The development of easy-to-use E-commerce platforms has revolutionised the way we shop and conduct business in the digital age. As a key in this revolution, e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Medusa play a critical role, shaping consumer behaviour and transforming business practices.
E-commerce platforms have become the backbone of online buying and selling. It is an all-in-one tool that transforms your website into a bustling marketplace. It simplifies activities such as online shopping, electronic payments, marketing and analytics, and order fulfilment in one seamless system.
Shopify projected that in 2023, the global e-commerce market grew to a value of $6.3 trillion, and accounted for 21.2% of all retail sales. Adobe Experience Cloud estimated that 2.64 billion people engaged in online shopping, with e-commerce sales projected to grow by 50% over the next three years.
There are various types of e-commerce systems, including hosted solutions, open-source platforms, and custom-built solutions tailored to specific business needs to fit different business goals and technical requirements.
Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Sell Online
1. Global Reach
E-commerce software breaks down geographical barriers, opening your business to a worldwide audience. With global visibility, localisation, and 24/7 accessibility, it expands your customer base and fuels business growth.
2. Convenience and Accessibility
Shoppers can browse and make purchases 24/7 from the comfort of their homes or mobile devices, enhancing accessibility and increasing sales opportunities. Plus, businesses can automate various operations like shipping and inventory management, and customer support, making management easier and more efficient.
3. Cost-Effective
Running an online store with e-commerce software cuts overhead costs compared to physical stores like rent, utilities, and repair.Additionally, e-commerce platforms typically enjoy favourable search engine rankings, ensuring that your listed products rank prominently in search results.
4. Data-Driven Insight
E-commerce platforms provide valuable insight into customer preferences, and buying habits. This data helps in tailoring marketing strategies, refining product offerings and improving customer experience. This leads to better sales and customer satisfaction.
5. Scalability
E-commerce software is flexible and scalable, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small startup or a large corporation, you can expand your online presence and adapt to changing market demands without major infrastructure changes.
6 Trusted E-Commerce Software Platform
1. Shopify
Built With found 26% are using Shopify, making it the most popular technology in the e-commerce industry. It is renowned for its user-friendliness , a wide range of use and customisable templates. Shopify is often considered a top choice for a wide range of businesses.
Explore the power of Next.js integration with shopify here: LINK
2. Woo-Commerce
WooCommerce is a powerful and customizable e-commerce plugin for WordPress, making it a preferred choice for business, accounting for 19% of e-commerce sites. It provides flexibility and a vast array of plugins and themes.
3. Medusa
Medusa is an open-source platform for modern digital commerce, offering modularised commerce logic. It is flexible, scalable and widely used by developers to build high performance commerce applications.
4. Wix
Wix, used by 16% of e-commerce sites, is an all-in-one website builder known for its simplicity. It is a good choice for small to medium-sized businesses looking to create an online store quickly and easily.
5. Adobe Commerce (Formerly Magento)
Adobe Commerce is an open-source e-commerce platform that offers high customisation capabilities and robust features. It is favoured by large business with specific needs.
6. Squarespace
Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder known for its user-friendly interface and elegant design templates. Squarespace is a good choice for creative professionals who want an easy-to-use platform with attractive design options.
Which E-commerce Platform Is Right For My Business?
E-commerce software has become an indispensable tool for businesses in the digital age. It has revolutionised the way we shop and conduct business, offering a wide array of advantages that include global reach, convenience, cost-effectiveness, data-driven insights, and scalability.
If all you need is a simple storefront, Shopify, Wix and Squarespace are relatively easy to use and anyone with some technical knowledge can set up their online presence in a few days or weeks.
Once you need to include integrations to other systems, break free of design limitations or add custom features, then it is best to speak with an organisation that specialises in e-commerce software development.
At Trienpont, we create e-commerce solutions to suit your current business requirements with the flexibility to grow with you as your business scales. Whether it’s Shopify Basic, open-source (and free) Medusa, or one of Adobe’s suite of e-commerce solutions.
In recent years we have created e-commerce solutions for international retailers, sports brands, grocers and local healthy food businesses on a variety of platforms. Each project was unique with its own challenges and required varying amounts of custom development to reach the client’s business needs.
