Which platform to choose to create an online store
Published: 2021-02-12 09:35:05

When we have finally made the decision to set up our online store, the next questions that assail us are, which platform is the most appropriate to create an online business? Is it better to opt for an in-house development? Our answer will depend on the type of online business we plan to create.

But, as we know that it is not an easy decision, we are going to give a review of the main platforms so that when creating our ecommerce we can do it with full knowledge of the facts. This way, deciding the one that best suits our needs will be a piece of cake.


## Criteria to take into account when making a decision
It is important to keep in mind that there is no better or worse platform to sell online. What we can find is an ecommerce solution that best suits our business needs.

By this we don't mean that you should set up the cheapest online store on the market, but that our future ecommerce should contain all the features that interest us. Therefore, we have prepared a brief guide with the basic aspects that we must consider when creating our online business:

-What economic resources we have: we have to be clear if we are going to choose to hire the development of our online store or, on the contrary, if we are going to do it ourselves. In this way we will have more clear the budget that will be needed to carry out everything.

-Technical knowledge: Do we have enough knowledge to develop our ecommerce? With this we are not only referring to set up the online store, but also to know how to manage and update it constantly.

-Starting an online store from scratch or consolidating our business? Choosing a certain platform will depend a lot on the objectives we have set ourselves. If, for example, we want to start a project from scratch, we may be more interested in an ecommerce platform where we can test our products, rather than a custom-designed platform. This way we will not have to risk our economic resources and we will be able to check if our business is viable.

-The volume of products of our online store: as we know, it is not the same to set up an online store with 20 products than to create another one with more than 1,000 references. This will help us to focus more on what we are going to need.

-To know if we are going to have support to deal with any type of incident.

Surely they seem like obvious questions now, but when it comes to putting them into practice, if we are not clear enough about them, we have to throw our hands up in the air. To avoid the typical headaches and not to be constantly changing platforms. Before making a decision, the best thing to do is to evaluate our needs and possibilities very well.

## The main ecommerce platforms
Magento, Shopify, Prestashop and Woocommerce are some of the most recommended platforms to sell online today. So, now that we have it a little clearer, let's tell you the main features of these ecommerce solutions. 

### Magento
This is the most complete and powerful open source ecommerce platform available today. It is especially suitable for large online sales projects, thanks to its great capacity and multiple functionalities. Sample in [Inmofinan](https://inmofinan.es/)

As it is a high-cost platform and difficult to use and install, besides being a challenge for web developers, it is not recommended for testing our online business. However, as it is a big-word e-commerce platform, it is ideal for solid projects with a large volume of products. These are its main features: 

-Flexible and customizable design: if we want to make a custom design and in a short time, no doubt this ecommerce platform is the one we were looking for.

-As it is such a solid and powerful platform, you need the online store to be on a dedicated server or VPS.

-Thanks to Magento you can create multiple online stores and manage them from a single administration panel.

It is possible to track each of the orders, select different shipping locations, create coupons, set up cross-selling, monitor the shipping service in real time, etc.

-This platform is indicated to make a good web positioning.

-We can enjoy many basic functionalities and a wide variety of payment modules to enhance our business.

-It has a multilingual and multicurrency system that works quite well.

-You can solve any incident thanks to the support offered by the brand.

### Shopify
If web development is not your thing, then this ecommerce solution is for you. Shopify is specially created so that online store owners don't have to touch any code. That is why it is so simple and practical, so that it is accessible to all levels.

Despite being a platform suitable for beginners and small stores, Shopify ecommerce is totally professional. A clear example of a Shopify store is the well-known brand HawKers, which has a Spanish online sunglasses store that, to date, has a turnover of around 15 million euros in a year.

This platform is ideal for those who want to start testing an online project, as it has no technical complications and is very intuitive for the user. Here are some of its features:

-It has the advantage of not needing hosting since it works in the cloud. This allows you to have unlimited bandwidth.

-It does not require a license, it works with a monthly payment, offering different plans so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

-You can choose from over 100 professionally designed templates, the one you like best for your online store.

-Your ecommerce will be ready in a matter of days, regardless of your technical knowledge.

-It is possible to configure the online store in several languages.

-Your customers will have no problems to pay, since transactions are supported in any currency of the world and they can make their payments through transfer, PayPal or credit card.

-You will be able to track your customers' orders and create discount coupons.

-Thanks to the app store offered by Shopify, you can manage your online store from any mobile device.


-You have a support service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

-It offers you the possibility to sell all your products through Facebook. Shopify is an exclusive partner of Facebook and allows you to create a store within your fan page, which your followers can access through a tab and buy directly through the social network.

### Prestashop
This platform is the great competitor of Magento. Both are good options for both small and medium-sized stores, as they rank very well. The only differences are that Prestashop is easier to manage and Magento has a greater capacity to support large projects. So Prestashop is more suitable for medium-sized e-commerce. But what are its most outstanding features?

-It is easy to install, has a very intuitive administration panel and does not consume a lot of resources.

-Being a native ecommerce platform, it includes many features. But be careful, not all of them are free, because if you need other modules that do not come by default on the platform, you will have to purchase the paid ones.

-It has a wide variety of templates to choose from, with the vast majority being paid.

-It allows you to create a multistore system as in Magento, the possibility of integrating any payment gateway and install different languages.

-It requires some technical knowledge to make modifications from the platform panel and the loading speed is quite good.

### Woocommerce
Rather than being a native ecommerce platform, it is a plugin of the WordPress content manager, which can transform our website into an online store. Becoming a good alternative for businesses that only have a blog or a website.

As with Shopify, it is a perfect ecommerce solution for those projects that have just been born and do not require a large investment to get started. The installation of a Woocommerce is quite quick and easy, but unlike Shopify, if we do not have a small base of technical knowledge, it can cost us quite put the design and development of our online store to our liking. These are some of its features:

-It is easy to use and all WordPress plugins are compatible with this ecommerce solution.

-You can easily work the SEO of your store and accounts with a variety of templates, both free and paid, so you can choose the one that best suits you.

-One of its main limitations is that it does not have an extensive catalog, so the volume of products has to be reduced. It is the perfect ally for small stores.

-It has the possibility of adding different attributes to the same product, such as: color, size, composition...

-Like Prestashop, it also allows you to configure different payment methods, shipping costs, taxes, coupons and discount codes.

Ahora sólo nos queda dar el salto a la piscina eligiendo la plataforma que mejor se adapte a nuestro modelo de negocio. ¿Nos ponemos en marcha para vender online?