These are the most popular e-commerce platforms
To help you choose, we therefore look at which platforms are used the most in the Netherlands and what makes each platform so popular.
The most popular e-commerce platforms at a glance
By far the most popular platforms at home and abroad are WooCommerce, Magento and Shopify. Of the top 1 million websites worldwide, 26% run on WooCommerce, 21% on Shopify, and 8% on Magento . Although these platforms are the most used, this does not mean that they are also the best option for an online store. There are a lot of other possibilities.
E-commerce platform technology usage Worldwide
The graph below shows the use of the various e-commerce systems in the India. The data comes from Builtwith, which provides insight into the technology of a website. We should therefore take these figures with a grain of salt, since the use of a certain e-commerce platform does not always mean that a shop is also actively selling.
E-commerce platform technology use in the Netherlands
For example, WooCommerce can also be used exclusively as an online catalog plugin for WordPress websites and Ecwid is in many cases only the check-out plugin of a webshop. In addition, the number of installations says nothing about the popularity of a system among serious webshops. In order to get a good idea of which e-commerce platforms are used most often, the Sendcloud shipping platform has delved into its own customer data.
What are the most used e-commerce platforms in the Netherlands?
Based on customer data from more than 15,000 webshops that are connected to Sendcloud, we get a good picture of the popularity of webshop systems in Europe. If we look at the Netherlands and only focus on webshops that have sent more than fifty packages in the past month, we see that today these are the five most popular platforms:
- WooCommerce
- Shopify
- light speed
- yourweb
- magento
Rapid increase in the number of webshops due to corona
In recent months there has been a large increase in the number of webshops as a result of the impact of the corona virus. For example, Sendcloud saw the number of orders increase by 90%. This particularly stimulated the use of low-threshold SaaS platforms. These parties offer customers a simple way to start selling online at a rapid pace.
An overview of the ten most popular e-commerce platforms in the India
1. WooCommerce
A free webshop plugin for WordPress (the most used CMS system in the world). It is open-source, user-friendly and offers a lot of flexibility and third-party plugins. For setting up an extensive WooCommerce store, some knowledge of web development is recommended. However, a simple WordPress + WooCommerce store is easy to set up, with the biggest advantage that both are "free" (You do pay for: hosting, maintenance and some plugins). Woocommerce developer india is often chosen because companies already have an existing WordPress website or are familiar with the CMS system.
2. Shopify
Probably the fastest growing e-commerce platform in the Netherlands at the moment. Shopify is an all-in-one SaaS solution that brings together online sales and point-of-sale functions. Shopify is ideal for retailers who want to get to market quickly and who want to spend as little as possible on development. The chart below of Google trends clearly shows how the popularity of Shopify in the Netherlands has increased in recent years.
*Major spike in searches for Shopify and WooCommerce due to COVID-19 impact
3. Lightspeed
An e-commerce platform originally developed in the Netherlands called SEOshop and acquired by Lightspeed in 2015. This platform focuses on retailers who want to connect their offline store with an online sales channel. With a smart POS system, a user-friendly e-commerce environment and combined inventory management, Lightspeed is ideal for companies that want to do business both online and offline.
4. Yourweb
A popular choice for small businesses looking to easily build a website. In addition to the user-friendly website editor, they also offer e-commerce functionalities for low monthly costs. The company is located in Eindhoven and the customer service and support is therefore completely in Dutch.
5. Magento
The most chosen option among serious e-commerce players. Magento is an open-source platform, with many third-party solutions and enormously scalable. The biggest disadvantage is that Magento is complex and requires professional web developers who are responsible for building and maintaining the webshop. In return, you get access to the most advanced e-commerce features and you have control over the entire customer experience.
6. Ecwid
An e-commerce plugin that allows you to add checkout functions to your website or, for example, Facebook and Instagram store. Ecwid has integrations with most popular CMS systems and is an option for small online retailers looking to add checkout functionality to their website or social store. In addition, Ecwid offers a free “instant site” option, with which you can start selling online very quickly. However, keep in mind that the free version only supports 10 products and that the instant site is only a one pager to present products on.
7. OpenCart
A free open-source and user-friendly CMS system aimed at the starting to medium-sized online retailer. With the help of templates and extensions you can easily build your own webshop and with the necessary PHP knowledge there are plenty of options to expand. The downside is that Opencart developer india is sometimes more complicated for new users than other platforms mentioned.
8. CCV shop
A Dutch all-in-one SaaS platform with which you can easily start a webshop with minimal knowledge. Thanks to the subscription of a SaaS platform, you can start a good webshop for a low monthly fee.
9. Prestashop
Open-source platform with many features and a user-friendly interface. With a large active worldwide community, Prestashop is also gaining popularity in the Netherlands. In particular, the flexibility in combination with the user-friendliness is a reason for many webshops to choose Prestashop.
10. MyWebshop
With MijnWebwinkel you can easily set up your own webshop without technical knowledge. This Dutch all-in-one SaaS platform is super user-friendly and offers many options to fully customize the look of your webshop.