What exactly is e-commerce, what types of e-commerce businesses exist and which are the best e-commerce solutions for online business.
Ecommerce – a well-known term, but not everyone knows what it exactly means.
E-commerce has been with us since the beginning of the Internet – since people discovered the magic of “shopping on the Internet”, Internet business began to blossom to incredible proportions (and continues to grow even today).
What is ecommerce?
Ecommerce (also called “e-commerce” or “e commerce”) is a way of buying and selling products or services via the Internet, with the help of various electronic systems.
This is one of the most popular ways of trading in modern times, which probably every one of us has used and uses on a daily basis.
Currently, the term ecommerce includes a large number of activities that are connected with transactions on the Internet – from building a platform for sales (and purchase), through marketing activities (SEO, PPC, etc.) to payment methods, delivery and tracking of goods, technical support and so on.
E-commerce, or electronic trading can be divided into 4 main types according to the transaction between 2 entities:
B2C (“Business to Consumer”) – this is the conclusion of a business transaction between a company and a final consumer (e.g. a customer bought shoes from an online store).
B2B (“Business to Business”) – this is the purchase of goods or services by a company from another company (e.g. a company buys security software for its computers from another company that created this software).
C2C (“Consumer to Consumer”) – sale and purchase of certain goods between two consumers (e.g. buying a used mobile phone from the bazaar from the consumer who posted this phone on the bazaar).
C2B (“Consumer to Business”) – it can be the sale of goods or services to consumers in which a certain company would be interested (e.g. an influencer will provide a promo advertisement to a certain company on social networks if the given company pays him for it).
What are the benefits of ecommerce?
Since its inception, e-commerce has brought with it an incredible number of benefits that have enriched not only the companies that sell, but also the customers who search for and buy products.
Here are some of the main benefits that e-commerce brings with it:
1. Comfort – perhaps the most obvious benefit of ecommerce services is the comfort it brings.
The customer can search and buy anything he needs on the Internet without leaving his place.
All you need to make a purchase is a mobile phone or computer and an internet connection. Thanks to this convenience, consumers are more willing to buy, which ultimately enriches businesses and companies trying to sell their products.
2. Sales without limits – ecommerce allows companies to sell to virtually anyone in the world, without any geographical limits.
Thanks to this, they have the maximum potential for acquiring customers (in contrast to a physical store or warehouse, from which a person from the opposite side of the world simply cannot buy).
3. Constant income – Unlike physical brick-and-mortar stores that earn only during their opening hours, e-shops have the ability to accept orders and sell products continuously non-stop.
4. Affordable marketing – e-commerce offers an effective way to make your brand or business visible compared to traditional advertising.
If you are at least somewhat proficient in SEO, PPC or social networks, e-commerce and promotion of your products will be significantly cheaper and more efficient.
Popular ecommerce platforms
Although e-commerce includes a large number of activities that you must perform for effective online sales, in practice you can easily use one of the platforms that cover all the necessary functions to start an e-shop .
Let’s now take a look at several popular “box solutions” for creating and managing an e-shop that you can use.
đź’ˇ Tip: If you are interested in e-shops for rent, you can also see my list of the most popular e-shop platforms for managing and creating online stores.
Webnode
Webnode is a Czech online tool with which you can create and manage web pages for your e-shop.
This platform was developed by Westcom s.r.o. and has been one of the most popular e-commerce solutions in the Czech and Slovak Republics for 11 years.
The advantage of Webnode is its ease of use and intuitive interface – within a few clicks and filling in data, you can start creating web pages for products and thus build your own website.
The platform itself covers everything you need to start an e-shop : from site creation and optimization, to setting up payments and shipping, to marketing and brand promotion.
As part of its price offer, Webnode offers several packages with which it can satisfy both complete beginners and large agencies (not to mention that it also offers a FREE trial version , thanks to which you can familiarize yourself with the overall platform and try out all its functions).
đź’ˇ Tip: If you would like to learn more about the Webnode platform, be sure to read my article: Review: Is it worth using Webnode to create a website?
UPgates
UPgates is one of the popular boxed ecommerce solutions, thanks to which you can set up your own, fully functional e-shop yourself.
Within this platform, you have a free hand in practically everything – you can set the graphics and design itself using templates that are very flexible for editing.
In addition to the appearance, however, UPgates also contains a number of functions, such as automated order management for retail or wholesale, connection to various types of transport, payment gateways , or the provision of various language mutations for products and their shopping.
Apart from the sale itself, however, you can also create various instructions and articles for the promotion of your store, or in short for the creation of other non-commercial content.
As part of online marketing, UPgates also offers an interesting loyalty system for your customers, product ratings and reviews, or even a “watchdog” function that can facilitate the search and purchase of products for your customers.
It goes without saying that SEO tools for the Google search engine, clear analytical tools and various functions for the visibility of your store on social media are also included .
💡 Tip: If you are interested in the UPgates platform and would like to learn more about this e-commerce solution, you can read my article: Upgates – a modern e-shop for rent (Review) .
Shoptet
Shoptet is one of the most popular e-commerce solutions in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
It is a very interesting platform for creating e-shops, which is especially suitable for beginners without any experience.
Shoptet has been operating on the market since 2008 and as an ecommerce box solution provides its services to more than 22,000 customers worldwide.
Shoptet is popular mainly due to its pleasant and simple interface, in which everyone can find their way.
Right from the registration itself and during the initial creation of the pages, you will be greeted by help and various explanations, together with a ” step-by-step ” guide that will accompany you throughout the creation of the e-shop.
One of the main advantages of Shoptet is its wide assortment of templates, from which you will definitely choose the “right one”, as well as the flexible setting of visual elements on the pages.
Naturally, this platform also includes all the technical, commercial and marketing functions that you will need to manage the e-shop.
đź’ˇ Tip: If you want to learn more about the Shoptet platform, I recommend checking out my review: Shoptet – is it really the market leader? , where you will also find a useful e-book as a bonus.
Fast-webstore
The Czech Webareal platform is a great e-commerce solution for every new entrepreneur on the Internet.
Thanks to its clear user interface, you can prepare everything you need for online sales.
In addition to various functions, Webareal also offers a large number of tutorials on Webareal Academy , where you can easily familiarize yourself with the use of this platform, or go through solutions to common problems that you may encounter.
The Webareal ecommerce solution covers practically everything you need for an e-shop:
- Site creation and optimization – in addition to the basic site settings, you also have a large number of responsive templates at your disposal, from which you can choose the one that would reflect your industry.
- SEO and marketing – the optimization of web pages for the Google search engine as well as for social media is a matter of course. the media.
- Setting up shipping and payments
- Product inventory tracking
- and many other necessary functions.
đź’ˇ Tip: If you are interested in the Webareal platform, be sure to read my article: Create a professional e-shop through Webareal (Review) , where you will learn more about its functions.
Eshop-quick
Eshop-rychlo , as the name implies, is an e-commerce solution that will allow you to set up an online store literally in a few minutes.
This platform is recommended for both small and large businesses – thanks to its price package, it is possible to manage a small online store with a few products or, conversely, a wholesale store with hundreds of products.
Eshop-rychlo is relatively easy to use and even a complete beginner can find his way around it.
Within its functions, it covers several tools for SEO, as well as for managing and managing products on the web.
One of the advantages of this ecommerce solution is the possibility to customize the template according to your wishes. Whether it is the appearance of the template itself or the setting of its individual elements, Eshop-rychlo will certainly not disappoint you in this regard.
In addition to the appearance and selection of templates, Eshop-rychlo also offers a clear administration for managing orders, sending messages or setting up payments and shipping for the Slovak and Czech markets.
đź’ˇ Tip: For more information about this platform, be sure to read my article: Quick start-up of a business with Eshop-rychlo (Review) , where you will learn more about its functions, along with a simple guide for setting up an e-shop.
Mioweb
Mioweb is another popular Czech tool for creating e-shops .
This platform is recommended especially for smaller stores that need all the basic functions for managing products in one place.
Although it is a relatively more expensive e-commerce solution, its price is definitely justified by the useful functions for the administration of online stores – from daily backup of data on the pages, through the creation of different variants for products to the connection of payment gateways.
In addition, Mioweb provides everything you need for website optimization, along with links to useful SEO tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, etc.
Within this platform, there are also links to e-mail tools such as SmartEmailing or MailChimp.
A small bonus that every beginner will appreciate is also a great help, support center or web dictionary, thanks to which you will quickly become familiar with everything you need to know to create and manage websites.
In addition to its price packages, Mioweb also offers a free 14-day demo version of its platform, thanks to which you can try all the functions for free and familiarize yourself with this e-commerce solution before purchasing it.
đź’ˇ Tip: If you would like to learn more about the Mioweb platform and its features, be sure to read the article: MioWeb: review and my experience with this tool .
