This article is the second in our list of analysis and presentation of E-commerce CMS. The idea is as always, even if we are big fans of Shopify, to provide you with as much information as possible so that you can make your choice as an E-merchant.
You can find our first article on Wordpress here
You are often told about CMS for creating your websites and online store, but did you know that it was possible to create an online store using a widget? Indeed, Ecwid , from the contraction “ Ecommerce Widget ” is a platform allowing you to set up your online store and link it to a CMS, for example. But how is this possible? This is what we will explain to you!
Ecwid Overview
Ecwid is a platform that was born in 2009 on the initiative of Ruslan Fazylyev, a Russian entrepreneur specializing in the field of the web. Before embarking on the creation of this project, he first designed X-cart, an online store creation software.
However, his idea had a major drawback, many small and medium-sized businesses, wishing to start e-commerce, already had their website and only wanted to find a way to create only an online store to attach it to their site. In order to remedy this problem, he found the solution of creating a platform that can be used as a site extension to allow an online business to be linked, and that's when Ecwid was born.
In 2021, the platform was acquired by Lightspeed, a software company specializing in e-commerce and point-of-sale software. Today, it is estimated that Ecwid generates a turnover of 16.1 million euros with a growth rate of 50% year-on-year. In addition, it has just over 1.5 million users worldwide .
Ecwid is therefore a platform allowing you to quickly and easily create your online store. It has many marketing tools such as possibilities to create and display advertisements on different communication channels. In addition, Ecwid allows you to expand on different sales channels , so you can sell on your site, on Facebook, on Instagram… Moreover, it also allows you to synchronize your site with your physical store which allows you to always keep an eye on your stocks, your orders…
Spread of Ecwid
Many sites are powered by Ecwid, according to statistics from Builtwith, there are approximately 900,000 sites created by Ecwid live . The United States and the United Kingdom are the two countries in which the platform is the most popular and the most used. Among all those existing, we decided to select 3 for you, as an example:
Knits of O
First of all, the tricots d'O which is a Belgian boutique of sweaters and cardigans made by hand from natural and good quality materials. The brand decided to create and launch their online store through Ecwid which seemed to be the most suitable solution for their needs.
Julia RoseBoston
Then there is the Julia Rose Boston site, which is a resale site for luxury products, whether bags, jewelry, shoes or others. Their website was created by Wordpress but Ecwid was used to create the online store instead of Woocommerce . The platform was therefore integrated into the CMS as an extension. But why did they use Ecwid rather than the Wordpress e-commerce extension? Quite simply because Julia Rose Boston has strongly developed its presence on social networks and in particular on Instagram which is an important sales channel.
Lucey Furnishings
Finally, the last site we have selected is Lucey Furnishings , a family furniture store established in 1993, in Ireland. The furniture from this shop is mainly produced in Ireland and Europe with good quality materials to ensure good products for customers. Like Julia Rose Boston, this site is hosted by a CMS, Mono.net, but the online store is based on Ecwid.
What are the advantages of this solution?
Ecwid is therefore an easy-to-access platform with many advantages. One of these main advantages is that the platform offers a plan with a free subscription , so a company with a very low budget can start creating its online business without incurring too high costs. This formula offers all the necessary features to get started, which makes it complete . In addition, the back-office , the place from which you will lay out and organize your site is organized in a clear way to guarantee you ease of use very quickly.
Another of the main advantages of Ecwid is that it is possible to connect it to a CMS such as Wordpress, Wix... this allows you if you already have a site or a blog to add an e-commerce part without breaking your site or start all over again from the beginning. In addition, you will find many tools and features in order to develop many parameters on your site. So there are tools for mailing, pinterest or snapchat advertising, Google Shopping and many more.
We also have to talk about the fact that Ecwid is a great platform for beginners in e-commerce . We remind you that if you are a beginner, we recommend that you read our 99 E-commerce tips !
Indeed, at first, it offers more than 70 free design themes which will allow you to build a base if you are not sure which universe to go to. In addition, the platform provides you with demonstration products , that is to say, it offers you random products to allow you to visualize the design you have created but also to understand all the operation of the back- office and the different features you can integrate.
In addition to this, you have a large number of advantages on the platform. For example, the intuitive translation system offered by Ecwid allows you to translate your site according to the language of your client's browser. Thus, the database is made up of 50 languages into which your site can be translated. Thanks to this system, your site can take on an international dimension and reach more customers.
Among the advantages, it is possible to manage your entire site from your phone . Indeed, Ecwid is available as an application on mobile. It is a control center from which you can manage your products, your current promotions, your orders… Handy, isn't it? With this app, you can manage your online business from anywhere.
Finally, one of the last advantages, for you, important is that Ecwid does not take any commission on the purchases made on your store . That is to say, you pocket all the money from your orders without the platform withdrawing a small part of it.
What are the prices ?
As we have seen, Ecwid is a platform that aims to be freemium , that is to say that it offers a basic subscription that is completely free. With the latter, you have many features that will allow you to develop your business. However, you will be limited on certain actions, for example, you can only integrate 10 articles. Is it then possible to market more than 10 articles? This is possible but it will then be necessary to opt for a paid version of Ecwid.
Three formulas are available:
- the venture formula for 15€ per month
- the business plan for €35 per month
- the unlimited formula for €99 per month .
Depending on your choice, you will have more or fewer options. You can find below an example of the features available depending on your subscription.
To conclude, Ecwid is a platform allowing you to create your online store .
It can also be integrated into CMS which is an advantage if you already have your website. But, the big advantage of Ecwid is its possibility of free basic subscription.
This formula is ideal if you want to get into e-commerce and you have a small catalog . But is it better to create your site on a CMS and integrate Ecwid for your online store or to go directly through a CMS with e-commerce functionality such as Shopify ? This is what we will see in a future article.
