6 BEST E-COMMERCE CMS FOR ONLINE STORE
Do you own an online store? Good for you! Owning an online store is a great business opportunity and it has become a necessity today. But if you have not started your website yet, then there is no doubt that you should go for an e-commerce platform. The good news is, there are several good e-commerce platforms that help you create a website for your business. So, which are the best e-commerce platforms available in the market right now? Here’s our listicle to help you choose among all these platforms!
FEATURES OF CMS FOR E-COMMERCE WEBSITES
Content management system (CMS) – is a web-interface or computer program that is used to:
adding, editing, deleting information on the site (site content, such as texts, pictures, documents, videos, documents, product descriptions and characteristics);
presentation of content in a form suitable for perception, navigation and search;
managing the structure and sometimes the appearance of the site;
publishing content on the Internet.
Sites are created with the help of content management systems, and they include a data storage system (usually a database management system), a content control panel, a visual (WYSIWYG) page editor and a file manager to manage site files.
Modern CMS provides not only the tools for information management, but in fact provides a full-fledged website on the Internet. There is also the notion of content manager, denoting the kind of professional activity associated with a content management site.
CMS – a tool that allows “not a programmer” to manage the site and the information placed on it. CMS also called the system of site administration or, more simply, the engine of the site.
Pay attention! To run the site, you will also need to rent a hosting and domain!
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CHOOSING A CMS FOR AN ONLINE STORE
In order to choose the right engine, you need to understand what to look for. We offer you a simple checklist that will help you choose the right CMS:
Functionality
Simple technical optimization, responsible design. The ability to manage access levels and blogging is also important. These are not all the features you need for the online store, but the most important.
Ease of setup
It is important to choose a CMS with a balance between ease of operation and functionality. Yes, the task is not easy, but with our rating, you can make the right choice.
Integration with third-party programs
Quality CMS should be able to connect plugins, third-party services, statistics and analytics, etc. Thus, get to create a quality online store.
SEO
Since without SEO there is no point to create a website, pay attention to the presence: the indexing of pages, metadata management, robots.txt file, etc.
The possibility of customization
Also, CMS can be paid and free. Of course, the first version will be more functional, so depending on your needs, choose your option. If you choose WordPress, then it is enough to complement it with plugins that will allow you to customize the site as you and your users need.
THE BEST CMS FOR CREATING AN ONLINE STORE
When choosing an engine for your online store, you can act in two ways:
Choose a special system that is fully customized for online sales.
Opt for a free CMS and simply install e-commerce plugins.
To say exactly which way is better, it’s difficult. The fact that the choice depends not only on the preferences of the webmaster, but also on the goals and objectives. Consider the best options and compare them with each other.
POPULAR CMS FOR ONLINE STORE
WooCommerce (WordPress)
The WooCommerce engine is actually one of the plugins of the WordPress platform, so it is the most popular in the world. Its popularity guarantees its users a quick fix for bugs in updates and limitless opportunities for self-learning and finding experts to maintain the site.
Advantages
WordPress + WooComerce – a friendly system for beginners;
price – the software is free and open source, with no subscription or other licensing fees.
installation – easy to install and configure the WooCommerce system;
flexibility – the ability to freely modify the platform and add many features;
personalization – advanced options for personalization, modification and customization of the platform in terms of appearance and functionality;
plugins – numerous extensions, add-ons, plugins for WooCommerce and WordPress, which will fit the solution for your online store;
products – selling any type of product: physical products, services, software, music, e-books, etc.
updates – frequent and regular system updates, ensuring security and compliance with the latest technological requirements and e-commerce trends;
additional options – the ability to launch a store with multiple language versions and multiple currencies;
statistics – reports and statistics on sales, orders, customer information and inventory;
data export – ability to export store data in csv or xml format;
email notifications – transactional emails sent on store orders: new orders, order status changes, notes and customer information;
graphics – a very wide range of graphic themes (templates), the ability to choose a theme or implement your own design;
development – full control of the owner over the development of the store, very large development possibilities, access to the source codes;
specialists – easy access to subcontractors specializing in the implementation of WordPress and WooCommerce.
Disadvantages
overloading the site with modules of the basic WordPress core;
high requirements for hosting;
the need to pay for and configure hosting, themes, extensions, and other things;
the need to create the original site on WordPress, which costs money;
many add-ons are paid for by subscription.
Conclusion: WooCommerce creates mostly small and medium online stores with traffic up to 100 thousand people/month. This CMS is not installed “out of the box” and requires a lot of money and attention at the stage of creation.
OpenCart
This content management system is focused exclusively on the e-commerce sector. The OpenCart engine is completely free and has in its “bare” form sufficient functionality to start an online store: catalog, shopping cart and payment page.
For full functionality and good sales will need to buy a lot of paid extensions. It is quite difficult to set them up on your own, so you will have to resort to the help of specialized companies.
Advantages
allocation of access rights;
detailed SEO-configuration;
more than 3,000 free and 9,000 paid extensions;
a large variety of statistical tools;
data backup;
management of several online stores simultaneously;
wide selection of design themes;
free updates.
Disadvantages
complicated admin panel, training is required to get started;
relatively high cost of extensions;
no technical support, any work is paid for at a fairly high rate;
many additional modules from little-known developers create risks of installing extensions with critical vulnerabilities;
the initial setup requires the involvement of specialists.
Conclusion: OpenCart is an attractive CMS for those wishing to create a small online store once and then do not modify it. For other cases this engine will be too expensive and problematic.
Shopify
Shopify is one of the world’s most popular content management systems. Due to close cooperation with Amazon, Google, Facebook, it is able to significantly stimulate global sales. The engine can be optimized with more than 500 free plugins.
Advantages
import of the customer base;
detailed analytics on orders, marketing, customers, etc.;
advanced statistics on the smallest indicators;
recovery of an interrupted purchase;
an unlimited number of product items at any tariff;
round-the-clock support;
minimum bugs and freezes;
daily backup;
built-in inventory module;
support of gift coupons, promo codes;
control via mobile app.
Disadvantages
charging commission on sales;
admin panel only in English;
limited SEO-settings.
Joomla!
Free engine Joomla! has an open source and allows you to upgrade the core system. Install Joomla! will be able to people, even not familiar with HTML and CSS.Initially installed engine provides the most minimal functionality, and all the useful features you need to install additional paid or free extensions. Thus, a professional module for the online store will cost from $40.
Advantages
available to people with no experience in creating websites;
more than 8,000 free extensions, including those for the online store, are freely available;
free of charge;
low server requirements;
thousands of free templates;
modular system;
advanced SEO-settings.
Disadvantages
no responsive tech support;
after platform version updates, many free modules lose compatibility, and changes are made slowly;
poor security.
Conclusion: Joomla! suitable only for beginning entrepreneurs who sell a small range.
Magento
The Magento CMS system went from eBay to Adobe a few years ago. Such high patrons account for the main advantages and disadvantages of this engine for online stores.
Advantages
The second most popular CMS system in the world;
flexible and deeply detailed customization;
high stability and performance;
much more functionality “out of the box” than others;
more than 1,000 themes;
functional free version;
good scalability;
perfect adaptation to mobile devices;
huge knowledge base and extensive user communities;
the platform can be maintained by entrepreneurs themselves.
Disadvantages
the high cost of customization;
exorbitant price of the paid solution – $22 000;
unintuitive inventory accounting system;
improper configuration leads to a noticeable speed decrease.
Conclusion: In general, the engine is quite handy and will suit both small and large businesses.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a popular international content management system for medium and large sites. The engine is similar to Shopify, not only in features, but also in rates. The minimum monthly subscription will cost $30.
Advantages
Delivery, inventory and return management system;
detailed fragmentation of customers;
detailed analytics on orders, marketing, customers, etc;
more than 70 kinds of promotions and discounts;
unlimited disk space and number of managers;
user-friendly admin panel;
integration with Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest;
mobile app to work with CMS.
Disadvantages
limited SEO settings;
insignificant discounts for annual payment and license renewal.
Conclusion: When choosing a CMS for your online store, consider the number of products, anticipated traffic, target audience, the ability to administer and other features of the business.
CONCLUSION
Building an online store using an e-commerce platform takes a lot of time and requires knowledge about coding languages. Furthermore, you need to understand how e-commerce works and how to find the best way to build your customized website. But there is a solution to this and it is easier than you think. There are several e-commerce platforms available on the market that can help you create a store in no time at all. Specially designed for users with little or no experience building sites, these platforms make it extremely easy for you to manage your online shop. You can select the best e-commerce CMS based on your business needs, your budget, and the extent of customization you want out of your online shopping site. Ultimately, it is a good practice to spend some time properly researching your options to ensure that you are buying something that will meet your specific needs.
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