There is no business that does not strive to go online, establishing a secure and reliable web presence. This is especially true, when it comes to eCommerce projects.
As a web expert with over a dozen years of experience in the website development/marketing niche, I have firsthand knowledge of how important it is to set up a full-featured web store to start selling online.
To launch a large-scale web store that will bring your profit by growing your customer base in the long run, it makes sense to set aside impractical and inconvenient options, leaving the most suitable one.
It doesn’t make sense to use complex CMS, frameworks or hire web developers to start a web store. Anyway, it is you, who will be responsible for its further management and promotion. Thus, it is you, who has to be in charge of your project creation.
Fortunately, there are simple, user-focused online store website builders that will work great for this task.
Many users, however, wonder if it is possible to launch an online store with website builders for free. The answer is: yes. You just need to realize that there is no the only full-featured platform that would make it possible to create an eCommerce project at completely no cost.
Many systems, though, come with free trials or plans with limited integrated functionality, which let their subscribers test them to finally make sure whether to keep using them or not. If you are satisfied with the suggested options, you may upgrade to the required premium subscription to get access to the exhaustive set of features needed for your eCommerce project.
That being said, I’ve decided to focus on this topic in detail, divided the article into 2 parts. The first one will review the top list of the best eCommerce website builders, while the second one will provide step-by-step guidelines on web store creation. Let’s get started now.
Best Services To Create an Online Store for Free:
- Shopify – The Best eCommerce Software (Free Trial)
- WooCommerce – The Best Free Shopping Cart For WordPress
- Gator – eCommerce Website Builder with Hosting
- Ecwid – Free Shopping Cart Plugin for Any Website
- Weebly – eCommerce Software Powered by Square
- Wix – The Best Online Store Website Builder
- SITE123 – SaaS Website Builder for eCommerce Projects
- Hostinger Website Builder – AI Web Store Creator
- BigCommerce – A Popular Web Store Builder
Shopify – The Best eCommerce Software (Free Trial)
| Product Name: | Shopify |
| Official Website: | https://shopify.com |
| Founded: | 2015 |
| eCommerce Templates: | 100+ |
| Complexity: | Average |
| Free plan: | Free 14-day trial |
| Paid plan: | From $29/mo |
Shopify – is the best eCommerce software that currently empowers more than 6,049,441 large-scale online stores across the globe. The system mainly targets large businesses and provides an extensive feature set required to cover their web design needs.
It takes time to master the platform, even though, the system itself does not imply deep coding proficiency. Shopify lets you launch all types of digital stores irrespective of their complexity, size, integrated functionality, budget and other parameters.
Shopify Features
Shopify comes with impressive advanced marketing, design customization and promotion tools users may choose from when working on their projects.
The highlight of the system is its integrated POS (Point-of-Sale) software, which lets you sell digital/physical products both online and offline. Likewise, it is possible to create and manage numerous staff accounts here, synchronize with accounting software here etc.
The platform offers powerful integration and synchronization options, high end eCommerce features, enhanced security and search engine optimization tools, stunning product display and management solutions etc. Shopify is great at integration options.
You can synchronize your account with external services like Xero, Quickbooks as well as with Amazon Marketplace and other accounting software to improve your web store performance and generate traffic.
Shopify delivers extensive web store management options, unveiling an opportunity to create impressive eCommerce projects, access and manage customer profiles, add accounts and groups, integrate dropshipping options etc.
Availability of the Augmented Reality features allows creating and displaying 3D images of products available in stock.
The software grants high end marketing features, providing an opportunity to track and analyze sales/web store statistics, create and update online receipts, control the account balance, use multilingual and multichannel support options, work with Shopify Tap & Chip Reader, implement BOGO discounts and other popular widgets.
Marketplace Kit is another Shopify highlight. It lets you connect your trading platform to several merchants at a time (Tik Tok, Spotify and Twitter are only a few examples). They have extensive experience and advanced features that let customers trade worldwide.
Linkpop should not be overlooked as well. This is a powerful eCommerce bio tool, which guarantees a safe and fast checkout process. As a result, you avail an opportunity to convert potential clients into real customers as well as to manage projects from your social media bio.
As a contemporary high end eCommerce software, Shopify makes it possible to trade with wholesale clients via its fully-integrated B2B platform. This is the place to set your own prices, implement discount offers, add and customize new designs as well as sell from a single or a dedicated web store.
Shopify Designs
Shopify comes with a collection of responsive eCommerce designs to fit various niches. There is quick access to 18 free themes available after the sign up process. If you don’t manage to find a worthy solution here, you can browse the extensive Shopify Theme Store with over 70 paid templates. Their cost ranges between $140 and $180 per theme.
All the designs are responsive, offering access to the set of customization tools. To set up your website appeal, you can update header, footer, sidebar, style, show window and shopping cart design, background and other important website elements. Proficient users can work with advanced code editing options to create a truly personalized look.
Shopify Cost
Shopify has several plans to comply with requirements of all subscribers. The cost of plans is moderate, while the integrated feature set can come up to any eCommerce requirements. There is the 3-day trial, which is enough to test the functionality of each subscription before making the final choice. Premium plans include:
- Starter ($5/mo) – a suitable plan for users, who intend to start selling via social networks or messaging apps. It comes with a Linkpop tool, Shopify checkout feature, customer support, order management, built-in analytics etc.;
- Basic ($29/mo) – a nice pick for a simple digital store, which involves website and blog integration, unlimited products, POS, 2 staff accounts, free SSL Certificate connection, 24/7 support, basic reports, up to 4 inventory locations and 77% shipping discount etc.;
- Shopify ($79/mo) – a worthy option for a developing business. The subscription offers 5 staff accounts, gift cards, up to 88% shipping discount, up to 5 inventory locations, a professional reporting option etc.;
- Advanced ($299/mo) – the plan unveils access to a set of advanced digital business tools, such as 15 staff accounts, up to 8 inventory locations, third-party calculated shipping rates, a report builder, real-time carrier shipping etc.
What’s more, the software has an advanced Shopify Plus subscription. It ensures enterprise-grade eCommerce solutions for large-scale businesses. The plan cost is discussed individually and starts at $2000/mo.
Mind that the software does not charge any fees for the transactions made within the system. However, there is still the necessity to pay for the credit card transactions completed during the shopping process.
Shopify Online Store Examples
Shopify is the globally recognized eCommerce software used to launch and manage even the most complicated and full-featured projects. Have a look at some of the most impressive examples below:
WooCommerce – The Best Free Shopping Cart For WordPress
| Product Name: | WooCommerce |
| Official Website: | https://woocommerce.com |
| Founded: | 2011 |
| eCommerce Templates: | 500+ |
| Complexity: | Above average |
| Free plan: | Free plugin |
| Paid plan: | Paid extensions |
WooCommerce – is the best shopping cart plugin for WordPress, which is absolutely free for download, installation and basic use. However, the system implies the application of paid extensions and features. They do not only simplify the process of web store management, but also make it more efficient.
WooCommerce allows creating online stores that differ in size and functionality. The open-source plugin will be of great help to users planning to start small and mid-sized online stores as it has a strong and narrow eCommerce focus.
WooCommerce Features
The major WooCommerce highlights include unlimited web store design customization options, but it’s desirable to possess at least basic web design skills to work with the CMS in general and with the plugin in particular.
The plugin also stands out from the crowd due to the abundance of inventory management tools that contribute to better product management as well as GeoLocation support (MaxMind) that allows selecting geo-specific parameters based on user IP.
It is possible to create product catalogs, add and set up search filter options/categories, adjust user sign up settings, accept online payments and customer orders etc. The system comes with integrated and external analytics tools that allow tracking your sales stats.
WooCommerce potential can notably be extended via external WordPress plugin integration that unveil the choice of extra sales management tools. Some of the best solutions here include Yoast SEO, WooCommerce Multilingual, WP AMP and more.
Need more extensions? Then go ahead to browse WooCommerce Marketplace with multiple free/paid applications that help grow your eCommerce business. Divided into categories, the widgets are easy to browse and to select. The following collections are worth user attention most: CBD Store, DTC Essentials, WooCommerce Essentials as well as Tech Essentials and Top Marketing.
WooCommerce Designs
WooCommerce has a rich gallery of templates, which currently includes over 500 themes. They are responsive and 100% customizable. The designs are available in a separate Theme Store section of the website.
To be precise, WooCommerce is compatible with any WordPress theme yet some of them may be displayed with mistakes. Thus, it is recommended to choose the designs that are creed with eCommerce focus in mind.
Design customization options are similar to those offered by WordPress for other website types. You can create and edit web store menus, integrate widgets, work with HTML/CSS/JavaScript codes, add media files and other elements.
WooCommerce Cost
WooCommerce is a free plugin. To get the most of its use, however, you may have to integrate other WordPress plugins, many of which are paid. WooCommerce also requires the choice of domain name and hosting to publish your web project.
Although the selection of companies is quite extensive, >Bluehost still seems to be a more preferable solution. In fact, WordPress officially recommends the system for your project hosting needs. The cheapest Bluehost plan currently costs $2.95/mo only.
WooCommerce Online Store Examples
WooCommerce is a free open source shopping cart plugin, which is used to launch quality and versatile online stores. Listed below are some of the most remarkable samples:
If you possess coding skills and face the need to set up a full-featured web store, why don’t try WooCommerce then?
Gator – eCommerce Website Builder with Hosting
| Product Name: | Gator |
| Official Website: | https://www.hostgator.com/ |
| Founded: | 2002 |
| eCommerce Templates: | - |
| Complexity: | Average |
| Free plan: | No |
| Paid Plan: | From $3.46/mo |
Gator – is an eCommerce website builder with hosting, which allows setting up various kinds of small and medium online stores. At the same time, it works well for other types of web projects.
Availability of hosting is one of the major software highlights. It eliminates the need to look for a third-party host to save your web store files. Website development and hosting tools come in the all-in-one HostGator package here. This obviously simplifies the process of digital store creation, especially for beginners.
Gator Features
If you have made up your mind to set up and run a web store, Gator makes it possible to do that in almost no time. Due to its built-in eCommerce engine, you will get access to multiple niche tools and features needed to create a full-featured online store.
What you need is just to select the “Store” option available on the website edit page and then follow startup guidelines to complete the required steps. As soon as you are done with that, you can start adding products. This can be done by means of exporting files from the CSV file (if any) or by transferring them from other platforms manually.
Gator eCommerce engine comes with an Advanced Features section, where you can adjust integrated shipping parameters, discounts, payment details and other web store-related settings.
An important factor is that Gator ensures easy and hassle-free product management. Having set up a digital store with the website builder, you won’t encounter any problems when it comes to adding new products, adjusting their parameters, deleting and updating the catalog. What’s more, the system allows advertising physical and digital products you intend to offer for sale.
Gator website builder also allows embedding content from global social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.) as well as integrating image libraries, live feeds, social media buttons etc.
If you don’t have a web store logo yet, Gator provides an opportunity to design one, using its free integrated Logo Maker. There is an extensive gallery of images and layouts here, which will help you decide what design exactly works best for your eCommerce project.
Finally, Gator grants access to numerous widgets and extensions, all of which are absolutely free to use. Their integration does not require any coding proficiency, which makes the system a great pick for non-techies.
Gator Designs
The website builder has quite an extensive collection of responsive templates. They are free and completely customizable, referring to multiple categories.
If you cannot find a suitable theme for your eCommerce website, you can pick any of them to develop a brand new design from scratch.
Need a one-page project to present your online store to the target audience? With Gator, you can have one as it delivers an impressive array of professional and trendy themes.
Gator Cost
Gator is a cost-effective website builder with integrated hosting solutions. It doesn’t have a free plan yet it allows picking from three premium subscriptions:
- Express Start (the introductory price is $3.84/mo, while the renewal cost is $4.99) – free domain registration, a free SSL certificate, 3 email campaigns per month, and an online store for 3 products;
- Express Site (the introductory price is $5.99/mo and the renewal cost is $6.49/mo) – free domain, free SSL encryption, 5 email campaigns per month, priority support, appointment booking, and an online store for up to 10 products;
- Express Store (the introductory price for this plan is $9.22/mo and the renewal cost is $12.49/mo) – free domain, free SSL certificate, an online store to sell unlimited products, 10 email campaigns per month, an appointment booking, premium support, and absolutely no transaction fees.
Ecwid – Free Shopping Cart Plugin for Any Website
| Product Name: | Ecwid |
| Official Website: | https://www.ecwid.com/ |
| Founded: | 2009 |
| eCommerce Templates: | Single mockup layout |
| Complexity: | Average |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | From $15/mo |
Ecwid – is a free shopping cart plugin for any website. It allows website owners to start small and mid-size digital stores by giving them a powerful eCommerce focus.
Ecwid is not similar to standard eCommerce platforms. It is mainly used as a widget, which should be integrated into a project to turn it into an online shop. With this purpose, Ecwid offers a set of baseline features that are a must for any digital store.
Ecwid Features
The plugin comes with a distinctive set of features. When managing a project with it, you can create and update product catalogs, add item descriptions, track web store stats, accept/manage customer orders etc.
Due to the integrated Point-of-Sale (POS) functionality, Ecwid allows running projects in online and offline modes.
The plugin also unveils extensive product management options. Along with product catalog creation, it allows for product import/export, which is completed in the CSV format. This feature is handy, when it comes to transferring your web store data between the platforms.
As an eCommerce plugin, Ecwid stands out from the crowd due to its powerful and versatile web store management features. Users can sell both physical and digital products, create and manage product lists, modify the parameters of items offered for sale, apply numerous inventory tools, track web store stats, use the abandoned checkout recovery option etc.
For more effective web store performance, the plugin allows integrating with multiple sales channels to make it possible to sell products on different web resources. The good news is that you can manage your sales directly from the admin panel to save your time and effort.
Finally, Ecwid provides powerful social media integration options, letting its subscribers sell via Facebook, Instagram, eBay, Google Shopping, Amazon, Shopzilla and other well-known marketplaces.
Integration with external services like MailChimp, LiveChat, Xero, Zapier, Shipping Easy etc. is also available here. If you plan to target foreign partners/customers, it is possible to translate your storefront into more than 50 languages of your choice with Ecwid.
Ecwid Designs
Ecwid makes it possible to create a standalone web store from scratch. However, don’t expect to find dozens of free designs in its collection as the plugin offers one standard layout for each online store created with it.
You can customize the layout, choosing from various covers, changing the positions of elements on a page, editing texts and media files, adding web store titles and descriptions etc.
The only problem is that you won’t be able to add extra sections or elements to the web page as the plugin does not offer this option.
Ecwid Cost
Ecwid has a free plan that never expires and implies baseline eCommerce functionality along with the possibility to upload up to 10 products. If you intend to launch a full-featured web store with the plugin, you will have to upgrade to one of the premium subscriptions. Ecwid has three of them.
- Venture Plan ($15/mo or $12.50/mo with the annual subscription) – up to 100 products, automated tax calculation, discount coupons, CSV file export/import etc.;
- Business Plan ($35/mo or $29.17/mo with the annual subscription) – up to 2500 products, wholesale pricing, custom invoices, marketplace integration etc.;
- Unlimited Plan ($99/mo or $82.50/mo with the annual payment) – unlimited number of products, priority customer support, custom mobile store app, Square POS integration etc.
Ecwid pricing is not quite cheap, but it comes up to the integrated functionality the plugin offers to its subscribers.
Ecwid Online Store Examples
Ecwid is a shopping cart plugin, which can give any website a strong eCommerce focus. Here are a few samples of digital stores it powers:
Weebly – eCommerce Software Powered by Square
| Product Name: | Weebly |
| Official Website: | https://weebly.com |
| Founded: | 2006 |
| eCommerce Templates: | 15 |
| Complexity: | Average |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | From $5/mo |
Weebly – is an eCommerce software powered by Square. In fact, this is one of the oldest web design platforms that belong to the web store development niche.
Being initially created with bogging focus in mind, the website builder acquired eCommerce specialization in 2018, when it was bought by Square. Thus, it is now used to start all types of small-to-large digital stores, offering multiple industry-related features and tools.
Weebly Features
The website builder comes with a fully-integrated shopping cart that lets you launch a powerful online store to sell both physical and digital products/services. The system does not imply programming proficiency, being a worthy solution for users with diverse web design background.
Weebly delivers a broad spectrum of web store management options. These include product catalog compilation and updates, opportunity to upload and customize items, accept orders/payments, track web store performance, import/export products from CSV files, integrate the search filter option to simplify product choice etc.
The platform is also known due to its extensive marketing options. Weebly Promote tool is worth special attention. It provides a set of pre-designed templates you can choose to create and send various types of emails, such as promo newsletters, event and product presentations, bulletins etc.
Availability of the integrated drag-and-drop email constructor contributes to the efficacy of email marketing, while a high end Form Builder allows creating and customizing all types of online forms, RSVP lists, surveys etc.
Weebly grants access to the extensive collection of applications and add-ons available in its App Center. Some of the most popular apps include PinPoll, LiveChat, Call-Out-Box and many more – just pick those you need for your web store and add them to the project.
Weebly Designs
The website builder comes with an impressive collection of responsive templates that are divided into several categories. eCommerce themes are available there as well, although, their number is not that rich.
All Weebly designs are responsive and free. You can pick, preview and customize any of them to create truly personalized website design. The system implies the opportunity to buy a theme from third-party developers, if you can’t find the required design in the integrated collection.
Weebly Cost
Weebly pricing is moderate as the website builder offers a separate group of plans for eCommerce projects. There is a completely free subscription here that lets you explore the system’s functionality and several paid plans to choose from.
- Connect ($4/mo) – free domain name and SSL Certificate connection, ad banners display etc.;
- Pro ($12/mo) – 25 products, ideo background, opportunity to engage up to 100 members, password protection, search filter option, HD videos and audios;
- Business ($25/mo) – unlimited number of members and products, absence of transaction fees, registration feature, opportunity to accept payments on individual domains, possibility to sell digital products.
For clients who intend to build a digital store, Weebly offers three plans:
- Pro – $12/mo;
- Business – $25/mo;
- Business plus – $38/mo.
Whatever subscription you choose, Weebly will offer you domain name connection, which costs $19 and Google Ads access with the $100 bonus. These are notable advantages for each and every system subscriber.
Weebly Online Store Examples
Weebly positions itself as a quality eCommerce software, having much to offer to the target audience. To explore the features/tools it has in stock, consider the following examples:
Wix – The Best Online Store Website Builder
| Product Name: | WIX |
| Official Website: | https://wix.com |
| Founded: | 2006 |
| eCommerce Templates: | 118 |
| Complexity: | Very easy |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | From $23/mo |
Wix – is the best online store website builder, which comes with a powerful integrated eCommerce engine via Wix Stores widget interaction. Thus, the system allows creating full-featured online stores for small and mid-sized businesses.
One of its undeniable advantages is absence of coding requirements. Whether you’re a beginner or a web design pro, the intuitive system editor will let you create individual web store design to come up to your industry needs.
Wix Features
Wix is currently among the leaders of the web design niche, which grants access to myriads of eCommerce features. These include, but are not limited to the in-built shopping cart, multiple payment options, product creation and management features, abundance of marketing and web store promotion tools.
When starting and customizing your online store, you can set tax parameters, create individual show window design, handle product import/export actions, add and manage product lists etc.
The website builder also offers multilingual support which allows launching digital stores in different languages to reach foreign customers/partners. Availability of the blogging engine makes it possible to connect a blog to your website to encourage user communication. Forum connection can also be completed here.
Wix allows using its personalized ShoutOut Email option to let you notify web store clients and visitors about recent news, upcoming events, special offers and discounts.
With Wix, you can create appealing show window design that corresponds to your niche specialization, web store complexity, integrated functionality and size. The software lets you add/manage/update lists of products as well as adjust other show window parameters.
When managing your eCommerce business, you will surely benefit from integrating a high end Ascend by Wix platform. This is the all-in-one business solution, which includes around 20 products for quality business set up and promotion. The tools include email marketing options, contact Manager, Live Chat, Online Forms and more.
Wix Designs
The website builder comes with a separate eCommerce template section, where you may choose between hundreds of mobile-ready designs. To be precise, the collection of Wix web store designs currently encompasses around 118 templates yet it is updated on a regular basis.
Additionally, there is an opportunity to pick a blank theme and edit it from scratch. All the templates are mobile-ready and free by default. They are also completely customizable.
The real Wix highlight is its Wix ADI editor, which automatically creates a web store for you based on the business data you submit. If you have coding skills, however, and wish to use them while working on our website development, then you can easily switch to the standard Wix Editor.
Wix Cost
Wix is a premium website builder, which means that it has a free plan and several paid subscriptions. Free Wix subscription lets you test the system’s functionality prior to deciding on the further plan choice. The website builder has a separate group of plans meant for the development and management of eCommerce projects.
Business/eCommerce Plans
- Business Basic ($27/mo) – free domain for 1 year, no Wix ads, unlimited bandwidth, 20GB storage space, 5 video hours, secure online payments, plans and recurring payments, customer accounts, custom domain name, $300 ad voucher, 24/7 customer support;
- Business Unlimited ($32/mo) – 10 video hours, 35GB storage space, business development tools, Logo Maker etc.;
- Business VIP ($59/mo) – 50GB storage space, unlimited bandwidth and video hours, availability of the complete Wix Suite, customized reports, priority support.
The website builder regularly offers 50% discounts (every Tuesday – Thursday) and special bonuses that make it possible to save big when using one of the paid eCommerce subscriptions. There is also the 14-day money back guarantee option that lets you get the invested budget back, irrespective of the reasons you have.
Wix Online Store Examples
Wix is one of the best and simplest website builders to start and manage a quality online store. Explore the following samples to find out what the system has to offer in terms of eCommerce:
SITE123 – SaaS Website Builder for eCommerce Projects
| Product Name: | SITE123 |
| Official Website: | https://site123.com |
| Founded: | 2015 |
| eCommerce Templates: | 28 |
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Free Plan: | Yes |
| Paid Plan: | From $12.80/mo |
SITE123 – is a SaaS website builder for eCommerce projects, which has distinguished itself as one of the simplest and the most intuitive web design platforms out there.
You don’t have to possess any programming knowledge to set up online stores with the system – so understandable and simple it is for everyone.
SITE123 Features
The website builder comes with a built-in eCommerce engine, which makes it possible to set up small-to-medium web stores. Creation of large-scale eCommerce projects may be a challenge here as the system mainly targets ordinary users with little or no web design background.
To give your digital store high end performance, it makes sense to integrate niche widgets/applications available in SITE123 App Market. You can choose from free and premium integrations that come up to your web store specialization. The most popular of them include Galleries, Social Widgets, Live Chat Support, Booking and Online Form to mention just a few.
If this is the first web store you run and you haven’t managed to design a logo for it yet, SITE123 Logo Maker will help you do that with ease. The integrated tool is free and easy to use. Just use the elements available in stock here to create personalized brand logo design from scratch.
The website builder supports multilingual web store creation. This is definitely an advantage for entrepreneurs who intend to reach international markets. Availability of the integrated Form Builder, in its turn, makes it possible to create online forms and to add them to different web store pages. The Form Builder is free.
SITE123 also offers multiple currency support with a broad range of local and international currency types. Their choice is updated on a regular basis.
Additionally, the system grants access to several payment methods such as Braintree, Square, Amazon Pay, PayPal, Stripe and 2Checkout, authorized.net etc. This allows accepting payments online.
If a customer cannot make online payments for some reason, the software allows using the offline phone / bank transfer option.
SITE123 Designs
The software boasts quite an extensive collection of templates. They are all free and responsive by default. eCommerce themes are available here as well.
Just pick a design that complies with your business specialization and proceed to its customization. The editing process is easy and intuitive as well although the system does not support the drag-and-drop editing option.
All the edits are made in the sidebar settings to be further displayed on the screen. The visual editor lets you see them in real-time mode.
SITE123 Cost
SITE123 is not a simple website builder only, but this is also one of the most affordable services out there. A free plan lets you test its integrated functionality with a further opportunity to upgrade to one of four premium subscriptions:
- Basic ($12.80/mo billed annually) – 10GB of disk storage space, 5GB of bandwidth, free domain for 1 year, no SITE123 floating tag, domain name connection, 100 mailing list messages;
- Advanced ($19.80/mo billed annually) – 30GB of disk space, 15GB of bandwidth, sell up to 50 products/mo, 1000 mailing list messages, eCommerce, 50 orders per month, 2 mailboxes, 1 additional language;
- Professional ($28.80/mo billed annually) – 90GB of disk storage space, 45GB of bandwidth, 500 products for sale/mo, 2500 mailing list messages, 5 mailboxes, 3 additional languages;
- Gold ($34.80/mo billed annually) – 270GB of disk storage space, 135GB of bandwidth, unlimited orders/products for sale, 10 mailboxes, 5 additional languages.
SITE123 Online Store Examples
Web stores created with SITE123 look simple yet full-featured and contemporary. Here are a few examples:
Starting a digital store won’t be a problem with SITE123. Just give it a try to make sure yourself!
Hostinger Website Builder (ex.Zyro) – AI Web Store Creator
| Product Name: | Hostinger |
| Official Website: | hostinger.com |
| Founded: | 2019 |
| eCommerce Templates: | 29 |
| Complexity: | Average |
| Free plan: | Unlimited |
| Paid plan: | From $2.79/mo |
Hostinger Website Builder (ex.Zyro) – is an AI web store creator, which currently belongs to the list of the best modern web design platforms. The highlight of the system is its integrated Artificial Intelligence tool, which makes the process of web store development easy and intuitive even for first-timers.
You don’t have to be a coding pro to use Hostinger Website Builder – just pick a template, add your content and follow the software guidelines to watch the way it automatically builds a project for you.
Hostinger Website Builder Features
The website builder grants access to its collection of Artificial Intelligence tools. They can make the process of web store creation, management and promotion much easier and hassle-free for everyone. Among the tools you can use for this purpose, it makes sense to initially mention Slogan/Business Name Generator, AI Heat Map, AI Writer and more.
Actually, you don’t have to set up a brand new web store from scratch – you can add it to any website you already have. This is done via Hostinger Website Builder Lite Store integration, which provides eCommerce essentials for quick business growth.
The Lite Store element allows selling up to 500 products (both digital and physical), accepting donations and bookings for consultations and appointments. It also ensures fast web store set up and increased speed.
Lite store integration is completed in a few steps. What you need is to add the element to the selected template, customize it with regard to your brand parameters, set up your Hostinger Website Builder Lite Store, connect a payment method and a domain name. That’s it, you can start selling online now.
If your web store has both online and offline presence, embedding Google Maps definitely makes sense. This is a surefire way to let your clients know the exact physical location of your storefront along with other contacts.
The same is about Logo Maker and CTA buttons. With a Logo Maker, you will be able to design your own brand logo to enhance your web store popularity and recognition. Availability of CTA buttons will, correspondingly, help focus customer attention on your business-related expectations and urge them to buy from you.
Hostinger Website Builder Designs
Hostinger Website Builder has over 100 free and responsive themes in its collection. They are pre-designed to meet specific business criteria and to simplify the editing process. You can just rewrite the available texts, upload brand photos, change colors, fonts, layout etc. This will give your project a touch of personalization.
All Hostinger Website Builder designs are divided into thematic categories. eCommerce themes are available for customization as well. If you don’t like the selected ready-made theme, you can pick a blank one to set up a new project from scratch.
Hostinger Website Builder Cost
Hostinger Website Builder is an affordable AI-powered website builder, which doesn’t have a free plan, though. The cheapest Website subscription costs $2.59/mo, but it works best for personal projects only.
To set up a web store, you will have to upgrade to the Business plan priced $3.99/mo. The subscription comes with a free 1-year domain, free email for 3 months, 24/7 customer support, unlimited bandwidth/storage, opportunity to sell 500+ products and connect your own domain, blogging tools, marketing integrations, AI Logo Maker and other eCommerce features.
Hostinger Website Builder Online Store Examples
There are dozens of web stores powered by Hostinger Website Builder. Here are only a few remarkable examples:
Like the samples? Get your own web store with Hostinger Website Builder anytime!
BigCommerce – A Popular Web Store Builder
| Product Name: | BigCommerce |
| Official Website: | bigcommerce.com |
| Founded: | 2009 |
| eCommerce Templates: | Over 100 themes |
| Complexity: | Average |
| Free plan: | 15-day free trial |
| Paid plan: | From $29.95/mo |
BigCommerce – is a popular web store builder, which works great for setting up small, medium and large eCommerce projects.
The integrated functionality and design customization features are definitely above average. This puts BigCommerce in the list of top systems for web store creation.
BigCommerce Features
As a web store-focused software, BigCommerce boasts one of the most powerful eCommerce CMS functionality available by default. It lets you trade at the most well-known platforms yet there is also opportunity to sell via Facebook here.
Cross-channel commerce options are also available here. The software makes it possible to effectively synchronize with top marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping etc.
If you plan to share web store-related content in social networks (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram), the system allows doing that as well. Additionally, it is possible to save and update your in-store sales in the automated mode, using advanced POS systems like Teamwork Commerce etc.
With BigCommerce, you can create and manage the inventory list, organize product exchange/return processes, set up the automated email marketing tool, design ad banners, create discounts and gift certificates, assign product parameters and specifications etc. CSV file import/export is available here as well.
The software also allows integrating powerful external widgets that ensure better web store performance. What’s impressive, the number of eCommerce integrations is quite numerous here. These include shipping applications (ShipperHQ, Ordoro, Endicia, ShipStation and ShippingEasy), marketing and conversion apps (HubSpot, Google AdWords, A/B testing suites like Optimizely etc.), CRM apps (Salesforce, NetSuite and Zoho), API and accounting tools, ERP integrations to enhance the efficacy of your operations (NetSuite, Brightpearl and Microsoft Dynamics) and more.
Another thing that matters a lot for any eCommerce website is availability of international trading options. The feature lets you cooperate with partners and customers from abroad. With this purpose, it offers a cross-border fulfillment option, global CDN to make your web store load fast, multi currency and multi language support and other related features.
BigCommerce Designs
As far as BigCommerce focuses on web store creation only, its template collection includes only niche designs. Their number now exceeds 100 samples. They are all responsive and customizable yet not all of them are free.
What you should know is that most BigCommerce themes are paid, but the price absolutely comes up to their quality. To simplify the choice, the templates are divided into niche categories that refer to various eCommerce spheres.
As for code editing, it is unavailable here. This is not a serious problem for users, who need a full-featured online store – the software comes with distinctive and flexible customization options.
BigCommerce Cost
There is a free 15-day trial to test BigCommerce major features as well as four premium subscriptions:
- Standard Plan that $29.95/mo;
- Plus Plan is the most popular, costing $79.95/mo;
- Pro Plan costs $299.95/mo;
- Enterprise Plan’s price differs with regard to your business needs and, thus, is discussed individually.
You can also encounter extra costs for applications (up to $350/mo) and templates (up to $295 per theme).
BigCommerce Online Store Examples
As one of the most full-featured eCommerce systems, BigCommerce allows creating web stores that both look and work great. Have a look at several samples bellow:
Now that you are aware of the best eCommerce platforms to get started with your digital store, it is high time to review and discuss the major steps the process involves.
Steps to Create an Online Store for Free
To launch a large-scale web store that will bring your profit by growing your customer base in the long run, it makes sense to set aside impractical and inconvenient options, leaving the most suitable one. You won’t go without a quality and full-featured website builder that will work best for your tasks.
We have also provided the basic guidelines on how to get started with your eCommerce website development with ease. Let’s get started now or jump to the section you’re interested in:
Step 1. Find Your Perfect Online Store Builder
Prior to starting an eCommerce website, you should pay special attention to the choice of the right website builder that will come up to this crucial mission most. This mostly depends upon your web design expertise and type of project you plan to run. If you are a newbie, who needs a small digital store, then it makes sense to choose from all-in-one website builders. These systems are mostly oriented on beginners yet they deliver sufficient eCommerce functionality to quickly start and effectively manage a web store.
Are you a professional web developer, who is in search of the software to launch a large-scale project with multiple products offered for sale? Then you won’t go without specialized eCommerce systems. Thus, you may either pick from niche software like Shopify and WooCommerce or give preference to specialized CMS like OpenCart or PrestaShop, for example.
Step 2. Get A Domain Name For Your Store
It’s impossible to launch a web store without a domain name. This is actually the name of your website – the one, which will help customers find your store on the web. Thus, a domain name should be understandable, memorable and not quite long. It should also be associated with your brand name not to puzzle users.
There are different types and kinds of domains you can find on the web. Some web building services offer them by default, while others require registering them with third-party systems. This mostly depends on the platform you work with. Most website builders, however, offer domain names as a part of their paid plans or even as special offers that are sometimes free for a specified time interval.
However, if you decide to get your own unique domain name, here is the list of must-have steps to be completed to make it a success:
- Check the availability of the preferred domain name;
- Search for the best domain which ideally fits your brand needs;
- Pick a name;
- Complete the registration process;
- Verify your domain and prove your ownership rights.
There are also multiple nuances you might need to consider, when choosing a domain name for your online store.
How to get a domain name for free.
Step 3. Pick and Customize Your eCommerce Template
Whatever website builder you will eventually go for, it will offer a collection of niche templates you’ll be expected to choose from. The number of themes and their customization options may differ with regard to the platform you’ll work with.
Some services offer hundreds of templates that are additionally categorized into extra sections based on the niche you focus on. This simplifies the search. Others, in their turn, may come with a limited set of templates, which somewhat restricts your creative freedom yet lets you concentrate on the customization options more. As to CMS, these systems offer both built-in templates and lots of free and paid variants available on the web. Explore the options your system offers and make your choice then.
As soon as you are done with the template choice, you’ll have to proceed to a more responsible process – design customization. To give your web store personalized and high end appeal, go to the dashboard of the system and explore the set of design customization tools it provides.
Even if you are not a coding pro, you’ll be able to select the background and the color palette of your website pages, its layout and structure, fonts, styles, titles, text parameters, medial file integrations options, footer and header settings as well as lots of other elements that affect your website design in the long run.
Take your time to experiment with the options to create a truly unique online store design that will stand out from the crowd, especially against niche competitors.
Step 4. Add Products to Your Shop
Now that you’ve already created and customized website design, it is high time now to actually add products to it. You will either have an opportunity to create a separate page for each product or just a products section, where you will upload the items you plan to offer for sale. This mainly depends upon the website builder you will go for.
What you need to specify, while adding products is their name, category, price, physical parameters like weight and dimensions etc. Mind that some platform set limitations according to the number of products you can add, parameters you can specify or product variants. This frequently depends upon the terms of a plan you choose to subscribe to.
The major criteria to uploading products include:
- Detailed descriptions, which should describe your products in the most favorable light to boost customer engagement rate and depict their major characteristics;
- Quality images, which should obligatory go with high resolution to reflect all the sides and features of a product you have in stock (shopify, for example, offers an advanced Augmented Reality Feature to showcase the 3D model or a product you intend to sell);
- Proper product categories, which should be specified correctly to simplify users’ search (you can sort out the products by their special features, price range, featured items, filtering options or any other information you consider important).
Step 5. Set Up Payment and Shipping Methods
Having added the products, it’s high time to move forward to the next step. This includes setting up payment and shipping methods. Let’s start with the payment options first.
Setting Up Payments
Modern website builders often take care of this issue for you by optimizing payment processes so that you could offer several popular payment options to your customers. The more options you are ready to offer, the more chances you have to convert a regular user/website visitor into a buyer.
eCommerce website builder make it possible to connect your web store to a variety of payment systems. The most popular of them include PayPal, Apple Pay, Visa, Stripe, Mastercard etc. Some systems offers dozens of extra payment solutions, but these ones are the most widespread and globally accepted.
As a web store owner, you can actually accept payment in ne of the following ways:
- Credit Card payment processing – this means that you will perform credit card transactions during the checkout procedure directly at the website;
- Payment gateways – this implies the use of the all-in-one payment software that will connect the shopping cart of your web store to the credit card processing network;
- Business accounts – this means that you will have to sign a partnership agreement with a bank that will accept the payments made by your customers to further redirect the money to your own business account.
There is hardly a method that works equally well for all customers. This basically depends upon their special needs, location they come from, payment systems they have got used to, frequency of performing the transactions and some other crucial parameters. And, of course, you shouldn’t forget about secure payments. Fortunately, most website builders come with integrated SSL Certificates that contribute to confidentiality and safety of user data and all the payment details.
Setting Up Shipment
Speaking about shipping parameters, they also depend upon the website builder you use. Each system is unique and, thus, it may offer special shipping parameters based on a number of factors.
The major shipping options website builder may offer include:
- Dropshipping;
- The use of shipping management tools;
- The use of printable shipping labels;
- Cooperation with shipping providers.
Whatever shipping option (or even several of them) you choose for your web store, you’ll have to submit the type of package you need to deliver, the location and the target destination and some other special details about the parcel.
As soon as you set up what product you get ready to shop and where, you’ll need to pick the type of delivery. This is where you will choose between free shipping (this also depends upon your budget and destination), flat rate (fixed price irrespective of the product type), real time quotes (calculation of the final shipping cost by a number of product-related factors), local/store pickup (when customers get their orders individually).
Do not forget to specify the types of shipping services you work with. This information will especially be useful for those customers, who expect their orders to be delivered quickly. Among the most popular delivery couriers, it makes sense to mention FedEx, USPS, Canada Post etc.
Step 6. Preview, Test And Publish Your Online Store
Is there anything else you have to do prior to publishing a website? Yes, there is: you just cannot make your website accessible online to the target audience until you make sure it functions well. So, the only step left is testing your web store.
If you use ecommerce website builders, this task will be somewhat simplified for you. This is because these systems always offer testing and previewing the website before the final publication. Here are the major aspects you need to check:
- Proper Web Store Functionality – check whether all the links and buttons are active and clickable and whether they actually redirect users to the specified pages or sections. Do not forget to check the usability of the navigation menu, try to leave comments and perform other required actions;
- Check the Content – no matter what web store you launch, you certainly add much content to its pages. Take your time to thoroughly read all the info and all the texts not to overlook ridiculous mistakes. This is also the right time to check proper application and optimization of images;
- Test the Checkout Process – a web store is always about purchasing something which highlights the importance of correct checkout. The best way to test the feature is to place an order and then refund yourself. This is how you will not only test payment options, shipping set up parameters, proper shopping cart performance, application of discount coupons (if any, but you will also check the way the payment refund system works;
- Responsive Look – most contemporary website builders create responsive online stores by default. And this is no wonder. According to ReadyCloud research, around 7 out of 101 customers prefer browsing mobile websites instead of using mobile apps on their devices to place orders on the web.
This means that the contemporary world is moving towards the digitalization of the shopping process, increasing the demand for mobile-optimized online stores. The fact matters a lot for business owners, who just start their eCommerce career and wish to get the most out of their conversion rates. It’s been estimated that small and medium online stores get up to 30% higher conversion rates from mobile phones, especially if compared to large entrepreneurs.
So, it’s definitely important to test the way your newly created web store works on tablets, smartphones and other gadgets.
Now that you are done with all the must-have test steps, you are ready to publish a web store to start driving traffic and increasing the sales volumes as well as your profit.
Now that you are done with all the must-have test steps, you are ready to publish a web store to start driving traffic and increasing the sales volumes as well as your profit.
Step 7. What’s Next?
Right after you choose an eCommerce platform and start working on its development, we recommend considering the following aspects:
- An online store has to be convenient, product cards have to be informative, while order and shopping cart buttons have to be at hand;
- Use an online assistant. This approach works well for users, who have doubts or just wish to specify the nuances. It can help boost conversion rates, so, don’t overlook such an opportunity;
- Dispel the fears. Provide quality certificates and cash back guarantee, demonstrate the benefits of the purchase. Mind that managers/consultants have an important role in this process;
- Offer more than your clients expect. Make up special offers. Combine the products and provide discounts for a second product. Everyone likes bonuses, keep that in mind;
- Stay in touch. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t overload your clients’ email boxes with spam messages, but it really makes sense to make mailouts providing information about the assortment updates, special offers, versatile bonuses etc. sometimes. This contributes to a notable goal – to convert a one-time client into a returning customer.
Your website development investments may pay off in 2-4 months granted that you choose the right approach. By investing $20,000, the prevailing part of which will be spent on buying products, you may get the $6,000-$80,00 profit per month, offering 500 product items for sale, for example. This is the average profit rate.
By using dropshipping, you will save money when buying products. You’ll have to spend some funds to get the plan of the chosen website builder and further website promotion (contextual advertising, social networks).
FAQ:
Bottom Line
Prior to starting building your online store, you need to consider all the details concerning the products you will sell, shipping destinations, suppliers, ways of official registering of your website ownership, methods of its promotion, analysis of niche competitors etc.
Get ready to invest your money and effort into the project and be serious about your platform design and content. The simpler and more appealing and logical it is, the more chances to get money from your potential clients will be.
Whatever your web design intentions are, it makes sense to use reliable web building tools with an eCommerce focus. Choose a website builder with regard to your objectives, preferences and abilities. Almost all the systems reviewed above come with free trials that allow exploring their options. Good luck!
