The most popular e-commerce platforms – CMS ranking

From 2013 to 2022 the number of online shops set up each year in Poland increased almost 3-fold. This means that the e-commerce sector has become increasingly popular in terms of sales over the years. If you want to catch up with the market leaders and maximise your company’s profits – selling your product range online is inevitable. However, before you choose a specific e-commerce platform – be sure to take a look at our ranking and make a decision based on facts! Enjoy reading.

What are the most popular e-commerce platforms? – TOP 5

Some of the most popular e-commerce platforms include:

• WooCommerce (1,000,000 +),
• Shopify (600,000 +),
• Squarespace Commerce (380,000 +),
• OpenCart (300 000 +),
• WiXeCommerce (140 000 +).

We base today’s article on one of the most reputable rankings from Similartech.

We will briefly describe all the platforms mentioned, point out their advantages and disadvantages, and additionally suggest to whom they are dedicated. The ranking is divided into open source solutions (with open source code) and SaaS systems (operating on a subscription basis).

TOP 1 | WooCommerce – the most popular e-commerce platform based on the WordPress CMS plug-in (open source)

WooCommerce is the most popular e-commerce platform based on the WordPress CMS plugin called WooCommerce. The solution was released in 2011 (owner: WooThemes). Four years later, it was acquired by Automattic, the company responsible for the WordPress content management system.

WooCommerce – advantages

WooCommerce advantages:

• simple and intuitive interface – the WooCommerce system can also be managed seamlessly by beginners (with no prior e-commerce experience);
• high level of scalability – an online shop on WooCommerce can “grow” with your business (you can scale your business up to 50,000 products in your assortment without incurring significant costs);
• sEO-friendliness – thanks to hundreds of practical plugins (e.g. Yoast SEO, Rank Math, The SEO Framework, Jetpack, AMP for WP and All in One SEO Pack);
• an extensive community – by choosing WooCommerce, you can get the help you need at any time (interestingly, if you want to change the company supporting your WooCommerce, there will be no problem at all due to the multitude of specialists who have been working on the system for many years).

WooCommerce – disadvantages

Disadvantages of WooCommerce:

• no official technical support – in this case you have to rely on professionals from the community (WooCommerce has no active support);
• implementation requires some technical knowledge – you can’t do it yourself, while WooCommerce is a very affordable system (prices of full-fledged online shops on this platform start from £5,000 net).

For whom do we dedicate the WooCommerce platform?

The WooCommerce platform is primarily dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises with an assortment of up to 50,000 products, which have at least minimal technical experience (e.g. to carry out updates themselves).

TOP 2 | Shopify – the best-known e-commerce platform for running an online shop (SaaS)

Shopify is currently the most well-known and respected subscription-based (SaaS) e-commerce platform for running an online shop. It was founded in 2004 in Canada (Ottawa) by three partners – Tobi Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake. The company is listed on the stock exchange as NYSE.

Shopify – advantages

Shopify advantages:

• ready-made templates and extensions – allowing you to customise your shop;
• diverse marketing tools – with which you can increase sales and analyse conversions;
• scalability – even above 50,000 products (however, please note that this involves very high amounts on a monthly basis and above-average commissions);
• 3 month trial for one dollar per month – so you can test the performance of this platform seamlessly and at virtually no cost;
• theability to create an online shop yourself – no need to hire a web developer;
• relatively low programming costs – if you decide to have the shop programmed by a web developer, the costs may not exceed several hundred zlotys.

Shopify – disadvantages

Shopify disadvantages:

• high subscription costs – especially for advanced online shops (subscription is $399 per month + high sales commissions of a few percent);
• only 3 days of free use of Shopify as a trial – without plugging in a credit card (otherwise you can have a 90-day trial of Shopify for one dollar a month).

For whom do we dedicate the Shopify platform?

The Shopify platform is a good solution for any type of business – whether it’s a smaller, medium-sized business or an expansive e-commerce business with an assortment of more than 50,000, 100,000 or even 150,000 products. We dedicate this system to companies that want to set up an online shop efficiently (without experience in the e-commerce management sector).

TOP 3 | Squarespace Commerce – a renowned e-commerce platform among foreign entrepreneurs (SaaS)

Squarespace Commerce is a renowned SaaS-based e-commerce platform popular especially among foreign entrepreneurs. It was founded in 2003 by Anthony Casal. It is currently owned by Squarespace Inc. – an American e-commerce platform development company.

Squarespace Commerce – advantages

SquarespaceCommerce advantages:

• seamless integration with numerous payment platforms – e.g. ApplePay, PayPal, Stripe;
• possibility to create a multilingual online shop – by implementing the appropriate overlay (this is currently the most affordable solution on the market);
• high-qualitytemplates and practical personalisation tools – many of which are free of charge (some require payment in the range of several tens of dollars).

Squarespace Commerce – disadvantages

Disadvantages of SquarespaceCommerce:

• high cost of running a small online shop – the SquarespaceCommerce platform primarily supports larger entrepreneurs with extensive product offerings (over 20,000 products);
• fewer features and personalisation options – especially compared to competitors i.e. Shopify, WIX, Shoper.

Who do we dedicate the Squarespace Commerce platform to?

We dedicate the Squarespace Commerce platform to entrepreneurs running a larger-scale business. It is then the most cost-effective solution of all e-commerce platforms. However, it should be noted that Squarespace Commerce offers slightly less extensive personalisation options than, for example, Shopify, WIX or Shoper.

TOP 4 | OpenCart – popular e-commerce platform with numerous solutions to facilitate positioning (open source)

OpenCart is an open source e-commerce software that was first released in 2005. It is currently owned by Perpetual Solutions. It stands out from its competitors for its simplicity, intuitive user interface and wide selection of templates and plugins (including plugins to facilitate SEO).

OpenCart – advantages

OpenCart advantages:

• integrated SEO tools to facilitate SEO – e.g. AIO Rich Snippets or OpenCart SEO Tools (they stand out with affordable prices in the range of about $30);
• easy to use and customise – however, an experienced web developer specialised in OpenCart solutions should be hired for implementation;
• high stability and faultlessness – OpenCart web shops are almost 100% faultless and stable in terms of updates (implementing the latest update will not cause the shop to “crash”, which cannot be said of WooCommerce).

OpenCart – disadvantages

OpenCart disadvantages:

• smaller developer community compared to competitors – especially if we compare OpenCart to WooCommerce (in which case individual solutions will prove additionally more expensive to implement);
• less advanced functionalities – than in the case of Magento or WooCommerce;
• high implementation costs – the OpenCart platform requires an investment of PLN 8,000 – 15,000 to build a fully-fledged online shop (however, much depends on its specification).

For whom are we dedicating the OpenCart platform?

We dedicate the OpenCart platform to entrepreneurs who care about stability and reliability of their online shop. The presented solution is a good option for e-commerce websites of any size. It is a matter of appropriate programming.

TOP 5 | WiXeCommerce – a system that allows you to create any type of website on your own in less than one day (SaaS)

WIX is an Israeli platform for creating portals, websites, blogs and online shops founded in 2006 by Avishai Abramaowitz and Nadav Abraham. The solution is based on a drag-and-drop SaaS system. Visual editing can be done without programming. The platform is currently owned by NASDAQ-listed WIX LTD.

WiXeCommerce – advantages

Advantages of WiXeCommerce:

• theability to easily create an online shop – easy-to-use drag-and-drop tools allow you to create an e-commerce (or any other type of website) in less than one day;
• thousands of templates and hundreds of configuration tools – so users have the choice of personalisation without having to buy additional customised solutions;
• multilingual technical support – operating around the clock (both hotline and advisors providing support via text messages).

WiXeCommerce – disadvantages

Disadvantages of WiXeCommerce:

• high prices – WIX online shops can be far less cost-effective in the long term than other SaaS systems (especially considering the limited possibilities of running a web shop);
• lack of advanced functionalities – compared to other platforms, WIX only offers quite a lot of personalisation possibilities (however, high quality solutions for conversion measurement and search engine optimisation are missing here).

Who is WiXeCommerce designed for?

The WIX platform is dedicated to anyone who wants to create any kind of website (including an e-commerce website) in less than one day, completely on their own, without the help of specialists. Ease of use and a wide range of templates and basic tools make WIX suitable for beginners and small businesses.

The most popular e-commerce platforms – summary

According to current statistics, the most popular e-commerce platforms are the following:

• WooCommerce (1,000,000 +),
• Shopify (600,000 +),
• Squarespace Commerce (380 000 +),
• OpenCart (300 000 +),
• WiXeCommerce (140 000 +).

We encourage you to consider and test each of these. However, when considering savings in the long term, we recommend choosing open source (open source code) systems which, although more expensive to implement, prove cheaper to use over the yearsto come.

Thank you for reading today’s article and we wish you good luck in choosing the most popular e-commerce platforms!

FAQ – Frequently asked questions and answers

What are the most common questions and answers about the most popular e-commerce platforms?

1. What is the most popular e-commerce platform?

According to statistics from Similartech, the most popular e-commerce platform is the WooCommerce solution. Currently, more than one million sites have been created on it.

2. SaaS or Open Source – which is better for an e-commerce shop?

SaaS platforms are practically cost-free to implement, but require payment of a monthly subscription, which can be very high (and consequently unprofitable in the long term) for more complex online shops. Open source solutions (e.g. WooCommerce), apart from being cheaper to use (implementation is more expensive), guarantee far more configuration options and are easier to position in terms of SEO (due to the open source code).