Platforms for creating an online store: solutions and features

One of the keys of a good eCommerce is to use a decent platform for your online store: attractive design, well organised and with a well thought out, seamless, user interface which guarantees a good online experience.  Of course, one should select the best software platform for your eCommerce requirements.

Today there is a wide variety of platforms to help you create an online store. Depending on the needs of each eCommerce, it will be necessary to assess which will be the most appropriate in each individual case.  For this, it is essential to compare features and, above all, functionality for both the user and the online store itself.  We’ll briefly review the leading solutions on the market and their features.

1. Prestashop.  Surely, one of the most implemented eCommerce platforms in the world.  Prestashop’s offer is transversal and allows each vendor to select the option that best suits their needs: a store hosted in the cloud, software download which allows full customisation or enrol the help of an expert to design and create your eCommerce.  In addition, the Prestashop platform is compatible with other web services such as mailing lists, payment gateways and social networks.

2. Shopify.  The most popular cloud-based eCommerce platforms.  To set up an online store with Shopify, it is only necessary to request the advice of the experts, create a user account and start creating.  By being in the cloud it is possible to download and execute updates easily and smoothly, and it is practically unnecessary to know anything about computing in order to use it.

3. Palbin. The Palbin offering includes all the help an online store may need to start.  Palbin offers from the necessary advice to create the ecommerce to the software in the cloud required to host it.  In addition, it is possible to integrate other eCommerce solutions in terms of support in other digital fields, such as SEO and SEM positioning, security, design, etc.

4. Magento.  This is one of the most relevant open source ecommerce platforms on the market.  It allows for the adaptation of practically all its modules to the required characteristics of the online store.  In this case, it is necessary to have a specialised developer who will make the necessary modifications in PHP.  Undoubtedly, the main advantage is that all eCommerce’s can benefit from the multitude of plugins and modules created by the Magento community and use them in their online store.

Price monitoring, the perfect complement for your eCommerce

Together with the platform for developing an online store, it is essential to have a tool to manage and optimise business performance.  Price monitoring software is essential for an ecommerce to track and monitor the prices established by the competition for their products.

When monitoring your competitor’s prices there are several aspects which should be taken into account, such as seasonality, stock levels and profit margin.  However, it is important to have a tool of this type to be able to make the right decisions based on hard, factual, data.