Starting your own ecommerce business can be overwhelming, and that’s likely an understatement.
First, you have to create a product to sell. There is all sorts of planning that goes into that, and it could take many iterations to finalize your product.
Once you’ve made it through the product creation phase, there are all kinds of logistics you have to set up and ensure are working properly - shipping, return policies, etc., so that when you’re ready to launch your online store, your customers get a seamless experience.
👉 Building your ecommerce storefront is one of the many things you have to do.
Now, you may or may not have experience building websites or working on websites, and that’s perfectly okay, because nowadays, so many website platforms make it very easy for anyone to create their own website. They've recognized that a lot of people need to be able to do it themselves, and not hire a website developer to design and maintain their website.
Now, I'm by no means an expert website developer. I wouldn't even consider myself a website developer because there is so much that goes into it (coding, design, etc.) that is not part of my skillset... but
With my background in marketing, and using a variety of website tools more from the front-end design standpoint (in layman's terms, picking a template and modifying it), I thought it would be helpful to break down some of the best tools you can use to get your ecommerce website up and running.
So without further ado, here are…
Let's back up a little bit first. Believe it or not, HubSpot actually used to NOT have ecommece website functionality, so if you had an ecommerce store, you had to create it elsewhere and integrate it to be able to use HubSpot's CRM, marketing, sales, and operations tools. HubSpot used to be very BSB-focused has expanded their offerings into other customer segments.
After years of innovation, HubSpot FINALLY arrived in the ecommerce space by making product updates that incorporate all kinds of ecommerce tools into its platform.
Let's start with why it's best for ecommerce businesses, then I'll talk more generally about why HubSpot.
As for HubSpot being one of the best tools for ecommerce websites, HubSpot has made it super easy to add your products, list them on your website, collect payments, and ultimately deliver your products, delighting your customers. Everything you need from start to finish is built into HubSpot.
HubSpot makes it very easy to create your ecommerce website, allowing you to choose from a variety of carefully crafted templates. Their website editing tool uses a drag-and-drop style editor, so you can easily add pre-built sections, or you can fully customize and build your own.
In addition, the website editor makes it very easy to update the branding across your entire website theme so that you have a consistent look and feel on all of your website pages.
HubSpot is an all-around marketing, sales, and CRM platform. Your entire business can operate here, and if you choose to use third-party tools, it integrates seamlessly with tons of different tools.
You can get started with HubSpot for FREE with many of their different tools. But if you want to use a custom domain for your online store, you must upgrade to the starter plan, which is still affordable on a low budget.
For an ecommerce business, you will likely need the Customer Platform, which has a free option, but I would suspect you will need to upgrade to the Starter Customer Platform.
p.s. I'm a HubSpot partner, so I can help you work with HubSpot to get the best package for your needs. BUT you MUST connect with me before you sign up for HubSpot, or else I likely won't be able to help you. You can check out the different package options here, but email me or schedule a quick chat with me here, and I can help you get set up (no charge from me to work through this process with you!).
Shopify is one of the most well-known ecommerce website platforms, and for good reasons. It might actually be the most well-known!
The Shopify platform was built specifically to serve ecommerce stores - to provide them with all the necessary tools to create their online store, run their entire operations, track sales, convert new customers, and so much more.
Because Shopify was created for ecommerce brands, it has all the tools you need to have a successful e-commerce business within their platform. They truly understand the unique challenges that ecommerce stores face, and they continue to develop ways to alleviate those challenges.
In addition, Shopify has an app store with countless applications to help your business improve in all aspects - from generating more leads, to optimizing your products, to better understanding conversions, and lot more. Shopify really has the online store owner in mind.
Shopify offers a 3-day free trial where you can check out all of the tools and make sure it's a good fit for you and your e-commerce business. No credit card is required, so you don't have to worry about being charged if you ultimately decide Shopify is not for you.
After your free 3-day trial, you choose the plan that you want and can get your first month for only $1.
Ready to get started? Start your free trial here!
Many people think of MailChimp as an email marketing platform, because years ago that's what they primarily focused on. They still very much heavily talk about the fact that they are an email marketing tool wherever you see them.
But they have expanded their offerings and are so much more than just email marketing now!
Mailchimp has incorporated so many additional tools like automation, forms, websites, and so much more - all to help their clients deliver a seamless experience for their customers when they interact with their business.
Mailchimp is an excellent ecommerce website tool because of all its capabilities combined with its very reasonable price point.
MailChimp has a free plan for websites that will help you get started quickly and easily, and it comes with free marketing tools.
However if you do want to use a custom URL, you will need to upgrade to one of their paid plans. the good news is that it is still very affordable, even on a tight budget.
*note: this blog contains affiliate links for HubSpot and Shopify. Using these affiliate links will not affect how much you pay for HubSpot or Shopify if you choose to sign up for a paid plan. It provides me with the opportunity to earn a small commission on qualified purchases. This allows me to continue to operate, and continue to provide you with free insights into tools like these, at no cost to you.