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By: Laura Bernheim
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Cristian Lopez
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★★★★★
Founded by 16-year-old Kevin Sproles in 1999 as a web design studio, Volusion added ecommerce functionality in 2002 and hasn't looked back. More than 180,000 entrepreneurs have looked to the company for help hosting and managing their online businesses, and Volusion has processed more than 185 million orders worth $26 billion. The company offers a hosting/site-building combo platter worthy of consideration if you're in need of a basic online store and the means to promote products. The company focuses on easy, custom designs and ecommerce-optimized features. Although Volusion could increase its support offerings to further justify a price tag that exceeds most shared hosting competitors, the company's focused niche in online store design and inventory management warrants the investment. Store owners will need to purchase a domain elsewhere before connecting it to Volusion and launching their store. Once you're ready to start designing your site, Volusion's revamped site builder provides dozens of stellar mobile-friendly themes. The company used to offer hundreds of themes, so we expect — and want — to see the number of options grow. Unlike many ecommerce site builder plans that limit your product numbers substantially, Volusion's most basic plan allows you to display unlimited products. Regardless of which plan you choose, site owners are allotted unlimited storage and zero transaction fees, in addition to tools for inventory management, order processing, and shipping oversight. Finally, market your products via social media integrations and reach new markets via integrations with Amazon, eBay, and Google. Collect payments via all the major credit card issuers (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AmEx), as well as through cash, PayPal, Google Wallet, Amazon, and Stripe. The platform will calculate reports to show your return on investment and store activity.
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★★★★★
Shopify is easily one of the more well-known ecommerce web builder platforms in the hosting industry. Plans are fully hosted, include a free site builder tool, and allow you to showcase an unlimited number of products with unlimited file storage as well. Compared to other web hosts, Shopify is not going to offer you the same level of robustness in terms of technological offerings, but the company's ecommerce features are on point. Online store building is Shopify's bread-and-butter service, and the company is darn good at it. First of all, the Shopify theme store features hundreds of free and premium theme options that are relatively easy for customers to manipulate. Dev-savvy folks can further customize their storefronts and themes via the Shopify API. You can actually start building your online marketplace today — for free for three days — and select your plan later. The Shopify experts are on call and ready to help 24/7. Once you've built your online store with Shopify, build your business by processing product transactions through a myriad of payment methods. Shopify users can sell via social media, by integrating a Buy Now button, or by using the Shopify POS system. Serious ecommerce folks may even opt to purchase the retail package add-on, which includes a cash register, receipt printer, and barcode scanner. All in all, Shopify offers everything you need to run an efficient and lucrative online business. The commerce-oriented features are many, and they only advance with each upgrade in service package. Also, you can buy or transfer your domain name, or park your online store at a free MyShopify.com subdomain. If you're ecommerce-focused, trust Shopify for your online store building.
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★★★★★
When folks typically search for cheap web hosting, they're often in need of a shared server provider that offers a basic site builder or easy integration with blogging apps or content tools. For folks looking to launch an online store, however, costs can rise with the addition of ecommerce-friendly features. Volusion might not be the most affordable hosting/site-building combo around, but the company does focus on helping customers build a better ecommerce store. All of their plans are geared toward promoting more products in more ways, though the price scales rapidly as you upgrade your plan to take advantage of additional services. Similar to mainstream hosts, however, Volusion is designed to help store owners become successful. The company makes the design and setup process user-friendly and emphasizes ecommerce with each feature or customization option added. You might not get the same 24/7 technical support that other hosts offer, but Volusion can help entrepreneurs build a basic website and beautiful online store that profits quickly with zero transaction fees. Volusion's business is helping you launch your online business quickly and painlessly. The company makes store designing simple and offer a solid number of customization options when it comes to promoting your products. While Volusion may not have the lowest price tag on its services, the company offers what many hosting newcomers are looking for, which is an extensive feature set that caters to ecommerce needs.
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★★★★★
The great thing about Shopify is how the feature set centers around ecommerce, a focus of many shared hosting shoppers. Shopify plans are fully hosted, but most of the company's plans are significantly more costly than a majority of the shared hosts we've come across. The three-day free trial is key to Shopify's success, giving customers a chance to try out the platform before committing to such an expense. If you're serious about building an online store, Shopify offers a superb range of plan options and feature additions to make successful stores happen within a reasonable budget. Plus, you can host your business at a complimentary MyShopify.com subdomain, or at a new or existing domain of your own. All plans allow you to showcase an unlimited number of products, and you can sell them via Facebook, a Buy Now button, or the Shopify POS system. Accept payments via Shopify Stripe and ask for help when you need it because the Shopify experts are available around the clock to help with anything from Shopify theme development to transaction issues. As you're building your online marketplace, you have hundreds of customizable themes to choose from, and the more technically inclined user can manipulate themes via the Shopify API. Shopify is great for online store building. It's a one-stop shop for building and hosting an online marketplace and should be considered as such. If you're looking for a super cheap shared hosting option, there are other providers to consider, but if you want a leading ecommerce platform, Shopify may be your winner.
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★★★★★
Although Shopify isn't your traditional web host, WordPress fans can take advantage of Shopify's ecommerce capabilities without redoing their online store. For just $5 per month, you can integrate a Shopify link into your existing WordPress blog. The Shopify experts will generate a few lines of code for you and — voila — a stand-alone storefront is made for your site. Plus, you can customize via the Shopify API. All you have to do is add your unlimited number of products and your Shopify/WordPress online store is officially in business. You benefit from all the easy payment processing solutions, including the Shopify Stripe Payment system, which accepts debit and credit cards. If you decide to upgrade your Shopify plan, the USPS shipping discounts and ecommerce features advance with you; you can even get a free SSL certificate. Shopify is a fine option for implementing top-notch ecommerce functionality into your existing WordPress website. It's not necessarily the most cost-conscious option, but for those who are serious about online store building, Shopify is certainly worth considering.
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★★★★★
Volusion's drag-and-drop builder and ecommerce interfaces are exceedingly modern and user-friendly, but the company is still playing a bit of catch-up. Our biggest knock on the site builder when comparing Volusion to other ecommerce platforms is the lack of theme options, which we expect to be solved as time passes. At the time of writing, Volusion offers roughly 50 design templates, while competitors offer hundreds of choices. The beauty of an online website builder is the idea of focusing on the WYSIWYG or what-you-see-is-what-you-get aspects of the design process and knowing that the web hosting itself is happening in the background. That's why online platforms like Volusion are particularly good options for first-time site owners and mom-and-pop shops that just need to get a basic website off the ground. When it comes to easy-to-learn customization features, Volusion does an excellent job of giving users options. Once you're up and running, you can promote unlimited products and add plenty of photos and videos to display your items, with specifications for the colors, sizes, and textures that are available for each. Finally, promote your online store via social media, send out email marketing campaigns, sell on a variety of integrated third-party platforms, and track your business progress with informative reports and analytics. Overall, Volusion's strong suit is site building for ecommerce. There are tons of online web builder platforms out there, but Volusion specializes in catering its plans to meet the needs of future online store owners. The company makes it pretty easy to get started, offer a bunch of layout options, and allow you to customize via HTML and CSS as well.
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★★★★★
Shopify is a fully hosted web building platform that specifically serves the ecommerce niche. All plans include a free site builder tool and you can browse the Shopify theme store for a design that most closely matches your brand. Themes are fully customizable, with drag-and-drop elements or the Shopify API. Best of all, you can start building your store at no cost with Shopify's 3-day free trial. Host your online store at a new or existing domain name, or take advantage of the free MyShopify.com subdomain the company provides. The Shopify experts have made it simple to display and sell an unlimited number of items online, and processing them is a snap. The Shopify Stripe Payments system allows merchants to accept and process credit and debit transactions after customers make a purchase via Facebook, by clicking on a Buy Now button, or on other social media platforms. Depending on which plan you sign up for, you can get advanced reporting, shipping, and shopping cart features as well. All plans include the option to entice customers with discount codes, too! If you're shopping for a web builder to build an online store, look no further than Shopify. Build your business, build your brand, and boast an unlimited number of products with ease. Online store building is Shopify's specialty, and the team is available to help you any time of day.
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