There are many different types of eCommerce platforms available on the market today. But which one is the best for your business? The answer to that question depends on several factors, including the type of product you sell, your budget, and your technical skills.
To help you choose the best ecomeCommercetform for your business, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 platforms, as well as their pros and cons. Read on to find the perfect eCommerce platform for your business!
Top 10 eCommerce Sites to Explore
In this section, we
will review some of the best eCommerce platforms in existence:
1: Amazon.com
It was established in 1994 in the United States as Amazon.com. The business was founded as an online book marketplace. But Amazon has become the biggest retailer in the world.
Amazon is by far the most popular eCommerce site in the US, with up to 2.4 billion visitors (on mobile and desktop) in May 2022, according to Statista.
Amazon operates in 19 additional nations in addition to the US, including Australia, Austria, China, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Germany, India, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Arab Emirates, UK, and Singapore.
In addition to being the biggest retailer in the world,
Amazon is also the biggest online company, with ventures into cloud computing,
digital entertainment, and Twitch live streaming.
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Features
The following are some of Amazon's features:
Google Business
Amazon is not only a B2C (business-to-consumer) marketplace;
with Amazon Business, it is also a B2B (business-to-business) platform. The
features of Amazon Business are created for companies of all sizes and allow
merchants the chance to target B2B clients with a price.
Sellers may outsource their order fulfillment to Amazon
using the Amazon FBA Fulfillment by Amazon service. Operating under the
dropshipping paradigm is Amazon FBA.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
Amazon has a sizable consumer base thanks to being one of
the most popular eCommerce websites in the world, which is wonderful for
merchants. You may reach people who are prepared to make purchases through
Amazon.
You may benefit from Amazon's established brand awareness by
selling there.
Utilizing Amazon is pretty simple.
Amazon marketing is affordable. When selling on Amazon, you
don't need to invest money in content marketing. The platform is similar to a
search engine in that it indexes the various vendors to assist customers in
finding what they're looking for.
Cons
You cannot create a brand on Amazon. Amazon indexes pages
using prices, product categories, and typical user ratings. While the items'
page on Amazon is indexed, the seller's page is with Google Shopping.
The competition on Amazon is fierce with more than 2.4
million vendors. You need to have a successful marketing plan if you want to
generate sales on Amazon.
The cost of selling on Amazon is high. Amazon is not a cheap
platform to sell on, since there are referral fees on each item sold in
addition to a subscription-based selling cost.
2: Ebay.com
It was founded in 1995 in the United States and is known as eBay. They are a global leader in business-to-consumer retail as well as the top platform for consumers to consumers.
Around 190 countries and territories worldwide are serviced by eBay. Additionally, they have 138 million customers worldwide.
On eBay, there are no transaction fees for buyers to pay. For sellers, things are very different because they must pay to list products on the eCommerce site.
Features
List of Products
You may sell on eBay by just creating an account and adding
things to your catalog. After the first 250 listings, there is a $0.35 per
listing non-refundable insertion cost.
Buy-It-Now
eBay began as an auction site. They added the Buy-It-Now
function, which enables sellers to choose a price while displaying their
things, in addition to the auction feature. On their postings that are set up
like auctions, sellers may also set the Buy It Now price.
The price is placed above the auction price to enable
immediate purchase by the buyer.
Advanced Search on eBay
Buyers may focus their searches using the eBay advanced
search by specifying a search range, the number of bids, a price range, and the
currency of the transaction.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
eBay merchants have access to a sizable market. There is a
sizable market on eBay with over 138 million customers worldwide.
Since shoppers trust and like eBay, selling on eBay enables
you to capitalize on its popularity.
Both buyers and sellers will find the site to be simple to
use.
The cost of using eBay is relatively low. 250 goods can be
listed for free each month. Additionally, the final value fee is only assessed
once your items have sold.
Cons
The market is quite competitive. On eBay, almost anything is
sold, and a lot of these things have similar qualities. As a result, toitontuition draw in customers, and vendors must use various price techniques.
The many extra services, like a bold listing, a bigger
gallery, a listing in two categories, and a scheduled listing, are paid for by
the sellers.
The Alibaba group owns the online shopping site AliExpress. It was established in China in 2010. A B2C marketplace is AliExpress.
International buyers are the target market, while the
vendors are primarily Chinese. Customers in the mainland of China cannot
purchase through AliExpress. There are 18 language versions of the website,
including those in English, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
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Features
There are 18 languages on AliExpress.
AliDropship is a WordPress and Woocommerce plugin that makes
dropshipping from AliExpress easier.
New sellers on AliExpress may access educational materials
through AliExpress University.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
Most other eCommerce websites are more expensive than
AliExpress. Dropshippers will find that AliExpress has the most affordable
costs.
little overhead costs As a dropshipper, AliExpress assists
you in lowering your overhead expenses. They let you ship straight to
clients, relieving you of the burden of managing inventories.
Cons
Shipping times are a concern for AliExpress. Their ideal
shipment period is 15 days to 2 months. However, several consumers have
vehemently criticized the extremely tardy delivery of their goods.
Cashback and returns. On AliExpress, resolving problems may
be a real hassle. Returns on AliExpress can take weeks or even longer, and some
consumers have even reported not receiving their reimbursements.
In 1962, Target was founded in Minneapolis as a bargain arm of Dayton's Department Store. With around 1,938 locations, the company has expanded to rank among the biggest merchants in the country.
With the 2017 acquisition of Shipt, a startup in groceries delivery, they have entered the eCommerce space. Same-day shipping was made possible by Target thanks to the acquisition of Shipt.
Target is gradually establishing itself as an eCommerce
platform thanks to the availability of the Target App and target.com.
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Features
Contactless Pickup is free. Target shoppers may order things
using the Target App and get them for free the same day.
When using your Target RedCardTM debit or credit card to
make purchases online or in-store, you will receive a 5% discount.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
For customers, Target is a one-stop shop. They offer a wide
range of goods, including groceries, furniture, and electronics. By obtaining
all of their essentials from Target, customers may lower their shipping
expenses.
Same-day shipping. For $9.99, Target provides same-day
delivery.
Driving Up When choosing Drive Up as their delivery option
on the Target App, customers may have their goods delivered right to the trunks
of their vehicles.
Cons
The cost of groceries at Target is somewhat higher than at
Walmart.
The international market is completely absent of Target.
Even though they both use the same logo, neither company is
affiliated with Target Australia.
Launched in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas, Walmart is a worldwide American retail corporation. They currently run a variety of eCommerce websites in addition to around 10,500 shops and clubs in about 24 countries.
Under various names such as Supercenter, Discount as Stores, and Neighborhood Market, Walmart operates in all 50 US States and Puerto Rico.
Walmart is growing to be a major player in online shopping. There are around 100 million visitors to their website, walmart.com. Additionally, they have purchased a few e-commerce websites, including jet.com and hayneedle.com.
Walmart is the second-largest retail chain in the world, only behind Amazon, as a result of the merger of its physical and online activities.
Features
Marketplace at Walmart. It's a service provided by Walmart
in association with Shopify that enables vendors to sell their goods on
Walmart. Sellers need to download Walmart App from the Shopify App Store to access Walmart Marketplace.
Users of Walmart Marketplace can utilize Walmart Fulfillment
Services as a fulfillment service.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
As long as the product is not on Walmart's list of
restricted goods, it may be sold there. The range of your items is
unrestricted.
Walmart, in contrast to Amazon, only levies seller fees when
customers actually buy your stuff. The referral payments vary depending on the
type of product.
Walmart gives its vendors the freedom to design their own
return procedures and aids sellers in establishing advantageous business
circumstances.
Walmart offers a wide variety of items, making it a one-stop
shop for consumers.
Walmart is a less-competitive option. Walmart Marketplace
has far less competition than Amazon, which has over 2 million merchants, with
only roughly 70,000 sellers.
Cons
Due to Walmart's Price Parity Rule, vendors are not permitted
to sell identical items on other e-commerce platforms for less money.
The number of buyers at Walmart has decreased along with the
number of merchants.
Walmart Fulfillment Services operates with relatively few
resources.
6: Ali Baba.com
Since its 1999 debut, Alibaba.com has risen to rank among
the top B2B marketplaces worldwide. More than 190 nations and territories are
home to buyers, whereas more than 200 are home to sellers.
Alibaba has a whopping 40+ product categories and millions
of items.
Features
On Alibaba.com, a few of the features include
a B2B marketplace. Manufacturers, wholesalers, trading
businesses, and exporters are the main sellers on Alibaba.
Storefront. On Alibaba, sellers may set up stores without
having any technological knowledge.
Alibaba offers translation services in 18 different
languages to help vendors communicate with a worldwide customer base.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
You may choose from thousands of vendors in more than 200
nations as a buying company.
Buyer firms can obtain more flexible terms, such as reduced
minimum order requirements, thanks to the abundance of suppliers.
Cons
Compared to other eCommerce sites, Alibaba has a longer
shipping time. Between 15 days and months pass.
Dropshipping is not supported by Alibaba.
Alibaba does not offer a means for buyers making wholesale
purchases from overseas companies to undertake an on-site visit before their
visit.
Before they may sell on Alibaba, sellers must have a
membership plan. The Basic Plan is $2,399 annually, while the Premium Plan is
$4,199 annually.
The third-biggest eCommerce platform globally and the largest in Japan is Rakuten Ichiba. The Rakuten Group has approximately 1.2 billion clients worldwide and operates around 70 other companies in addition to eCommerce.
Approximately 117 million people use Rakuten Ichiba, which
represents nearly 87% of the entire Japanese population. Rakuten has had a firm
hold on the Japanese eCommerce business since its founding in 1997, dominating
the international competition.
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Features
Reliable Point. Since the launch of its reward program in
2002, Rakuten has awarded more than $2 billion in Rakuten Points.
A feature of Rakuten Ichiba that allows foreign vendors
access is Rakuten Marketplace.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
Utilizing Rakuten is simple. through rakuten.com, the
Rakuten App, or the Rakuten browser extension.
Customers who introduce friends to Rakuten receive $25 each.
When utilizing the Rakuten App or the Rakuten browser
extension to shop at various online retailers, consumers may use Rakuten
Cashback to receive cash back.
Cons
Rakuten is a somewhat pricey marketplace for sellers to
utilize. Product fees, commission, and subscription costs must be paid. The
listing price is $0.099 per item, and the subscription costs $39 per month.
Only vendors having a presence in the US or Japan are
accepted by Rakuten.
8: JD.com
JD.co m, Witthofthoug hughtheyn referred to as Jingdong in China and Joybuyabroad, is a Chinese e-commerce website that was established in 2004.
It is one of the biggest Chinese online markets, and it
competes with Tmall from Alibaba.
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Features
JD.com's features include
JD Logistics has a strong reputation in the eCommerce sector
for being technologically advanced. JD.com offers small and mid-sized
enterprises warehousing options in addition to being an eCommerce company.
JD Online Store. Foreign vendors may also use JD.com to
offer their products in the Chinese market. JD assists the vendors in
navigating the convoluted Chinese government authorization process.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
JD.com is an excellent resource for connecting with Chinese
customers. The business aids overseas vendors in navigating the convoluted
process of importing into China.
The Shopify JD Marketplace makes it simple to sell on
JD.com.
Cons
Setting up a business on JD.com might take six to twelve
months. It is an extremely time-consuming procedure.
On TrustPilot and SiteJabber, it has very terrible ratings
and reviews.
9: Newegg.com
An American eCommerce company called Newegg specializes in selling consumer goods and computer hardware. It was established in 2001 and immediately rose to prominence as a leading online seller of PC parts.
Since then, it has developed into the top tech-focused
eCommerce platform in the Middle East, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and
South America.
Features
Newegg Designer
A network of tech content producers was established by
Newegg. Reviewers from the community collaborate with Newegg to get their
material displayed on the Newegg website, discuss the newest gadget trends with
their following, and test out new tech items.
Build a PC at Newegg
By getting all the components for your computer at a
discount from Newegg, you may assemble your own machine.
Marketplace at Newegg
With the Newegg Marketplace, Newegg offers a platform for
vendors to raise their sales.
Logistics Newegg
Along with fulfillment services for B2B and B2C businesses,
Newegg furthermore offers third-party logistics (3PL) services.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
On Newegg, a huge selection of products is, offered. They
provide anything from PCs and computer components to networking equipment,
gaming devices, and office and home gadgets. Everything that is a tech product
can be found on Newegg.
On Newegg, you may uncover some amazing discounts by
browsing the site's Best Sellers or Today's Best Deals.
Cons
In the past, Newegg was the seller and other merchants were
not permitted. Third-party merchants may now sell on the website thanks to
Newegg Marketplace, however, there have been some problems, such as untrustworthy
suppliers.
Costly Prices. The pricing for products on Newegg is rather
expensive.
10: mercado.com
The largest eCommerce business in South America is Mercado Libre. They have more than 170 million users as of 2016.
The organization, which was established in 1999 in Buenos
Aires, now has its headquarters in Montevideo, Uruguay. There are now 16
nations where Mercado Libre (or Mercado Livre in Portuguese) is in use,
including Spain and Mexico.
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Features
Global Sales
You are able tocan sell on Mercado Libre from anywhere in the
globe thanks to the Global Selling function. With only one account, you can
sell goods in Mexico, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia. You may also pick up your
orders in US dollars. You may get assistance from Mercado Envios with storage
and logistics services.
Market Place
This is Mercado's method of payment.
Market Stores
Sellers may build their online storefronts with Mercado
Shops and utilize Mercado Envios' services. There is no subscription or
activation plan, and setup is free.
Cons and Benefits
Pros
Setting up a Mercado Shop is free.
Every significant component of eCommerce is facilitated by
the Mercado Libre ecosystem.
Cons
Mercado Libre only concentrates on the Latin American
markeConcernin to websites with a global presence like AliExpress or
Amazon, there is no comparison.
Conclusion
We have examined 10 of the top eCommerce sites in the globe in this article. Although the scope of these eCommerce platforms varies, they have all managed to build a solid reputation on a global scale.
Target, Rakuten, and Mercado Libre are three examples of companies that focus on certain markets, including the US, Japan, and Latin America.
What do you think of this article? Have you previously
utilized any of these platforms? Now let's hear from you in the comments area.
