Running an e-commerce business today has never been as easy in our digital era. Small businesses especially have a unique opportunity to create online stores and sell to consumers around the world. As a small business owner, you’re probably in search of affordable solutions that can meet your needs in terms of quality, functionality, and user experience (UX).

Luckily, there are many e-commerce platforms, as mentioned by the eCommerce Web Design Companies India, in the market tailored to small businesses with effective, low-cost solutions. These platforms offer all the critical tools to create, maintain, and grow your online store without draining your budget. In this blog post, we will drive you through the affordable e-commerce platforms perfect for small businesses.

Shopify (Basic Plan)

Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms, and for good reason. Its basic plan starts at $39 a month, but it packs a lot of value for small business owners. It’s a fully hosted solution—you don’t have to concern yourself with the technicalities of hosting, security, or software updates.

The basic plan provides unlimited products, 24/7 customer support, and a huge selection of themes and apps. You’ll also be able to incorporate different payment gateways such as PayPal and use Shopify’s built-in analytics tools to monitor your store’s performance.

BigCommerce (Standard Plan)

BigCommerce is another strong alternative for an ecommerce platform that can serve businesses of all sizes. Its base-level plan is $39 per month and also includes capabilities to help small businesses run and scale. BigCommerce set itself apart with a rich set of SEO, marketing, shipping, and packing tools.

It has unlimited products and bandwidth, integrated payment gateways, and templates available for free. Its multi-channel selling capability is a clear plus, allowing you to sell on Amazon, eBay, social media, and more. Additionally, BigCommerce has great customer support if you have any questions at all.

Wix Ecommerce

Wix is best known for its website-building tools, but it also has a fairly easy-to-use ecommerce step. Wix Ecommerce is an inexpensive solution for small businesses, with plans beginning at $23/month. It lets you build a beautiful online store with no code required.

Wix offers drag-and-drop design features, an extensive range of customizable templates, and a secure payment gateway. As your business expands, you can also integrate with third-party apps to enhance its features. Wix is ideal for new businesses looking for an easy, budget-friendly way to sell products online.

Squarespace

Squarespace is an elegant website builder with templates designed by professionals. It is not as feature-rich as some other ecommerce platforms that are available, but it is a great option for small businesses with smaller catalogues of products. All of the basic eCommerce plan features are included, and it comes at a starting price of $27 per month, which covers everything from inventory management to tax automation and shipping integrations.

With a user interface that’s clean and intuitive, Squarespace is an excellent option for entrepreneurs who care about design and aesthetics. Squarespace also provides a free domain for the first year, integrates with different payment providers such as Stripe and PayPal, and more.

Weebly

Weebly (currently owned by Square) provides one of the cheapest ecommerce plans from just $12 per month. Its easy-to-use platform enables small business owners to set up an online shop quickly and simply without any technical knowledge.

The basic free plan contains basic features, but if you plan to sell online, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. Paid plans include features like unlimited products, integrated payment processing via Square, and customizable themes. For no-frills e-commerce at a low cost, Weebly is a great option for small businesses.

Ecwid

Ecwid is a unique ecommerce application that adds an online store to your existing website. It integrates effortlessly with platforms such as WordPress, Wix, and Joomla. Companies for “business plan” pricing is $15 per month, which enables unlimited product sales and inventory management and also grants you the use of payment gateways including PayPal and Stripe.

A particularly unique feature of Ecwid is that it’s “sell anywhere,” meaning you can manage the products you want to sell across different websites, marketplaces, and social media channels. Ecwid is a great choice for small businesses with an existing website that want eCommerce features while not completely redoing everything.

WooCommerce (For WordPress)

WooCommerce is a feature-rich, open-source ecommerce solution for WordPress. While the plugin itself is free, you’ll need web hosting (costs vary) and potentially a premium theme or additional plugins. With WooCommerce, you can customize your store according to your needs, as it is extremely versatile.

Although it takes a little more technical expertise than hosted platforms, WooCommerce allows small business owners complete control over their store’s look, features, and functionality. It’s ideal for those that are already on WordPress and want to add eCommerce features to their current site.

Conclusion

It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to start an online store. Small business owners can find a wealth of inexpensive e-commerce platforms that deliver all the tools they need to succeed. Whether starting with basic platforms such as Wix and Weebly or creating more advanced options like Shopify and BigCommerce, there is an ecommerce platform that will serve any business need and budget.

When deciding on the most suitable ecommerce platform, it is essential to take into account the breadth of your products, your customization requirements and the scalability of the platform itself. With the right platform, you can build a great online store without breaking the bank, one that draws in customers and allows your business to flourish.

Also Read: Ecommerce Testing: How To Test Your Ecommerce Site