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Starting an ecommerce business is exciting. You have a great product idea, a vision for your brand, a target customer in mind, and marketing campaigns queued up.
On the flip side, there are a lot of not-so-exciting parts to starting your online business. Choosing your ecommerce software can be one of them, especially if you’re not a developer.
But it’s an important decision to carefully consider. Changing platforms after you’ve already launched your business can be a hefty undertaking, so it’s best to get it right from the start.
Where to begin? Here. We’ll go over what ecommerce software is, what to look for, and some of the best ecommerce software solutions to try in 2022.
What is ecommerce software?
Ecommerce software is the system that allows your online store to operate. Your ecommerce software may include related business tools like inventory management, accounting, and email marketing, for instance.
At a bare minimum, ecommerce software allows you to list products for sale and accept payments online. However, most online businesses need more than the bare minimum, and ecommerce software is adding other business management tools too. The best ecommerce software has the basic tools you need to get started, along with an ecosystem of upgraded tools and platforms you can use as your business grows.
The best ecommerce software for 2022
The best ecommerce software depends on your individual business goals and needs. Let’s look at some the best ecommerce platforms for 2022:
1. Shopify
The best ecommerce software for all-in-one store building
Shopify is the best ecommerce software for most online sellers. People love Shopify for its ease of use and the advanced ecommerce features it offers. Our robust platform includes a comprehensive set of tools for omnichannel selling. You’re set up to sell directly through your website, in person, on social media, via third-party marketplaces, and pretty much anywhere else you can think of.
Shopify goes beyond simply selling online. Our offerings include ecommerce software, as well as a comprehensive best-in-class suite of business tools. With Shopify, you’re creating an entire business command center where you can manage every aspect of your ecommerce empire—including email automation, CRM, hosting services, abandoned cart recovery, and payment processing.
Shop Pay is the fastest best-converting online checkout, Shopify POS captures in-person sales, and Shopify Fulfillment reliably delivers customer orders, among many other functions. Tap into our extensive library of apps at the Shopify App Store to make your site even more powerful. Your tech stack works together seamlessly as part of the Shopify ecosystem.
You don’t need a lot of technical expertise or money to launch and scale your business with Shopify.
Price: Basic Shopify: $29.99/month; Shopify: $79/month; Advanced Shopify: $299/month; 10% discount on annual plans and 20% on biennial plans when paid upfront.
Free trial length: 14 days.
Customer support options: Callback phone support; email support; support provided in 19 languages; community forum; support content.
Integrated sales channels: Facebook, Instagram, Google, Walmart Marketplace, eBay, and Amazon.
Mobile app features: Suite of mobile tools to fully manage your online business.
Point of sale: Yes.
2. Wix
Best ecommerce software for zero transaction fees
Wix is fairly easy to use, thanks to its drag-and-drop functionality. The ecommerce software is actually a website builder with ecommerce features added on, so some extra tweaks and customizations are needed if you want to sell products online. And while Wix is free for basic sites, you will need a paid subscription to take advantage of its ecommerce tools.
Ecommerce features are a bit lacking, especially compared to Shopify. With it, you can do the basics: track orders, process online payments, multi-channel selling, and automated emails. However, there are no low-stock alerts to help you avoid stockouts. So if you have a decent-sized inventory, Wix is likely too bare bones for you.
Price: Business Basic: $23/month; Business Unlimited: $27/month; Business VIP: $49/month.
Free trial length: No free trial.
Customer support options: Callback service available 24/7; Business VIP includes priority phone support.
Integrated sales channels: Amazon, Facebook, Instagram; eBay requires Business Unlimited or Business VIP; other channels require third-party app.
Mobile app features: The ability to manage your website and inventory, view orders, and communicate with customers; setting up mobile POS requires either Square or SumUp for credit card payments.
Point of sale: Yes.
3. BigCommerce
Best ecommerce platform for big companies
Enterprise-level tech companies are the target for BigCommerce’s ecommerce software. The platform is extremely robust and comprehensive, which makes it powerful enough to handle enterprise needs—but likely too powerful for anything smaller. It’s also a bit more rigid when it comes to customizing.
As far as ecommerce features go, BigCommerce supports cross-border sales, SEO, social selling, and third-party marketplaces. Ecommerce brand Grace & Lace ended up switching from BigCommerce to Shopify Plus (Shopify’s enterprise solution) because the former was more than it could handle. It quickly turned out to be a smart decision for the business.
Price: Standard: $29.95/month; Plus: $79.95/month, or $71.95/month when paid annually; Pro: $299.95/month, or $269.96/month when paid annually; Enterprise custom pricing.
Free trial length: 15 days.
Customer support options: 24/7 technical support via phone, email, or chat.
Integrated sales channels: Google Shopping, Facebook, price comparison engines, eBay, Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, and Instagram.
Mobile app features: View analytics, update orders, manage inventory and products, and search for customers; some features are Android-only.
Point of sale: Yes.
4. Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento)
Best ecommerce software for businesses with PHP programming experience
Adobe Commerce is a highly customizable ecommerce software meant for larger, established businesses that have technical resources to build and maintain an online store. It also requires you find a third-party hosting provider, which adds to both the software’s flexibility and complexity.
If you want to sell across multiple channels, Adobe Commerce is likely not the way to go. It requires a hefty amount of leg work to integrate various selling channels and international payments.
Ecommerce site Character.com used to have a complex Magento site that promoted thousands of products. It had to use tons of integrations to get the store to function the way it needed, eventually pushing it to migrate to Shopify—resulting in a 40% increase in conversions.
Price: Custom pricing only.
Free trial length: No free trial.
Customer support options: Phone support and online help center/technical support resources available.
Integrated sales channels: Amazon.
Mobile app features: n/a
Point of sale: Third-party extensions available.
5. WooCommerce
Best ecommerce software for WordPress users
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