The Top E-commerce Platforms in 2021

E-commerce refers to all activities that involve buying and selling goods and services via the internet. A large portion of commercial transactions is now conducted online thanks to the advances in technology.

E-commerce is the fastest-growing industry because it offers many benefits to both buyers and sellers. Online shopping is possible at any hour of the day. You can also choose from many product categories. You can reach a wider audience as a seller without needing to spend large amounts of money on setting up big stores.

There are many e-commerce platforms available. Each platform can be customized to your specific shopping needs. Below are the top e-commerce platforms for 2021.

Top 5 E-Commerce Platforms in 2021

1. Amazon

Amazon, an American company, has been the leader in e-commerce for a long. It simplified the buying and selling of online products to a large extent. Amazon allows you to buy everything from electronics, household items, books, and beauty, and wellness products.

Amazon’s customer-centric approach is one of the main reasons it has been so successful. Amazon’s policies place the customer experience at the center of their efforts. Amazon Prime, a subscription service, offers customers the option of “Free 2-day Shipping” or “Free Same-Day Delivery”, which are extremely convenient.

Selling on Amazon has also been made a simple process with fulfillment options like FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) and FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant). These options simplify the selling process to a large extent, in terms of shipping, storage, and managing customer returns.

Recommended to Read: If you are planning to start an Amazon business then check out SellerApp’s How to use Amazon article.

Amazon’s policies, terms, and conditions are the only thing sellers should be aware of. These rules are enforced to protect customers as well as to regulate selling operations.

Watch this video to set up your Amazon seller central account:

2. Shopify

Shopify, a Canadian eCommerce platform, provides the tools needed to create an online store and sell offline. These tools allow you to open and manage a storefront, display your products and set up payment options.

Shopify offers 3 sub-platforms

• Shopify Plus is for larger businesses with more operations. You get more flexibility, advanced customer service, reporting, and more flexible options. It is the ideal platform for fast-growing, billion-dollar businesses such as Fashion Nova, Gymshark, and others like Gymshark.
• Shopify Lite is ideal for people who have websites and want to show their products on other platforms for increased visibility and traffic. Although it has the standard features of allowing you to view reports and split bills, you don’t have the option to create your own online store.
• Shopify Point-of-Sale (POS) allows you to sell products offline in physical shops. Online can refer to any type of physical shop, tradeshow, or pop-up store. Payments are integrated with your Apple and Android devices via the POS app.

3. Wix

Wix, which is based in Israel, is another platform that falls within the eCommerce category. Although it’s similar to Shopify, Wix is better suited for smaller businesses or individual sellers. Wix lets users be more creative in building online stores. It’s an excellent way to start building your first store, especially if you’re a beginner.

Wix is also very economical with plans starting at $23 per month, which is less than other similar platforms. Wix is primarily a platform for building websites, making it simple to create online shops.

You can customize website templates, as well as other building options. Wix also offers an all-inclusive package that includes graphics, fonts, and animations. You can even start building your website right away with the tools and features of SEO.

4. BigCommerce

This e-commerce service is called ‘Hosted’ and does not require you to purchase web hosting.

BigCommerce offers a variety of pricing plans, starting at $29.95 per month and increasing to $299.95 per month. This allows customers to manage everything associated with their online store by themselves.

Upload photos, create pages, and print discount coupons. You can also handle order processing. To build an online store, you can use a drag-and-drop feature.

BigCommerce can be tailored to meet the needs of any particular industry, such as jewelry or health products.

5. Magento

eBay also owns Magento, a well-known e-commerce platform. Open-source technology allows online merchants to customize and enhance the appearance and content of their online stores.

Anyone can download the Magento Open Source Software for free, but you will need to pay extra for additional services such as web hosting, development, and maintenance. It is considered a highly secure platform that offers excellent support services and features.

Magento offers many features, including product, category, and inventory management, as well as marketing tools, reports, and analysis.

If you are looking to get into e-commerce and make money, all of the mentioned platforms are great to use. If you find it to be overwhelming, I’d suggest taking tips from SellerApp’s detailed blog that will help you get started on the basics of e-commerce and grow your business.