An ecommerce store builder presents a viable solution to startups and individuals who want to put up an online business but may not necessarily have the technical expertise or resource to do so. It enables users to create ecommerce website with the help of templates and integrated apps and services. But with so many options for website builders, how do you make the right choice for your business?
What to look for
Your choice of ecommerce website builders depends on your specific situation. Platforms vary greatly in services, scalability and price. If you’re just starting out and you just want to try your hand at online selling, the best free ecommerce website builder allows you to dip your toes in the water and try things out. You will, of course, have to consider scaling up and even upgrading to a paid service once your business takes off.
If you’re unsure about what you are looking for in a website builder, check out other online stores. Research your competitors and find out what they are using. Learn more about best practices and modern design principles for building an ecommerce web site that is not only functional but, most importantly, profitable.
Free ecommerce website builders
The truth is that while there are probably hundreds of great ecommerce website builders out there, only a handful will give you the service for free, wherever you are in the world. Here are some options for you to check out.
Strikingly
As far as ecommerce goes, Strikingly offers great value for money because it enables free accounts to build their online stores free of charge. By adding the Simple Store section, you can add a single product type for sale, connect a secure payment gateway seamlessly and start selling in minutes. The platform also doesn’t charge extra for sales transactions so all profits will go to your pocket. This allows you to try your hand at managing an online business without the exorbitant fees. Once your venture takes off and you want to start selling more items, Strikingly gives you a lot of space to scale up through increased bandwidth and multi-category inventory systems available through its Pro plans.
All ecommerce website templates on Strikingly are also mobile-responsive so you’re sure to reach users who are on the go. Even on a free account, you can access these templates so you don’t have to worry about being forced to upgrade for more design options. You get a lot of opportunities to create unique ecommerce web sites with this platform. Implement your own color scheme and add a custom logo. Add your own images and visuals. Let your personality shine through in every design element.
Weebly
If you’re located in the US and you are building an ecommerce web site for free, Weebly is another option to check out. With the free plan, you can list an unlimited number of products and add your own payment gateway solution. As a website builder, Weebly is one of the more popular ones in the market so you are sure to get reliable support. Aside from the fact that it is only available for users in the United States, it doesn’t have options for offline payment such as cash on delivery.
Webstarts
Webstarts is another good option for building an ecommerce website for free. Just like Strikingly, it is primarily a website builder that allows you to add an online store feature to your site. Unlike Strikingly, however, its templates are not automatically mobile responsive. You will need to do a bit more to adapt your website to smaller screens. Some users also find that the website editor is a bit dated and there are no SEO tools available. You cannot edit title tags, meta descriptions or customize URLs.
