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The ease of selling online depends on various factors, including your product, target market, and experience level. However, with the right tools and resources, anyone can sell online successfully. The three e-commerce platforms I use to build online shops are WooCommerce, Big Cartel, and Shopify.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an e-commerce plugin for WordPress that is fully customizable and scalable to meet your business needs. An e-commerce shop built with WooCommerce is self-hosted and requires purchasing a web host and domain. This option allows full ownership of content without violating the terms of service that may be present with fully hosted third-party websites.
- Self-hosted WordPress installation (web hosting, domain)
- Theme customization
- Sell physical items, digital products, or subscriptions
- Dropshipping and print-on-demand capability
- Omnichannel integration with Facebook and Instagram
- Extensive app integrations and extensions
- Features list
- Pricing: WooCommerce and WordPress are free to download and use; pricing is based on your web hosting service. Additional fees may apply for premium plugins to add functionality.
Big Cartel
Big Cartel is an easy-to-use and affordable e-commerce platform. It is a popular choice for artists and handmade creators who are not ready to invest significantly to start an e-commerce shop. Additionally, I recommend this platform for sellers who want to start a print-on-demand business with minimal risk.
- Hosting by Big Cartel
- Custom domain
- Free and premium themes with minimal customization
- Sell physical items; digital products require a premium app integration
- Print-on-demand capability
- Limited app integrations
- Features list and monthly pricing
- Pricing: Big Cartel pricing is based on the number of products you plan to sell.
Shopify
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that enables businesses to create, manage, and grow online stores. It provides a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features for selling products in person and online. Additionally, I recommend this platform for sellers who want to start a dropshipping or print-on-demand business and access the marketing tools a Shopify membership provides.
- Hosting by Shopify
- Custom domain
- Free and premium themes with limited theme customization
- Sell physical items, digital products, or subscriptions
- Dropshipping and print-on-demand capability
- Omnichannel integration with Facebook and Instagram
- Extensive app integrations
- Features list and monthly pricing
- Pricing: Shopify basic plan is the standard option for small business owners. Additional fees may apply for premium apps to add functionality.
If you are interested in starting an e-commerce shop and don’t know where to start, let’s connect, and we can discuss which platform would work best to launch your online business.
