Digital commerce versus e-commerce

Since, the only thing ecommerce customers see is, is the website or mobile apps they use to take purchase decision, the fight lies in there. Everyone wants to make their website or mobile app lucrative, easy to navigate and operative in seconds whenever customers want.

Since it’s an era of going mobile, websites need to be more functional to fight the battle than previous. Hence, ecommerce web development is of importance for the companies developing the ecommerce software and the owners of the online business at the same time.

Web Technologies and Ecommerce Business

Whether you’re a small business establishing an e-commerce site for the first time, or you’re a larger merchant looking to streamline your existing online and brick-and-mortar experiences. And there are a number of platforms available to suit your specific needs on both client and server sides.

Front-End Ecommerce Technologies

• Make the website look great
• Build the website to load faster
• Increase responsiveness and device portability

With use of advanced technologies and smart creative minds, web development companies start the primary process of Ecommerce Web Development.

Starting from client-side scripting language to design tools everything is collaborated as one big team to develop the best website for your online business. Whereas, front-end scripting languages are the most essential subset of programming languages that perform specific functions within larger object-oriented back-end programming languages such as Java or C#.

With the advent of HTML5, Canvas, web application developers now have the smart scripting languages, particularly AJAX and Action-script, incorporated into the most of the all modern browsers like chrome, Firefox, IE10 and more. Dependability on plugins are less nowadays.

However, below is a summary of some of the mostly using Front-end Technologies which our developers have expertise in:

HTML

AngularJS is built for dynamic web apps. Since, the introduction and capability of making the website content rather than static, the main fight among the developers began. Newest frameworks and APIs being introduced every once in a while, to support the fight grow rich and more interesting of creative showcase. AngularJS is a structural framework that HTML as the template language.

Node

Node.js is an open source, cross-platform runtime environment for developing server-side and networking applications. It handles the core functionality of server-side JS as a creation of Web servers and networking tools using JavaScript and a collection of modules. As an asynchronous event driven JavaScript runtime, Node is designed to build scalable applications. For ecommerce and network based services Node.JS is the primary choice for the JS developers.

ReactJS

Developed by Microsoft, VBScript enhances web functionality with lightweight speed.

Ajax

Interesting thing is, Ajax is a developers’ dream; specially for front-end architects and UX designers. The reason probably is that, Ajax allows asynchronous update of the webpage content without reloading the whole page. Henceforth, Ajax gives actions within applications better responsiveness. Ajax is best for action based services. For ecommerce, allowing the actions like filtering the right product, taking customer information, updating the purchase choice, survey run and review processing, Ajax is more reliable to the developers.

JQuery

JQuery a fast, small, and feature-rich JavaScript library. it makes things like html document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation, and AJAX much simpler.

Responsive Web Design

Responsive web design is nothing but the web design approach aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing experience including easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing.

Twitter Bootstrap

Flash a multimedia and software platform used for authoring of vector graphics, animation, games and rich internet applications (rias). It can be viewed, played and executed in adobe flash player. For multimedia content access flash is the primary field of expertise for front-end developers.

Back-End Ecommerce Technologies

If the back doesn’t support well, there will be no more standing ecommerce website to survive the competitive market or so it seems. Technologies are pretty complex and boring in back-end. But, the developers know what can make the process more interesting. That is to use right technology to do the right functionality work well.

Let’s talk back-end now, the skeleton behind the beautiful and enticing website we have been building for years.

PHP

Among all other scripting languages, PHP is probably the most popular language for ecommerce web development. Since its pre-installed in almost all hosting services, developers find it convenient and clever choice to build web based services and applications. The classic and popular frameworks among developers’ community, for PHP are Zend Framework and Symfony. Here, at Brain Station 23 have been using CakePHP and Symfony2 for several projects, it was a very good tool or so the developers think. However, nowadays there are many good alternatives, such as Yii and Laravel.

Almost all of the popular open source and proprietary ecommerce platform in business, Magento, BigCommerce, Volusion etc. are built in PHP.

Python

Python language uses a simpler syntax than PHP so one developer group finds it easy to use in webbed services. It’s designed to have a very readable code, and for that reason is very recommended to learn programming. It’s well tested, Google chose it to develop their services, and that’s a good thing. A lots of good amazing open source ecommerce platforms alike Shuup, eComwar, Saleor etc. are built in Python. The frameworks for Python are the most popular for building website’s backend to provide extended functionalities through web services. Among them, the most popular framework for Python is Django, Pyramid, Web2Py!

With the non-stack frameworks, if you want to create a full-featured website, you will need to add a lot of code and extra bits yourself. This takes skill and time. Hence, the frameworks come in.

Java

Java backs most of the popular CMS and developments platforms for ecommerce website development. SAP Hybris, the powerful ecommerce platform for omnichannel B2B businesses is one of them. Other than that, Hippo, Magnolia, Mayocat, Qalingo, Shopizer are a few of example of Java backed CMS and technology to build commerce website for small business to boost sales on the web.

MySQL

All the classic systems such as SQL Server, Oracle or DB2 are not so popular among web developers, maybe more for ASP.NET in the case of SQL Server.

PostgreSQL

In the Ruby on Rails community there is a popular alternative for MySQL; that is PostgreSQL. It’s a very powerful and open-source DBMS having interesting additional features such as full text search and a messaging system. Since, it’s so open source, the capability of adding newest and trendy features in . It is the work creative and talented developers and contributors. It also has useful data types which integrate with Rails very well. This DBMS is by far the most favorite among the Brain Station 23 developers of ecommerce website development team.

ASP. Net

Now let’s talk about the leading tech in ecommerce field. ASP.Net, so far is the vastly used language. The aspiring ecommerce platform like nopCommerce is built in ASP.Net.

Our developers prefer using ASP.Net for most of their ecommerce website development project unless otherwise is required. Since, all the big platforms ready to empower any ecommerce site are built on ASP.Net, that preference is relevant for making any on demand customization for our valuable customers and optimize that for their business growth. Our own built ecommerce websites backed in ASP.Net are among the successful ones in both global and local market. Biponee.com, othoba.com, priyoshop.com, Uvited.com are just a few of them. Why not hover to our case Studies and have a look through to get the big picture and prospects of using ASP.Net for ecommerce!

“A common rule of thumb is that what you’ll get in flexibility from an e-commerce platform, you’ll trade for simplicity”

Hence, it’s important to weigh how much you want from your platform vs. how much development time and energy you’re willing to put into building and maintaining it. Another important consideration is how much you expect to grow over time. This could mean the difference between shopping for a hosted ecommerce cart solution vs. a more integrated platform that’s built on your own frontend & backend software and preferred technologies.

Contact our sales team anytime to know about Ecommerce Web Development and know how you can boost your ecommerce business serving a better website to your customers.

The e-commerce world is developing rapidly. Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine a life without e-commerce where one can shop for anything, anytime and anywhere.  Shopping through these e-commerce websites is as simple as a walk in the park. People just visit their desired online store through the website or mobile application, create a wish list, and make the final order.

While it is quite easy to buy something on a mobile app, still people are more comfortable purchasing from web applications. This may be because they don’t feel satisfied or sure with the details of products on mobile. Individuals get an ideal look at the item with detail just on e-commerce web applications utilizing desktop by enabling the internet service on.

E-Commerce Web Application Design & Development

The structured and fascinating look of a website can visualize your products simply. In e-commerce, website design is of much importance. If your website doesn’t have an attractive design, how will customers stay on your page? As a result, the website’s bounce rate will increase. With an attractive and creative design, it is also crucial to have a responsive e-commerce website so that people can visit it on any device.

Here are the few tips you should consider while developing an e-commerce website:

Product bar must look attractive

Customers should get an opportunity to see a variety of products. A designer must show the products in the product bar as indicated by current sales in the e-commerce website market. They need to know individuals’ requests and connect with them when they dismiss the item to buy.

Fast page loading with easy navigation

The product pictures must be genuine and look alluring to site visitors. On the e-commerce platform, designing is the way to force individuals to buy your products. A promising client buys things from your e-commerce business web application just when they find the pictures of the products genuine.

Focus on shopping cart

People need to analyze what number of things they have already chosen and what their costs are. Additional charges after shopping from e-commerce sites can prevent your customers from coming again to your store. Also, if individuals cannot shop because of the long process then your site is useless.

Engagement up to last

The technology, patterns, and individuals’ taste will change by taking a break. Simply keep up a connection with the client through messages and emails, if you want to succeed in such a variable market.

Which technology is the most suitable for the creation of an ecommerce website?

Choosing a Tech Stack for eCommerce: What to Look for and How to Make Sure It’s Compatible with Existing Stacks

Existing tools and frameworks are your greatest starting point if you are not a startup entrepreneur who is building web development stacks from scratch. Make sure that the new platforms or tools you employ are compatible with the ones you already have.

What do you excel at? Make it your own.

We understand that startups are frequently operational on a tight budget. We’ve all been in that situation. This is why paying attention to your own experiences and addressing your team’s strengths is a winning strategy. Consider developing a website with this set of talents if you have a developer on your team with specialized skills.

Considerations Specific to the Project

Is your project primarily academic or scientific in nature? Is it a one-pager or a two-pager? Is it a multi-tiered eCommerce machine with tens of thousands of products? Is this a mobile app that will never be turned into a website?

You may considerably cut down your technology stack options for eCommerce development after you understand your initial project needs, inclusive size, and niche-specific qualities.

Take into account the time it takes for development to complete

When deciding which eCommerce technology to use in your project, consider the time to market as well.

If you only need a brief app to test a concept, a LAMP stack may suffice. Given its poor scalability and terrible performance, you will barely choose LAMP if your development time allows for a better approach with an emphasis on quality and agility.

Grow with Me

In eCommerce, scalability is a critical component that may make or destroy a company’s growth.

If you want your distribution stack to be as good as your product, you’ll have to expand quickly and aggressively.

New and Ambitious vs. Tried and Tested

Maturity entails seamless functioning, but it can also imply outdated practices.

It is all up to you. It’s possible that the «sparkly stuff» syndrome isn’t a good thing to have in IT.

Recruiting & Availability of Talent

On the other hand, while developers are not in short supply for a single framework, talent is accessible in all price ranges and for all languages and talents.

Make sure to factor in the availability of personnel in your neighborhood or remotely for your selected eCommerce tech stack.

Turnkey Solution to Deal with Hiccups, According to Developers Anonymous

For years, a large developer community and open source have existed, and they are a very friendly, understanding, and generous bunch. Make sure the technology you’re going to use for your project has a lot of documentation, community, and support.

Hardware Requirements and Budgeting

Some applications may necessitate the use of many servers to fulfil fundamental activities. Double-check your chosen solutions for this hardware requirement, especially if you’re using a cloud-based solution.

Types of E-commerce applications

We may describe e-commerce apps in a variety of ways, but here we provide one that is in keeping with e-commerce mobile app development.

B2B (Business-to-Business)

The provision of goods and services between two firms is the focus of a B2B e commerce platform. As a result, the items they offer will be such that they may be used as raw material in another business. This category of applications includes apps that offer spare vehicle parts, machine components, and other similar items. An example of such an app is Boodmo.

Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

It encompasses the vast majority of today’s mobile apps. It links a company that sells a product or service to a single client. Here, the consumer is dealt with directly. PIU, a taxi booking app, is an example of one of these apps.

C2C (Community to Community) (Consumer -To- Consumer)

The transaction takes place between two or more consumers. Apps that permit goods auctioning are the greatest illustration of such interactions.

C2B (Consumer -to -Business)

Though there aren’t many applications like this, companies like Clutch and GitHub are laying the groundwork for them. C2B e-commerce systems allow designers, content writers, and professionals in numerous industries to sell their creations to businesses. If you have some fantastic mobile app ideas, don’t wait to implement them.

Marketing Makes Your E-commerce Web Application More Successful

There are various e-commerce web shops online that do not have legitimate information with respect to their products. In such cases, the customer usually moves to another website. For an e-commerce website, it is necessary to write proper content that can be informative or point out the product details properly.

Social media is must

Strengthen your SEO

An e-commerce website can uplift if the site owner applies for the SEO program. You need the best SEO practices to enhance the traffic to your site. The title tag, meta description, and alt tags should be appropriate in the event that you are thinking about the ideal SEO for your e-commerce website.

Your business must be optimized on social media. The links to your product on a social media page should properly redirect to the original product URL. And the product content should include proper details.

Bring your customers back

An appropriate application and continuous connection are the techniques you must apply to bring your customers back to the site. The clients feel bliss while shopping for items from e-commerce sites and make the stories then after.

FAQs

What is an e-commerce web application?

The world of e-commerce is quickly evolving. It’s difficult to envision a world without e-commerce, where one can purchase anything at any time and from any location. Shopping on these e-commerce websites is as easy as wandering through the park. People just go to their preferred online store’s website or mobile app, build a wish list, and place their final order.

What is e-commerce web design?

When selling online, it’s critical that your website accurately reflects who you are and what you do. After all, this is your opportunity to create a good first impression on your consumers. And if you, do it well, you may make a long-lasting impression.

As a result, when launching an online business, one of the most crucial things to get right is the design of your online store. There are a plethora of different business ideas and methods at your disposal. However, we’ll focus on e-commerce web design in this post.

What are examples of web apps?

Know Seasia Infotech is the best and most reliable e-commerce website design and development company where you can find proficient e-commerce web developers to fulfill the needs of your project.

Related Topics

The ecommerce market is growing immensely with sales expected to reach $7.4 trillion by 2025, as per Statista.

And considering the overwhelming growth in the sphere of ecommerce, it is safe to say that the industry has come a long way. Ever since Amazon’s launch of its online shopping site in 1995, the industry has transformed immensely, giving birth to many popular ecommerce websites.

The most popular ecommerce sites began with minimum resources at hand, however, with the passage of time, they scaled themselves. We advise you not to wait for the right moment. Instead, we suggest you initiate creating an ecommerce website and then learn the tips and tricks along the way. You can take a lot of inspiration from these websites and build great ecommerce pages based on the tricks and strategies they have used.  Maybe sooner than you know, we might add you to our best ecommerce websites list.

Load Your Ecommerce Store Under 1 Second

Enhance your website’s speed by switching to the Cloud. Our managed ecommerce hosting solution offers advanced cache that enhance store operations and performance.

To get you started, here’s a list of the most popular ecommerce websites today. Browse below to read the overview of each in detail.

AMAZON

Amazon is a leading ecommerce website in most countries. With an estimated figure of almost 3 billion monthly visitors, it is one of the largest American ecommerce marketplaces.

Amazon started out as an ecommerce website in 1994, selling only books in the beginning. However, if you look at it now, it has categories like books and literature, computers and electronics, apparels and accessories, sporting goods, tools and hardware, music, and even TV and movie streaming.

Amazon also offers a free one-day or two-day shipping to U.S. customers who have the Amazon Prime service.

CRAIGSLIST

On Craigslist, you will also find leading categories like electronics and technology, credit lending, adult services, items for sale, items wanted, and more.

TARGET

Target has approximately 258.34 million monthly visitors and stands as the second largest department store in the US. It also has a robust ecommerce store, selling a broad range of products and services online.

The categories include furniture, electronics, groceries, fashion and apparel, home and garden,  hygiene products, home decoration, and more.

Target has also introduced their Target RedCard, which means they are now a player in banking as well. In addition, it has around 1800 stores across the U.S.

MACY’S

Macy’s is a 90’s US fashion brand, which still has a lot of popularity. The ecommerce store has around 165.29 million monthly visitors, and its presence online has made it a global fashion and apparel brand.

On Macy’s ecommerce website, you will find categories like beauty products, accessories, cosmetics, shoes, menswear, womenswear, home, decoration, and children’s clothes. Macy’s has its own credit card as well, meaning the ecommerce store has also entered the banking and finance sector.

BEST BUY

Best Buy began as a consumer electronics retailer. However, today, it has grown into an ecommerce store that offers customers a variety of products. These include travel products, furniture, baby products, fitness products, electronics, and appliances.

Best Buy is ranked no. 3 as a computer electronics and technology ecommerce website with an estimated figure of 192.70 million monthly visits.

EBay

Till now they have delivered millions of products worldwide. The store sells personalized items, vintage or hard-to-find stuff, used and refurbished tools, jewelry, fabrics, curtains, sheets, automotive parts and more.

It facilitates both C2C and B2C sales. It is one of the stars in our ecommerce websites list as they offer an array of products including electronics, art and collectibles, auto parts and accessories, sporting goods, and more.

According to eBay’s 2020 annual report, the total revenue was $10.27 billion, and in 2021, the annual revenue amounted to $10.4 billion.

WALMART

Walmart is a leading online American multinational retailer. Ever since it was founded in 1992, it has gained a lot of appreciation from its customers, which has made it grow to the point that it has made $572.8 billion in 2022 alone, even though we are not even half through 2022 yet.

It has around 2,300,000 employees as of now and it is the largest company in the world by revenue. Its most selling products are Google Chromecast, televisions, bananas, toilet paper, slow cookers, flushable wipes, storage containers, liquid laundry detergents, crayons, pillows, paper towels etc.

ETSY

Etsy is an American ecommerce marketplace selling craft supplies, vintage items, or handmade products. There are product categories like clothing, bags, jewelry,  toys, furniture, home décor, art, as well as craft supplies and tools from many suppliers.

Etsy was founded in  2005 by  Rob Kalin, Jared Tarbell, Haim Schoppik, and Chris Macguire. Donald and Doris Fisher. Its HQ office is in Brooklyn, New York, United States.

Etsy allows you to deliver packages up to 150lbs to buyers worldwide  as quickly as you like. The best selling items on Etsy are success guides, especially those that teach you how to have an Etsy shop, then there are handmade bags, earrings, scarves, custom mugs, home décor products, candles, and more.

In 2021, Etsy’s sellers contributed an amount of $14.3 billion to the U.S. economy. It is a global marketplace for creative and extraordinary products and ideas.

WISH

Wish was founded in San Francisco in 2010. It is actively selling in 60+ countries around the World.

Wish is one of the largest ecommerce marketplaces in the world. It sells a wide range of affordable products and offers a personalized  and entertaining experience to all consumers.

THE HOME DEPOT

The Home Depot is a famous American home supplies retailing company that sells tools, construction products, and services. It operates across US, Canada and Mexico.

In 2005, Home Depot launched its first online home furnishing store. Its ecommerce business offers more than one million products for the DIY customer, professional contractors, and the industry’s largest installation business for the Do-It-For-Me customer.

Home Depot saw an increase of 14.4% in sales from their online channels in 2021 compared to fiscal year 2020. In 2021, the sales amounted to $151.2  billion.

Best Ecommerce Website Design Examples

Now that we know what the top ecommerce websites are, let’s look at some ecommerce website design examples to understand the latest website design trends in the ecommerce industry.

LARQ

Larq is a beautifully designed ecommerce website. What sets it apart is its photography.  Using high-quality photos are extremely important when you are selling products online.

The font style is very modern and sophisticated, which aligns with the state-of-the-art nature of the products.

Larq sells out state-of-the-art self-cleaning water bottles and its website is an exact reflection of its brand.  Their website design speaks of the brand’s authenticity and credibility.

The ecommerce website also has its blog called “Basq by Larq” that has spotlight interviews, blogs on travel destinations, as well as other inspirational stuff for its target audience.

BLISS

Bliss is an online store that sells skin, body, and hair care products. What makes this website stand out is the use of bright colors that exudes a spark of energy.

Buyers pay for the product as well as the experience, and if the energy of the brand and product uplifts the buyer’s mood, then you have done great branding and marketing.

Moreover, the photography is also great, and the big photos on the homepage make the products look very attractive, which sets the mood of the target audience to explore the website more.

In 2021, bliss annual revenue was $212 million.

QVC

QVC is the world’s leading digital retailer as millions of people from all around the globe shop from them.

The business offers a wide range of products with top and famous brands such as Tarte, Dooney & Bourke, Valerie Parr Hill, and more.

QVC uses contrasting colors and big bold fonts to highlight new arrivals, sales, or seasonal promotions. It also highlights special offers and big deals tabs with contrasting colors to make them grab attention instantly.

They shipped approximately 236 million units in 2021 across its global markets. QVC has a growing global ecommerce business, which accounted for $11.35 billion of annual revenue in 2021.

GLOSSIER

In 2010, Emily begun with the beauty blog ‘Into the Gloss’ which is a blog about women’s beauty and grooming routines. In October 2014, Weiss unveiled Glossier’s first four products on her blog. The beauty brand’s products now range from skincare essentials to masks and serums and make-up foundation.

Glossier is surely one of my top picks of ecommerce stores. It is worth noting that in 2016, Glossier raised $24 million to open permanent retail stores and take its brand international. According to ecommerceDB, last year, in 2021, its global net sales amounted to $147 million.

IKEA

IKEA is a well-known mega giant in the furniture industry. It is one of the biggest ecommerce websites from today’s digital landscape. They currently have about 313 stores in 38 countries with ecommerce operations in around 14 of them.

By launching its ecommerce operations in UAE and Australia in 2017, IKEA is working aggressively on expanding its online operations.

IKEA uses attractive product images to showcase  why it is a top brand. It shows images of happy people using its products and has made its ecommerce website incredibly beautiful yet simple to navigate through.

If we talk about an online furniture store, IKEA is surely to look for, as it is one of the oldest and premium furniture brand in the industry. In 2021, IKEA online sales were recorded at $454.64 million worldwide.

Here’s a simple yet effective website of the famous furniture brand:

How to Create an Ecommerce Website?

Creating an ecommerce website has become really easy. Cloudways has launched its ecommerce starter bundle that comes pre-installed with some of the best ecommerce-related plugins.

You can leave all the complexities of hosting behind and launch your new store with just a few clicks. It’s really a plug and play solution and is designed to be fast, simple, and incredibly convenient.

Each of the pre-installed plugins have been picked with great attention to detail and have passed through a very strict vetting process.

Launch Your Online Store Today!

Create your ecommerce store and start selling online with  increased page load speed, mobile responsiveness, and better uptime through Cloudways ecommerce starter bundle.

Conclusion

These were my picks for the top ecommerce websites based on their contribution to the growth of the ecommerce industry, their phenomenal designs and their inspiring stories.

Some of the top ecommerce websites include:

• Amazon
• Craigslist
• Target
• Macy’s
• BestBuy
• eBay
• Walmart
• Etsy
• Wish
• Home Depot

If I’ve missed any ecommerce store that you think should be included in this list please let me know in the comment section below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Amazon, eBay, Rakuten, and AliExpress are the top 4 ecommerce websites in terms of page visits, visit duration, and bounce rate.

What is the number 1 online store?

Amazon.com is the number 1 online store, with a global revenue of more than $469 billion in 2021 and 2.73 billion estimated monthly visitors. Then comes eBay leading with 855.82 million estimated monthly visitors. After that is Walmart.com with 468.96 million monthly visitors.

What is the largest e-commerce site in the world??

Amazon is the largest e-commerce site in the world with a global revenue of more than $469 billion in 2021 and 2.73 billion estimated monthly visitors.

Who is the biggest online seller??

Amazon is the biggest online seller in the world with a global revenue of more than $469 billion in 2021 and 2.73 billion estimated monthly visitors.

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Sajjad is an Ecommerce Community Manager at Cloudways. He loves helping out Ecommerce store owners, merchants and marketers in establishing their businesses and startups. Sajjad enjoys playing table tennis and cricket over the weekend.

Opensource PHP ecommerce platforms have completely revolutionized the online shopping industry.

Using most of these platforms makes starting an ecommerce store a piece of cake. You may have next to no knowledge about coding, and you’ll still be able to start your own online store with most of these platforms. With some, however, you may need certain technical knowledge.

But, nothing too complex that can stop you from getting into the ecommerce scene.

Down below, you shall find a list of 13 of the most popular PHP ecommerce platforms. Each of them has its pros and cons. Go through them and decide which platform clicks the best with you.

Best Opensource + Free Ecommerce Platforms

• Free Staging
• Free backup
• PHP 8.0
• Unlimited Websites

List of Opensource Ecommerce Platforms and Shopping Carts

Here’s a compilation of some top ecommerce website builders to create an online store that are totally free:

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is one of the best free ecommerce platforms that’s based on PHP programming language.

It’s an ecommerce plugin that works as an extension to WordPress CMS. According to webtribunal, 28.19% of all ecommerce stores globally are built using Woocommerce. You can easily set up the Woocommerce plugin in less than a few minutes.

You can even optimize the store with top-notch Woocommerce plugins for the best results. Woocommerce is a powerful ecommerce builder capable of running SaaS ecommerce businesses.

All that’s then left is to power the store with optimized Woocommerce hosting. Usually, hosting a Woocommerce store can be challenging for beginners. But with Cloudways, you can take your store online in just a few clicks.

Our platform is simple, beginner-friendly, and offers optimized Ecommerce web hosting that can contribute to your store’s online growth.

• Highly scalable
• Drag and drop store builder
• Tons of free and paid themes and plugin options are available

• You may need technical help as the store scales
• You don’t get native hosting services, but you can solve this issue by getting optimized Woocommerce hosting by Cloudways.

Launch Your Ecommerce Website Effortlessly With Our Ecommerce Starter Bundle

It includes all the essentials and 10+ pre-installed plugins, ready to launch in just 1-click.

Magento

Magento is one of the most trusted ecommerce platforms and shopping carts available for individuals and enterprises alike.As per builtwith 0.86% of the top 1 million ecommerce websites worldwide are built on Magento.

After 2021, Magento commerce is officially called Adobe Commerce though the opensource Magento platform is still under Magento’s name.

This ecommerce platform is based on a PHP-based framework that lets you easily build scalable online businesses.

It has multiple extensions allowing easy integration of relevant third-party apps with the ecommerce store.

It’s a little complex to use Magento, and you may need help from a professional Magento developer to set up a store. However, with little understanding of PHP, you can also manage things on your own.

• A highly customizable and scalable platform
• Offers advanced SEO tools and solutions which can assist with store’s ranking
• Open-source ecommerce platform with a large community of developers

• Requires a high budget to set up the store
• It’s a little time-consuming to set up a Magento store
• Incompetent hosting solutions can hinder the store’s scalability

Optimized Hosting = Profitable Magento Stores!

Faster load times and heightened security, Cloudways is the ultimate solution for your business.

Drupal

Drupal commerce is another popular PHP opensource ecommerce solution used by more than 500K websites.

Drupal commerce keeps an organized track of orders, receipts, payments, and invoices, along with integrating different shipping and payment options.

It also offers third-party integrations for social networks, fulfillment, and accounting services.

• Drupal has a huge active community which makes it easy to solve common store problems
• Third-party integrations make Drupal a highly customizable platform

• It’s not suitable for absolute beginners
• Managing a Drupal site can be challenging without a managed hosting platform like Cloudways.

Joomla

Joomla is another amazing PHP-based solution when it comes to creating an Ecommerce store. The platform can handle several fronts for you, from SEO to inventory management tools that can assist you in growing the store.

Setting up the store is also pretty simple as Joomla has a strong and active community ready to help people facing inconveniences. There are already more than 2.5 million live websites on Joomla.

• Joomla has a tight-knit community of developers that’s ready to offer support when needed
• It’s heavily customizable, and you can even sell digital products on your Joomla stores

• Some useful plugins are beginner-incompatible
• Sometimes, you’ll need to use paid plugins

OpenCart

OpenCart is a very popular free PHP ecommerce shopping cart and platform.

It’s easy to set up a basic ecommerce store using OpenCart. But the default features of the platform are limited. For instance, you don’t get much freedom in customizing the store. Plus, the SEO options are limited.

It’s best for those looking to start a store without any assistance, but once the store grows, you may face some challenges.

• Easy to use and manage for beginners
• Several inventory management options are available
• Best for Cash on Delivery online store

• Limited payment gateway options
• Optimizing the store for search engines can be challenging. There are very few reliable SEO tools that are compatible with OpenCart.

Prestashop

Prestashop is a PHP-based ecommerce shopping cart and platform built on the Smarty template engine.

Prestashop offers hundreds of features, including on page-checkout, downloadable products, features cross-selling and one-page checkout.

Prestashop is used in 160 countries and is accessible in 63 different languages. Prestashop also comes with customizable themes and feature add-ons.

• It doesn’t pull much cash out of pockets to a Prestashop store
• Very easy to install, which makes it a beginner-friendly platform
• Comes wrapped with all the essential features required to run an ecommerce store

• Limited support available
• Scaling the store can become an issue in the future

Limited number of Prestashop hosting options available that can deliver great performance for Prestashop stores.

Bonus Tip: Always choose an optimized ecommerce hosting to ensure your store loads with lightning speed.

Bagisto

This platform offers a wide range of basic to advance eCommerce enabling features that make  it a go-to platform for startups and small to medium business owners.

With Bagisto, you can make a multi-vendor marketplace with RTL Support and powerful SEO features. You can also control multi-channel inventories from a single website, link your store with multiple inventory sources, and easily monitor your product stock in a given inventory.

• Several customization options are available
• Suitable for those who want to avoid complex versions of coding and frameworks
• Open-source platform with a decent number of active community members

• The community is limited when compared with Woocommerce
• Finding solutions to problems can become challenging sometimes

Yii2

Yii2 is one of the most straightforward ecommerce store builders based on PHP. It comes with great features and is sufficient for small to medium-sized online businesses.

A sizeable number of business owners are choosing to build their online stores on Yii2. The thing is that it’s not really friendly for those who don’t know how to code. You may need assistance from Yii2 development service providers to set up a store.

• It’s a secure platform for developing an online store
• It’s very easy to learn
• Convenient to make changes

• Developers of this framework are slow to roll out new updates
• Not something as common as Woocommerce, and the number of active community members is relatively small.

Slow Store = Bad Conversion Rates!

Enhance your website’s speed by switching to the Cloud. Cloudways offers the best ecommerce web hosting with advanced cache that enhance store operations and performance.

Zencart

Zen Cart became quickly popular because it was developed keeping absolute beginners in mind. Setting up your Zen Cart store is very easy.

The platform isn’t a mainstream one due to its limitations with customizations, but still, it’s kept afloat and has over 150,000 active community members worldwide.

• Beginner-friendly interface
• It’s not technical to set up the store
• Managing products in your store is very easy with Zen Cart
• Many free and paid templates are available

• Zen Cart stores aren’t the most beautiful ones
• Limited options for scaling and customizing the store

Craft Commerce

It’s a relatively newer platform and was released in 2015. Stats from BuiltWith show that nearly 2,422 live websites are built using this platform.

• The solo version is free for use
• It’s easy to build a customizable website with a responsive design
• Several SEO tools are compatible with Craft Commerce which can help your store achieve better rankings

• Limited community members
• A limited number of themes available for Craft Commerce
• You’ll have to pay for advanced packages

Codeigniter

Codeigniter is another brilliant ecommerce platform built on PHP that’s gaining traction lately.

• Stores built on Codeigniter are fast and offer high performance
• It’s friendly for beginners and advanced coders alike
• Highly-customizable
• Offers decent security for the stores

• Maintaining the store can require professional help as Codeigniter doesn’t support modular code separation
• Doesn’t offer exhaustive libraries, which limits its usage

Symfony 3

Around 36,000 websites are built on the Symfony 3 platform, according to BuiltWith.

It’s a great platform to build your ecommerce store. The security is good, the community is active and helpful, and the customization options are endless.

• The websites built on Symfony 3 are fast and secure
• It’s a reliable platform and doesn’t crash easily
• Stores built on Symfony 3 are just as safe as Magento or Drupal because they use the same PHP elements for security.

• You will need technical assistance to build a Symfony 3 store
• Beginners can feel a little lost when managing a Symfony 3 store

Zeuscart

Zeuscart is another PHP ecommerce platform that is very easy to use.

Zeuscart supports many features that can help you increase sales and promote your business very well.

It is a customized ecommerce solution that even a non-technical person can start using to build an e-store with minimum effort.

• Fast loading stores
• Beginner-friendly interface
• Good customer support mechanism in place to help store owners and developers

10X Faster Performance For Your PHP App

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Final Words!

The above-mentioned PHP Opensource Ecommerce Platforms are some of the best options available today.

Remember, all of them offer a different set of benefits. You just have to choose the one that fits your business need the best. Most of them are beginner-friendly, but some of them can require professional help.

Also, not all of them offer the tightest security, but with PHP hosting by Cloudways, you can get an additional layer of security for your online stores!

Raza Aslam Lakhani

I’m a digital content producer at Cloudways. I’m also a hodophile- always ready to explore new places and cultures.

Other than that, I play guitar and love to indulge myself in deep, meaningful conversations. Always looking for opportunities to learn new things.

Let’s take a deep dive into the world of ecommerce content management systems. We’ll look at what they do, whether or not you even need one for your online store and the best CMS for ecommerce.

What is an Ecommerce CMS?

When trying to narrow down the options, ecommerce CMS software falls into two major categories — SaaS and open source.

SaaS CMS.

A hosted SaaS CMS is a cloud-based solution for ecommerce shops that doesn’t require a separate server. You pay a subscription fee, and in exchange, you don’t need to download anything, manage updates or set up data storage — it’s all taken care of by the software vendor. The provider also usually offers customer support. Examples of hosted CMS include BigCommerce, Shopify, Squarespace and others. These examples serve as both ecommerce platforms and content management systems.

Open source CMS.

Until now, you may have not even considered the option of not having a separate CMS. But it’s important to mention that not every ecommerce store will need a content management system. The best way to determine whether your online shop needs a separate CMS is to weigh your content strategy plans.

Ecommerce sites that produce new content on a regular basis — either for the blog or as part of the homepage and product page updates — would benefit most from the flexibility of a CMS. However, if your store won’t require regular, real-time content updates, you might be able to build your site without one.

Additionally, if you have an ecommerce platform that serves as a CMS already, you may not need a separate one.

Still unsure? Consider the commonly touted advantages a well-chosen CMS can provide.

Successful ecommerce entrepreneurs know that keeping up with customer expectations is what drives revenue growth. But the speed and agility required to keep your website content fresh aren’t achievable if you’re going through a middleman.

With an easy-to-use CMS, you can cut down the development time and update the website on your own. And ultimately, not only are you saving time, but you also get to spend that dev budget on other marketing initiatives to propel your business forward. Win-win!

Add another channel for reaching potential customers.

As one of the most effective marketing channels for driving organic traffic, content should be high on your priorities list.

Let writers work together.

Great work happens in teams. From proofreading to formatting to finding the right visual assets, a lot of effort goes into producing top quality content. Facilitating collaboration within your team is critical for streamlined content creation. And a well-chosen CMS can bring everyone on the same page, allowing writers to work directly in the system and leverage smart features to improve their content. With that comes better-targeted content, smoother review processes and a more optimized experience for the customer.