Top 10: Online Shop Building platforms

Updated: July 31, 2023

Online shop builders, also known as e-commerce website builders, are user-friendly platforms that enable individuals and businesses to create and launch their online stores without the need for extensive technical knowledge or coding skills. These platforms offer a wide range of customizable templates and drag-and-drop interfaces, allowing users to design visually appealing and professional online stores with ease. Online shop builders typically integrate essential e-commerce functionalities, such as product catalog management, payment gateways, order processing, and shipping options, making it convenient for businesses to manage their online sales and customer transactions. Additionally, many online shop builders offer marketing tools, SEO optimization, and analytics features to help businesses attract customers and monitor store performance. With the growing popularity of e-commerce, online shop builders have become a popular choice for entrepreneurs and small businesses seeking an accessible and cost-effective way to establish a compelling online presence and tap into the global market. Some of the most popular online shop building platforms are listed below.

See also: Top 10 Online Store Builders

2019. Zoho Commerce Plus - the operating system for your commerce business



Zoho has unveiled Zoho Commerce Plus, an all-in-one integrated platform designed to support every aspect of your e-commerce business, from building and promoting to managing and expanding. This comprehensive solution enables you to establish a professional online store without the need for any coding skills. With Zoho's intuitive drag-and-drop store builder, you can create a personalized customer experience that aligns with your brand, utilizing a variety of customizable templates. Furthermore, Zoho Commerce Plus ensures seamless order fulfillment optimization by providing you with all the necessary information. It offers a unified interface for managing orders from various channels, multiple warehouses, and shipping carriers. Leveraging the power of advanced targeting tools, Commerce Plus enables you to tailor your promotions based on trends, customer behavior, location, traffic sources, and even local weather data. With such precision, you can direct your marketing efforts down to the individual buyer, maximizing their engagement and satisfaction.


2017. Shopify adds new shareable discount links



To enhance your holiday shopping experience, Shopify has introduced a convenient new feature that enables you to attract eager deal-seekers to your store. With Shareable Discount Links, you can direct customers to your homepage while automatically applying a discount code to their shopping carts. These links eliminate the hassle of searching for or entering a code, providing customers with an enticing invitation that can be shared via email, Facebook, or other social media platforms.


2017. Shopify introduced real-time visitors monitoring



Shopify has introduced an exciting feature that empowers store owners to monitor the live activity taking place in their online stores. With Live View, you now have the ability to track the real-time performance of your store conveniently from your mobile device. This innovative feature allows you to stay updated on the number of current visitors on your site and their geographical locations. You can witness the conversion of visitors into customers and celebrate sales as they occur. Additionally, you can monitor key metrics such as daily total visits, orders, and sales. Stay informed about the progress of your purchase funnel as visitors add items to their carts, initiate the checkout process, and successfully complete purchases. Live View also enables you to observe the number of pages being viewed at any given moment.


2017. Squarespace introduced Gift Cards for Online Stores



Squarespace has recently introduced digital gift cards for Squarespace Online Stores, providing merchants with an additional means to boost sales and attract new customers. Selling gift cards offers various advantages beyond revenue generation. It encourages customers to spend more, as they often exceed the card's initial value. Furthermore, gift cards facilitate last-minute shopping, promote brand recognition, and help reduce return rates. Seamlessly integrated into your store, digital gift cards can be purchased and redeemed like any other product. This feature is accessible to all users on the Commerce Advanced plan, regardless of their location or the currency supported by Squarespace Commerce.


2017. BigCommerce simplifies migration from other ecommerce platform, including WordPress



BigCommerce has introduced a set of powerful tools designed to simplify the process of migrating data between different ecommerce platforms. These innovative Catalog Transfer Apps are available to online retailers who are currently selling on alternative platforms, offering a seamless and efficient way to import essential product catalog assets and customer data to BigCommerce. With these apps, the time and cost associated with the migration process are significantly reduced, allowing merchants to transfer their data within a matter of minutes. Developed by BigCommerce's own team of replatforming experts, the Catalog Transfer Apps empower merchants to independently migrate their data from their existing online store to BigCommerce. This includes the ability to transfer up to 10,000 products/SKUs and 30 different types of data. For businesses with larger catalogs, BigCommerce also offers personalized migration services to ensure a smooth transition. With these new tools, BigCommerce continues to support and empower online retailers in streamlining their operations and maximizing their success.


2014. Squarespace 7 integrates with Getty Images and Google Apps for Work



Squarespace, the comprehensive publishing and commerce platform that empowers individuals and businesses to effortlessly create their own websites and online shops, has announced the release of Squarespace 7, its latest version. This update introduces a range of new features and integrations, including an enhanced image picker powered by Getty Images. With this integration, customers can enrich their sites with high-quality photographs, as Squarespace offers access to over 50 million images at a licensing rate of just $10 per image. Additionally, Squarespace 7 seamlessly integrates with Google Apps for Work, providing businesses with a convenient way to set up email accounts, schedule events, and access file storage through Google Drive. These integrations further enhance the capabilities and flexibility of Squarespace, enabling users to create professional websites and efficiently manage their online presence.