Home eCommerce Top 3 Best E-commerce Platforms for Small Business in 2023

Top 3 Best E-commerce Platforms for Small Business in 2023

by Stewart Gauld
Last updated on January 25th, 2023
Top 3 FREE E-commerce Platforms for Small Business | Stewart Gauld

There are dozens of website builders that you can use to create your own online store and sell your products with the best e-commerce platforms.

However, if we narrow it down, we have found that there are only three full-feature E-commerce platforms that you can truly utilize for free.

These E-commerce platforms offer generous free plans that are ideal for small businesses that are just getting started with selling products online.

In this blog post, we have created a list of the best E-commerce platforms that are ideal for small businesses and those with little to zero website building experience.

Benefits of Using Website Builder for Online Stores

Website builders are designed for individuals with little to no coding skills or designing experience.

A lack of technical know-how or the budget to hire a professional to build an E-commerce website shouldn’t get in the way of creating an essential online store for transitioning online and selling products across the internet.

Besides, if you do intend to learn how to sell online, what better way to practice than to start with free E-commerce platforms?

It’s a faster, easier, and effective way of building an E-commerce store to get your online business off the ground and making sales.

Best 3 E-commerce Platforms for Small Business

Let’s dive into this blog and help you identify the best E-commerce platform for you to make a free online store using any one of the following free E-commerce website builders:

1.      Etsy

First on our list of best free E-commerce website builders is Etsy. This powerful E-commerce platform is built for individuals that sell unique and handcrafted goods, making it ideal for small and local businesses.

Using Etsy, you can make an Etsy store that is listed on the Etsy marketplace.

Millions of shoppers around the world are active on the Etsy marketplace, which means you can access the millions of shoppers looking for unique products like yours.

Moreover, you can share your Etsy shop across other platforms, channels, and social media to reach customers outside of Etsy.

What’s more, is that you don’t have to pay for any monthly subscription to sell your products, however, you do have to pay a product listing fee that lasts four months, or until your product listing is sold out. In addition to that, you are also charged a transaction fee for each sale.

In other words, think of Etsy as your sales channel to sell your products and reach millions of shoppers in the marketplace.

You can also use it as a standalone online store that you can drive your customers to via paid or organic marketing activities.

However, you have extremely limited customization options with Etsy.

Every Etsy store is identical in terms of product listings, style, structure, and store layout.

That said, it still is an ideal free E-commerce platform if you want to leverage the giant Etsy marketplace.

It indeed is a profitable sales channel that you can use even if you have an existing E-commerce website.

Read More: How To Use, Setup & Start Selling on Etsy

2.      Ecwid

Next on the list of our best E-commerce platforms is Ecwid.

This platform is built specifically for small businesses and allows you to list up to 10 products completely for free.

You are also NOT subject to monthly fees or transaction fees! How awesome right!?

Moreover, you can also connect other website builders such as Weebly, Wix, and Squarespace to your Ecwid shopping cart (if you already have a website).

Thanks to its simple block builder, beginners with no website building experience can also create an E-commerce website in minutes.

If you upgrade to an affordable premium plan, you can leverage other sales channels like Facebook Shop, Instagram Shopping, Amazon, and Facebook Messenger to reach more customers.

Ecwid (affiliate link) is, without a doubt, a user-friendly and generous platform for small businesses looking to start selling online.

Read More: Ecwid Tutorial for Beginners 

3.      Bigcartel

Bigcartel is the final free e-commerce platform on the list.

It is designed especially for creators, musicians, and artists who want to sell their unique offerings online. Under its free plan, you can sell up to five products.

Beginners who are learning the art of online business may find it particularly useful due to the platform’s ease of use (easiest platform to use).

Compared to Ecwid and Etsy, the product listing process is a simple and smooth process.

With Bigcartel, you get stunning premade templates, thus eliminating the need to build an online store from scratch.

If you have fewer products to sell and are completely new to selling online, then Bigcartel is for you.

Our recommendation for the BEST Website Builder for Online Stores:  Ecwid

Choose the Best E-commerce platform to make a free online store  (Video Tutorial)

Each platform has its unique features and benefits, so select the best option that matches your business requirements.

Watch the video for a detailed understanding of each website builder. Enjoy the process of selling your products online!

Disclosure: Some of these links on this page are affiliate links, meaning we will get a commission if you buy through them, this helps support our education-based platform and we thank you in advance.

YouTube video

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Subscribe for More!

Join us to receive actionable tips, tutorials and tools to grow your small business online

My name is Stewart Gauld. I’ve been helping small and local businesses with digital activties over the last 7 years.