What are the most important features to look for in an eCommerce website builder?
Regardless of your needs, the basic features you must look out for in a website builder are:
- User-friendliness: Pick a website builder with an easy-to-navigate interface, especially if you’re a beginner. The complexity of your site builder’s interface will determine how long it takes to set up your store.
- Payment gateways: Choose a website builder with secure payment processing. Get as much of this automated/integrated as possible to avoid payment complexities and free up time for the rest of the website.
- Bestandsverwaltung: Look for website builders where you can track stock levels for your items. These tools should update your stock availability as and when required. This is vital for transparency with customers and to avoid selling too many of a particular item.
- Versand: Consider features where you can add different shipping options, such as letting the customer choose their delivery method. You’ll want to automatically calculate shipping costs based on their choice. Find a website builder where you can build a custom app if needed.
- Mobile Reaktionsfähigkeit: Google prioritizes mobile-optimized websites, and it starts with your theme/site builder. Since the process can be technical, find a website builder that automatically optimizes your site for smartphones and tablets.
- On-page SEO: Meta titles/descriptions, and integration with Google Analytics/Google Search Console to track your results, should be included in your site builder.
- Kundensupport: Since building a website can be challenging, find a site builder with a comprehensive knowledge base and on-hand customer service.
Before looking at “nice-to-have” features, covering all of the above bases is crucial for building your online store’s foundations.
What are the pros and cons of each of these platforms?
Understanding the pros and cons of each website builder is vital before you even sign up for a free trial. You’ll always need to make tradeoffs, but it’s also worth understanding the strengths of each one.
Hocoos
Hocoos uses AI to build an eCommerce store; themes are mobile-optimized by default.
Vorteile:
- User-friendliness: Tell Hocoos what kind of store you’re trying to build. The tool then builds your store with AI, but you’ll still need to customize it afterward.
- Preis: Hocoos is typically less expensive than some of the other most popular website builders.
- Payment integrations: Use Stripe with your online store.
- Free plan: Develop your website with essential features at no cost. Try the version and upgrade to the premium plan for full functionality when your needs expand.
- Page creation: Set up product pages with filters, checkout pages, etc.
- Mobile Optimierung: Hocoos websites use mobile-first design.
- Tax calculation: Create tax groups for different countries to collect VAT.
Nachteile:
- Anpassung: Some platforms may offer more customization features.
- Sicherungen: Make sure that you’ve backed up your store.
Shopify
Shopify is an eCommerce platform with a handful of free templates and various paid features.
Vorteile:
- Funktionen: Shopify has an app store for customization, though you’ll need to pay for many tools.
- Sales features: Use tools like abandoned cart recovery to convert customers.
- Payments: Shopify handles payment transactions for you.
- Skalierbarkeit: Use Shopify’s resources.
Nachteile:
- Free templates: Shopify only has a few free templates.
- Learning curve: Allocate enough time to learn how to use Shopify’s features.
- Preis: Monthly fees, transaction fees, and paid apps/templates need to be accounted for in your budget.
- Inhaltsverwaltung: You’ll need to learn how to manage content in Shopify as it’s different from other platforms.
Wix
Wix is a website builder largely used by freelancers and bloggers, but some eCommerce stores run on it.
Vorteile:
- Intuition: Drag-and-drop tools are used to build Wix websites.
- Preis: Wix has a free plan along with some paid plans.
- Website templates: Access Wix’s template library to initiate your website construction.
Nachteile:
- Page load times: While Wix websites may display slightly prolonged loading times, meticulous site development practices can potentially contribute to greater efficiency.
- Skalierbarkeit: Wix’s website builder is targeted mainly at beginners.
- Funktionen: Wix’s features are mainly targeted at beginners.
- Template switching: Users have the ability to switch templates, but the process may not be as user-friendly as on other sites.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a website builder used mainly by businesses, but also designers and photographers.
Vorteile:
- Design: Use Squarespace’s design library.
- Oberfläche: Squarespace has a beginner-friendly interface, though its features can feel limiting after a while.
- Bloggen: Among Squarespace’s features are blogging and SEO tools.
Nachteile:
- Anpassung: Squarespace’s templates are stunning, but you may struggle to customize them how you want.
- Preise: Squarespace’s plans are more for people with a bigger budget.
- Integrationen: Squarespace provides a limited selection of pre-integrated tools, while other platforms offer a wider range of readily available integrations.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is primarily built for larger eCommerce stores, though beginners who want to scale might also look at it.
Vorteile:
- Volume: Look at BigCommerce if you make large numbers of monthly sales.
- Transaction fees: BigCommerce doesn’t have transaction fees, though you will need to pay a monthly subscription.
- Funktionen: BigCommerce has B2B and SEO tools.
Nachteile:
- Komplexität: For those new to eCommerce, using a more straightforward shopping cart platform might be advantageous.
- Free themes: While BigCommerce offers free themes, the variety may be more restricted compared to other options.
- Technical know-how: Operating BigCommerce demands technical fluency; partnering with seasoned professionals might be wise if these skills are lacking.
Which eCommerce website builder is right for me?
Choosing your eCommerce website builder will depend on your own business requirements. Your skill level will play a role in which tool is the most logical for you to use, too.
Before committing to a platform, think about each of these factors.
- Budget: Assess how much money you can realistically spend on a website builder and consider transaction fees. Calculate your expected profit margins for each tool.
- Technical skills: Since some builders are easier to use than others, consider your technical ability and pick one that matches your potential.
- Funktionen: Analyze what you want your eCommerce store to look/feel like and pick a platform with relevant features.
- Skalierbarkeit: Forecast where you see yourself in the future and pick a website builder that fits within this vision.
It’s okay to try different site builders to find out which ones work and which don’t work, but you need to consider the complexities of changing later down the line.
Are there any free trials available for these platforms?
Some eCommerce website builders offer free trials, but this is not universal. Use these to determine whether you’d want to get a free plan with the platform, and try multiple options before committing to one.
What kind of marketing tools and integrations do these platforms offer?
Different builders have different integrations. Some might not have integrations due to their built-in features already doing the work; nonetheless, observe each platform’s add-ons in case you need them.
Some common marketing tools and integrations are:
- E-Mail-Marketing: Tools like Mailchimp and Kit are used to send newsletter campaigns and collect subscriber emails.
- Soziale Medien: Tools like Facebook and WhatsApp can sometimes be accessed via the backend. These apps are available in Hocoos.
- SEO: Integrations with Google Analytics und Google Search Console are common. Some platforms might offer other SEO integrations (e.g. Yoast), but this may not be necessary if the builder already has these features.
- Discount/promotion features: Some website builders have discount and promo tools built-in, whereas you need to integrate third-party apps with others.
- CRM: CRM systems facilitate the organization and management of customer information.
Integrate or use these tools in a way that makes sense for your business. Considering each one is crucial if you want to grow your audience.
Fazit
Picking a platform that meets your needs is a fundamental first step for building an online business. Knowing what each eCommerce website builder is and isn’t capable of is crucial, and you should try free trials for each of them.
Besides the subscription price, consider transaction fees, paid templates, etc., in your budget. Before committing to one platform, you can always experiment – make sure that you know how to migrate your store to another provider if needed, though.
