Top 10 Ecommerce Platforms of 2016

Today, starting an online store is not that difficult but choosing an ecommerce platform among a list of platforms is a daunting task. Year-by-year, the advancement in the ecommerce technology & the rising competition among online stores have raised the expectations that people have around ecommerce platforms. Today, it's not enough just offering easy setup, some level of customization, and the inclusion of standard features. Mobile friendliness, social media integration, good user experience, search engine optimization, modules for content marketing and customer support have become a fundamental need of an online store today.

So considering these factors I have created the list of top ecommerce platforms at per current ecommerce market trends and needs:

The Top Ten
  1. Shopify

    Shopify is a Canadian e-commerce company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. It develops software for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems, enabling businesses to manage and scale their e-commerce operations.

    Shopify, a popular hosted ecommerce platform and has most number of users. Here are some of features that made Shopify the most popular ecommerce platform:

    Ease of Setup

    Search Engine Friendly

    Quick Loading Speed

    Safe Payment Gateways

    Great Customer Support

    Only drawback that I noticed, Shopify checkout is not much customizable and also you can't switch to self-hosting in the near future

  2. Magento

    Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform written in PHP. The software was originally developed by Varien Inc., a private company headquartered in Culver City, California, with assistance from community volunteers. It has become one of the most widely used e-commerce platforms worldwide.

    Another popular and I will say a veteran ecommerce platform that known for its unique features. Here are the some of exciting features Magento has:

    High level of Security

    Fully Customization Scope

    Multi Language

    Multi vendor

    SEO Friendly

    Primarily, Magento is a better fit for large-scale retailers and building high-end ecommerce websites. For small companies, Magento is not right option.

  3. YoKart

    YoKart is a multi-vendor e-commerce platform that competes with solutions such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. It blends features of both hosted and open-source platforms to provide flexibility and scalability. The platform offers customization options, multi-layered security, and an intuitive... read more

    YoKart is a popular ecommerce platform to setup multi-vendor ecommerce marketplaces. YoKart takes the startup initiative seriously and here are some of its features that make its stand out among best platforms:

    Multivendor Functionality

    Multi-lingual & Multi-currency

    Product catalog system

    Multiple payment gateways

    Advanced order management system

    Real time shipping cost calculator

    Has both the features of hosted and self hosted platforms

    Fully Responsive Design Website

    Mobile Apps for customers and sellers

    Intuitive Interface and SEO Friendly

    Multivendor Functionality

    1 Year Free Technical Support

  4. Prestashop

    Prestashop is another popular and cost-effective open source ecommerce platform. Here are some of the impressive features Prestashop has to offer:

    Available in 40 languages

    Vast selection of customizable ecommerce themes

    Quick install features

    Intuitive interface

    Powerful set of integration's

    Prestashop does not support multi-store feature nor have any official customer support team.

  5. Woocommerce

    WooCommerce is an open-source e-commerce plugin designed for WordPress. It enables small to large-sized online merchants to add customizable e-commerce functionality to their WordPress websites.

    Shopify, a popular hosted ecommerce platform and has most number of users. Here are some of features that made Shopify the most popular ecommerce platform:

    Ease of Setup

    Search Engine Friendly

    Quick Loading Speed

    Safe Payment Gateways

    Great Customer Support

    Only drawback that I noticed, Shopify checkout is not much customizable and also you can't switch to self-hosting in the near future

  6. CS-Cart

  7. Webx.pk

    I've been using Webx since last 6 months for my marble e-store. Recommended for all SMEs and even the new comers in ecommerce. They have been regularly updating the software with new features and improvements.

    Very good looking themes and professional store fronts! That's what is usually missing in other cloud ecommerce platforms

    Simple, easy and full of powerful features! Highly trusted and popular in ecommerce industry in Pakistan.

  8. X-Cart

    X-Cart comes with an easy installation method and after successful completion of the setup it can run a fully functional online store. Few important features of X-Cart are mentioned below:

    Clean, responsive design

    Multilingual catalog

    Inventory tracking

    Integration with eBay

    Product comparison

    An expert X-cart developer is needed in installing the shopping cart, as well as, including your website graphics and company logo.

  9. Volusion

    Volusion is an e-commerce platform that provides tools for building and managing online stores. Known for its user-friendly interface and robust features, it serves both small businesses and larger enterprises looking to grow their e-commerce presence.

    Volusion is one of the earliest ecommerce builders, which is a hosted ecommerce solution like Shopify.

    Here are features that make volusion stand among the best ecommerce platforms:

    Quick and Cost-Effective Store Setup

    More front-end features at relatively lower cost

    Good loading speed even with large database

    24/7 customer support

    Volusion doesn’t have an App store, therefore, expanding capabilities of your online store is a bit of a challenge. Lacks custom pages and built-in blogging solution is also its drawback

  10. BigCommerce

    BigCommerce is a privately held technology company that develops e-commerce software for businesses. Founded in 2009, it has over 370 employees and is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with additional offices in San Francisco, California, and Sydney, Australia.

    BigCommerce is pretty much like Shopify, except that it has more built-in features. Here are the highlighted features of BigCommerce platform:

    Easy to Setup

    Fully Functional Ecommerce Website

    Highly Secure

    Good Loading Speed

    Extensive Customer Support

    Its plans are comparatively costlier to Shopify and others. Outdated themes were another downside of BigCommerce until very recently.

  11. The Newcomers
  12. ?

    AmazingCart

    AmazingCart is a Unique Ready Native Mobile application for your Online Store. You only need to choose the theme, name and the logo. Install the plugin into your CMS (WooCommerce, Magento, Opencart and PrestaShop). No coding skills required! Our support team will help you every step of the way from setting up the application to uploading it to AppStore or Google Play. Quick installation in few clicks, modern design and interface, free updates, no monthly fee, regular content update!

  13. ?

    Laravel Ecommerce

  14. The Contenders
  15. OpenCart

  16. AspxCommerce

    With AspxCommerce, you can create a storefront within minutes. A few important features that Aspxcommerce has:

    Key Performance Indicator modules

    A/B testing module

    Responsive Design

    Search engine friendly

    From loading speed to customer support are much not impressive.

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