eCommerce now accounts for more than a quarter of all retail sales in the UK. A number which is expected to increase over the next few years to reach nearly a third of all retail sales by 2024.

As consumer shopping habits change, and customer expectations increase, businesses can no longer risk not having an eCommerce presence.

Because if their competitors don’t already have eCommerce capabilities, then it’s likely that small, independent challenger brands will.

For brands that don’t offer online shopping, there’s still time to remain competitive.

And fortunately, there are lots of eCommerce platforms available today to help businesses of any size, with any budget, and any range of capabilities.

Here are 10 eCommerce platforms that, in our opinion, are the best for UK brands.

Wix eCommerce

Wix eCommerce is the eCommerce offering from well-established website builder, Wix.

Wix eCommerce is easy to get started with, boasting hundreds of free templates, specifically 70 different ones for eCommerce. That’s alongside a host of easy-to-add features such as multiple payment options and secure checkout, an editor that works directly in the storefront, and a user-friendly mobile app.

And in terms of more advanced functionality, there’s even an order fulfilment and management solution to track and manage orders and communicate with suppliers and manufacturers.

Overall, Wix eCommerce is a solid offering from a reliable website builder. And provides great value for money.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a more recent contender in the website builder space, and like Wix, offers an eCommerce option.

One of the main benefits of Squarespace is how easy it is to quickly build visually stunning websites. The website builder and editor is highly user-friendly and flexible. Offering a wide variety of templates to suit different industries, and that can be changed whenever the user wishes.

Squarespace also comes with a decent array of features for eCommerce, such as stock management and revenue support.

The platform is great value, and offers the perfect option for brands that want to stand out visually, and get up and running without too much hassle.

Shopify

You can probably guess from the name that Shopify is a platform solely dedicated to eCommerce.

In terms of design, Shopify isn’t quite as flexible as other platforms, offering changeable templates which come with some restrictions.

However, where Shopify excels is its online store features, such as integration with Amazon, and essential tools that enable businesses to scale.

Shopify also boasts drop shipping features and store locator apps, to support bricks-and-mortar stores.

And that’s not all, Shopify is excellent for brands that focus on SEO by making it easy to prep the site for Google.

Shopify is competitively priced, and offers a fantastic range of features and scalability for expanding businesses.

Square Online

Square Online is a particularly affordable eCommerce platform. And one of the only options that allow brands to sell products without signing up to a more premium plan.

There is also no limitation on the amount of products or product types sold. Such as physical, digital, donation, services, or events.

Square Online comes with a fair amount of functionality even on the free plan, including free analytics and reporting tools. And other Square products which can be added on, such as a payment system.

The platform doesn’t score so highly on design capabilities, but does allow some creativity in terms of how stock and inventory is configured.

Overall, a solid and affordable option for businesses who are just starting out.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy is another entry-level eCommerce platform and website builder which makes starting an online store easy.

The platform is highly intuitive, offering a user-friendly editor and its own artificial design intelligence function, to help brands make their website look professional without too much effort.

Features are more limited on GoDaddy than some other platforms. But they offer lots of support, particularly in terms of SEO.

With transparent, low-level fees, GoDaddy is perfect for entry-level brands looking to get started online.

Big Cartel

Big Cartel’s USP is its focus on artists.

It boasts “nearly a million makers, designers, musicians, and other artists using Big Cartel to build a unique online store and run a creative business.”

So it may come as no surprise that one of Big Cartel’s most impressive features is its design capabilities. Offering pre-made themes alongside the ability to customise HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Big Cartel also offers a free plan for brands that are selling fewer than 5 products. And provide a quick and easy setup process, so businesses can get selling asap.

Big Cartel does lack the advanced features and themes compared to some other platforms, but it comes at a budget-friendly price. And is easy to get up and running.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is all about features. All of which are built-in instead of relying on third parties.

The platform supports multi-channel retailing, so that brands can manage their listings from one single location.

It also supports Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. And offers the option to add ‘buy’ buttons onto blogs, social media posts, and marketing emails.

It is even available with multiple languages and currencies. Perfect for fast-growing businesses.

As BigCommerce is a more advanced platform, the user interface can be complex. And design options are more restrictive.

But for enterprise brands looking for features and functionality, BigCommerce is a winner.

Lightspeed

Lightspeed is best known for its EPOS system, but also offers a complete eCommerce solution.

The platform is geared towards omnichannel retailers, offering them the ability to sell online and offline products. And is also very beneficial for SEO-focused brands, offering SEO-friendly pages and additional marketing tools for added customisation.

And in terms of support, Lightspeed really stands out. Offering free onboarding and 24/7 support for paid accounts.

Lightspeed is easy to use, but does offer somewhat limited themes and products. However they provide a free 14 day trial, so brands can get a taste for the platform before signing up.

Adobe Commerce powered by Magento

Adobe Commerce is arguably the most powerful eCommerce platform on the market today. But it does come at a price.

Adobe Commerce’s cloud-based platform offers brands complete control over every aspect of the shopping experience. From personalising content to enabling omni-channel fulfilment.

The platform offers out-of-the-box features along with a flexible headless architecture and tonnes of third-party integrations.

Furthermore, Adobe Commerce boasts a global ecosystem of implementation partners and marketplace extensions. So that brands can customise their site to their exact requirements.

The platform is one of the more complicated and expensive on the market. But for enterprise brands with time and resource, it’s worth it.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a slightly different option for eCommerce brands.

It is an open-source plugin that can only be used with WordPress. But it is incredibly customisable, including the costs. Offering modular features, unlimited products, orders, and users, and selling a wide range of products both physical and digital.

So it really does tick every box.

Due to the wide array of functionality and open-source features, it isn’t the simplest platform to use. However, for brands that are experienced with WordPress, WooCommerce is the perfect addition to their website and an extremely solid eCommerce option.

Want to integrate your eCommerce platform with your email marketing?

Pure360 can help you to integrate your eCommerce platform and email marketing campaigns, including abandoned basket, purchase updates, and recommended products.

Simply get in touch with our friendly team of experts today to find out more.