- Wix: Best for Ease of Use
- Shopify: Best for Integrations
- Shift4Shop: Best for Free Plan
- Square Online: Best for Hybrid Online Stores
- BigCommerce: Best for Omnichannel Selling
- Weebly: Best for Product Management
- Squarespace: Best for Digital Goods
As your online business grows, you may benefit from an enterprise e-commerce platform. With the right software in place, you can automate business processes, improve security, avoid downtime and gain more control over the user experience.
It’s essential if you’d like to thrive in today’s increasingly competitive online marketplace. To make your search a bit easier, we’ve done the heavy lifting and identified the best enterprise e-commerce platforms of 2024.
The Best Enterprise E-Commerce Platforms of 2024
Forbes Advisor Ratings
Company | Forbes Advisor Rating | Starting Price | Free Trial | Key Features | LEARN MORE | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wix | 4.8 | $16 per month | Yes, 14 days | Drag-and-drop editor, 900-plus templates. Wix App Market | Learn More | On Wix's Website | |||
Shopify | 4.6 | $39 per month (or $29 per month if billed annually) | Yes, three days | Custom reports, Shopify App store, one-click checkout | Learn More | On Shopify's Website | |||
Shift4Shop | 4.5 | Free with $500 in monthly sales using Shift4; $29 per month | No | Free plan, SEO tools, email marketing | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |||
Square Online | 4.5 | Free with transaction fees; $29 per month | No | Automatic tax calculator, pop-ups, coupon codes | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |||
BigCommerce | 4.4 | $29 per month | Yes, 15 days | Omnichannel selling, abandoned cart recovery, POS integrations | Learn More | On BigCommerce's Website | |||
Weebly | 4.3 | Free; $10 per month | No | Drag-and-drop editor, mobile app, inventory tracking | Learn More | Read Forbes' Review | |||
Squarespace | 4.3 | $16 per month (billed annually) | Yes, 14 days | Social media integration, blog integration | Learn More | On Squarespace's Website |
How To Choose the Best Enterprise E-Commerce Platforms
There is no shortage of enterprise e-commerce platforms on the market. While this is great news, the countless options can be overwhelming. As you shop around, it’s a good idea to consider these factors so you can narrow down your search and zero in on the right solution for your unique budget, needs and preferences.
Essential Features
Be sure that the enterprise e-commerce software you choose offers the following key features that can help you steer your online store toward success:
- Website builder. A website builder will allow you to create and manage your online store. You should be able to optimize it for both desktop and mobile shoppers.
- Marketing and SEO. Marketing and SEO tools are crucial if you’d like to drive organic traffic to your store. Coupons, abandoned cart emails, SMS text marketing and pop-ups can all come in handy.
- Analytics and reporting. Analytics can give you valuable insight on what’s working and what’s not. You should be able to track conversion rates, average order values, customer lifetime values and other data.
- Inventory management. Your e-commerce platform should make it a breeze to track your inventory levels in real time. This way you’ll never run out of stock.
- Personalization tools. Customers appreciate a personalized shopping experience. Tools, such as a search bar, wish lists, related product recommendations and push notifications, can help you provide them with one.
- Shipping. Most solutions offer shipping features. However, some go above and beyond with shipping rate calculations at checkout, order tracking, SMS notifications and recurring order automation.
- Omnichannel capabilities. If you’re running an enterprise e-commerce store, you’ll likely want to sell your products across multiple channels. These may include your website, social media shopping tab, mobile app and online marketplaces, such as Amazon and Etsy.
Ease of Use
Some e-commerce platforms for enterprises are easier to use than others. Unless everyone on your team is incredibly tech-savvy, ease of use should be of utmost importance. Fortunately, many products offer free trials or free demos so you can determine how intuitive they are before you make an investment. You’ll find that some options were created with beginners in mind while others are more extensive and come with a steeper learning curve.
Customer Support
An enterprise e-commerce platform is only as good as the customer support behind it. Chances are you’ll have questions or require assistance with troubleshooting, so easy and prompt access to customer service is vital. You should look for phone support, email support, live chat, a robust frequently asked questions page and a self-serve knowledge base.
Integrations
Most enterprise e-commerce solutions offer significant functionality. However, integrations can make them even more useful. This is particularly true if you’re already using other business technologies such as a customer relationship management (CRM) platform and accounting system. Integrations with Salesforce, Slack, QuickBooks or other tools you depend on can simplify your processes and help your business run smoother.
Methodology
To find the best enterprise e-commerce platforms, we considered many options and compiled a list of 16 contenders to analyze. We scored each solution on a five-star ranking system, with the highest score being five out of five stars.
Here’s what we considered for each category in our ranking:
- Pricing & Value (10%): Pricing and value refers to the financial aspects of each platform. Here, we looked at base monthly subscription costs, free demos, free plans and free trial periods. This category made up 10% of our overall score.
- Site Building Tools (20%): Site building tools show how convenient and flexible it is to build an e-commerce website for an enterprise organization. This category touched on the availability of drag-and-drop editing, pre-made themes, email marketing tools, social media integration, SSL certificates and coding capabilities. It accounted for 20% of our overall score.
- Payment Processing & Accounting (15%): Payment processing and accounting is all about managing transactions and customer financials. Here, we took a closer look at inventory management, transaction fees, recurring payments, POS options for in-person sales and accounting software integrations. This made up 15% of our overall score.
- E-Commerce Features (25%): E-commerce features explore the additional capabilities of each software. We gave bonus points to solutions with CRM integrations, built-in shipping and tax calculators, abandoned cart recovery tools, built-in return and refund processing, and omnichannel selling integrations. This category represented 25% of our overall store.
- Service & Support (10%): Service and support dives deep into the types of support available to users. It considers the availability of live chat, phone support, email support, knowledge bases, community forums and specific documentation for developers. This accounted for 10% of our overall score.
- Expert Score (20%): The expert score category focused on four key aspects, including features, value for money, popularity and ease of use. It involved our hands-on testing and deep industry knowledge. Expert score represented 20% of our overall score.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best enterprise e-commerce platform?
The best enterprise e-commerce platform depends on your budget, goals, needs and preferences. To find it, do some research, compare your options and weigh the pros and cons of each product. Our top-rated enterprise e-commerce solutions are Wix, Shopify and Shift4Shop.
How much does an enterprise e-commerce solution cost?
Pricing for enterprise e-commerce platforms varies greatly. Fortunately, most companies are transparent about their pricing and clearly list costs on their website. In general, however, you can expect to pay anywhere between $10 and $40 per month for an entry-level package in addition to transaction fees.
What are signs that my business is ready for an enterprise e-commerce platform?
As you expand your online store, you may require an enterprise e-commerce solution. If you need to add more team members, notice bottlenecks in your production or customer service, sell to customers on a global level, or your current platform simply doesn’t support the capabilities you need, an enterprise e-commerce platform should be on your radar.