With everyone spending most of their time at home and in isolation, the ecommerce industry is experiencing exponential growth. Consumers are now relying on deliveries to get essential and non-essential items in lieu of going to brick and mortar stores to make personal purchases. With the help of the best ecommerce website builder for small business, you, too, can ride this trend and set up your own online store in minutes.
When it comes to building ecommerce websites, it’s important to note that online stores require different features and functionality from other types of websites. This is why the choice of ecommerce website builder is crucial. You need to get access to all the tools that you need to build ecommerce websites that are profitable. That said, the best ecommerce website builder for small business is not just feature-rich but easy to use as well, especially if you’re going to set up the online store on your own.
What is an ecommerce website?
Before we get around to choosing a website builder, let’s be clear about what is ecommerce website? An ecommerce website is basically any website that lets you obtain products from the web. Online stores enable users to complete the entire buying process - up until the point where the items are delivered to their doorstep.
eCommerce websites have become highly popular in this new normal brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic simply because they require little to no human contact. Order fulfillment and even delivery can be automated. Your delivery company can even offer to leave the package at the customer’s doorstep. In a time when physical contact and interaction is minimized, ecommerce websites provide a sound solution for obtaining essential and non-essential items for customers.
How to build an ecommerce website
Because of special features an online store should have - e.g. payment gateway, inventory management, order fulfillment - the task of how to create ecommerce website was originally left to website developers. Nowadays, however, you don’t need a technical background in web programming to set up your own online shop. A good ecommerce website builder can help you get the job done.
With a site builder, you basically start with a website template, customize it according to your brand’s image and add in your inventory and payment gateway. You don’t need to write code because everything will be set up for you. With the technical aspect of building an ecommerce website out of the way, you can now focus on creating high quality content and design a layout that makes it easy for customers to complete their purchases.
Tips for Choosing a Free eCommerce Website Builder
1. Choose a versatile website builder
During the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to devise strategies that will enable your brand to get ahead of the competition. Choose an ecommerce website builder that features a host of capabilities that you can use to promote your product and position your brand as an authority in your niche. Some of the things you may want to look for include blogging features, SEO tools, seamless social media integration and forum tools.
2. Go mobile-responsive
To reach a wider audience, your website should provide the same level of user experience across different platforms and devices. Choose a free ecommerce website builder that allows you to create mobile-responsive ecommerce sites without writing additional code to make your pages adapt to different screens. If you’re just starting out and you’re using a free platform, make sure that you go for a site builder that gives you access to mobile-ready web templates even on a free account.
3. Look for mobile management capabilities
Keeping service levels up is crucial to the success of an online store. When you build ecommerce websites, look for features such as the ability to manage your store not just on desktop but on your mobile device as well. A mobile app for order fulfilment, responding to inquiries and managing inventory should be available through your chosen ecommerce website builder. This will allow you to check your online shop while on the go.
4. Reliable customer support
In the process of building ecommerce websites or managing one, it is possible to run into unexpected snags especially when you’re doing this on your own. The best ecommerce website builder for small business also comes with reliable customer support. You must be able to get all the help you need to get your site up and keep it running smoothly.
