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Are you considering which e-commerce platform will be the best for your online store? Wondering how to choose the perfect place to set up your online store so that it's the right decision? When choosing a system to create and manage your online store, you are making one of the most important decisions that affects the future of your venture. It is a choice that largely determines the success or failure of your project and its future development. So how should you approach this task? In this article you will find tips on what to look for and how to choose a platform for an online store
See also How to choose a website development company
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The most suitable e-commerce platform for your online store is the one that best suits your individual business requirements, as well as offers advanced technical capabilities and convenient management through an administration panel. The choice of a specific platform depends on your specific needs and preferences.
According to Statista's July 2022 ranking, the most popular e-commerce platform is WooCommerce
Other popular options for setting up an online store include Shopify, which is also often used to create online stores before freelancers.
In Poland, among the most popular e-commerce platforms are WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Shoper and Wix.
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It is a free open source e-commerce software, suitable for both small and large online stores. It is characterized by its ease of use, although technical changes often require direct intervention in the site's code, which implies the need for knowledge of languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. PrestaShop offers a wide selection of free and paid modules and plugins.
The key advantages of PrestaShop are that there are no set-up fees for the store, a variety of available modules, simple and intuitive operation, and regular updates to the system.
Positioning in PrestaShop: This platform is SEO-friendly, providing open access to the source code and offering numerous effective SEO tools.
WooCommerce is an add-on for WordPress that transforms it into a full-fledged e-commerce platform. It is a free option, ideal for small and medium-sized businesses, offering the ease of managing an online store. With WooCommerce, WordPress users can easily create online stores, personalize them with different templates and add products.
Key advantages of WooCommerce include a free store launch, a rich selection of additional plug-ins and very simple operation.
Positioning in WooCommerce: Like the WordPress platform itself, WooCommerce is geared for effective SEO, allowing you to optimize your store for search engines.
See also:
Read more: What is woocommerce
Shopify is a world-class e-commerce platform, especially popular in the United States. It is an excellent choice for those who want to create online stores with global reach in mind. It features ease of use, allowing efficient management of orders and assortments. Shopify requires some technical knowledge to implement more advanced features, but its basic tools are accessible to those without specialized skills.
Pawel Woloszyn, an SEO expert, points out that Shopify is ideal for those who value convenience and security, want to get a simple store up and running quickly, rely on innovation and plan for future growth of their store.
Shopify's key advantages include intuitive operation, affordable pricing options, a wide selection of apps and easy editing of templates.
SEO on Shopify: This platform is SEO-friendly, but in some cases, source code tampering is required, which may require specialized knowledge.
OpenCart is an open-source e-commerce platform, perfect for those who want to build their own comprehensive online store without the cost of purchasing software. Many aspects of OpenCart management are similar to those of PrestaShop. Making advanced changes often requires editing the source code or installing the appropriate modules.
The key advantages of OpenCart are the ability to create a store for free using a variety of templates (both free and paid) and a rich selection of modules for easy management, combined with intuitive operation.
SEO in OpenCart: As an open-source platform, it offers open access to the source code, which is good for your store's SEO. However, keep in mind that many advanced changes require editing the code or using modules, which are often paid.
Shoplo is an e-commerce platform that offers a flexible and affordable solution for stores of all sizes, from small to large. It is ideal for those looking for a practical and affordable way to set up and run an online store. Shoplo operates on a subscription basis, with the monthly fee depending on the subscription package selected.
The main advantages of Shoplo are the ease of setting up a store, convenient e-commerce management, a wide range of integrations and modules, and support for various languages.
SEO in Shoplo: Although Shoplo operates on a SaaS (software-as-a-service) model, the platform is tailored for effective SEO, allowing for effective search engine optimization of the store.
SkyShop is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) e-commerce platform that is ideal for creating small and medium-sized online stores. It is a choice valued by entrepreneurs who are looking for a simple and effective solution to run their online business.
SkyShop's main advantages include favorable pricing, a wide variety of templates, and ease of opening and managing an online store.
SEO in SkyShop: This platform allows for effective SEO of the store, although in some cases the implementation of changes can be difficult due to limited access to the source code. However, it is quite a flexible tool in terms of SEO optimization.
Shoper is a reputable e-commerce platform that is very popular in Poland. It is a SaaS (software as a service) software, which makes it convenient to use and allows you to easily and quickly set up an online store on a subscription basis.
The main advantages of Shoper are its ease of use, speed of installation and a wide range of templates from which users can choose, customizing the appearance of their store to suit individual preferences.
SEO in Shoper: This platform allows for effective SEO of a store page, although there are some limitations due to the SaaS nature of the system. Despite this, Shoper offers enough SEO options to enable effective search engine optimization.
RedCart is a SaaS (software as a service) e-commerce platform that offers the ability to quickly launch an online store. Users have access to ready-made templates, which can be customized to some extent.
The main advantages of RedCart are its speed in getting a store up and running and its simplicity in configuration based on available templates, which makes this platform attractive to those who want to start an online business quickly.
SEO in RedCart: This platform may pose some challenges for advanced SEO, as making deep SEO changes may be limited. For those planning intensive SEO efforts, RedCart may not be the best choice, due to possible limitations in customizing the store for search engine optimization.
Magento is an advanced and versatile content management system for e-commerce that offers great flexibility and customization. Its strength is its ability to handle stores with heavy loads and wide assortments.
Magento's main advantages are its high level of customization and scalability, making it ideal for large online stores and businesses looking for a powerful e-commerce platform.
SEO in Magento: With open source code access, Magento provides excellent SEO optimization capabilities. This allows you to fully customize your store to meet search engine requirements, enabling effective SEO and optimization for online visibility.
Joomla! is an open source content management system that allows you to create both small and large online stores. Its main feature is the requirement of programming skills for effective implementation and personalization of store functions. For this reason, Joomla! is mainly recommended for those who have access to technical support from programmers.
The main advantages of Joomla! include the ability to implement complex and specialized e-commerce solutions for large stores, as long as you have the right programming skills.
SEO in Joomla!: Thanks to its open code, Joomla! allows advanced optimization for SEO. Users can modify and customize elements of the store to maximize its visibility in search results.
Sote is a SaaS-based e-commerce platform that allows you to quickly launch an online store based on ready-made templates. The process of creating a store is simple: you choose the right template, and then customize it with a variety of modules and applications.
Sote's main strengths are its ease of use and quick start. The platform offers a variety of graphic templates, as well as the ability to create a unique store design tailored to individual preferences.
SEO Optimization in Sote: While Sote offers limited advanced SEO optimization capabilities, it does allow you to edit key elements such as meta tags to help with basic search engine optimization of your store.
Wix is a website creation platform that also offers the option to create an online store through the Wix Stores feature. It is particularly friendly to those without advanced technical knowledge, thanks to its intuitive page builder. Still, the limitations of using the wizard may affect the store's optimization and SEO capabilities.
The main advantages of Wix Store are its ease of use and speed in creating a store. In addition, the platform offers a number of features to support store management.
SEO in Wix Store: Optimizing a store for search engines is more complicated with Wix Store due to limitations imposed by the page builder. SEO opportunities may therefore be limited, which is an important factor to consider when choosing this platform.
Read also Wix or Wordpress - see the comparison.
Before you start building an online store, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive business plan. This step is often overlooked, and this is a mistake. Many people treat e-commerce as an add-on to a stationary store or a trendy trend, not realizing its potential. In 2020, e-commerce is experiencing rapid growth, which makes a professional approach to planning essential. It's important to identify the goals and capabilities of your business with full commitment. Determine the budget you have to start - setting up a store is not only an investment of time, but also of financial resources. So choosing the right e-commerce platform should be well thought out and tailored to your financial resources.
When choosing an e-commerce platform, an important step is to determine the number and type of products you plan to offer in your store. Knowing this will help you choose the solution that best suits your needs and avoid overspending on overly advanced options. While open-source platforms can be attractive because of their openness and versatility, for an offering limited to about 50 products, it may be more practical to consider a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution. SaaS often offers simpler operation and management, which may be more advantageous for smaller stores with limited offerings.
When choosing an e-commerce platform, it is important to consider your technical capabilities. The ideal situation is to implement the store yourself, based on your own knowledge. But few people, especially those who simultaneously run a stationary store, have such skills. In such a case, web development specialists can come to your aid, who will complete the project for you for a certain fee. However, you should check whether your budget will allow it. Choosing the right platform is a complex process, in which each element affects the others, so it is important to plan the entire project thoughtfully. While these are not all the aspects to consider when setting up an online store, they are certainly key considerations. Here are some suggestions that can help you make the right choice of e-commerce platform according to your needs and expectations.
See also How much does an online store cost
Shoper is a platform that works on a SaaS (Software as a Service) basis, which means that the user pays a monthly subscription for a ready-made solution from its developers, without having to delve into complex technical issues. This is an ideal solution for people who are just starting their adventure with an online store, as most of the technical aspects are already prepared in advance. The user has the opportunity to partially customize the store and focus mainly on running it.
Shoper is one of the fastest and easiest options for starting your own online store. It does not require the creation of a customized template - the user can use the ready-made solutions available in the settings panel. If necessary, it is possible to take advantage of helpful technical support, which knows the platform very well. In addition, the impressive knowledge base available on Shopera's website is a valuable source of information, especially for those who are just beginning their adventure with running an online store.
Shoper provides considerable convenience through easy integration with other platforms, such as Allegro, Ceneo and courier companies. Unlike open source platforms, where such integrations can be more complicated and often require additional fees, Shoper offers simple and quick solutions, often for a small additional fee. The platform also allows you to expand the functionality of your store through a system similar to plugins in WordPress or modules in PrestaShop.
However, it is worth remembering that this convenience comes with certain limitations. Changes to the site code on Shoper may violate the terms of the warranty, limiting the ability to customize the store. In addition, the subscription system can be a deterrent for some users. Despite these limitations, Shoper is an attractive option for those who are new to e-commerce and are looking for a simple and functional platform to manage an online store.
WooCommerce, which is basically a powerful, free plugin for the popular WordPress, sets the world standard for creating and managing online stores. Thanks to intensive development work, WooCommerce has gained the status of a full-fledged e-commerce platform, gradually overtaking its competitors on the Polish market.
Creating a store in WooCommerce is made easy with WordPress integration, making the whole process intuitive. Although there are some costs involved, WooCommerce's offerings are attractive because of its rich base of extensions. The numerous available add-ons, while not all of them are essential, provide ample opportunities for both beginners and more advanced users.
One of the biggest advantages of WooCommerce is its versatility
The platform allows you not only to run a traditional online store, but also to create a dropshipping, B2B trading or marketplace platform. In addition, WooCommerce offers significant customization of the store's appearance, which surpasses the options offered by standard SaaS platforms.
WooCommerce stands out for its excellent compatibility with SEO tools, such as the popular RankMath and Yoast plugins.
With a wide selection of plug-ins, the platform is flexible in configuration and attracts SEO specialists and web developers, a benefit of its popularity.
Nevertheless, WooCommerce has some limitations. As a WordPress plugin, it can encounter problems with supporting very large stores, limitations in design and compatibility with some widgets. In addition, the need for regular updates to WooCommerce and plugins can sometimes introduce complications to store functionality. Despite these challenges, the benefits of using WooCommerce for e-commerce are significant, making it an attractive choice for users with more experience managing online stores.
PrestaShop is an e-commerce platform that is very popular, especially among stores of advanced size and functionality. Competing directly with WooCommerce, it is distinguished by a model based on a free core with the ability to add paid extensions. PrestaShop attracts a wide range of users, and while opinions on it vary, it is an ideal choice for those with larger budgets who are looking for a platform that offers extensive capabilities.
PrestaShop, being an open source software just like WooCommerce, allows store owners a wide range of possibilities to customize their platforms. You can use this platform in a variety of ways, creating custom solutions. However, caution should be exercised, as excessive addition of modules or too deep modifications to the code can affect the stability and performance of a PrestaShop store, leading to potential performance and stability issues.
PrestaShop is very popular, which has prompted many delivery companies and e-commerce-related platforms, such as Allegro, to create dedicated modules for it. The platform is also distinguished by built-in support for multilingualism and localization, which makes it easy to expand sales to foreign markets without the need for a major store redesign. In addition, PrestaShop offers marketing tools already in its basic version, allowing easy planning of promotions and distribution of discount codes, which is attractive to store owners.
PrestaShop earned a mention in this list, mainly because of its unique ability to handle large e-commerce projects. If you are planning to create a so-called multistore, that is, a platform that combines several or even dozens of smaller stores into one cohesive structure, PrestaShop is the ideal solution. WooCommerce, on the other hand, while popular, may not be the best choice for very large stores. There are opinions that when handling a significant number of products, without proper optimization, WooCommerce may have stability and performance problems.
Unfortunately, PrestaShop is not without its drawbacks. Its basic version offers limited functionality, which often requires investing in additional extensions or hiring a web development specialist. One significant drawback is the lack of backward compatibility, especially regarding modules. Upgrading to a newer version of PrestaShop may mean having to completely rebuild the store, generating additional costs. Hosting for this platform also requires more money, due to its complex internal structure. To achieve speed and efficiency, PrestaShop requires meticulous optimization.
PrestaShop is an ideal choice for companies with larger budgets, planning extensive e-commerce solutions and having a team of experienced technical specialists. In the absence of such resources, PrestaShop can be problematic, in which case WooCommerce will prove to be the better option. Both platforms have their strengths, but the key is to carefully determine your needs and budget before making a decision.
Choosing the right platform for your online store is a key element in your e-commerce strategy. It should suit both the current needs of your business and potential growth plans. The cost of building and maintaining an online store can vary significantly depending on the platform you choose. It is worth considering both cheaper and more expensive options, taking into account their functionalities and development potential. If your goal is to expand domestically or internationally, it will be crucial to choose a system that allows you to scale your business and adapt to a variety of market requirements. A well-matched e-commerce platform can significantly affect the success and efficiency of your online trading venture.
When choosing a platform for an online store, it is important to be prudent about cost and budget. There are both paid and free options available on the market. However, if you opt for a free open source platform without the necessary programming skills, you may face higher costs due to the need for professional technical support. In many cases, SaaS solutions offering monthly subscriptions may prove more economical. So it's worthwhile not to go by price alone, but also to think about what the long-term costs of maintaining and developing your store will be, in order to choose the most efficient and financially beneficial solution.
Flexibility and customizability are important aspects when choosing an online store platform. Open source software usually offers the greatest range of customization, allowing for extensive modifications. On the other hand, SaaS systems can also provide editing options, although often to a limited extent. Before making a decision, it's worth considering the look of your store and the degree to which you want to customize the available template to suit your needs and preferences. When choosing a platform, make sure it offers the level of customization that suits your requirements.
Integrating an e-commerce platform with external services, such as payment systems, data warehouses, or analytics tools, is crucial for effective online store management. Ideally, these features are already built into the platform or can be easily added using dedicated plug-ins. This ensures smooth processes and makes it easier to manage various aspects of an e-commerce business.
Are you considering expanding your business? Maybe you are considering a multilingual store platform to attract customers from different countries? When choosing the right online store system, it is worth thinking not only about your current requirements, but also about your future growth plans, scalability and flexibility of the system.
When deciding on an e-commerce platform, pay attention to the customer service aspects and the convenience for the administrator to manage goods and orders. Also important is the availability of technical support from the platform developers.
When considering which e-commerce platform to choose, pay attention to SEO and online marketing issues. Some platforms may have search engine optimization limitations due to lack of access to the source code, which is often the case with SaaS systems.
Consider changing your e-commerce platform when your current one does not meet your business, technical or functional requirements.
If your needs exceed the capabilities of your current platform, for example, it lacks advanced marketing tools or integration with new online sales channels, this could be a signal for a change.
Also, if your business is growing and your current platform can't handle scaling - for example, it can't handle increasing numbers of orders or increased traffic - then it's worth considering moving to a more flexible and scalable platform.
Transferring an online store from one e-commerce platform to another is a complex process that requires careful preparation and testing. The goal is to prevent data loss and disruption to the store's operations. Errors can occur during data transfer and integration with other systems, which can result in problems with synchronization and inventory management.
When done correctly, migrating an online store to another e-commerce platform can have a significant impact on search engine rankings and organic traffic. In the short term, there may be temporary drops due to work on the site. However, in the long run, the change of platform should bring favorable results. If the new site functions more smoothly, its Google search positioning may improve, which in turn may increase organic traffic.
The choice of e-commerce platform should be tailored to the specifics of the business. When choosing, it is worth considering the number of products offered, available features, technical support, template capabilities and SEO optimization options. The final choice of software depends on individual needs and business goals.
Both free e-commerce platforms, which offer free store opening, and paid options based on an annual or monthly subscription model are possible. The costs of such solutions range from small monthly amounts to several thousand zlotys per month, depending on the chosen platform and the scope of its functionality.
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