As an entrepreneur, you can build an online store that will grow your business and help you stand out amongst millions of competitors You can successfully achieve this goal with the guidance of an Open Source Ecommerce platforms. In this article, you will be given information on the top Open source Ecommerce platforms you can use to build an efficient online store for your business.
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What is an Ecommerce platform?
An Ecommerce platform is a platform that allows businesses to manage their general business operations conveniently and effectively. E-commerce platforms have several features developed to support business activities like inventory management, content development, payment, shopping cart and even checkout.
Therefore, an open source ecommerce platform is a platform that enables users to have full access to its source code which is a set of instructions or statements written by its programmer. This access to the source code will allow users to control, modify, and customize their online store (E-commerce platform) to meet their needs-this is the primary benefit of using open-source e-commerce platform to build your online store.
Several Open source ecommerce platforms exist and they are mostly free to use and download, you only need to choose the one that is right for your business. Now this is why I have created a list of the top ones available in the market, I hope this gives you insight into making the right choice.
Top Open Source Ecommerce Platforms To Build Your Online Store
WooCommerce
Available as a WordPress plugin, WooCommerce is regarded as one of the best open source e-commerce platforms that exist and it is popular amongst E-commerce businesses of which it is used by 29% of online stores available worldwide.
WooCommerce features support themes, product sorting, payment processing, tax calculation, inventory management, more than 800 extensions and customer support for their products.
If your site is a WordPress website, all you have to do is install WordPress on your host, then install this plugin onto your site, and you are good to go.
NopCommerce
Nopcommerce is another open source E-commerce platform that you can use to build your online store. NopCommerce supports small and medium-sized businesses by offering two versions( source code and one-click install) that can be used by different categories of users.
NopCommerce allows over 1500 integrations, supports content and multi-storefront management, and allows the building of stores with a mobile responsive interface. It also supports Seo-friendly design-what are you waiting for?
Magento Open source
Magento Open Source is an excellent choice if you are looking for a free open-source e-commerce platform that allows you to build your online store from the scratch. Magento is developed by Adobe Commerce, it comes with extensive features formulated with the PHP programming language.
Magento features include; Analytics and SEO optimization tools, catalogue and content management, mobile-optimized storefront, inventory management and multi-tier pricing.
Ecwid
Ecwid is an open-source shopping cart that can be added to an existing website. It uses PHP language and it also supports pos systems and about 50 payment providers. Ecwid’s free version is available for 2 product categories and a 1-page website which offers the features of – language detection, and subscription and tax management support.
Joomla
Joomla is also a top open-source Ecommerce website that you can use to build your online store.
Joomla was established in 2005 and it supports about 2.5% of websites existing worldwide. Joomla works best with an extension, it allows you to use different templates for your content and it is flexible to optimize your online store with it.
Other features of Joomla include;
- Multiple currencies and language support
- Supports unlimited products
- Over 6000 extensions and
- A responsive design
How do open source Ecommerce platforms work?
Open-source e-commerce platforms work by allowing users to download source code which is usually done through the download links that will be made available on their website or can be obtained after signing up as a member of their website.
After downloading the code, users can now use the code to set up their online store in whichever way they chose. For users who have limited technical knowledge on how to work with a source code to set up their store, it is advised they recruit a web developer for help.
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