Looking for the best e-commerce CMS to build your online store?
Before selecting a solution that will host your merchant site, you will need to list your needs, your skills, and the features needed to build a site that reflects your image. The goal is to choose a solution that will follow you for a long time.
In this article, discover internal criteria for choosing your platform, features to compare, plus our top 5 ecommerce CMS!
Criteria for choosing an e-commerce CMS that suits your business
It all starts with your requirements and your technical knowledge. The solutions are so vast and varied that you should check out the features needed to manage it.
size of your online store
5, 10, 50, 100, 1000 products? How big will your online catalog be? You will not have the same technical requirements depending on the stock being referred. Likewise if your merchandise comes in a variety of sizes, colors, materials and other options.
Before choosing the best e-commerce CMS for your project, list the number of products and their variations that you will have in stock.
Profile of E-commerce Managers
Are you going to manage your online store alone or with a team? What are the technical skills of the people in charge of building and managing your e-commerce?
Some CMS are easier to learn than others. There are turnkey solutions, which are very suitable for beginners with limited customization needs.
Conversely, you can opt for a technology platform, which offers more functionality and scalability, but requires technical skills. These solutions are suitable for companies that have a webmaster or want to work with a freelance webmaster to create a 100% personalized online store.
Tools to be synchronized with Ecommerce CMS
Do you use marketing tools, such as emailing solutions, DMP (Data Management Platform), automation tools, CRM etc.? , If so, you need to make sure that the selected e-commerce CMS allows you to synchronize and integrate with your existing tools.
Important Features to Choose an Ecommerce CMS
After surveying your needs, it’s time to list the technical specifications needed for the success of your project. To do this you have to think in the medium and long term.
An SEO Friendly Ecommerce CMS
All e-commerce CMSs provide parameters to customize to your natural context. However, some solutions more or less facilitate the integration of your SEO strategy through advanced extensions. Other platforms include SEO modules within the theme (such is the case with Shopify, for example).
That’s why you need to know if you want an e-commerce CMS that can support your SEO needs as much as possible. If you prefer the manual way or the use of external tools, you will have to ask yourself the question of compatibility with the chosen platform.
Ergonomics and Back Office of CMS
We come back to the question of the technical prowess of your team. If you have an in-depth knowledge of web design and development, you can choose open source tools, which are more complete and more complex.
If required, choose an e-commerce CMS that works in drag and drop and WYSIWYG for easy daily management.
scalability of equipment
What are your long term goals? If you intend to expand your online store by offering more products and/or if you want to set up new functions later, then include these parameters in your choice.
Migrating a merchant site to a new solution is tedious and sometimes costly. It is better to directly choose an e-commerce CMS that will support your growth.
technical support
Depending on your level of expertise, your need for help and support varies. For example some e-commerce solutions like WordPress do not have dedicated support. They benefit from an active forum, with a community ready to answer your questions. However, the response and quality of responses vary widely.
In contrast, platforms like Shopify or Wizishop provide you with real technical support. You can chat with consultants who will do everything to solve your problem.
Our Top 5 of the Best Ecommerce CMS
It’s time to get to the bottom of the matter and compare our 5 favorite ecommerce CMS! For each of them, we have listed the advantages, disadvantages and price. You will have all the information you need to make the right choice.
1. WooCommerce
Let’s start with one of the most famous e-commerce CMS in the world: WooCommerce. It hosts over 5 million active sites. If you work with WordPress then this platform definitely talks to you.
Benefits of WooCommerce
- Simple handling for regular WordPress, more complicated for others.
- Thousands of customizable themes to meet your needs.
- There are many SEO extensions available to promote your natural context.
- Guaranteed scalability thanks to the many extensions available.
- Synchronization with most marketing tools: Mailchimp, Google Ads, Mailpoet, Hubspot, Zapier…
- Large choice of payment methods: Amazon Pay, Paypal, Stripe, Square, Eway, Viva Wallet…
WooCommerce Limitations
- No real technical support.
- Not suitable for large e-commerce sites with thousands of product sheets.
- Most paid e-commerce themes.
- Creating a merchant site 100% in your image requires web development skills.
- Faults and security risks if not maintained regularly.
cost : Like some themes and plugins, installation is free. However, you will need to subscribe to web hosting and reserve your domain name.
Do you want to stay on WordPress and use the WooCommerce plugin to launch your e-commerce site? Get help from an independent WooCommerce developer by posting a free ad on Codeur.com!
2.Prestashop
Considered to be a safe bet, Prestashop e-commerce CMS offers several tools to merchant site managers. It is currently equipped with 32,000 online stores of all sizes.
Benefits of Prestashop
- Support for large e-commerce with thousands of products.
- Integration of the entire supply chain from inventory management to product promotion.
- Thousands of customizable themes to accompany your graphic charter.
- There are many SEO extensions available to customize your natural context.
- Guaranteed scalability thanks to the many extensions available.
- Synchronization with most marketing tools: Dedicated extensions for social networks and marketplaces, CRM and ERP, marketplace feeds, emailing platforms, etc.
- Large choice of payment methods: Bank Card, Paypal, Stripe, Adean, Payplug…
Prestashop Limits
- Complex handling, it is advisable to stay with a specialist.
- No real technical support, you have to refer the user community.
- Most of the paid themes and extensions, which can enhance the note.
cost : Installing Prestatshop is free, but you will need to subscribe to web hosting and reserve your domain name.
Want to get started on Prestashop? Trust an independent Prestashop developer on Codeur.com to develop your e-commerce website!
3. Magento
Magento is a professional and powerful e-commerce CMS! If you have complex needs, this is definitely the ideal solution.
benefits of magento
- Ability to reference thousands of products.
- Easy configuration of multiple online stores in different currencies and languages.
- Technical support at your service, as well as an active community.
- Strong growth capabilities to grow your store in the long term.
- Support for the entire logistics and marketing chain, from inventory management to product promotion.
- Effective SEO parameters to optimize your natural context.
- Setting up the payment methods of your choice.
magento limits
- complex handling. Having or being trained with an expert is a must.
- Powerful and secure web hosting required.
- A significant financial investment for an online store is just getting started.
- Paid themes and extensions.
- Higher cost now (between 300 and 1000 € per month).
cost : Magento installation is free. On the other hand, you have to choose powerful dedicated servers, provide solid maintenance, buy a domain name and invest in themes and plugins to build an online store in your image.
Are you convinced with Magento? Request Quotes from Freelance Magento Developers at Codeur.com!
4. Vijishop
Made in France, this e-commerce CMS is perfect for beginners! A turnkey solution, Visishop allows you to configure an online store in less than 24 hours.
Benefits of Visishop
- Very simplified handling.
- Powerful basic features to build your e-commerce site.
- Offers include hosting and domain names.
- An ergonomic interface and back-office that allows you to easily customize the basic theme.
- A basic, yet effective option for marketing, cross-selling and SEO.
- No maintenance or security updates to do.
- Responsive technical support.
Limitations of Wizishop
- Not suitable for e-commerce sites with more than a hundred products.
- Unless you use their graphic designers, there is little customization available.
- Limited scalability.
cost : Wizishop offers 3 subscription plans starting from €27 excluding VAT/month. The platform also charges a transaction fee which varies from 0.5% to 2% depending on the offer chosen.
5.Shopify
Shopify is a Canadian platform that works on the same principle as Wizishop. With 800,000 users worldwide, this e-commerce CMS is for professionals who want to launch their merchant site quickly.
Benefits of Shopify
- Very simplified handling.
- A plethora of payment method and options to manage delivery, discount coupons, email, etc.
- Reactive technical support (provided you are fluent in English).
- Offers include web hosting and domain names.
- The analysis and statistical functions are linked to Google Analytics.
- There are many free themes available and customizable.
- No maintenance or security updates to do.
Shopify Limits
- Not suitable for e-commerce sites with more than a hundred products.
- A very limited customization that does not allow you to integrate your entire graphical charter.
- Limited scalability.
cost : Shopify offers 3 packages that start at 27€/month. The platform also charges commission which varies from 0.5% to 2% depending on the formula chosen.
Want to launch your Shopify site? Call a Freelance Shopify Developer at Codeur.com!
Our Tips for Choosing the Best Ecommerce CMS
To choose the best e-commerce CMS, write down your budget specifications along with your technical, human and physical requirements.
Then get support from an independent e-commerce developer, by posting an ad on Coder, to choose the right solution and develop a merchant site that perfectly meets your expectations!