There are a lot of e-commerce software packages in the market today. Some of them have been around for a long time now. Yet as times are changing rapidly, the expectations from such platforms are also shifting just as fast. Thus many software applications have failed to last long. However, there are few which have constantly updated themselves, and there are some who have emerged with new names and newer and better features. Among all the e-commerce software applications around, I’ve discovered that some are better than others in one way or another. Among all those Volusion, ZenCart and BigCommerce are few of the users’ favorites, and, at some point of time, mine too.
Volusion
Volusion has almost all the feature you require for you e-commerce site. Customization is pretty easy, and checkout is simple and straight forward. At least that’s what I look for in a platform. Pricing is quite reasonable because a fee is charged rather than a percentage of one’s revenue.SEO is quite good as you can customize tags, titles and Meta tags. However, a header tag is one of the aspects this software lacks. Templates and designs are pretty and easily modifiable. CRM is one of the software’s good features and comes with the option of live chat. Volusion also gives away a good amount of gift certificates, coupons and quantity discounts.
Despite these great features, some improvement is required in the areas of support and forums. I’ve also encountered a few bugs and stability issues that require fixing. Also, you will require third party affiliates in Volusion, which is a great drawback in these times as most platforms are offering services without third party interference.
ZenCart
ZenCart is another shopping cart that makes a good choice. It is a PHP.net based open source software that is simple in all aspects. The best part is that it is free and has a good number of add-ons available. These add-ons are great features and give added functionality to your site. Moreover, you can easily sort products in different categories, or create products in bulk. ZenCart also offers a wide range of templates. Though some are free, you will have to buy some from the site. In one respect it is way better than Volusion because it offers good support and Forum features. Support is quite strong in ZenCart and I personally liked it. If bigger problems are encountered, you can hire the ZenCart professionals as well. ZenCart also supports exports to other accounting software such as QuickBook and MYOB.
Some major cons of ZenCart include difficult customization and upgrades. Secondly, ZenCart really needs to work on its reporting and documentation feature. The software really needs to work on its features and Admin area to make it to the favorites. Overall, it is good because it’s free to use, thus if you want to learn a bit about the business before moving on to a better option go for it.
BigCommerce
Here comes the biggest name around. I am literally a fan. Among these three software applications, BigCommerce is definitely the best. It beats the others because of its features and simplicity. BigCommerce provides a fully hosted solution with ease of customization. SEO is extremely easy, and it also has awesome internal navigation. The software also offers Full CMS, thus it is best for those who don’t want to deal with HTML or other scripts. Import and export is easy, so you can do thousands at once. BigCommerce can also synchronize with other accounting systems such as QuickBook, MYOB, Peachtree, stoneEdge and others as well. There are almost 60 default designs to choose from and they are customizable. BigCommerce also does great where most platforms fail i.e. when it comes to reporting and documentation. Now for the best part: no tiring checkout processes. The software provides a simple one page check out, something I always look for in software.
Conclusion
BigCommerce easily is the winner as it offers all the great features you require, and there are hardly any cons against all the pros it provides. Also, its marketing and promotion tools give you a better opportunity to make bigger profits. If you want to make a profitable investment without wasting much time on other e-commerce software, BigCommerce is the safest option.