For those of you who are ecommerce entrepreneurs, the most common question is, which CMS (Content Management System) to use for their e-commerce website. There are many CMS and everyone has a different opinion about which one is the best for building an e-commerce website. But, why? What makes one better than another? You have a great idea for an e-commerce website.
In a previous post we explained two ways to sell products online:
Both above ways, you are dependent on third parties and more importantly, you pay fees to continue working on e-commerce platform.
Now, third way to create a store. In which you have complete command on your store. Is your own store. You don’t need to pay fees to others except hosting fees.
To create your own store you need a content management system (CMS). Which is free, available on all hosting services. Today, we’ll recommend you five CMS, which are reliable. At the end we recommend you:
- One website which can give you free themes for all these platforms. So you can start your ecommerce website quickly.
- Why Free web hosting is bad?
But first, understand:
What a CMS is and why it’s important to eCommerce?
A content management system (CMS) is a type of software that allows you to manage your site content. A CMS allows you to update and modify your web site’s content, without the need for any coding knowledge. For eCommerce businesses, choosing the right platform to build their website can be a huge decision. In many cases, it is the wrong choice that can impact their business in a negative way. It’s essential for any business owner who wants to control their online presence.
Remember the HTML code you had to write to create your first website? That was all hand-coded content, and it was a real pain to keep it updated once you launched. A CMS is a fantastic solution for anyone who wants to edit their content online without having to write HTML code! You need to understand that CMS is not just a piece of technology that helps in designing websites or pages/blogs. It’s heart for your online store.
Many of the well-known CMS platforms are free and open source, while others have a price tag, like BigCommerce, Shopify, Squarespace etc. But don’t worry, today we are talking about free CMS.
Choose a proper CMS for your ecommerce website
Choosing the right CMS for an ecommerce website can be a challenging task. It is not just about choosing an ecommerce theme. Is there a system where ecommerce theme work properly. There are literally hundreds of options available to build your e-commerce site. It’s hard to know where to start! Not all free CMS is good.
Let’s dig into it a little bit. We all know that there are lots of free ecommerce platforms out there. But they all have pros and cons. In this answer I will try to compare the most reliable ecommerce platforms and their pros and cons.
1. WooCommerce Advantages
WooCommerce is the most popular platform for setting up a WordPress site to sell digital or physical products. WooCommerce is a free plugin that makes it easy to allow anyone to set up an online store. It has been in use since 2011 and is developed by WooThemes, a WordPress theme provider. If you want to create an e-commerce website without the hassle of signing up on e-commerce platforms, WooCommerce is the solution for you. It offers many features including advanced search, shopping cart, one-page checkout, multi-store support, product reviews, flexible payment gateway support and lots of plugins to help enhance its features. It has over 100,000 free and paid plugins to choose from, that can be used to extend its capabilities.
It’s a best e-commerce platform that allows you to launch your own storefront and serve customers all over the world. It’s simple to install, updates automatically, and works with WordPress so it can be managed using familiar tools.
It has improved considerably throughout the years and has now become one of the most widely used solutions for WordPress-powered shopping sites. Not only does it offer more shopping features than other platforms, but it also lets you sell products in any currency, accepts, all major cards, and local payment methods. Take advantage to grow your business.
Disadvantage of WooCommerce
The biggest issue with WooCommerce is that it can be a bit complex to set up. It’s not designed for complete beginners, but if you have basic technical savvy and the ability to read documentation, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Another downside is compatibility. WooCommerce only works with certain themes. There’s a chance of running into bugs with your product, if you’re using an unsupported theme or plugin.
WooCommerce Public Opinion
- At G2, 260 people give 4 stars & 599 people give 5 stars out of 923 reviews.
- Google Play gives 4.8/5 stars after 13,643 reviews.
- Capterra gives 4.5/5 stars after 370 reviews.
- At Instagram over 37.1k followers.
- At twitter over 36.4K followers.
- At Facebook over 185,676 followers.
Woocommerce Conclusion
With the flexibility of WordPress and the power of WooCommerce, is the best way to run an online business. It’s extremely flexible, has plenty of features, and comes with a large community behind it. With WooCommerce you can sell anything! It is a free alternative to many premium ecommerce plugins.
2. VirtueMart Advantages
VirtueMart is a free, open-source PHP-based e-commerce solution for Joomla, created in 1997. It’s also one of the most popular e-commerce solutions in the world. VirtueMart is probably the most used Joomla e-commerce plugin. It has been for years, and it still is now. Because of that, we decided to review VirtueMart and see why it’s so popular, what makes it great, and all the things you can do with it!
It’s user-friendly, easy to install and customizable. You can configure it to match your store’s look and feel. Not only because of its open source nature but also because of its ease of use and the range of add-ons. It is written in PHP and uses MySQL and GD (for graphics) as its database and image processing engine. VirtueMart allows users to easily customize the look and feel of their storefront as well as many of the features presented to customers. The flexibility here is what attracts many end users in the first place. It supports multiple languages for online stores.
Do you want to sell your product, then you need a place to sell it. Virtuemart is an online shopping portal which gives you the chance to sell products and services of your liking. Which makes it a good choice for businesses that are just starting out.
Supported by Joomla
The advantage of VirtueMart is that it is free to use. It has a large community of developers who are constantly creating new extensions and improving the platform. Community members can help you with any problems you may encounter. VirtueMart is also well-supported by Joomla, which is the content management system that it is built on. This means that you can get help with both the VirtueMart platform and with Joomla itself if you need it.
Another advantage of VirtueMart is that it is SEO-friendly. This means that it is easy to optimize your website for search engines, which can help you to attract more customers.
It integrates well with a number of different shopping carts and payment processors, making it a good choice for stores that are already using one of these systems. Finally, VirtueMart is reliable and secure, which means that you can trust it to keep your data safe.
VirtueMart Disadvantages
However, there are some disadvantages to using VirtueMart. One disadvantage is that it can be difficult to customize for more complex stores. Additionally, VirtueMart is not always as up-to-date with the latest security features as some of the other eCommerce platforms. So you may have a harder time finding developers and support if you need it. If you visit its official site, it’s blog page is not updated. Finally, it can be challenging to set up and configure correctly.
VirtueMart Public Opinion
- VirtueMart is not widely used. On G2 it has 15 reviews. On Capterra it has only 2 reviews.
- At twitter over 3,639 followers.
- Its highest reviews on Joomla extension page. Out of 518 reviews, user give 4/5 stars.
VirtueMart Conclusion
In conclusion, VirtueMart is a user-friendly, open source eCommerce solution that can be used to set up a functional online store in minutes. It offers a wide range of features and extensions, and is compatible with a variety of shopping cart platforms.
3. Prestashop Advantages
Prestashop was founded in 2007 by Bruno Leveque and Igor Schlumberger. Prestashop is a web-based eCommerce platform. It’s definitely a great choice for those who want to build their own shop and make a profit.
Looking for an ecommerce platform to start selling online? Prestashop might be a good option for you. This open source platform is popular with small businesses and offers a wide range of features. We’ll look at some of the pros and cons of using Prestashop.
The ability to manage your inventory, track orders, the ability to create and modify products, process payments, view sales reports, and manage your customer data. It’s also customizable, so you can create a store that reflects your brand and your customers’ needs.
There are a number of advantages to using Prestashop for online stores. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that it is free to use. Which means you can download it and use it for no cost. Businesses can create a store that looks and feels unique. Prestashop is highly scalable, so businesses of all sizes can use it.
Prestashop is constantly being updated with new features and enhancements. It has a large community of developers who contribute to its growth and improvement. It is also SEO-friendly, and it can help businesses to improve their search engine rankings. Additionally, Prestashop create an online store that meets the needs of any business. It offers a number of good modules that can enhance your ecommerce store performance. Including a built-in search engine, product ratings and reviews, and a shopping cart.
Prestashop Disadvatages
Just like other tools, there are a few common pitfalls that new users may encounter. Prestashop can be challenging to use for those who are not familiar with web development. It is not as widely adopted as some of the other options available, such as Woocommerce. So fewer modules and plugin available to you. You may have trouble finding themes that are compatible with it.
However, these cons are relatively minor when compared to the pros of using Prestashop, and overall it is a very powerful and effective eCommerce platform.
Prestashop Public Opinion
- At G2 user gives 4.3/5 stars after 128 reviews.
- At Capterra user gives 4.3/5 stars after 168 reviews.
- At Trustpilot user gives 4.1 stars after 472 review.
- At Facebook 124,375 people follow Prestashop.
- At twitter over 37.2K followers.
- At linkedin over 25,286 followers
- At YouTube over 26.7K subscribers.
Prestashop Conclusion
It is a great shopping cart system for business owners who are looking for an affordable and easy-to-use ecommerce solution. With its wide range of features, Prestashop can help you build a successful online store.
4. Opencart Advantages
Opencart domain register in 2005. Released version 0.3 on sourceforge in 2006. Initial release in April 2010. As of May 2016 it had been installed on more than 342,000 websites. Which is more than Magento installation, surpassed by 90,000 sites. It’s also a good choice for those who are looking for Magento alternative.
If you’re looking for an open source solution to your eCommerce needs, then OpenCart might be the answer. An online shopping cart solution that enables you to easily create, maintain and sell your products. It comes with lots of features and has a great user interface. Opencart is a web-based software application, which allows you to manage your store without having to know anything about programming. It can also be used for more complex projects as well.
eCommerce Empire
There are plenty of other eCommerce platforms out there, so why should you choose OpenCart? What makes it so special? We’ll go over some of the best features of OpenCart and see how it can help you create your very own eCommerce empire.
- OpenCart has an integrated affiliate system & inbuilt coupon system.
- OpenCart’s powerful reward program is designed to get your customers coming back for more! By offering special discounts and other incentives via a reward program, you can increase customer satisfaction by driving repeat sales and improving customer service.
- The ability to accept multiple currencies and languages.
- It allows you to set up automatic back-ups and restorations.
- OpenCart makes it easy to sell digital products. Such as eBooks and software downloads.
- A powerful integrated comments, reviews, and ratings system.
- The ability to create filters in the same way you create categories.
- An easy way for customers to get subscribed to your newsletter.
- Payment Gateways, such as PayPal and Stripe, and recurring payments for your customers if you plan to sell products by subscription.
- OpenCart extensions free available on the OpenCart website.
The Opencart Administrator Dashboard is a powerful tool that allows you to manage your store’s settings and functions from one place. This includes things like setting up shipping methods, managing orders, viewing sales data, and more. It’s easy to set up a basic store and then scale it up as necessary. It has a large community of users who can help you with any questions you may have.
Multi-Store is a great feature that allows you to manage multiple stores from one account. This makes it easy to keep track of inventory, sales, and customer data. Multi-Store also allows you to add new stores quickly and easily. Making it the perfect solution for businesses that are expanding rapidly.
Opencart Disadvantages
The Opencart platform offers a lot of functionality, but it does have a few downsides:
- You need a good hosting service. It is not a good solution for small businesses with limited resources.
- It is also impossible to add extra features in the code without breaking extensions and plugins, as everything is integrated and interdependent.
- It can be difficult to find an experienced developer who can help you build your store. This is because Opencart is not as popular as some of the other ecommerce platforms, so there may not be as many developers available who are familiar with it.
Opencart Public Opinion
- At Capterra user gives 4.3/5 after 132 reviews.
- At G2 user gives 4.3/5 stars after 95 reviews.
- At Facebook 11,001 people like Opencart.
- At twitter over 5,312 followers.
- At Linkedin over 1,920 followers.
Opencart Conclusion
Opencart allows you to create an online store from scratch or to improve an existing store. It is a robust and reliable solution designed to bring the best. It is easy to install, and has a straightforward, user-friendly interface. Provides a broad range of functionality for both store-owners and customers alike. And is one of the most secure solutions on the market.
5. Magento Adobe Commerce Advantages
Adobe Commerce, formerly known as Magento, is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms. Magento Adobe Commerce is a feature-rich, open-source eCommerce platform that offers merchants complete flexibility and control over the user experience, content, and functionality of their online stores. Magento’s intuitive administration interface provides backend users with powerful tools for managing products, customers, promotions, and checkout processes.
Some of the advantages of using Magento Adobe Commerce include:
- It has a vast array of features and plugins to choose from.
- There is a large and active community of developers and service providers.
- SEO-friendly.
- Excellent scalability and performance.
Disadvantage of Magento Adobe Commerce
There are a few downsides to using Magento as your e-commerce CMS platform. First, Magento can be slow and resource-intensive, which can be a problem for larger stores. Second, Magento’s learning curve can be steep, and it can take some time and effort. Finally, Magento hosting pricing can be a bit on the high side, especially for smaller businesses.
Adobe Commerce Magento Public Opinion
- At GetApp, users give it 4.3/5 stars after 545 reviews.
- Gartner users give it 4.3/5 stars after 177 ratings.
- A TrustRadius user gave an 8.1/10 after 212 reviews.
- G2 users rate it 4/5 after 485 reviews.
Adobe Commerce Magento Conclusion
Magento is a feature-rich, scalable ecommerce platform that gives businesses the flexibility to create unique online stores. While it has some disadvantages, such as a steep learning curve and high hosting costs, its advantages far outweigh its disadvantages. Magento is an excellent choice for businesses that are looking for a robust, customizable e-commerce platform.
Where can I get free ecommerce themes?
You are looking for free ecommerce themes, but not sure where to find them. You heard that these CMS offers free themes. There are many places you can get free ecommerce themes. The question of free ecommerce themes, is one that many people ask themselves on a regular basis. Luckily for you, we’re here to help! And see one sites that provide a variety of free ecommerce themes. One of the good things about this free theme platform is that you can get free themes for all 5 CMS.
You can find a lot of different themes. Some of them are free and some of them are paid. However, even if they’re paid they’re often very affordable.
Why Free web hosting is bad?
After get good free theme and CMS. Your next target is hosting service. There are many free hosting available. We do not recommend you to go with free hosting. The reason why free web hosting is bad, it is a great way for hackers to get their hands on your personal information. If you’re not careful with your information, you could end up with a lot of spam in your inbox, or even worse, your identity could be stolen.
If luckily you found good free web hosting, then they are good for personal sites or simple sites. But if you need an ecommerce site, unfortunately, there is no free hosting company that handles all the features. That’s why we recommend you to buy a premium hosting plan.
Must-See Content: 15 Best Web Hosting at a Budget Price with Advanced Features
Choosing the right CMS for your ecommerce website is important. You need to choose a CMS that suits your needs and also helps you manage your online business. Our answer has detailed information about the five best CMS available in the market. When selecting a premium content management system for your ecommerce site, you should consider all of your requirements as well as any limitations. But in these free CMS, you can select anyone without any worry. They are 😎 Fantastic Five. All five are reliable platforms.
Author: Asif
Asif is a freelance writer who shares his knowledge and experience on how to build and run a successful online business. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, you will find valuable tips and resources on his blog » NewOfferSee Digital Time »
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