The 6 best eCommerce website building platforms for business.
Looking for the best e-commerce platform for your business in Africa? Compare Bareconnect, Shopify, Squarespace, Bumpa, Wix, and Paystack in this blog post. Learn about factors such as ease of use, affordability, scalability, security, and customer support to choose the right platform for your needs.
The growth of e-commerce in Africa is a gold rush for small businesses. With the right tools, you can quickly start selling online and reach a global audience. But with so many e-commerce platforms, knowing which one is right for you can be tough.
In this blog post, we've compiled a list of the top 6 e-commerce platforms for African businesses. We'll compare pricing, features, and ease of use to help you make an informed decision.
We'll also discuss some factors you need to consider when choosing an e-commerce platform, such as your target audience, budget, and technical skills.
Click here to start selling online now with Bareconnect
What is an e-commerce platform?
An e-commerce platform is a software solution that helps businesses sell products and services online. It includes features such as product pages, reviews, transactions, order fulfilment, and returns.
Whether you're a new business just starting or an established business looking to expand your online presence, read on to learn more about the best e-commerce platforms for African retailers in 2023.
Here are the 6 best eCommerce platforms:
- Bareconnect : A complete online store solution with professional-looking designs and website features.
- Shopify : A well-established platform, best for online stores only.
- Bumpa : Best for inventory management with a storefront solution
- Squarespace : Offers beautiful and professional-looking designs
- Wix : for building a complete site
- Paystack : Best for minimal product paired directly with payment receiving dashboard
Here is a table comparison of the key differences between the platforms:
| Features | Bareconnect | Shopify | Bumpa | Squarespace | Paystack | Wix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget and cost | $9/month | $32/month | Free | $27/month | Free | $35/month |
| Ease of use | Excellent & beginner friendly | Excellent & beginner friendly | Beginner friendly | Excellent | Excellent | Technical |
| Localization in Africa | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Average | Excellent | Good |
| Localization Globally | Excellent | Excellent | Africa Only | Good | African focused | Good |
| Does it support all types of website design and build or just commerce? | Yes, from commerce to any type of website | Commerce only | Storefront (Product page and checkout) | All types of website design | Storefront (Product page and checkout) | Yes, from commerce to any type of website |
| Multiple Payment gateway support | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Multi-currency support on storefront | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
Here is a summary of the key differences between the platforms:
Bareconnect is designed specifically for businesses in Africa, and it offers several features tailored to the African market. It's reliable and scalable.
Pros:
- Affordable and easy
- Quick start with the slick onboarding process
- Customizable themes
- Fast and reliable sites
- Excellent built-in marketing tools
- Sell everywhere online and in person
- Great SEO out of the box
- Easy to obtain a custom domain
- Last-mile delivery built for the African market
- Payment built for the African and Western market
Cons:
- Limited apps on the Bareconnect app store
- Limited community support
Integrated sales channels: Facebook, Instagram, Google, Bareconnect Marketplace, and Amazon.
The mobile app features a Suite of mobile tools to manage your online business fully.
POS: Yes.
Shopify is a more well-established platform, offering a wider range of features than Bareconnect. It is also more expensive, but it is a good choice for businesses looking for a scalable and reliable platform.
Pros:
- Easy
- Quick start with the slick onboarding process
- Customizable themes
- Fast and reliable sites
- Excellent built-in marketing tools
- Sell everywhere online and in person
- Access to over 6,000 apps through the Shopify App Store
- Great SEO out of the box
- Easy to obtain a custom domain
- Payment built for the African and Western market
Cons:
- Shopify Payments is limited to some countries
- Sales channels such as Walmart, eBay, and Amazon only work if your business is registered in supported countries but not Africa.
- Built-in marketing tools only work in European and American countries
- Pricing is expensive for businesses in Africa.
Integrated sales channels: Facebook, Instagram, Google, Walmart Marketplace, eBay, and Amazon.
The mobile app features a Suite of mobile tools to manage your online business fully.
POS: Yes.
Bumpa is a good choice for businesses in Nigeria, as it supports local payment methods and is easy to use. However, it does not offer as many features as Shopify or Bareconnect.
Pros:
- Easy
- Quick start with the slick onboarding process
- Fast and reliable sites
- Sell everywhere online and in person
- Payment built for the African market
- Excellent inventory management system
Cons:
- No app store extension.
- Limited themes
- Limited customizations
- No built-in marketing tools
Integrated sales channels: Facebook, Instagram.
The mobile app features a Suite of mobile tools to manage your online business fully.
POS: No.
Paystack is a good choice for businesses looking for a simple and easy way to accept payments online. It is affordable and easy to use but does not offer as many features as some of the other platforms on this list.
Pros:
- Easy
- Quick start with the slick onboarding process
- Fast and reliable sites
- Sell everywhere online and in person
- Payment built for the African market
Cons:
- No app store extension.
- Limited themes
- Limited customizations
- No built-in marketing tools
Integrated sales channels: None
The mobile app is for payment notifications only.
POS: Yes.
Conclusion
Start selling online with Bareconnect.
As you can see, there are several factors to consider, and it’s easy to forget why you’re picking an e-commerce platform. There is no best choice for everyone. Instead, find the right platform that will serve your customers better.
Bareconnect offers a comprehensive suite of tools to help you manage all aspects of your business, from online store creation to payment processing to inventory management. With multiple sale channels and access to apps in their App Store, you can customize the shopping experience for your customers and team. And because Bareconnect is also designed for businesses in Africa, you can be sure that your website will be optimized for local search engines and payment methods.