Choosing the Best E-commerce Platform

Which e-commerce platform is the best choice for your online store or website? We’ll outline the different types of platforms, the most popular options, and additional information to help you find the perfect e-commerce software. We also offer managed hosting services for a hassle-free experience.

Which platforms offer the best payment, shipping, and inventory management options? What software integrations are available? We’ll help you choose the platform that offers the best combination of professional features and user-friendliness. This way, you’ll find the right e-commerce software for your website or online store that sets you up for success.

What is an e-commerce platform?

An e-commerce platform is software used to launch and manage your online store. It provides tools and functionalities for selling products, processing payments, and managing customer relationships.

• Product presentation and management: E-commerce platforms include a product catalogue for managing and organising products. You can add descriptions, prices, images, and specifications. The software also offers inventory management features, such as tracking stock levels and receiving low-stock alerts.
• Shopping cart and checkout: The shopping cart allows customers to add products and proceed to a smooth checkout process. The best platforms integrate seamlessly with various payment processors.
• Payment processing: Payments are processed securely through payment gateways, which are integrated with the platform. You can manage payments, including refunds, transaction data, and payment status.
• Customer management: The best platforms help you collect customer data, view purchase history, and understand customer preferences. They also provide marketing tools for email campaigns, loyalty programs, and promotions.
• Reporting and analytics: E-commerce platforms generate sales reports and analyse customer behaviour. This provides insights into sales performance, best-selling products, and customer trends.

Advantages of an e-commerce platform

E-commerce platforms offer user-friendly, affordable, and scalable solutions for quickly building an online store. Setup costs are low because you don’t need to develop custom software. Instead, you pay a monthly fee for paid software or just for managed hosting if using open-source software.

Disadvantages of an e-commerce platform

Even user-friendly platforms require some technical knowledge for installation, management, and maintenance. The market is also competitive, making it challenging to choose the right platform. We’ll outline the different types, popular platforms, and their features to help you decide.

Five types of e-commerce platforms

What’s the best webshop platform for your online store? Let’s start with five different types and their typical characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages.

Open-source platforms

The source code of open-source e-commerce platforms is publicly available. This means you have full control over the software and don’t pay any licensing fees.

The main advantage of open source is flexibility – you can customise and extend the software without restrictions. Good support is also available, especially for Magento and WooCommerce. You only pay for hosting and any custom development.

However, open-source platforms require technical expertise for installation, configuration, and maintenance. You’re responsible for updates, security, and hosting.

Tip: Hypernode is happy to assist with this.

SaaS platforms

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms are ready-to-use solutions where hosting and management are handled by an external provider. You pay a monthly or annual subscription fee.

The main advantage is user-friendliness. You can get started easily, even without technical expertise. The provider takes care of hosting, updates, and security. You can launch quickly without extensive installation.

The downside is limited customisation. You’re restricted to the features and integrations offered by the provider. Subscription costs are also relatively high.

Headless platforms

Headless e-commerce platforms separate the frontend (what the customer sees) from the backend (technical functionalities). This gives you more flexibility to customise the user experience while using the same backend.

The advantage is design flexibility, enabling improved scalability and faster loading times, as you can manage and optimise the backend separately.

The disadvantage is the complexity of managing two separate systems. Both setup and maintenance require technical expertise. Implementation and maintenance costs are also higher due to the development and integration of two separate components.

Managed solutions

With a managed e-commerce solution, you choose a managed hosting environment. The provider takes care of performance optimisation, security, backups, and technical support.

The main advantage is that you don’t have to worry about these responsibilities. You can also scale easily as your website or online store grows.

The trade-off is that this premium service comes at a cost, especially for managing large and complex online stores. You also have less control over the managed aspects of the store.

Software integrations

Software integrations extend your e-commerce platform with additional functionalities, adding features for payments, shipping, inventory management, and marketing.

The advantage is efficiency – you only use what you need. You can expand the platform as needed to provide the best online experience for your customers.

The disadvantage is the complexity of combining various systems within one platform. The individual integrations can also add to the overall cost.

Most popular e-commerce platforms

Here’s a look at the user base and key statistics of some of the most popular e-commerce platforms:

• Magento: Part of Adobe, Magento is a powerful open-source platform favoured by large online stores for its professional features and scalability. It has about 9% of the market share with 250,000 active installations, including brands like Nike, Samsung, and Ford.
• Shopify: Known for its user-friendliness, Shopify enables a quick webshop setup without technical knowledge. The company experienced strong growth during the pandemic and now has over 1.7 million active users across 175+ countries.
• WooCommerce: WooCommerce is an open-source WordPress plugin valued for its flexibility and customisation options. With a 28% market share, over a quarter of webshops use this software, translating to 5+ million active installations
• BigCommerce: BigCommerce is a SaaS platform with user-friendly features and strong integrations. It’s grown rapidly and is now used by an estimated 60,000 online stores worldwide.
• Wix: Designed for individuals and small businesses, Wix has over 200 million users worldwide. It’s easy to use and affordable but lacks professional features for demanding users.

The best e-commerce platforms

Want to know which platform is best for you? We’ve outlined 13 e-commerce platforms and their key features:

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress, offering intuitive integration, flexibility, customisation, themes, and plugins. It’s suitable for both small and large online stores due to its scalability.

Magento

Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform known for its robust architecture and scalability. It provides advanced features for product management, marketing tools, and a flexible shopping cart. Technical expertise is required to fully leverage the platform.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce platform with a user-friendly interface and various themes and modules. Small to medium-sized stores seeking an easily customisable and expandable platform can manage their webshop relatively independently with PrestaShop.

Wix

Wix is an intuitive, user-friendly website builder with e-commerce functionality added later. The drag-and-drop interface is simple, but professional features are limited. It’s popular among individuals, beginners, and small businesses.

Shopify

A leading SaaS platform, Shopify is user-friendly and offers quick setup, various themes and apps, and 24/7 customer support. It supports multiple languages and offers advanced features for payments, shipping, and marketing.

Lightspeed

An all-in-one solution for online and physical stores, Lightspeed is user-friendly and offers advanced inventory management, customer relationship management, and sales reporting. It’s used by businesses selling both online and offline seeking an integrated solution.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a SaaS e-commerce website solution offering advanced features without requiring technical knowledge. Scalable for growing businesses, it provides integrations with multiple tools and marketplaces, as well as marketing and SEO functions.

JouwWeb

JouwWeb is a Dutch e-commerce platform with a simple drag-and-drop interface and professional webshop design templates. Small businesses and beginners can get started easily at low costs.

Mijnwebwinkel

Mijnwebwinkel is another user-friendly Dutch e-commerce platform with themes and webshop management features. Suitable for small to medium-sized businesses, it offers advice for optimising online sales.

OpenCart

An open-source platform known for its user-friendly interface and extensive functionalities, OpenCart is suitable for businesses looking for flexibility without high costs.

Big Cartel

An easy-to-use e-commerce platform with basic features, Big Cartel is suitable for artists and creatives looking for an affordable solution.

Shift4Shop

Formerly known as 3dcart, Shift4Shop is a comprehensive e-commerce platform with extensive features for selling products online. It supports multiple payment options, shipping methods, and marketing tools. The software suits businesses of all sizes looking for a versatile, powerful webshop solution.

Volusion

A SaaS platform known for its user-friendliness and extensive features, Volusion offers functionalities for product management, payments, shipping, and marketing, making it suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.

Managed e-commerce: What is it?

Managed e-commerce is a complete service that outsources technical management to a professional partner, such as Hypernode.

We handle server management, security, updates, and performance, allowing you to focus on your online store and sales.

Choose from our various managed e-commerce solutions to optimise your webshop’s performance. Compare cloud hosting, dedicated hosting, and cluster hosting for your online store.

Cloud hosting

With cloud hosting, we use a network of virtual servers hosted in the cloud, providing flexibility and scalability. Easily scale up or down based on current needs.

Automatically handle traffic spikes without downtime. Resources are distributed across multiple servers for higher uptime and excellent webshop availability. We manage the firewall, DDoS protection, and perform regular security updates to keep your webshop safe.

Dedicated hosting

With dedicated hosting, you get an exclusive server for your webshop. Utilise its full capacity without sharing with other websites or webshops.

The main advantage is optimal performance due to dedicated server resources, ideal for large data volumes and high visitor numbers. We provide security with a dedicated firewall and monitor for suspicious activities. You have full control over the server environment, including the operating system, software, and configuration.

Cluster hosting

With cluster hosting, a group of servers work together to host your webshop, providing high availability and load balancing. This is valuable for webshops with many visitors.

We also offer scalability by adding extra servers. This happens without any interruptions, so you and your webshop visitors won’t notice a thing. We also offer extensive and advanced security, as well as regular audits to protect customer data. This is an interesting choice, especially for large and growing webshops.

About e-commerce software integrations

Enhance your e-commerce platform with the right software integrations. These integrations help you add valuable features and leverage the best tools available in the market. Whether you want to streamline payment processing, optimise shipping management, or improve inventory control, we’ve got you covered. Discover top integrations for multi-vendor management and marketing to take your e-commerce capabilities to the next level.

Payments

With payments, it is especially important to make it as easy as possible for your customers. Help them pay and make sure you collect all payment details clearly.

Interesting e-commerce software integrations include:

• Mollie: for a wide range of payment methods such as iDeal, credit card, PayPal, and more. Mollie is known for its user-friendliness and easy integration.
• Klarna: for paying later. Offering customers the option to pay later can increase conversion in the webshop.
• PayPal: a global payment provider that is easy to use and familiar to many consumers.
• iDeal: popular in the Netherlands as a reliable and fast way for customers to pay through their own bank.

Shipping

Software integrations for shipping help simplify the shipping process and manage shipments. This increases efficiency for your webshop and customer satisfaction.

Interesting e-commerce software integrations include:

• Sendcloud: for an all-in-one solution for shipping management. You have many options, including automatic tracking, returns, and integration with various carriers such as PostNL, DHL, and UPS.
• ChannelEngine: helps manage inventory and orders across multiple sales channels. This is especially important for companies that sell through multiple channels.

Inventory management

Integrations for an e-commerce platform for inventory management help track product availability. They also contribute to a smooth ordering process for customers.

Interesting e-commerce software integrations include:

• Multi-vendor connections: These connections are important if you sell from multiple channels. They help coordinate stock levels and prevent overselling. This prevents you from selling a product through two channels (almost) simultaneously, which would leave you with too little stock. Examples of this include tools for centralised management of products, prices, and inventory levels. This simplifies coordination and efficiency as these tools mean you are always aware of what’s happening via the various channels.
• Inventory management systems: Tools such as TradeGecko and Orderhive offer advanced inventory management options, with features such as real-time tracking, automatic inventory updates, and advanced reporting.

Marketing

E-commerce integrations in the area of marketing make it easier to attract new customers and retain existing ones. You can also use the integrations to develop targeted campaigns or encourage more customer interaction.

Interesting e-commerce software integrations include:

• Mailchimp: for comprehensive email marketing solutions, including automation, audience segmentation, and detailed reports. The software helps build customer relationships and increase conversions.
• Marketing automation software: tools like HubSpot and ActiveCampaign help automate marketing tasks, such as setting up email campaigns, lead nurturing, and customer segmentation. The tools offer in-depth analyses and insights into customer behaviour.

What are the most commonly used software providers for e-commerce?

Your e-commerce webshop works best when you offer customers the best online user experience. In some cases, this requires additional software from providers who have proven themselves in the market. They are strong in their specific functions, for example, in the area of payments, shipping, or marketing. Here are seven integrations for your e-commerce software that you should definitely not overlook.

Mollie

Mollie is the leading payment provider for webshops, allowing you to easily integrate payment solutions. Within your webshop, it offers the option to receive payments via iDeal, credit cards, PayPal, and SEPA direct debit. The interface is very easy to use, and the cost structure is transparent, making it a popular choice for both small and large webshops.

Klarna

Klarna offers you the possibility to let customers pay afterwards (or in instalments). The user-friendly checkout increases both conversion rates and customer satisfaction. This is widely used in various European markets. Klarna offers buyer protection in these markets, giving customers more confidence to order from you.

iDeal

iDeal is the most popular online payment method in the Netherlands. Customers can pay online from the trusted environment of their own bank. This is fast, secure, and reliable, thus contributing to the trust customers have in your webshop. Please note that iDeal is only available in the Netherlands (Wero will be its European successor).

PayPal

PayPal is a popular payment provider worldwide. Consumers can make payments using their PayPal balance or link their bank account or credit card. PayPal offers buyer protection and a simple checkout, giving customers confidence in ordering from you. It is a popular choice especially for international webshops because of its wide acceptance and high level of reliability.

Sendcloud

Sendcloud simplifies and automates the shipping process for e-commerce websites. The platform lets you integrate with multiple carriers such as PostNL, DHL, and UPS. You can also use the software to easily print shipping labels, manage returns, and provide tracking information. Ultimately, this allows you to work more efficiently and increases customer satisfaction with fast and reliable shipping.

ChannelEngine

ChannelEngine was developed as a multi-vendor connection. It is software for your e-commerce platform that you can use to sell through multiple marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, and bol.com. Looking for a way to integrate these channels and automate inventory management, for example? ChannelEngine can help you with that. By adopting this approach, you can expand your reach (through marketplaces) without significantly increasing management complexity.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp offers you powerful marketing software, specifically developed for creating and automating email campaigns. You can send personalised emails from the webshop, manage customer segments, and analyse the effectiveness of your campaigns. You can also integrate the software with, for example, Shopify or WooCommerce. This offers the possibility to further increase customer engagement so that you achieve as much conversion as possible.

Hypernode is here to help

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