What are ecommerce platforms and how do they drive sales?
eCommerce platforms are essential software tools that help businesses establish, manage, and maintain their online stores.
They provide a wide range of features and tools to support online businesses in selling products and services effectively, which drives sales and growth.
This in-depth guide explains the types of platforms available, their unique features, and how they increase sales.
We’ll also compare the best eCommerce platforms in the market and offer insights on selecting the most suitable one for your company’s eCommerce website.
Let’s dive in.
What are eCommerce platforms?
eCommerce platforms are software solutions that help businesses to build, manage, and grow their online stores.
They offer various tools and functionalities to help businesses sell products and services online, including:
- Website builder: Enables businesses to create a visually appealing online store using templates and drag-and-drop functionality, without requiring extensive technical know-how.
- Inventory management: Helps businesses track and manage their products, maintaining accurate and up-to-date stock levels to prevent overselling.
- Order management: Simplifies receiving, processing, and fulfilling orders, making it easier for businesses to manage customer orders efficiently.
- Payment processing: Integrates with various payment gateways, allowing businesses to accept payments from customers securely.
- Marketing tools: Offers tools for businesses to promote their online stores, such as email marketing, social media integration, and search engine optimization (SEO).
- Analytics and reporting: Provides businesses with data and insights on sales, customer behavior, and overall performance, helping them make informed decisions to improve their online stores.
Today, there are plenty of different platforms for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
How eCommerce platforms drive sales
Before we get into the details of each platform, let’s unpack how they help you drive sales in your online business.
Improved customer experience
The real value of an eCommerce platform is that it combines a smooth browsing experience (through the tools to create an online storefront) with a full commerce engine on the back end.
A content management system or website creator (like WordPress or Webflow) may have what you need to create content for an audience, and a payment processor or online store (like Stripe or Amazon) may have what you need to take orders.
An eCommerce platform brings the two together, giving you and your customers one consistent experience.
Increased visibility and reach
In the competitive world of eCommerce, business owners have to spend just as much time on lead generation, acquiring new customers, and nurturing prospects as they do on developing their products.
Tools with email marketing capabilities, social media integration, and search engine optimization (SEO) can have a significant impact on a business’s reach and customer engagement.
In fact, these have quickly become essentials for any successful eCommerce business.
eCommerce platforms can provide native support for these marketing channels, including:
- The ability to create a blog for content marketing,
- Freedom to adjust tags for SEO purposes,
- And integration with popular social media channels for social selling and marketing.
Better product management
eCommerce platforms can enable more effective inventory and order management.
Using these tools, businesses can maintain updated product information, monitor stock levels, and improve the order fulfillment process, which can lead to higher sales in their online store.
The built-in tools don’t match dedicated inventory management software like Linnworks, but they provide many of the foundational tools businesses need to manage their SKUs.
Faster checkout
An efficient and secure checkout process is crucial to driving sales on eCommerce platforms.
By offering features like one-page checkout, guest checkout, and various payment gateway integrations, businesses give customers a quick path to purchase.
Enhanced marketing and advertising capabilities
eCommerce software platforms equip businesses with a range of marketing tools and features, such as promotional banners, discount codes, and abandoned cart recovery.
(Some of these features are only available through third-party plugins that extend the platform.)
These tools enable businesses to create targeted marketing campaigns that drive more traffic and sales to their online store.
Better use of data and analytics
Data-driven decision-making is essential for businesses to optimize their eCommerce store and drive sales.
eCommerce platforms offer analytics and reporting features, providing businesses with insights into sales, customer behavior, and overall business performance.
The advantages of open source and headless eCommerce platforms
If the terms “open source” and “headless” sound a little odd to you, don’t worry.
(That second one does sound a little macabre, doesn’t it?)
In this section, we’ll unpack what these eCommerce platforms are, how they work, and the advantages of each one.
Open source eCommerce platforms
Open source eCommerce platforms are called “open source” because anyone can see how the program works and even make changes to it if they want to.
This makes it easier for people to create their own unique online stores without having to start from scratch.
This is the opposite of a typical SaaS platform (software as a service) like Shopify, which is closed-source and does not allow users to edit the source code of the core software itself.
If you’re weighing the two models, our guide to SaaS vs. open source ecommerce compares them on cost, maintenance, security, and flexibility.
There are several advantages of using an open-source eCommerce platform, including:
- Cost savings: Open-source eCommerce platforms are often free to use, which can save businesses money on licensing compared with proprietary platforms. Hosting, development, and maintenance still cost money.
- Customization: Open-source platforms allow for greater customization and flexibility, so businesses can tailor their eCommerce site to their specific needs and preferences.
- Community support: Open-source platforms have a large community of developers who contribute to the platform and provide support, which can be a valuable resource for businesses.
- Code transparency: Because the code is open for review, a community of developers can audit it and flag vulnerabilities. You are still responsible for applying updates and security patches.
- Integration: Open-source platforms offer a wide range of integrations with third-party tools and services, making it easy to add new features and functionality to your eCommerce site.
Learn more: 9 Best Ecommerce Open Source Platforms For Your Online Business
Headless eCommerce platforms
Headless eCommerce platforms separate the front end (the user interface) from the back end (the data and functionality) of an online store.
This allows businesses to develop and manage the front end independently, which supports greater flexibility and customization.
That said, headless eCommerce platforms require significantly more technical expertise. If you’re not a tinkerer or aren’t willing to hire a developer, it may be best to choose another platform.
Some of the advantages of a headless eCommerce platform include:
- Flexibility: With a headless platform, you can customize and design your front-end user experience without being tied to the back-end system. This allows for more creative freedom and the ability to experiment with different technologies and design elements.
- Room to grow: Because the front end and back end are separate, you can add capacity to each independently as traffic and transaction volume increase.
- Better performance: Separating the front end from the back end can deliver faster page load times and better user experiences.
- Integration: A headless eCommerce platform can integrate with a wide range of third-party applications and tools, so you can build a complete eCommerce stack that meets your business needs.
- Future-proofing: Because the front end can change without rebuilding the back end, a headless platform can adapt more easily to changing business needs and emerging technologies.
Top eCommerce platforms for driving sales
Prices below are US list prices in USD as of October 2026. Plans change often, so confirm current pricing on each vendor’s site before you buy.
Shopify
Shopify is a well-known eCommerce platform. It offers a wide range of functions, including tools for developing websites, managing inventory, and processing payments.
It also integrates with external inventory management systems like Linnworks, so you don’t have to worry about outgrowing the platform as your business grows.
The platform is built to be simple to use, making it an excellent solution for businesses of all kinds.
Key features: Shopify provides a wide range of features to enhance your online business. With its intuitive interface, you can manage your inventory, promote your products through built-in SEO tools, and process payments from various gateways.
Shopify’s app store also contains an assortment of apps you can use to customize your website and extend your online business.
Pros: Easy to use, grows with your business, and has a large app store for additional functionality.
Cons: Transaction fees for external payment gateways and premium themes can be costly.
Pricing: The Starter plan costs $5 per month for selling through social media and links. Basic, Grow, and Advanced cost $39, $105, and $399 per month, or $29, $79, and $299 per month with annual billing. Shopify Plus starts at $2,300 per month.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a popular eCommerce platform built for WordPress websites.
You can use WooCommerce software for free because it is open source. If you’re searching for a configurable and versatile eCommerce platform, WooCommerce is a great option. Linnworks has a native WooCommerce integration that connects your store to your other sales channels.
Key features: WooCommerce integrates directly with WordPress and offers a range of plugins and themes from which users may choose, which makes it excellent for customization.
Online businesses can also benefit from WooCommerce’s multiple payment gateway options, making it a popular choice for eCommerce ventures.
Pros: Highly customizable, open source, extensive plugin library, and free to use.
Cons: Requires technical knowledge and may require additional costs for plugins and themes. Support comes from documentation, forums, and the community unless you pay for an extension or a developer.
Pricing: Free, but hosting and domain costs apply.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a hosted eCommerce platform that allows businesses to sell their products or services online.
This platform has a variety of features and integrations. It offers strong built-in inventory management, marketing tools, and a user-friendly interface.
Key features: BigCommerce offers a range of built-in features, such as inventory management, marketing tools, and various payment gateways. It supports multichannel selling and provides a range of themes and integrations.
Pros: No BigCommerce transaction fees on any plan, room to grow, and a range of built-in features.
Cons: Not as user-friendly as some competitors, and limited free themes. Each plan has an annual sales limit ($50,000 on Standard, $180,000 on Plus, and $400,000 on Pro), and BigCommerce moves you to the next plan when you pass it.
Pricing: Standard, Plus, and Pro cost $39, $105, and $399 per month, or $29, $79, and $299 per month with annual billing. Enterprise pricing is custom.
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento)
Adobe Commerce (formerly known as Magento) is an eCommerce platform suited to large organizations that need extensive customization.
It offers features such as multi-store management, content management, and a range of plugins and extensions. Linnworks has a native Magento integration for connecting these stores to your other channels.
Key features: Adobe sells Adobe Commerce as a cloud service, on cloud infrastructure, and as self-managed software, and it still offers the free Magento Open Source edition. The platform includes inventory management, marketing tools, and support for various payment gateways.
Pros: Highly customizable and suitable for large enterprises.
Cons: Requires technical knowledge and can be resource-intensive.
Pricing: Magento Open Source is free to download, though hosting and development costs apply. Adobe doesn’t publish prices for the paid Adobe Commerce editions, so you need to request a quote.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a comprehensive eCommerce website and solution that boasts eye-catching templates with a modern touch.
It offers user-friendly website-building tools and built-in eCommerce features, making it a suitable choice for small businesses and creative professionals.
Key features: Squarespace is known for its visually appealing templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and built-in eCommerce features.
Pros: User-friendly, beautiful templates, and an all-in-one solution.
Cons: Limited integrations and less suitable for large-scale eCommerce operations. The Basic plan charges a 2% Squarespace transaction fee.
Pricing: Squarespace has four plans (Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced) that run from roughly $16 to $99 per month with annual billing. Core, Plus, and Advanced charge no Squarespace transaction fee on physical products.
Wix
Wix is a popular website builder with eCommerce functionality. With so many layouts to select from, you can customize your eCommerce site in a few clicks.
Drag-and-drop functionality allows you to move things around and create a website that represents your brand.
The platform also includes various integrations that may improve the operations of your online store, making it an ideal choice for small businesses.
Key features: Wix offers a user-friendly website builder, drag-and-drop functionality, a range of templates, and built-in eCommerce features.
Pros: Easy to use, customizable, and affordable to start.
Cons: Limited room to grow and fewer advanced eCommerce features compared to competitors.
Pricing: eCommerce-ready business plans run from about $27 to $159 per month.
Volusion
Volusion is a cloud-based eCommerce platform with inventory management, marketing tools, and customer support in one package.
It may suit you if you’re just starting out with eCommerce or looking to grow an existing online business, but weigh its track record first. Volusion filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, and third-party store trackers show its live store count has fallen sharply since.
Key features: Volusion offers an inventory management system, marketing tools, a range of payment gateways, and a built-in CRM system.
Pros: A good range of built-in features at a low entry price.
Cons: Limited design options, customization that requires coding knowledge, and an uncertain long-term outlook.
Pricing: Plans range from $35 to $299 per month.
Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop is a comprehensive eCommerce platform offering a range of features, including secure website building, inventory management, and marketing tools.
The catch is that the free plan is only available to US merchants who use Shift4 Payments and process at least $500 per month. Some sources cite a higher minimum, so confirm it with Shift4Shop.
Key features: Shift4Shop provides a range of built-in eCommerce features, including inventory management, order management, and marketing tools. It also supports various payment gateways and offers a range of integrations.
Pros: A full set of built-in features and no monthly fee for qualifying US merchants. The business model may suit smaller stores that process at least $500 a month.
Cons: Tied to Shift4 Payments for the free plan, less user-friendly than some competitors, and fewer templates and third-party apps than more established platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. Using an outside payment gateway means paying a monthly plan fee plus a Shift4Shop transaction fee.
Pricing: $0 per month if you qualify for the free plan. Otherwise, plans start at about $29 to $41 per month, depending on the plan and your usage.
Weebly
Weebly is a user-friendly website builder that offers a variety of templates as well as an intuitive drag-and-drop feature, plus basic eCommerce functionality to help customers manage and sell their items online.
Square owns Weebly and now steers new online sellers to Square Online, its own eCommerce product built with Weebly technology. Weebly is still available, but Square is putting its development effort into Square Online.
Key features: Weebly offers a user-friendly website builder, drag-and-drop functionality, built-in eCommerce features, and integration with Square for payment processing.
Pros: Easy to use, affordable, and includes basic eCommerce features.
Cons: Limited advanced eCommerce features, fewer integrations than competitors, and an uncertain future as Square focuses on Square Online. A 3% transaction fee applies on the lower plans.
Pricing: A free plan is available, and paid plans run up to $26 per month with annual billing.
How to choose the right eCommerce platform for your business
Identify your business needs and goals
Prior to selecting an eCommerce platform, it’s essential to identify the exact requirements and objectives of your business.
Take into account elements such as your target market, the items you offer, and the extent of customization you desire.
Knowing exactly what you want can help you select the platform that will best serve your business goals.
Determine your budget
eCommerce platforms offer various pricing plans and fees, so it’s essential to determine your budget before making a decision.
Keep in mind not only the initial setup costs but also ongoing expenses, such as transaction fees, app integrations, and hosting.
Weigh the benefits and features offered by each platform against its pricing to find the most cost-effective solution.
Evaluate the features and capabilities of each platform
The success of your online shop depends in part on the eCommerce platform provider you choose.
There are several platforms available, and every one of them offers a unique set of features and functionalities.
Assess your unique requirements and give priority to the features that will have the greatest influence on the performance of your online store.
Consider the user experience and customer support
It’s essential that your eCommerce platform gives customers a positive shopping experience.
Make sure the platform you choose has a straightforward design, user-friendly features, and is easy for people to navigate.
Smooth, pleasant customer experiences encourage repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Consider the platform provider’s customer service as well, since prompt and efficient help may be vital in addressing problems and keeping your online business running. Support channels and hours differ by platform and plan, so check what’s included at the tier you plan to buy.
Take advantage of free trials and demos
Many platforms offer free trials or demos, so you can explore their features and functionalities before committing to a plan.
Make use of any chance to assess the software’s user experience, convenience, and fit with your business requirements.
Get recommendations from other business owners
One effective method to evaluate the compatibility of an eCommerce platform with your business is to request feedback from fellow entrepreneurs.
Talk to peers in your industry or read online reviews to gain insights into the experiences of others with various types of eCommerce platforms.
Insights from experienced professionals support an informed decision.
Final thoughts
eCommerce platforms provide a variety of functions and tools to improve the shopping experience for customers.
The goal of all the platforms is to create an efficient and satisfying online shopping experience for customers while boosting revenue for businesses.
Selecting the appropriate eCommerce platform is an essential step in building a successful digital shop.
And as your business grows, you can keep increasing efficiency and sales by automating key areas of your operation, like inventory and warehouse management.
For instance, Linnworks connects your store to 100+ channel integrations, so one inventory record stays accurate wherever you sell, and it works with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Adobe Commerce.
To learn more, explore our inventory management solution or request a demo to see Linnworks in action.
