Tools have always played a crucial role in determining business growth. If you successfully leverage more advanced things than your competitors, then you can be one step ahead. You create more goods, work more efficiently, and attract more customers. The eCommerce industry is no exception.
With the right tools, you can achieve many benefits, such as:
- attract the target audience;
- excel at SEO;
- provide customers with an exceptional shopping experience.
When you start an online retail company, you need to think about where to launch the website. You need to choose a content management system (CMS), dedicated software for managing an online store, products, and orders.
However, you should bear in mind that not all solutions are the same. CMSs vary in terms of customization, price, ease of use, and more. For example, a CMS can allow you to create, publish, and edit a storefront with no coding skills. Others have a steep learning curve but let you customize the solution and work with its code base.
Where will you launch your online store? The decision-making process can be time-consuming and complicated with so many options available. That’s why we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the CMS landscape and select the needed variant for your business.
This article will explore various eCommerce CMS platforms, providing tips and examples. Whether you’re a seasoned eCommerce professional or just starting, our article will help you make an informed decision. Let’s dive in.
Top 5 eCommerce CMS Platforms for 2024
Let’s study some of the most popular eCommerce CMS platforms, including:
- Magento;
- Shopify;
- BigCommerce;
- WooCommerce;
- PrestaShop.
Yet, there are numerous other options on the market. They differ in terms of flexibility, ranging from customizable open-source ones like Magento to SaaS solutions like Shopify, where the freedom of changing the code is limited. However, SaaS platforms are usually more user-friendly, which is crucial if you are launching the store and are pressed with time and money. Let’s compare different vendors to help you decide on the best-suited software.
1. Magento
Screenshot taken on the official Magento website
Another famous CRM system is Adobe-owned Magento (now Adobe Commerce). With connectors for products like CRM, ERP, chatbots, and other enterprise-level applications, Magento provides robust functionality and a wide range of extension options.
It’s one of the most flexible CRMs on the market, with lots of functionalities and integrations. Magento Open Source is also free. It may give small and medium businesses a leg-up at the start.
However, the platform may be hard for beginners with no coding experience. And since it’s open-source, it requires you to think about hosting, development, themes, and add-ons and purchase them yourself. This fact makes Magento a weapon of choice for bigger, quickly growing enterprises rather than start-ups. Those businesses that choose Magento should be ready to partner with dedicated experienced developers like these https://onilab.com/services/magento-development-services.
Pricing: Magento can be free with the need to pay for website maintenance, backups, the domain name, web hosting, customizations, and PCI compliance. Other plans are based on your gross sales revenue. The annual Magento cost with the GSR < $1,000,000 to $25,000,000+ is as follows:
- the Commerce edition: $22,000 to $125,000;
- the Cloud edition: $40,000 to $190,000 per year.
Pros:
- suitable for large enterprises with a considerable turnover;
- lots of features, including site search and catalog management, mobile optimization, integrated checkout, payment, and shipping options;
- highly scalable and customizable;
- powerful functionalities and extensions to excel at SEO, including paid and free ones like Super Easy SEO by Magenest, Magento 2 XML, HTML sitemap by Mageplaza, Magento 2 Rich Snippets by WeltPixels, Magento 2 SEO extension by BSS Commerce, to name a few;
- app marketplace with extensions and add-ons.
Cons:
- requires substantial eCommerce web development experience or hiring a professional team;
- expensive Magento Commerce plan;
- the price depends on GSR.
2. Shopify
Screenshot taken on the official Shopify website
The first solution under discussion is Shopify, one of the most widely used eCommerce systems worldwide. It’s a SaaS solution with a user-friendly interface and several pricing tiers to satisfy various needs. For example, it’s suitable for newbies for the following reasons:
- It provides its own hosting.
- You can choose one of the numerous professional ready-made themes.
- It doesn’t require much coding on your side.
But if a medium or big company wants to edit the store, Shopify supports CSS and HTML code editing.
Pricing:
Screenshot taken on the official Shopify website
Pros:
- suitable for small and growing businesses;
- free store templates;
- free 24/7 support;
- intuitive;
- a separate POS system.
Cons:
- customization and scalability restrictions;
- the need to purchase more expensive plans to access advanced features like automation, calculated shipping rates, in-depth reports;
- the need to install third-party apps;
- transaction fees.
3. BigCommerce
Screenshot taken on the official BigCommerce website
BigCommerce is another hosted platform for maintaining an online storefront. The provider attracts enterprises primarily because of the robust and adaptable website editor. You can alter its HTML and CSS code. Still, small companies appreciate the platform for the choice of editable templates.
That’s why BigCommerce suits both small companies that need a website fast and larger corporations that can engage developers to create distinctive online storefronts.
Pricing:
Screenshot taken on the official BigCommerce website
Pros:
- scalable and adaptable;
- a drag-and-drop interface;
- advanced SEO features like Optimized and Unique URLs, Microdata, 301 redirects and URL rewrites, and CDN;
- a suite of social media-focused marketing tools, e.g., Facebook Shop and Instagram Checkout;
- many built-in features, including a mobile responsive website, BigCommerce mobile app, single-page checkout, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, coupons, discounts and gift cards, multi-currency, and more;
- sales analytics;
- suitable for multi-channel selling.
Cons:
- the price goes up with the increasing number of sales;
- requires some technical knowledge;
- the need to switch to a high-priced plan to go beyond standard features, for example, to access Customer groups and segmentation, Abandoned cart saver, Persistent Cart, etc.
4. WooCommerce
Screenshot taken on the official WooCommerce website
According to Statista, WooCommerce holds a 39% market share and is currently the most popular eCommerce platform globally.
Image credit: Statista
Unlike Shopify and BigCommerce, WooCommerce is an open-source WordPress solution. It means installing this plug-in is almost free.
It comes with many features and plug-ins by default, like a PayPal connection and a One-Click Upsell Funnel, to help online businesses run more efficiently. And the best part is that most third-party plug-ins are also free. But if you need more complex solutions as you scale, you can pay for premium add-ons.
Pricing: Free.
Pros:
- suitable for start-ups and small businesses;
- wide range of plug-ins and themes, such as WooCommerce Payments, Subscriptions, Bookings, and Table Rate Shipping, among others;
- flexible;
- free to install on a WordPress website.
Cons:
- adding third-party plug-ins may jeopardize security;
- lacks built-in functionality;
- too many add-ons may slow the loading speed down.
5. PrestaShop
Screenshot taken on the official PrestaShop website
The next CMS is PrestaShop, a highly adaptable and simple-to-handle solution. Users may download this eCommerce software for free and configure it using different add-ons. But be ready to pay for more features and your own hosting.
The system integrates with numerous tools, including those for payments like Paypal or Google Checkout. PrestaShop also provides considerable backend code customizability and MySQL data management. At the same time, the CMS is a wonderful alternative for start-ups and medium-sized businesses because you don’t need to be a developer to construct a website on it.
Pricing: Free or advanced hosting plans from $475/month.
Pros:
- intuitive interface;
- powerful in-built SEO features, for instance, for creating meta tags, ALT tags, and social media meta tags;
- possibility to adapt.
Cons:
- customization requires coding skills;
- high-priced modules from $52.75 to $7386;
- the lack of free support;
- extensions are not always compatible, so your store may have glitches.
Why Your eCommerce Business Needs a CMS
1. Easy Content Management
WordPress and other CMSs appeared to assist non-programmers. First, a web design expert should create and optimize your website or complete other processes depending on your platform. Then, you can easily control content within the CMS. You may quickly insert and upload your online material, such as text and photos, onto particular pages and style it in a content editor that resembles Microsoft Word.
But if you’re looking for enhanced functionalities and customer experiences in online retail, you may need to partner with experienced developers. Such professionals will ensure that the storefront not only meets but exceeds user expectations.
2. Improved Customer Experience
As a CMS lets you create and deliver content faster, you provide customers with the latest information. It leads to a more engaging and satisfying user experience.
A CMS can also personalize the experience, tailoring content to different audience segments. It happens thanks to the ability of a system to capture visitor information and leverage it to understand their preferences. You can interconnect it with other tools to get data from all systems and build a more detailed customer profile.
The CMS’s real-time personalization and targeting capabilities enable the delivery of the most relevant material to the consumer at the ideal moment. Thus, you can increase conversion rates and the bottom line.
3. Streamlined Inventory and Order Management
A good eCommerce CMS performs particular functions according to the specific needs of online retailers, for example:
- Product and inventory management. The system can come with in-built capabilities for working with inventory and product listings or support dedicated plug-ins.
- Order tracking. After shipping an order, you can track it via a robust CMS or install an order-tracking CMS plug-in.
- Customer management. Most CMSs can store client data, including names, contact details, and purchase and service histories. If you need advanced capabilities, you can employ a similar product, customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Critical Things to Consider When Choosing an eCommerce CMS
1. SEO Tools and Optimization
Your eCommerce CMS must prioritize SEO-friendliness to improve rankings and attract target audiences. Key areas for optimization tools include:
- Content, including meta titles and meta descriptions. Page titles and meta descriptions should contain one primary keyword. They can improve click-through rates (CTR), so a CMS should allow for easy editing of these elements or have an auto-generation feature.
- URLs. Ensure they are concise and clear, as Google encourages URL brevity. Include a relevant keyword, state the page’s intention, and remove unnecessary subfolders.
- Speed. Slow-loading pages can lose visitors, so choose a fast hosting service and a CMS with speed optimization capabilities.
2. Customization and Flexibility
Look for an eCommerce CMS that streamlines customization. To keep visitors from dropping off, you need to provide a smooth UX on your eCommerce website. What does it entail? You need to satisfy mobile users, adapt to new products or services, and support cutting-edge features. Choose a flexible CMS that will live up to your standards.
3. Ease of Use and User Interface
The ability to manage and maintain websites more quickly is one of the primary benefits of switching to an eCommerce CMS. After all, you have a lot on your plate to handle, right? That’s why your CMS should provide a backend that is easy to use and comprehend.
The tool should be user-friendly and enable you to introduce new features regardless of your level of expertise in coding. For example, you may want a solution with a drag-and-drop user interface. Some of the possible CMSs, in this case, are Shopify, Wix, and Joomla.
4. Third-Party Integrations and Add-Ons
As the business grows, you may need new features that may not be available out of the box. That is where integrating with external tools and plug-ins becomes crucial. When evaluating different platforms, consider the range of integrations available and how easily you can incorporate them into your existing tech stack. A CMS with a wide range of popular and API-friendly integrations can offer the flexibility and scalability you need to thrive.
5. Security and Data Privacy
ECommerce businesses have traditionally been among the most vulnerable to cyberattacks. For example, according to Sophos’ research, ransomware attacks alone affected 77% of online retail companies in 2021 (an increase from 44% in 2020). Cyberattacks and stolen data can cost you reputation and business loss. So select an eCommerce CMS with robust security features to protect your website and customer data, such as:
- top-level security options;
- defenses against internet attacks;
- hosting flexibility.
6. Scalability
Scalability is a critical aspect to consider when selecting an eCommerce CMS. The system should handle more transactions and traffic with time because it’s time-consuming and expensive to migrate the store from one place to another. Thus, start with something scalable to prevent chaos.
7. Customer Support and Community
You’ll occasionally encounter issues that seem difficult to solve. Where can you get some direction? Some vendors, like Shopify or other SaaS solutions, provide round-the-clock IT support. Others have an active community of developers across the globe ready to help.
Conclusion: Which eCommerce CMS Is Right for You?
When it comes to picking a CMS, you need to answer the following questions:
- How much does the platform cost? You need to know the initial investment required to build a fully operating eCommerce site.
- Is the platform easy to use? You need to understand the software if you’re a beginner. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for development services.
- What payment methods does it support? The platform should allow various payment methods (e.g., PayPal, Stripe, and other processors).
- Can I integrate the platform with third-party services and solutions? It will enable you to expand the eCommerce business.
- What are the scalability options? The platform should support the company growth and provide more advanced features.
Consider numerous factors, ranging from the provider’s reputation to the support you may expect while launching your company.
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About the Author
Kate Parish
Kate Parish is the chief marketing officer at Onilab, a full-service eCommerce agency with a focus on Magento. Kate has been working on diverse marketing strategies and activities for more than 8 years. In her pursuit to bring up top-notch marketing solutions, Kate is constantly exploring the topics of SEO, branding, SMM, PPC, and Magento PWA development.
