Best Ecommerce Platforms UK in 2023

What is an eCommerce platform?

Online stores use ecommerce platforms to manage their product catalogs, process purchases, and maintain customer relationships. Ecommerce platforms let customers browse products, add items to a cart, and complete their purchase.

An ecommerce platform is essential for running an online business because it provides essential ecommerce features. Among them are product management, payment processing, shipping and tax calculations, and customer management

Ecommerce in the UK

According to statista, the UK will have over 60 million ecommerce users in 2023, making it the most advanced market in Europe. Over the past two years, online shopping has become the norm for most UK shoppers.

As consumers search for the best deals and prices online, spending on fashion, health & beauty, home and garden, consumer electronics, and travel services is on the rise. Shoppers still like to check out products in person before making purchases online, especially with smartphones and tablets. Services like click and collect are also popular.

Ecommerce is booming, and social media marketing is a key way to promote online stores. In contrast, many physical stores are filing for bankruptcy or going out of business.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Ecommerce Platform

In today’s digital era, having an online presence is crucial for any business. Ecommerce has revolutionised the way businesses operate and sell products.

Choosing the right ecommerce platform is essential for the success of your online business. With so many options available in the market, it can be challenging to make the right choice.

In this article, we will discuss the 7 factors that you need to consider when selecting an ecommerce platform.

1. Scalability

Scalability is an important factor to consider when selecting an or platform for small businesses. You need to choose a platform that can grow with your business. Your online store should be able to handle an increase in traffic, orders and data without any hiccups. Look for a platform that allows you to add new features and integrations as your ecommerce business grows.

2. Customisation

Every business has unique needs and requirements. You need an ecommerce platform that can be customised to fit your specific needs. The best ecommerce platform should allow you to customise the look and feel of your online store, add features, and integrate with third-party tools. Look for a platform that offers flexibility and customisation options.

3. Payment Gateways

Payment gateways are an essential part of any ecommerce platform. You need to choose a platform that supports multiple payment processors and gateways. Look for a platform that supports popular payment processors and gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net. The platform should also support local payment methods to cater to customers in different countries.

4. Security

Security is a critical factor when it comes to ecommerce platforms. Your online store will be handling sensitive customer data like credit card details, personal information, and purchase history. You need to choose a platform that has robust security measures in place. Look for a platform that is PCI compliant, has SSL encryption, and offers regular security updates.

5. Mobile Responsiveness

In today’s mobile-first world, having a mobile-responsive online store is a must. Your online store should be optimised for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Look for a platform that offers responsive design templates that work well on different screen sizes. The platform should also have a mobile app for managing your online store on the go.

6. Support

Technical issues can occur at any time. You need an ecommerce platform that offers reliable support. Look for a platform that offers customer accounts and multiple support channels like email, phone, and live chat. The platform should also have a knowledge base and community forum where you can find answers to common questions.

7. Pricing

Pricing is an important consideration when selecting an ecommerce platform. You need to choose a platform that fits your budget. Look for a platform that offers flexible pricing plans and multiple payment options. The platform should also offer transparent pricing without any hidden fees.

Overview of the top 6 ecommerce platforms in the UK

In order to help your small business choose the right eCommerce platform, we’ve compiled a list of the top ecommerce platforms. Each platform has its own pros and cons, so you can decide which one works best for you.

Using these best ecommerce platforms uk can improve your ecommerce space, business performance, sales, and SEO. You can find detailed information about all the features and pricing of the 6 best eCommerce platforms below.

Here are 6 of the most popular ecommerce platforms for 2023

• Shopify – Best for dedicated sales functionality
• Woocommerce – Best free ecommerce platform
• BigCommerce – Best for integrating with other sales channels
• Magento – Best for large online stores
• Squarespace – Best for control over design and creativity
• Wix Ecommerce – Best ecommerce platform for small businesses

Shopify

Pricing: Shopify offers various pricing plans starting at £22 per month.

Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platform with over a million businesses worldwide. It’s easy to use, offers excellent customer support, and provides an array of features such as customisable website design templates, payment gateways, and inventory management.

Additionally, Shopify offers integrations with third-party apps to enhance your ecommerce store’s functionality.

Pros

One of the main advantages of using Shopify is that it is user-friendly and easy to set up. Even if a business owner does not have much technical expertise, they can still create an online store using Shopify.

Additionally, Shopify offers a wide range of free themes and templates that businesses can use to customise their online store to their liking. Another benefit is the availability of various payment options and the ability to handle taxes and shipping.

Cons

On the downside, Shopify’s pricing can be a disadvantage for some businesses. The monthly subscription fees and transaction fees may be too high for smaller businesses.

Additionally, Shopify’s customisation options may be limited for more complex stores, and the platform’s SEO features may not be as strong as some other platforms.

Summary

Shopify can be a great choice for businesses that want a simple and user-friendly ecommerce platform.

However, businesses with more complex needs may want to consider other ecommerce platforms options that offer more flexibility and customisation.

WooCommerce

Pricing: WooCommerce is free to use, but additional costs may incur based on the plugins you use.

WooCommerce is an open-source ecommerce platform that operates on a WordPress website via a WordPress plugin. It’s a popular choice for small businesses due to its flexibility and customisation options.

WooCommerce offers various features such as payment gateways, website building features, design templates, and inventory management. Additionally, WooCommerce offers various plugins to enhance your own ecommerce site or store’s functionality.

Pros

A wide range of plugins: The large number of plugins available with WooCommerce is one of its main benefits. Businesses can create customised online stores with these plugins, along with other social media platforms, marketing tools, email campaigns, and shipping features.

Internationalisation Capabilities: WooCommerce supports multi-currency sales and automatic tax amendments by region. WooCommerce can also be translated into 24 languages, which makes it a great choice for international businesses.

Payment options: WooCommerce has PayPal and Stripe built-in, but it also supports Amazon Pay and Square through third-party integrations.

Cons

It’s hard to use: There’s a lot to learn about WooCommerce for an inexperienced user. Using WooCommerce to its full potential requires some technical knowledge and expertise, and some features might not be obvious at first.

Lack of Dedicated Support: WooCommerce doesn’t have a dedicated customer support and team like other ecommerce platforms. Businesses must instead rely on their web hosting provider’s customer service. Siteground, for example, has great customer service.

Summary

WooCommerce is a great ecommerce platform with lots of features. When choosing WooCommerce for your ecommerce solution, you should be aware of the learning curve and lack of dedicated technical support here.

BigCommerce

Pricing: BigCommerce offers various pricing plans starting at £24.95 per month.

BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that offers an all-in-one ecommerce solution for small businesses. It provides website design templates, payment gateways, and inventory management.

Additionally, BigCommerce offers features such as social media integration and abandoned cart recovery. It’s user-friendly, with an easy-to-use interface.

Pros

BigCommerce is known for its excellent integration with point of sale systems, making it a great option for businesses that need a POS solution.

With unlimited file storage and bandwidth, businesses can easily scale their online store without worrying about running out of space or exceeding bandwidth limits.

BigCommerce has a robust shipping integration system, making it easy for businesses to manage and track their shipping operations, especially for large-scale operations.

Cons

BigCommerce is relatively expensive, especially for small businesses or those just starting out. The cost of additional features or apps can add up quickly.

Some of the free themes available on BigCommerce can be quite similar to each other, which can limit the customisation options for businesses looking for a unique look for their online store.

This can result in a lack of brand differentiation and may impact customer perception.

Magento

Pricing: Magento offers various pricing plans starting at £1,900 per year.

Magento is an open-source ecommerce platform that offers various customisation options. It’s an excellent choice for small businesses that require advanced ecommerce functionality, such as complex product catalogs and customer segmentation.

Magento offers advanced features, such as payment gateways, website design templates, and inventory management. Additionally, Magento offers various plugins to enhance your ecommerce store’s functionality.

Pros

Outstanding ease of use: Magento is a user-friendly platform that allows individuals to set up an online store with little to no coding experience.

High flexibility: As an open-source platform, Magento allows users to modify source codes, personalise templates, and add needed functionality to their website.

Unique features that other popular ecommerce platforms lack: Magento stands out among ecommerce systems by enabling users to sell unlimited products, manage several stores, translate content, use multiple currencies, and have multiple channels and set different prices for each.

Large community of users: Magento has a huge user base, providing quick assistance, and encouraging the creation of several extensions and plugins.

Mobile-friendliness: Magento is considered mobile-friendly due to its ease of use in creating mobile sites, contributing to rising sales and a decline in bounce rates.

Great scalability: Magento can manage scalability with ease and process 500,000 goods and tens of thousands of transactions every hour.

Cons

Quite costly: Magento’s pricing is higher when compared to other ecommerce software systems, with the enterprise edition costing over £15,000.

Few developers: Reliable Magento developers are challenging to find due to the intricate knowledge of object-oriented development and extensive familiarity with core software that is required.

Slow loading time: Magento loads pages slowly due to its variable architecture, making implementation and migration more challenging than other ecommerce systems.

Need for hosting: Magento requires its dedicated server, making hosting limited and optimisation skills necessary.

Summary

Magento is a user-friendly, flexible, and mobile-friendly ecommerce system that stands out due to its unique features, large user base, and scalability.

However, it comes at a higher cost and requires a dedicated server, with slow loading times and a shortage of reliable developers.

Squarespace

Pricing: Squarespace offers various pricing plans starting at £15 per month.

Squarespace is a website builder that offers various ecommerce stores and functionality. It’s easy to use, with a simple user friendly interface for beginners.

Squarespace offers features such as website design templates, payment gateways, and inventory management. Additionally, Squarespace offers various plugins to enhance your ecommerce store’s functionality.

Pros

One of the best off-the-shelf ecommerce website builders: Squarespace offers beautiful, modern design options. Their various ecommerce store templates reflect this, showcasing products in an appealing and professional way. Squarespace lets businesses create custom online ecommerce stores that match their brand aesthetic.

High-quality site features: Squarespace offers a range of features to help businesses sell more online. You can sell subscriptions, gift cards, and you can also market to those that have abandoned their cart. Additionally, Squarespace’s analytics system provides detailed information on customer behavior and sales.

A great inventory system and analytical tools: It’s easy to use Squarespace’s full inventory tracking system. Track inventory levels, manage products, and receive alerts when inventory levels fall. Businesses can also make data-driven decisions using Squarespace’s analytical tools to understand customer behavior.

Cons:

Competitor platforms offer more choice: Squarespace’s app store is relatively small. Third-party apps are available, but the selection is limited compared to some competitors. Businesses may find it harder to find the right functionality.

It takes some time to get used to: Getting used to Squarespace’s interface can take some time. The platform may require some exploration and learning. It can also be confusing for some users to navigate Squarespace’s ecommerce features across multiple pages.

Summary

Squarespace is a solid choice for businesses looking to sell online. Business of all sizes will benefit from its beautiful design options, high-quality features, and robust analytics tools.

Business owners may find some drawbacks in the platform’s limited app store and somewhat complex navigation.

Wix

Wix is the ideal online storefront and user friendly website builder for small businesses on a budget. It’s an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop website builder that allows you to create a brand-focused website quickly.

You can have unlimited product collections, and Wix offers tools such as a logo and business name generator to help with branding. The Wix dashboard allows you to track your site’s performance by integrating data from multiple platforms.

One advantage of Wix is that it doesn’t charge transaction fees like other website builders, making it the best choice for budget-conscious businesses.

Pros

Wix is a popular website builder that has both pros and cons to consider. One of the main pros of Wix is its easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface, which makes it simple to create a professional-looking website without any coding skills.

Another pro is the built-in SEO tools, which can help improve your site’s visibility in search engines. Wix also has over 200 app integrations available, giving you the ability to add a wide range of features to your site.

Cons

However, there are also some cons to consider. One of the cons is that visitor analytics are not available on the free or Combo plans, so you may need to upgrade to a higher-priced plan to get access to this data.

Another con is the storage limits on all plans, which can be a problem if you have a lot of content on your site. Additionally, once you choose a template and publish your site, you cannot change templates, which can be limiting if you want to update the look of your site in the future.

What are the best ecommerce platforms for small businesses in the UK?

If you’re looking for the best ecommerce platform for small businesses in the UK, there are lots of options. The top ecommerce platforms for small businesses include

• Shopify
• WooCommerce
• BigCommerce
• Squarespace
• Wix
• Weebly

Shopify is a popular choice for small businesses because it’s easy to use, offers a variety of plans, and has an extensive app store.

Meanwhile, WooCommerce offers a variety of customisation options and integration with payment gateways for WordPress websites.

The scalability of BigCommerce makes it ideal for major ecommerce platforms, while Squarespace and Wix are easy to use with ecommerce features.

Weebly features drag and drop functionality on its website builder, along with ecommerce features like customised product pages and secure checkout.

Small businesses can use Square’s ecommerce solution to sell online and in person, with features like inventory management and analytics.

We’re the best website builder for ecommerce

Are you looking for the best way to build your own ecommerce website, and establish your brand identity? While there are many web builders who claim to provide the best solution, working with a team of expert web designers is your best bet to accomplish online success. Digital Website Design is a leading ecommerce website builder with a proven track record of delivering results.

View our portfolio to see the high-quality sites and ecommerce brands we’ve created for businesses just like yours. For more information about our full ecommerce solutions and web design services, visit our website or call 07411230203.