advanced features for businesses seeking a way to complete sales for their sites.

Because it is set up for both the very simple and more complex sellers, Shopify doesn't have to be just for experienced users or for new ones. However, its ability to keep things simple does make for a great platform for businesses just finding their way on the web.

2. Big Commerce

Don't let the name full you; Big Commerce is good for small businesses, too. Like Shopify, it provides a huge number of features and offers fantastic security and ease of use. Big Commerce is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in large part because of how well it functions, but also because it provides help and support to its users.

Not only does it provide a special application that can be incorporated directly into your own website, but it allows even those without a site or who wish to provide alternatives to make sales elsewhere. Big Commerce's software allows the business owner to incorporate it into social media like Facebook, auction sites like eBay and smartphones.

3. Yahoo Merchant Solutions

It may seem odd to have such a familiar name on this list, yet Yahoo Merchant Solutions has earned its spot in part because the name is so familiar, but mostly because it provides a great option for small business owners specifically. The company is well known enough to help for peace of mind, yet specialised enough to make establishing an online shopping cart easy for those who cannot afford their own IT specialist to develop and monitor the shopping portion of the business' website.

Yahoo's network serves as its own sort of marketing and can get a company exposure to customers who might never have realised the business even existed. Though the shopping cart itself might not be an advertising tool with another site, it creates a promotional relationship between a business and Yahoo.

4. Magento

Magento may not have the name recognition of Yahoo, but it is still definitely a player in the game. It provides strong visuals, along with interfaces that can be customised or scaled to fit any screen size. This benefits business owners and customers alike.

The interface is great for search engine optimisation as well as for the more traditional management of your inventory. Magento also allows you to integrate several payment gateways, use social shopping and receive reports and analysis of purchases made on the site. If you want a robust ecommerce solution, Magento may be your best bet.

5. OpenCart

Despite the fact that it is completely open-source and free, this shopping cart system has a strong community to help with support or other issues. OpenCart not only has tools for order management and gateways for multiple payments, it even provides free support and software updates and integrates a content management system.

The end result with OpenCart is a search-engine friendly shopping cart that has an interface that is attractive to customers, yet easy for business owners to use. After installation, a business literally needs only to select its template, add products, and they can start selling.

About the Author

John Russell provided this article on behalf of FittedWardrobes.com, where you can find fitted wardrobes in London and request a free fitting quote.

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