Top 10 Online Store Building Platforms

Latest news about Online Store Building Platforms

2021. Web building platform Duda snaps up e-commerce cart tool Snipcart



Duda has completed the acquisition of Snipcart, a Canada-based startup that specializes in providing businesses with the ability to incorporate a shopping cart feature into their websites. Duda primarily collaborates with digital agencies and SaaS companies and boasts approximately 1 million paying sites. The acquisition was prompted by the surge in e-commerce websites during the global pandemic. By joining forces, the two companies will introduce enhanced functionalities within the Duda platform, including payment and membership tools. With Snipcart on board, Duda's customers, who often possess inventory and prefer not to manage it on separate e-commerce platforms, can seamlessly transform their products into purchasable items on the web.


2021. Shopistry bags $2M to provide headless commerce without the headaches



Shopistry, a pioneering startup aiming to revolutionize the concept of headless commerce, has secured $2 million in seed funding. Shopistry empowers customers to build personalized commerce experiences that are inclusive and easily accessible to all. The company anticipates that headless architecture, also known as modular architecture, will emerge as the dominant approach within the next five years. Shopistry is already collaborating with retailers like Honed and Oura Ring, enabling them to efficiently manage their e-commerce platforms without incurring significant costs, dealing with complexity, or relying on extensive technical expertise.

2021. E-commerce-as-a-service platform Cart.com picks up $98M



Cart.com, a leading provider of comprehensive e-commerce solutions, has recently secured an impressive $98 million in a Series B funding round. The company offers a wide range of software, services, and infrastructure to empower businesses in scaling their online operations. By combining the strengths of direct-to-consumer selling on popular marketplaces such as Amazon and Shopify, Cart.com aims to deliver significant value to brands. Introducing the concept of "e-commerce-as-a-service," the company brings together a unified platform that encompasses various essential business tools, including storefront software, marketing capabilities, fulfillment services, secure payment solutions, and efficient customer service. Through this innovative approach, Cart.com streamlines and enhances the e-commerce experience for businesses across the board.


2021. Lightspeed buys Ecwid for $500M



Lightspeed is continuing its acquisition streak by adding two more companies to its portfolio. The Canadian point-of-sale software provider has acquired the e-commerce platform Ecwid for $500 million and NuOrder, a B2B ordering platform catering to wholesalers, brands, and retailers, for $425 million. Ecwid has established itself over the years as a prominent partner of Facebook, assisting small businesses in creating commerce experiences on the social media platform. It has expanded its services to support merchants using platforms such as Square, Wix, Instagram, and Google, sometimes in competition with, but also potentially integrating with, other e-commerce backends like Shopify.


2021. Google partners with Shopify on online shopping expansion



Google has recently announced a strategic partnership with Shopify, enabling over 1.7 million merchants on the e-commerce platform to effectively reach consumers through various Google services, including Google Search. This integration empowers merchants to effortlessly sign up and have their products featured across Google's extensive network, encompassing over 1 billion daily "shopping journeys" on platforms such as Search, Maps, Images, Lens, and YouTube. The collaboration comes as a response to Amazon's heightened investment in its advertising business, posing a potential challenge to Google's core ads business. In light of these developments, Google has made a series of updates to Google Shopping, ensuring its competitiveness in the evolving e-commerce landscape.


2021. Mailchimp moves into e-commerce



Over the past few years, Mailchimp has evolved from a simple newsletter platform into a comprehensive marketing company. While the platform has already provided integrations with various e-commerce websites, it is now introducing its own online stores tailored to small and medium businesses. Additionally, Mailchimp is launching a new appointment booking service. These new offerings are part of Mailchimp's "Websites & Commerce" plans, which include a free tier providing most of the essential functionalities. Users on the free plan will incur a 2% transaction fee. For $10/month, Mailchimp will remove its branding, provide access to email and chat support, and reduce the transaction fee to 1.5%.


2021. Nuvemshop, LatAm’s answer to Shopify, raises $90M



Based in São Paulo, Nuvemshop has developed an e-commerce platform designed to facilitate direct connections between SMBs and merchants with their customers. Nuvemshop recognizes the higher concentration of SMBs in Latin America compared to the United States, and it capitalizes on this market potential. The company underwent a significant transformation last year, shifting from a closed product model to an open platform that welcomes participation from third parties, developers, agencies, and other SaaS vendors. Through Nuvemshop's APIs, these external parties can seamlessly integrate their applications with the Nuvemshop platform, expanding its functionalities and enhancing the overall user experience.


2020. Shogun raises $35M to help brands take on Amazon with faster and better sites of their own



Shogun, a startup dedicated to empowering individual companies and brands in creating exceptional websites, has successfully raised $35 million in funding. Shogun offers a platform that enables businesses to build websites on top of popular e-commerce back-ends such as Shopify, BigCommerce, or Magento, facilitating the seamless sale of goods and services. With this new investment, Shogun aims to further enhance its two primary products: Page Builder, a user-friendly drag-and-drop page builder, and Frontend, a comprehensive "headless commerce" solution that ensures faster page-load times and provides enterprise-grade tools for easy page updates. The funding will also contribute to enhancing Shogun's market strategy, allowing the company to expand its reach and impact in the industry.


2020. Commerce Layer raises $6M for its headless e-commerce platform



Commerce Layer has secured a Series A funding round of $6 million. This company specializes in a "headless" e-commerce platform, designed to create online sales strategies that utilize APIs for seamless integration with various endpoints. These endpoints include marketplaces, your own website and app, different payment systems based on the target country, messaging services, social channels, and more. Commerce Layer's customers, such as Chilly's, Au Depart, Richard Ginori, and others, play a crucial role in shaping the startup's future developments. For instance, one of their customers expressed the need for integration with Farfetch, a luxury fashion marketplace. Consequently, Commerce Layer is actively working on building this integration to offer it as an option to other clients in the future.


2020. Web store building startup Ecwid raises $42M



Ecwid, a startup specializing in e-commerce tools, has successfully raised $42 million. The company offers direct sales of its e-commerce solutions and also partners with platforms like Square and Wix, enabling businesses to create their own e-commerce experiences on websites, apps, and various online channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and Google. Ecwid belongs to a group of e-commerce companies, including Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce, which have capitalized on the growth of online shopping in the past decade. These platforms have played a crucial role in helping small and medium-sized brick-and-mortar businesses transition into the digital economy. Notably, Ecwid's pricing structure emphasizes accessibility, with a starting option that allows shopping on a website featuring 10 or fewer products available for free.


2020. WooCommerce launches native WooCommerce Payments feature



The e-commerce platform WooCommerce, created by Automattic, is enhancing its payment functionality with a native solution known as WooCommerce Payments. This payment feature is powered by Stripe and offers seamless integration with the rest of the WooCommerce platform. In the past, WooCommerce users had the option to enable extensions to incorporate payment widgets on their websites, including providers like Stripe, Amazon Pay, Square, or PayPal. However, WooCommerce Payments takes this capability a step further by simplifying the setup process and facilitating order acceptance, providing an effortless experience for merchants.


2020. Shogun raises $10M to help e-commerce brands build faster websites



Amazon, with a market capitalization surpassing $1 trillion, is facing competition from a promising new startup, Shogun, which believes that the e-commerce giant is missing out on important opportunities. Shogun recognizes that a growing number of direct-to-consumer brands are gaining an edge over Amazon by delivering superior buying experiences. In response, Shogun has positioned itself as a platform dedicated to supporting these brands. With an impressive customer base of 11,000, including renowned names such as MVMT, K-Swiss, and Leesa, Shogun has successfully carved a niche in the market. Today, the company is thrilled to announce a significant milestone, raising $10 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Initialized Capital, with participation from VMG Partners and YC, bringing Shogun's total funding to $12 million.


2019. Commercetools raises $145M for Shopify-style e-commerce APIs for large enterprises



Commercetools, a German startup that specializes in offering a comprehensive set of APIs to support e-commerce sales and related functionalities for large enterprises, has secured a significant investment of $145 million. This funding coincides with commercetools' separation from REWE, a German retail and tourist services giant that acquired the startup back in 2015. While Shopify, during its earlier stages as a private company, primarily concentrated on delivering e-commerce tools through APIs to smaller and medium-sized clients, it has since expanded to serve around 800,000 customers. On the other hand, Commercetools focuses more on businesses with annual revenues surpassing $100 million, as highlighted by Hoerig.


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.


2019. Mailchimp acquired e-commerce platform LemonStand and broke up with Shopify



Mailchimp has made the decision to discontinue its app that allowed users to utilize their Shopify data for creating targeted email campaigns. This move came after disagreements arose between the two companies regarding the sharing of customer data. Interestingly, prior to parting ways with Shopify, Mailchimp quietly acquired LemonStand, a smaller competitor of the e-commerce platform. This acquisition was aimed at enhancing Mailchimp's platform by incorporating more integrated e-commerce features. It serves as an indication of the growing importance of Mailchimp's e-commerce business. In the past year, Mailchimp collaborated with Square to introduce shoppable landing pages, showcasing the company's dedication to developing native e-commerce functionalities. While Mailchimp continues to expand its platform's e-commerce capabilities, it remains open to collaborating with third-party providers (excluding Shopify, the largest among them) to offer additional functionality to its users.


2018. Adobe acquires Magento CMS



Adobe has announced its acquisition of the online store builder Magento for a sum of $1.68 billion. This strategic purchase fills a crucial gap in Adobe's portfolio by providing an e-commerce platform that caters to both B2B and B2C contexts. The integration of Magento into Adobe's Experience Cloud is expected to be seamless and further strengthens Adobe's ability to compete with cloud service providers such as Salesforce, SAP, and IBM, who already offer their own marketing, sales, and service solutions. While Magento has primarily focused on serving small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Adobe's target audience is clearly the enterprise market. Comparing Adobe's move with other players in the industry, such as Salesforce acquiring Demandware, IBM acquiring WebSphere Commerce, and SAP acquiring Hybris, it is evident that Adobe's decision to acquire Magento was driven by selecting the best available option to meet their enterprise-focused goals.


2018. Adobe acquires open-source e-commerce CMS Magento



After acquiring the market-leading eCommerce platform Magento for $1.68 billion, Adobe secured a foothold in the realm of Cloud Computing. With this purchase, Adobe now possesses an eCommerce platform that complements their existing commerce offerings, enabling a complete commerce loop. Furthermore, this acquisition enables Adobe to cater to both B2B and B2C customers on a global scale. Following the acquisition, Magento launched Magento Commerce Cloud in 2016, which offers a content delivery network and is considered a more expensive option compared to the Magento Commerce On-premise platform. As a leader in cloud commerce innovation for merchants, B2B, and B2C companies, Magento Commerce remains at the forefront of the industry. Notably, Magento's open-source platform will continue to be available for small businesses, providing limited functionalities and being free to use.


2018. Square acquired website builder Weebly



Square, renowned for its payment software, has announced its acquisition of Weebly for a sum of $365 million. Weebly specializes in providing user-friendly website-building tools primarily tailored for small businesses and e-commerce companies. The company has successfully secured $35.7 million in funding. Square's objective in acquiring Weebly is to establish a unified solution that caters to entrepreneurs seeking to establish a robust online and offline business presence. This strategic move will also facilitate Square's global expansion, given that 40 percent of Weebly's 625,000 paid subscribers are based outside of the United States.


2018. BigCommerce raised $64 million



BigCommerce, an e-commerce service utilized by renowned brands such as Sony, Toyota, and over 60,000 other merchants, has successfully raised $64 million to expedite its business growth. BigCommerce offers its customers a comprehensive template to launch websites that include efficient shipping and payment tracking features. Additionally, it simplifies cross-selling on popular platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Facebook. The company asserts that it can assist e-tailers in reducing costs by up to 80 percent. Recently, BigCommerce has introduced an integration with Instagram, enabling seamless in-app purchasing for consumers. Furthermore, the company has established partnerships with leading entities such as PayPal and Google, and intends to capitalize on cross-platform opportunities by intensifying its efforts in that regard.


2018. BigCommerce introduced new Google Shopping campaign management solution



BigCommerce, a leading ecommerce platform, has recently introduced a new integration with Google Shopping, allowing merchants to leverage its advantages. This integration empowers BigCommerce merchants with seamless configuration and generation of product data feeds specifically designed for Google Shopping. Furthermore, they can optimize their Google AdWords campaigns directly within the BigCommerce control panel, resulting in time saved, improved ad spend optimization, and increased sales and conversion rates. By utilizing Google Shopping, a cost-effective solution, ecommerce merchants can effectively connect with potential customers who are actively seeking the products they desire, thus driving relevant traffic to their online stores and ultimately benefiting their businesses.


2018. Shopify now allows to fulfill orders directly from your phone



The Shopify app for iOS and Android has introduced a new feature that enables users to purchase and print shipping labels directly from their mobile devices. With this functionality, you have the convenience of creating and printing labels instantly or saving them for future printing. Additionally, you can efficiently manage your entire shipping workflow from the convenience of your palm. The app provides full access to all the features available in Shopify Shipping, including access to discounted rates with supported carriers such as UPS, DHL Express, USPS, and Canada Post, all within the Shopify app itself. This update empowers you to handle your shipping needs seamlessly and efficiently while on the go.


2018. BigCommerce integrated with Akamai Image Manager



BigCommerce has recently partnered with Akamai, a globally recognized and highly reliable cloud delivery platform, to offer Akamai Image Manager to its extensive network of over 55,000 BigCommerce stores worldwide. This collaboration enables BigCommerce customers to enjoy the benefits of Akamai's advanced image optimization technology. Through Akamai Image Manager, BigCommerce merchants gain the capability to optimize their online images based on factors such as device type, image quality, and download size. This optimization process leads to accelerated page loading times, enhanced customer engagement, and ultimately improved website conversion rates.


2017. Magento introduced Instant Purchase Checkout



Magento has made a groundbreaking move by becoming the first commerce leader to introduce an 'Amazon-like' experience as a standard feature in its latest release, Magento Commerce. This revolutionary feature, known as Instant Purchase, revolutionizes the checkout process for returning customers, offering them a faster and more seamless experience. By utilizing previously stored payment credentials and shipping information, Instant Purchase allows customers to skip various checkout steps. With a simple click on the "Instant Purchase" button found on a product detail page, customers are swiftly directed to a confirmation page where they can finalize their order. This functionality is powered by Braintree Vault, which supports stored payment information for Braintree Credit Card, Braintree PayPal, and PayPal Payflow Pro. Furthermore, merchants using Magento have the flexibility to easily customize the Instant Purchase button text and adjust the business logic to tailor the experience according to their specific requirements.


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. BigCommerce integrates with Instagram



BigCommerce has introduced an exciting feature that empowers merchants to drive sales through Instagram. With this new integration, BigCommerce merchants are among the first to gain access to shopping on Instagram, enabling users to discover, browse, and make purchases directly from product posts within Instagram's iOS and Android apps. With over 800 million monthly Instagram users, and 80 percent of them following at least one business account, brands have a significant opportunity to connect with a wide audience and showcase their unique products and stories. Starting today, BigCommerce merchants can effortlessly tag products in their Instagram posts, providing users with instant access to contextual information such as pricing and product descriptions with just a single click. This seamless integration enhances the shopping experience and offers a convenient way for customers to explore and engage with products, ultimately driving more conversions and sales for BigCommerce merchants.


2017. BigCommerce expands relationship with PayPal



BigCommerce has announced an expanded collaboration with PayPal, aimed at providing businesses with a comprehensive suite of products and services to enhance sales opportunities. As of today, BigCommerce customers will enjoy increased capabilities to offer flexible consumer financing options through PayPal Credit, access innovative business financing via PayPal Working Capital, and gain valuable insights into their shoppers through the exclusive PayPal Marketing Solutions app, recently launched for BigCommerce customers. Since 2013, BigCommerce and PayPal have been trusted partners, working together to support merchants in growing their businesses through a comprehensive payment solution. BigCommerce's seamless integration with PayPal, powered by Braintree, enables business owners to effortlessly accept credit and debit cards, as well as offer the convenience of PayPal as a payment option. With this enhanced collaboration, BigCommerce customers can now leverage the power of PayPal's robust suite of products and services, empowering them to attract more customers, increase conversions, and optimize their overall sales performance. By providing flexible financing options, access to business financing, and valuable shopper insights, BigCommerce and PayPal are equipping businesses with the tools they need to thrive in the competitive ecommerce landscape.


2017. Shopify Mobile adds Discounts, Product Collections, Live View, and More



During the Black Friday Cyber Monday event last year, a greater number of Shopify merchants accessed their accounts through mobile devices compared to desktop computers. This trend has prompted the developers to prioritize the inclusion of essential features required for your success during the #BFCMWin on your smartphones and tablets. Now, you have the capability to create, customize, and manage discounts directly from your mobile devices. Additionally, one of the noteworthy new additions is the availability of Product Collections, which significantly aids your customers in swiftly finding their desired items. With the Shopify app on mobile, you can effortlessly set up and modify Product Collections. Moreover, the Live View feature on mobile enables you to monitor your store's performance in real-time, proving to be particularly advantageous during high-traffic periods such as the BFCM weekend.


2017. Shopify integrates with UPS



UPS is now available as a fresh choice in Shopify Shipping, enabling Shopify merchants based in the United States to provide an exceptional delivery experience akin to that of large-scale retailers. By utilizing UPS in conjunction with Shopify Shipping, you can take advantage of competitive rates with discounts of up to 52% off the standard rates, perfectly timed for the holiday season. Regardless of the size of your business, you now have the ability to access UPS' shipping options with guaranteed delivery dates at rates that lead the industry. Additionally, UPS extends exclusive discounted rates to Shopify merchants, particularly for heavier packages. During the holiday period, Shopify will cover any peak surcharges on UPS Ground shipments.


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. Shopify integrates with eBay



Shopify and eBay have joined forces to grant you access to eBay's vast customer base, comprising over 171 million buyers. This exciting new sales channel is now available for your use. Just like Shopify's existing partnerships with Amazon, Facebook, and other leading selling platforms, the new eBay sales channel seamlessly integrates with your Shopify store. If you are a U.S.-based merchant selling in USD, you can effortlessly list and sell your products on eBay while conveniently managing fulfillment and inventory processes through Shopify. Adding new products to your Shopify store allows for automatic syncing of product information to the eBay sales channel, creating eBay listings without the need for manual data entry. This streamlined approach not only saves you time but also enables you to effectively manage your entire product catalog for your online store, retail establishment, eBay listings, and all other sales channels, all from a single, centralized location.