Today, we are looking at the best online store builders for small businesses.
If you are considering starting an online store to sell your products and services but don’t know where or how to start, then this article is for you.
In the present era of technology and advancement, almost every business has gone digital in one way or another.
Businesses have realized that if they want to stay afloat in today’s competitive market, it is important for them not only to have a physical presence but also an online presence.
In order for businesses (especially small businesses) to have an online presence, they need to set up a website or create an eCommerce store.
What is an Online Store?
An Online Store is the best way for businesses (especially small businesses) to showcase their products and services online.
In fact, an online store provides customers with a convenient platform from which they can purchase these products and services without having to visit physical stores.
There are many advantages of setting up an Online Store such as:
- It enables you to reach out to more potential customers who might not be aware of your business otherwise.
- Customers can browse through your product catalog and make purchases at their convenience which leads to higher customer satisfaction levels.
- You can track customer behavior patterns and use this data for marketing purposes which helps you generate more sales.
Now that we know what exactly is meant by an “Online Store”, let us take a look at some of the best online store builders available in the market that will help us set up our very own eCommerce Stores:
1). Shopify
Shopify is one of the most popular online store builders available in the market with over 325,000 active stores using its platform.
It enables businesses to create beautiful and professional-looking online stores without any prior experience or knowledge of web development.
What’s more, Shopify offers a wide range of features such as customizable themes, unlimited products, 24/7 support, etc.
This makes it an ideal choice for small businesses who want to set up their own eCommerce Stores but don’t have the time or resources to invest in developing a website from scratch.
Features
a). Shopify POS
Shopify POS is a feature offered by Shopify which enables businesses to sell their products in person using an iPad or iPhone. It comes with features such as inventory management, product catalog, etc. which makes it very easy for businesses to manage their sales and customers even when they are not present at their physical store location.
b). Unlimited Products
Shopify allows businesses to add an unlimited number of products to their online stores which is very helpful for businesses who have a large catalog of products.
c). Customizable Themes
Shopify offers a wide range of themes (both free and paid) that can be easily customized as per the business’s requirements. This feature enables businesses to create professional-looking online stores without any prior experience or knowledge of web development.
d). Shopify Analytics
Shopify Analytics is a feature offered by Shopify which enables businesses to track their sales and customers’ behavior patterns. This data can be used for marketing purposes which helps businesses generate more sales.
e). 24/7 Support
One of the best features offered by Shopify is its 24/7 support wherein businesses can get in touch with the Shopify team anytime they need help or have any queries related to their online stores.
Pricing
Shopify offers 3 different plans – Basic Shopify ($29/month), Shopify ($79/month), and Advanced Shopify ($299/month). All these plans come with a 14-day free trial.
2). BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another popular online store builder that enables businesses to create professional-looking online stores without any prior experience or knowledge of web development.
It offers many features such as unlimited products, discounts & coupons, abandoned cart recovery, etc. which makes it an ideal choice for small businesses who want to set up their own eCommerce store but don’t have the time or resources to invest in developing a website from scratch.
The only downside of using BigCommerce is that it doesn’t offer a free trial as Shopify does and its pricing plans are slightly more expensive than Shopify’s pricing plans.
Features
BigCommerce offers users a wide range of features such as:
a). Unlimited products, file storage, and bandwidth:
With BigCommerce, businesses can add an unlimited number of products to their Online Stores without having to worry about storage space or bandwidth limits.
b). Powerful built-in marketing tools
BigCommerce comes with powerful marketing features such as coupons, discount codes, and abandoned cart emails which help businesses increase their sales.
Additionally, it also offers integration with Google Shopping which helps businesses list their products on Google and drive traffic to their Online Stores.
c). Mobile optimization
BigCommerce automatically optimizes all the content on users’ online stores for mobile devices so that customers can have a great experience regardless of what device they are using.
d). 24/7 customer support
BigCommerce offers 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat so that users can get help whenever they need it.
Pricing
BigCommerce has a tiered pricing structure with 3 different plans – Standard ($29.95 per month), Plus ($79.95 per month), and Pro ($249.95 per month).
The main difference between these plans is the number of features that are included in each one as well as the level of customization that businesses can do on their Online Stores.
3). Squarespace
Squarespace is the best online store builder because it has a user-friendly interface, provides templates for a variety of businesses, and offers eCommerce features that make it easy to sell products and services online.
With Squarespace, you can create a professional website in minutes, without having to learn coding or design principles.
However, one downside of using this platform could be its pricing structure.
Although Squarespace does offer 14 days free trial period after users need to subscribe to any paid membership plan starting from $12/month.(billed annually)to avail of continued service & facilities provided by Squarespace online store building platform.
Features
Squarespace comes with the following features:
a). A customizable product catalog
Squarespace provides users with a customizable product catalog.
You can upload products, set prices, and add descriptions all from within the platform. Squarespace also allows you to offer discounts and promotions as well as manage inventory levels.
The product catalog is searchable which makes it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for on your website!
b). The ability to accept payments via credit cards, PayPal, or Stripe
Squarespace allows you to accept payments via credit cards, PayPal, or Stripe.
You can also set up recurring billing for customers who need to make regular purchases from your store!
The platform does not charge any transaction fees so you will only pay the standard processing fee associated with your payment processor (e.g., 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for PayPal).
Squarespace also offers a point-of-sale system that works seamlessly with the platform’s eCommerce features!
Prices start at $49 per month but increase depending on the features selected (e.g., inventory management).
c). A built-in blog
Squarespace provides users with a built-in blog. This is a great way to drive traffic to your website and increase the visibility of your products!
You can write articles, add images, and embed videos all from within the platform.
Squarespace also allows you to connect your social media accounts so that your posts are automatically shared on these platforms as well!
d). Real-time shipping rates from USPS, FedEx, and UPS among others
Squarespace provides users with real-time shipping rates from USPS, FedEx, and UPS among others.
You can also set up flat rate shipping for customers who need to make regular purchases from your store!
Pricing
Squarespace offers four different pricing plans for users to choose from.
The “Personal” plan is $12 per month and includes a free domain name, 20 pages, unlimited storage, and 24/7 customer support.
The “Business” plan is $18 per month and includes everything in the Personal plan plus unlimited products, abandoned cart recovery, professional email from Google Suite, advanced website stats, and more!
The “Basic Commerce” plan is $26 per month and includes everything in the Business plan plus real-time shipping rates, automatic tax calculations, gift cards & coupons, and label printing through Shipstation.
All in all, Squarespace provides users with an all-inclusive platform that allows you to create a beautiful online store with ease!.
4). OLITT
This is one of the best online store builders for small businesses. OLITT provides you with a complete eCommerce platform and allows you to create an extremely personalized website that suits your needs perfectly.
One of the best things about using OLITT for setting up your online store is that it provides you with a beautiful and modern interface that makes it very easy for customers to browse through your products as well as make purchases.
Moreover, all of OLITTs templates are responsive in nature i.e. they automatically adjust themselves according to the device on which they are being viewed (be it a laptop, desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone).
This ensures that your store looks great no matter what type of device your customer is using.
Another advantage of using OLITT is that it integrates seamlessly with various third-party applications such as Google Analytics, MailChimp, QuickBooks, etc., thereby making it easier for you to manage different aspects of your business from one central location itself.
Features
a). Connect custom domain on the free plan
OLITT is one of the few eCommerce platforms that not only lets you create a free online store but also allows you to connect it with your own custom domain name (provided by any third-party registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).
b). Multiple payment gateway integrations
OLITT offers multiple built-in payment gateways for accepting payments from customers including PayPal & Stripe.
You can easily integrate these into your webstore so as to start receiving payments almost immediately!
However, if there is another payment processor that you prefer using then this platform also supports integration with over 10+ external ones via its integrations!
c). Built-in Global CDN
The OLITT platform comes with a built-in Content Delivery Network (CDN) that ensures fast loading of your website’s content from anywhere in the world. This is extremely important for providing an optimal user experience as well as improving your store’s search engine rankings!
d). 24/7 Customer Support via Live Chat & Email
If you ever need any help or assistance while using this eCommerce builder then simply get in touch with their customer support team who are available round-the-clock via live chat and email.
They will be more than happy to resolve any queries or issues that you may have!
Pricing
Free Plan – $0/Month (Limited to 1 GB of storage).
The premium plan comes at $29.99 per year. It gives you access to unlimited storage, 1 free domain for the first year, and 1 shop template.
Inside, you can sell unlimited products and integrate your social media accounts.
5). Wix
Wix is a platform that helps you to build your own website with ease. It offers a wide range of features such as customizable templates, drag and drop editor, free hosting, etc.
You can also use Wix for creating a professional-looking online store without any coding knowledge.
Features:
a). 500+ professional templates
Wix offers more than 500 professional templates that are fully customizable. You can choose any template according to your business niche and start creating your online store within minutes.
b). Drag & drop editor
It comes with a drag & drop editor that makes it extremely easy to create an online store without any coding knowledge.
You can simply add or remove elements from your website by dragging and dropping them into the desired location.
c). Limitless customization with APIs
Wix provides limitless customization options with its APIs.
Use these APIs to add custom functionality to your online store as per your requirements.
d). Automated sales tax
Wix automatically calculates the sales tax for your online store and collects it from your customers at the time of checkout. This feature is extremely helpful for businesses that have to deal with multiple taxes.
e). Built-in SEO tools
Wix comes with built-in SEO tools that help you to optimize your online store for search engines. These tools allow you to add Meta tags, alt text, etc. to your website pages so that they can rank higher in the search results.
Pricing
Wix offers Business and eCommerce Plans starting at $17 per month and going up to $35 per month.
The lowest plan gives you 20GB of storage and 5 hours of uploading videos. You don’t get customized reports and no priority support.
If you want all the perks, consider the Business VIP plan.
6). Zyro
Zyro is one of the best website builders which you can use to make your own online store.
It is very easy and simple, even a beginner with no coding knowledge or web design experience will be able to build their dream e-commerce platform on this site builder in just minutes using its drag & drop editor; as it doesn’t require any HTML/CSS code editing skills at all!
Plus there are plenty of templates available for different types of stores (clothing, jewelry, etc.) that come readymade so you don’t need to worry about designing anything from scratch – simply choose what layout looks good and start adding products right away.
Features
a). Customizable templates
There are many customizable templates available on Zyro that you can use to make your dream online store.
You can change the color scheme, layout, font style, size, etc., of your website with just a few clicks!
Plus there is also an option for adding custom CSS code if you want even more control over how things look.
b). Mobile-friendly
All of the websites created using this platform will be automatically optimized for mobile devices so that people can view them properly no matter what type of device they are using (phone, tablet, etc.).
This is important because nowadays most internet traffic comes from phones and other handheld devices rather than desktop computers – meaning it’s crucial to have a site that looks good on smaller screens.
c). Data Import/Export
This feature allows you to import/export data from your store easily, which can be helpful if you ever need to move things over to another platform or make backups.
d). Transaction protection
All transactions made on Zyro are protected by SSL encryption, which means that your customers’ personal/banking information will be safe from hackers.
This is important because it will help to build trust with people who might be considering buying something from you – if they know their details are secure then they’re more likely to go ahead and make a purchase.
Pricing
There are two different pricing plans available on Zyro, starting from $2.99 per month for the ‘Website’ package which includes unlimited storage space and no products.
The next step up is the ‘Business’ package at $3.99 monthly (unlimited storage/100 products).
All plans come with a free domain name for one year, 24/7 customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out risk-free!
7). Woocommerce
Woocommerce is a WordPress plugin that allows you to turn any WordPress website into an online store.
It’s one of the most popular eCommerce platforms in the world with millions of users and plenty of support from developers around the globe.
To use it, you’ll first need to install the WordPress software on your own web server.
Woocommerce is completely free and open-source, making it ideal for small businesses who want a low-cost option with plenty of customization potential.
Features
a). Built on WordPress
The biggest advantage of Woocommerce is that it’s built on WordPress.
This means you can use all the themes and plugins available for WordPress with your online store, giving you a world of customization options to make your store look and feel just right.
It also makes adding new features and functionality to your website much easier since there are already so many options out there.
b). Open-source
Since Woocommerce is open source, it’s completely free to use without any hidden costs or fees.
You could technically host an entire eCommerce website on a shared hosting plan costing less than $5 per month!
Of course, if you want more robust hosting (which we recommend), prices will be higher but they’re still very reasonable compared to other platforms like Shopify which charge monthly fees regardless of how big or small your business is.
If cost is a major concern for you then Woocommerce should definitely be at the top of your list as one of the best online store builders around today.
c). Flexibility & Customization Options
One area where Woocommerce shines above most other platform Builders s its flexibility.
Not only can you find a theme to match your exact business needs, but you can also use plugins to add any features or functionality that doesn’t come built-in.
This gives Woocommerce an almost limitless potential when it comes to customization.
You could literally turn your online store into anything you want with the right combination of themes and plugins!
The downside of this flexibility is that it does require some technical knowledge (or at least willingness to learn) in order to get everything set up correctly.
If you aren’t comfortable working with code then Woocommerce might not be the best platform for you.
d). Built-in Payment Processing with Stripe & Paypal
Woocommerce comes with built-in payment processing options for both Stripe and Paypal, two of the most popular online payment processors in the world.
This means you can start taking payments on your website without having to set up a third-party account or pay any additional fees.
Just enter your Stripe or Paypal credentials into Woocommerce and you’re ready to go!
Of course, if you want more advanced features like recurring payments or subscriptions then there are plenty of plugins available to add this functionality as well.
e). Built-in blogging platform
Since Woocommerce is built on WordPress, it also comes with a fully functional blogging platform.
This can be handy if you want to use your online store as a way to generate traffic and build an audience around your brand.
You can write articles, create product reviews, or even run giveaways – all from inside your Woocommerce dashboard! Just remember that you’ll need to install the WordPress software first before you can start using this feature.
Pricing
As we mentioned earlier since WooCommerce is open source Itself so naturally, it’s free of charge.
But If someone wants a more professional look for their website they have many paid themes starting from $39-$129.
They also have many paid plugins which provide more functionality to websites and start from $49 per year
What to Consider When Looking for an Online Store Builder for Small Businesses
When you are a small business owner, you might not have the time to create a website for your business.
You may have considered hiring someone to do this for you, but you may not have the budget to pay someone to do it.
Instead, consider using an online store builder.
When you are looking for an online store builder, consider several things.
a). Features
The first is what features you want on your website. The next is what type of website you want to create. You can choose from a simple website to an online store. You can also choose from a variety of templates.
b). Cost
Consider the cost of the online store builder. You can find free online store builders, but you may not get all the features you want. You can also find online store builders that cost a monthly fee.
c). Ease of Use
Consider is how easy the online store builder is to use. You will want to find an online store builder that is easy to use so you can create your website quickly.
d). Support
You will also want to consider the support you will receive from the online store builder. You will want to find an online store builder that offers customer support in case you have any questions or problems.
e). Scaling
How easy it is to scale your website? Find an online store builder that offers a variety of features so you can add more features as your business grows.
f). Marketing tools
You will also want to consider the marketing tools that the online store builder offers. You need to find an online store builder that offers a variety of marketing tools so you can promote your website.
g). SEO
You will want to find an online store builder that offers a variety of SEO tools so you can improve the ranking of your website.
Once you have considered all of these things, you will be able to find the right online store builder for your business.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, there are many great online store builders that can help small businesses get started.
It is important to do your research and find the right platform for your specific needs.
With the help of a good builder, you can create a professional-looking online store that will help you grow your business. Remember, you want to find an online store builder that offers a variety of features, is easy to use, and is affordable.
If you’re looking for an easy, affordable way to build an online store, OLITT is the perfect solution. With OLITT, you can create a beautiful, professional store without any programming or design experience.
OLITT is perfect for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wants to sell products online.
With OLITT, you can start selling in just a few minutes, and there are no monthly fees.
What’s more?
OLITT is the easiest, most affordable way to build an online store.