E-commerce involves selling and purchasing activities that take place over the internet. In such a scenario eCommerce includes both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer). An ideal e-commerce platform is a software application where both sellers and consumers come, play their roles and participate in their respective activities. Necessarily, any consumer should have the ability to discover products, shop, and then checkout securely, when they are visiting an eCommerce platform.
There are three main different types of eCommerce platforms. First comes SaaS (software-as-a-service) platforms, then comes PaaS (platform-as-a-service) platforms, and finally on-premises platforms. Both SaaS and PaaS platforms deliver e-commerce solutions over the internet. SaaS platforms, like Shopify, involve the use of software only, allowing users to set up small business online stores. Only when a hardware element comes into the picture, they get termed as PaaS platforms. SaaS and PaaS are usually the best options for smaller companies or new companies who are entering the e-commerce scenario. They offer professional support and installation along with easy ecommerce development tools, for a monthly fee to use their hosting site, which is basically like a membership subscription, along with transaction fees on every successful purchase.
Let’s take a look at some of the best eCommerce platforms for small businesses:
Shopify
It is a subscription format eCommerce platform, helping businesses of any size in selling both physical and digital products. One can either build a Shopify store or choose to sell through an existing portal. One can also sell using social media, emails, guest blog posts, or in-person with the help of a Shopify buy button.
There are multiple ways to sell both in-person or online on Shopify. The platform is chosen by many due to the user-friendly interface it offers. It is good for dropshipping, offers fantastic themes, comes with multiple support options all at a very low startup cost.
MyDukaan
MyDukaan is an online platform that allows customers to purchase their daily requirements from local stores at hand. It displays the location of stores situated close by to the customer’s location, usually within a range of 1-2kms, which helps the customer to purchase their groceries swiftly from these stores in an efficient manner.
MyDukaan offers a platform that connects customers to the retail stores near them. The customer chooses the retailer and places their order directly to the store and then the retailer puts out the list to deliver the items to the customer’s doorstep.
Instamojo
Based in Bangalore, this company helps small, independent businesses, startups and MSMEs by equipping them with personalised online stores and online payment gateways to help them establish an online business and steer ahead successfully.
Instamojo is known to power 10% of the digital MSMEs and ensures growth for almost 1 out of every 100 small businesses of India. Instamojo also has a premium offer that provides a ‘Do-it-for-me’ feature where the company's dedicated team will setup the store from scratch for the customer at an extremely nominal cost.
SalesKlik
SalesKlik delivers a seamless experience while creating user-friendly online stores. With easy ecommerce development tools and a smooth navigation interface, SalesKlik is the best ecommerce platform to sell products. Combining innovation and quality, the platform serves as an integrated marketplace for almost anything and everything through online shopping in India. Be it small-scale businesses or MSMEs, SalesKlik extends its services and caters to the needs of businesses of all sizes in just three easy steps.
Create your custom small business online store, choose from beautiful theme templates, list your products, everything at just ₹1.
Meesho
Based in Bangalore, Meesho strives to develop an ecosystem where everyone can launch their own set of merchandise with practically zero investment. Presently, Meesho has more than 17 million resellers among which a whopping 15 million are only women resellers. The company has another 60,000 suppliers under their programme as well.
Meesho allows everyone the chance to sell lifestyle and fashion products through social media platforms like - WhatsApp and Facebook. Through the Reseller programme, users can share Meesho listed commodities across their own personal network or on their social channels. With every sale one completes, there’s a handy profit along with it.
Wix
Wix provides an interface of drag-and-drop tools along with more than 500+ ready-made templates that is very user-friendly and lets you setup your website in a breeze without needing to hire a web developer or have any specialist skills. They accelerate the web development process allowing you the creative freedom to create your website accordingly.
Wix is a classic website builder for any small to medium scale ecommerce businesses that’s very feasible to navigate, customise, and quite affordable. There are over 200 million registered users globally and it is available in 17 different languages (Wix).
Shopmatic
Shopmatic presents its users with an entire ecosystem for online selling. It lets you create your webstore in just minutes with readymade templates, multiple secure payment/shipping options, social chat systems and much more. Their intuitive site editor tool lets anyone easily structure and customise their own store, without any in depth coding or design knowledge.
With Shopmatic, ship your products anywhere in the world, through the integrated network of multiple domestic and cross-border shipping partners who enables everyone to ship their products anywhere across the globe.
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