Do you want to transform your home-based small business into an online one? If yes, first pat your back for this wise decision that will skyrocket your sales within a short span. Now, first things first – to setup an online store for your business, you will need a good eCommerce platform. Many merchants after deciding to start an online business, get stuck right at this part, but we don't want you to face the same challenges. That's why we are presenting the top 5 eCommerce platforms in India that will suit any business.

Best eCommerce Platforms In India To Start Your Online Store

In India, a handful of eCommerce platforms are available both for entry-level and established businesses to setup their online identity. Among those, we have picked 5:

Shopify

Based out of Ottawa, Ontario, Shopify was founded back in 2006. Today more than 1,700,000 businesses in almost 175 countries use Shopify. This SaaS platform provides the freedom from coding complexities, and customization scopes with multiple themes and templates.

Along with that, multi-channel selling through Flipkart, Amazon, Instagram, etc. is another plus point of it. There are several paid and free features, plugins, and third-party integrations to make the store more attractive.

Pricing:-

Shopify comes with a 14-day free trial period and after that users can pick any plan among INR 2,400 approx./month, INR 5800 approx./month, and INR 25,000 approx./month.

There is Shopify Lite too – it charges $9/month (750 approx./month); however, it is for adding an eCommerce site to an existing site, instead of building a fresh one.

BigCommerce

Started in 2009, BigCommerce is based out of Sydney, Australia and it also provides SaaS services. It satisfactorily eases the customization process with multiple themes and templates and drag-and-drop features to design their stores.

Pricing:-

BigCommerce also comes with a 15-day trial period and then there are 3 types of plans to choose from: Standard plan at 2205 INR/month, Plus plan at 5887 INR/month, and Pro plan at 22053 INR/month.

Adobe Commerce (Formerly Magento Commerce)

Adobe Commerce or Magento Commerce started in 2007 in LA is an open-source platform where merchants can develop a store for free. But the challenge is the users must know the coding a little bit to customize the store. Best known for its high level of customization opportunities and responsiveness, it holds 20% of Indian eCommerce stores.

It is a bit complicated platform indeed, but it compensates for the complexity with rich features like multi-store facility. Like other eCommerce platforms, it also comes with various free and paid plugins to enhance the appearance and functionalities of the store.

Pricing:-

Adobe/Magento Commerce is completely free until and unless users choose any paid features or subscriptions.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source platform that takes pride as an all-remote company. It started its journey in 2008 as Woo Themes with all its founding members from Cape Town, South Africa. It provides eCommerce solutions for WordPress which instantly received a warm welcome from the users. Design freedom and extensions are the key reasons behind its instant acceptance. With WooCommerce, users can create and manage their online store right from the WordPress site with decent customization opportunities.

Pricing:-

WooCommerce is a free platform until the users choose any paid functionality.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is an open-source platform started in 2005 in Paris, France. Being an open-source platform, it gives the freedom to customize an eCommerce store. But again as a drawback of open-source platforms, PrestaShop too requires a certain level of technical knowledge or at least a team of developers to setup the store. It uses PHP with support for the MySQL DBMS.

On the other side, being open-source, it gives several rich functionalities like multi-currency, multi-inventory, and many other features. Along with that, a range of ready-to-use themes and modules are there to access anytime.

Pricing:-

PrestaShop is absolutely free unless the users don't use any paid features.

All these 5 platforms have a strong community of developers – so, you can seek their help whenever needed.

Other eCommerce Platforms In India

Some other popular eCommerce platforms of India include:

1. Opencart
2. Instamojo
3. Big Cartel
4. Squarespace
5. Wix
6. Ecwid
7. Dukaan
8. Kartify
9. Zoho Commerce
10. Builder.ai

Why Do You Even Need An eCommerce Platform For Your Business?

An eCommerce platform is not just essential to build an online shop, it also ensures a convenient and safe shopping experience for the end-users. Building the online shop on these platforms will ease:

• Order management
• Inventory tracking and management
• Customer service

For an offline store, you can easily keep eyes on inventories, and restock items when needed. But for online stores, it becomes very challenging to do singlehandedly – the eCommerce platform manages all these proactively.

Have A Small Business? You Too Need An eCommerce Platform

Small businesses too can get an online identity through eCommerce platforms. In case you do not know coding and you don't have a technical team, start with the SaaS platforms. You can outsource as well – but businesses of any size can start an online store.

Check eCommerce Business Ideas to Rule India in 2024

Factors To Keep In Mind While Choosing The eCommerce Platform For Your Business

At the time of choosing the eCommerce platform, make sure that:

1. You are clear about your requirements from the online store
2. Research well and compare the offerings of the platforms
3. Check the ease of use from the existing users
4. Do price comparison

And last but not least check long-term benefits of the platform. You may begin with a platform and switch to another in future – so, check how smooth and flexible that transition will be.

Final Words...

Having an online store is not a big deal these days because of these eCommerce platforms. But you need to have a crystal-clear idea about your requirements to analyze which will be the best for you. It is not that you have to choose the platform with maximum functionalities because a majority of the functionalities may not be useful to you. So, understand what you need, then choose the platform accordingly to provide an uninterrupted shopping experience to your customers. And, don't forget to integrate a payment gateway for a speedy, safe yet, simple online transaction experience.

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