With over 1 million merchants powered by its platform, Ecwid has emerged as a leading ecommerce platform for small and medium-sized businesses worldwide. As experts in reviewing online store builders, we decided to thoroughly test and evaluate Ecwid’s features to provide readers with an unbiased assessment.
In this Ecwid review, we will examine its pricing plans, setup process, store design capabilities, integrated payment solutions, and additional sales channels. We’ll also evaluate crucial e-commerce features like shipping and tax tools, analytics, and marketing integrations.
By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of Ecwid’s advantages and limitations compared to competitors like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Sellfy. Our Ecwid review is based on creating multiple test stores across Ecwid’s platform, exploring its tools hands-on, and benchmarking it against other top players. With e-commerce growing rapidly every year, choosing the right platform can make or break your online business. That’s why we aim to arm you with everything you need to decide if Ecwid is the best fit for your needs and budget. Let's jump in!
Starting Off the Ecwid Review | Understanding the Platform
Ecwid, short for “E-commerce Widget” is a powerful ecommerce platform designed to provide businesses of all sizes with the tools they need to create, manage, and scale their online stores. Founded in 2009 and acquired by Lightspeed in 2021, Ecwid powers over 926,000 online stores globally. Unlike traditional e-commerce solutions that require starting from scratch, Ecwid seamlessly integrates with any existing website, blog, or social media platform, allowing for a quick and easy setup process. This unique approach enables businesses to start selling online without the need for extensive web development or design skills.
With its global reach, supporting hundreds of thousands of merchants across 175 countries, Ecwid stands out as a versatile and user-friendly platform. Its commitment to accessibility is further demonstrated through its Forever Free plan, which offers basic e-commerce capabilities without setup charges or transaction fees, making it an ideal choice for small and medium-sized businesses looking to venture into the online marketplace.
How Does Ecwid Work?
Ecwid operates on a simple yet effective principle: it allows you to add a fully functional online store to any existing web presence. Whether you have a website, a blog, a social media page, or even if you're starting from scratch, Ecwid's platform can be integrated seamlessly. This integration is facilitated through a widget or plugin, making your transition into e-commerce as smooth as possible.
Once installed, Ecwid syncs all your sales channels into one manageable dashboard, enabling you to track orders, manage inventory, and update products across all platforms from a single interface. This centralized control panel is a game-changer for businesses looking to sell on multiple fronts, including online marketplaces, social media, and in-person POS systems. Ecwid's flexibility and ease of use make it a compelling choice for entrepreneurs and businesses eager to expand their online presence without the complexities often associated with e-commerce.
Key Features of Ecwid
1. Instant Site Builder
Ecwid's Instant Site Builder enables businesses to create a fully functional online store without any coding knowledge. This feature offers a user-friendly interface where you can choose from over 50 content blocks to showcase your company and products effectively. The design functionality is simple, allowing for quick customization to match your brand's aesthetic. This tool is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to establish an online presence quickly and efficiently, providing everything needed to launch a standout online store.
2. Seamless Inventory Management
Inventory management is crucial for any online store, and Ecwid simplifies this process by allowing businesses to sync inventory across all sales channels. This feature ensures accuracy in stock levels, helping to avoid overselling with low stock alerts. New products can be easily added and customized within the platform, streamlining the management process. This functionality is designed to save time and reduce manual tasks, enabling businesses to focus more on selling and less on inventory tracking.
3. Multi-Channel Selling
Ecwid supports selling across multiple platforms, including websites, social media, marketplaces like Amazon, and live events. This feature allows businesses to reach a wider audience by making their products available wherever potential customers are. The platform ensures that your storefront integrates seamlessly with your website’s design, requiring no coding. This multi-channel approach is essential for businesses looking to expand their reach and increase sales opportunities.
4. Automated Marketing Tools
To grow an audience and increase brand awareness, Ecwid offers automated marketing tools. These tools help businesses execute effective marketing strategies without the need for extensive marketing knowledge. Features include automated Google and Facebook ads, TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat Pixel integrations, and customizable marketing emails. This suite of tools is designed to drive traffic and sales, making it easier for businesses to achieve their marketing goals.
5. Diverse Payment Solutions
Ecwid integrates with over 70 payment providers globally, including popular options like PayPal and Stripe. This feature offers flexibility in payment processing, allowing businesses to accept various forms of payment, including cards, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. The platform also supports the collection of recurring payments through subscriptions, enabling businesses to build steady recurring revenue. This versatility in payment options is crucial for providing a seamless checkout experience for customers.
6. Mobile Store App
Recognizing the importance of mobile commerce, Ecwid allows businesses to turn their store into a downloadable mobile app and manage online shops. This feature ensures that customers can shop anytime, anywhere, directly from their smartphones. The mobile store app enhances the shopping experience, making it more convenient for customers to make purchases on the go. This functionality is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to tap into the growing trend of mobile shopping.
7. Automated Tax Calculations
Ecwid simplifies the complex process of tax calculations by automating this task based on the business and customer locations. This feature saves time and minimizes the risk of costly errors associated with managing and updating individual tax rates. By ensuring accurate tax rates are charged, businesses can comply with tax regulations more efficiently, reducing the administrative burden associated with online sales.
8. Comprehensive Shipping Options
To cater to different customer preferences, Ecwid offers various shipping methods, including delivery and local pickup options. This flexibility allows businesses to provide tailored shipping solutions, enhancing the overall customer experience. By offering multiple shipping options, businesses can meet the diverse needs of their customers, potentially increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Who Should Use Ecwid?
Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
Ecwid is an ideal e-commerce solution for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs who want to easily create an online store. With Ecwid, you can add a fully-featured online store to your existing website or sell directly from social media pages. Ecwid offers a free plan to get started, making it very accessible. The platform is also beginner-friendly with an intuitive dashboard, so you don't need any technical expertise. From selling handmade crafts on Facebook to launching a small retail business online, Ecwid offers a comprehensive set of tools for your needs.
Bloggers and Content Creators
For bloggers and content creators, Ecwid provides a simple way to monetize your audience. You can easily add an online store selling digital downloads, courses, or merchandise to your existing website or blog. Ecwid seamlessly integrates, allowing you to keep providing great content while also giving readers a way to support your work. And with robust marketing tools like email campaigns and coupons, you can drive sales from your audience.
Multi-Channel Sellers
If you're already selling in multiple places online and offline, Ecwid brings it all together in one centralized platform. You can manage and sync inventory, customers, and orders across multiple sales channels including online stores, marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Google shopping, brick-and-mortar retail, and social media. This unified approach saves you time and helps prevent overselling products.
How to Use Ecwid: A Step-by-Step Guide
Here's a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to use Ecwid, covering everything from setting up your store to managing your Ecwid store:
Setting Up Your Ecwid Store
- Step 1: Create an Ecwid Account
Go to the Ecwid login page and enter your name, email address, and create a password to sign up. This allows you to use Ecwid's free plan to get started.
- Step 2: Set Up Your Store Settings
In your Ecwid control panel, configure your store's basic settings like currency, time zone, language, etc under “Settings”>”General”>”Regional Settings”.
- Step 3: Add Products
Go to “Catalog”>”Products” and click “Add product” to add products to your store. Enter details like name, description, images, pricing, inventory tracking, etc.
- Step 4: Choose a Domain Name
To connect your store to your own domain, go to “Sales Channels”>”Overview” in your control panel. Scroll down and click “Change Address” to set up a custom domain.
- Step 5: Set Up Shipping Methods
Go to “Settings”>”Shipping” to set up real-time shipping rates from various carriers and local delivery options. Enable shipping rate calculators.
- Step 6: Configure Payment Options
Go to “Settings”>”Payment” to set up payment options like credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, etc. Enable payment gateways to accept payments.
- Step 7: Customize Store Design
Use the theme customizer in your control panel under “Appearance” to customize colors, fonts, layouts, and add branding elements.
Managing Your Ecwid Store
Adding New Products
Go to “Catalog”>”Products” and use the “Add product” option to continuously add new items to your inventory.
- Managing Inventory
Enable inventory tracking for each product. Go to “Catalog”>”Products” and click on a product. Under “Stock Control”, set safety stock levels.
- Processing Orders
Received orders will appear under “My Sales”>”Orders”. Click on each order and update its status to “Processing”, “Shipped” and finally “Delivered”.
- Adding Custom Fields and Options
Use Ecwid's API to add custom product galleries, catalogs, order attributes, etc to enrich your store functionality.
- Driving Sales and Promotions
Create sitewide sales or set special pricing like “Compare at” prices for individual products to run promotions.
By following these steps, you can effectively set up, customize, and manage your Ecwid store, ensuring a smooth operation and a great shopping experience for your customers.
Ecwid Pricing
| Plan | Free | Venture | Business | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $0 | $19 | $39 | $99 |
| Annual Price (Save 25%) | $0 | $14.08 | $29.08 | $82.50 |
| Number of Products | 5 | 100 | 2,500 | Unlimited |
| Product Variations | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Digital Goods | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Abandoned Cart Emails | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Staff Accounts | ❌ | ❌ | 2 | Unlimited |
| Sell on Facebook & Instagram | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sell on Amazon & eBay | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Custom Domain | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Customization Hours | ❌ | ❌ | 2 | 6 |
Benefits of Using Ecwid
Ecwid stands out as a versatile e-commerce platform, offering a range of benefits that cater to businesses of all sizes. One of its key advantages is the seamless integration with existing websites, allowing merchants to add a fully functional online store to their site without the need for extensive redesign or development work. This feature is particularly beneficial for small to medium-sized businesses looking to expand their online presence without significant investment in web development.
Moreover, Ecwid supports a wide array of payment providers and gateways globally, including popular options like PayPal, Stripe, Square, and WePay. This flexibility ensures that businesses can offer their customers a variety of payment methods, enhancing the shopping experience and potentially increasing conversion rates. Additionally, Ecwid's PCI DSS validation ensures that all transactions are secure, further building trust with customers. Ecwid also excels in customer support, offering email and live chat support, with phone support available in its larger plans. This comprehensive support structure ensures that merchants have access to timely assistance whenever needed, minimizing potential disruptions to their business operations.
Lastly, Ecwid's free plan allows businesses to manage up to 10 products with features like discount coupons and gift cards, making it an attractive option for new or small-scale merchants looking to test the waters of e-commerce without upfront costs. As businesses grow, they can easily upgrade to more feature-rich plans, making Ecwid a scalable solution that can adapt to the evolving needs of its users.
What Needs Fixing in Ecwid?
- Slow page load times: Ecwid stores can suffer from slow page load times, especially on mobile devices. This is likely due to unoptimized code and images. Ecwid should focus on improving site performance through image compression, minification, and caching.
- Limited SEO capabilities: Ecwid lacks important SEO features like custom product URLs that are not based on product titles, meta-tag editing, and AMP page creation. This makes it difficult to optimize Ecwid stores for search engines. Ecwid should expand its SEO tools to help stores get better rankings.
- Buggy integrations: Integrating Ecwid with existing sites can be buggy at times. Issues like broken layouts, JavaScript conflicts, and missing elements are common. Ecwid needs to improve integration stability across platforms like WordPress, Wix, and custom HTML sites.
- Restrictive free plan: The free Ecwid plan is very limited, with only 10 digital and physical products allowed. To sell more than 10 products requires upgrading to paid plans which are quite expensive. Ecwid should enhance its free plan to support small businesses better.
- Limited native features: Beyond the basics, Ecwid lacks many e-commerce features natively. This means relying on third-party apps for functionality like reviews, wishlists, etc. Ecwid should expand its built-in e-commerce toolset to reduce dependence on apps.
Alternatives to Ecwid
| Feature/Platform | Shopify | BigCommerce | Sellfy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Starts at $29/month | Starts at $29.95/month | Starts at $29/month |
| Ease of Use | User-friendly with drag-and-drop builder | User-friendly with a slight learning curve | Extremely user-friendly, especially for digital goods |
| Customization | Extensive customization with themes and apps | High level of customization with themes and in-built features | Limited customization compared to Shopify and BigCommerce |
| Integration | Wide range of integrations with third-party apps | Strong integration options, slightly less than Shopify | Basic integrations, focused on digital product sales |
| Support | 24/7 support via email, chat, phone, and a comprehensive help center | 24/7 support via email, live chat, and phone, with a knowledge base | Email support and a knowledge base, with priority support on higher plans |
1 Shopify vs. Ecwid
Shopify stands out as a comprehensive e-commerce platform that excels in creating a full-featured online store from scratch. It offers a wide range of themes and a vast app store, allowing for extensive customization and functionality expansion. Shopify's strength lies in its ability to cater to businesses of all sizes, with a particular edge in multichannel selling, including social media and online marketplaces.
While Ecwid is a strong contender for adding e-commerce functionality to existing websites, Shopify's robust platform is more suited for those looking to build a standalone online store with advanced features. Additionally, Shopify's POS system is proprietary and offers few integrations with other POS systems, which could be a limitation for some businesses.
2. BigCommerce vs. Ecwid
BigCommerce is another powerful alternative to Ecwid, offering a cloud-based solution that caters to retail businesses of all sizes. It provides a centralized dashboard for managing sales and a customizable theme/template system for creating an e-commerce website. BigCommerce's user interface is praised for its ease of use and security, which is crucial for expanding a business globally. However, some users desire more flexibility, particularly in email customization.
Unlike Ecwid, which integrates well with various POS systems, BigCommerce's POS options are not as extensive. For businesses looking for a robust e-commerce platform with a focus on scalability and customization, BigCommerce is a strong option. It may not have the same level of simplicity for adding e-commerce to existing websites as Ecwid, but it offers a comprehensive set of features for those building a new online store.
3. Sellfy vs. Ecwid
Sellfy is a more niche e-commerce platform compared to Ecwid, focusing primarily on creators and businesses selling digital products, subscriptions, and print-on-demand goods. It is known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it an attractive option for those who want to start selling online quickly without technical expertise. Sellfy's market share is smaller than Ecwid's, indicating that it may not have the same breadth of features or customer base.
However, for those who specialize in digital goods, Sellfy provides a streamlined experience with basic integrations that support their specific needs. While Ecwid offers a broader range of e-commerce features and a larger customer base, Sellfy's targeted approach may be more appealing to digital creators looking for a simple and effective way to sell their digital/physical products online.
FAQs Related to Ecwid
Can I start selling on Ecwid without any initial investment?
Yes, Ecwid offers a free plan that allows you to list up to 10 products without any initial investment. This plan includes unlimited bandwidth and is a great way to start selling online with minimal risk.
How does Ecwid integrate with existing websites?
Ecwid can be seamlessly integrated into any existing site using HTML. It supports over 70 themes and can be added to platforms like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, and Blogger, making it versatile for various website backbones.
Is there a contract or long-term commitment required with Ecwid?
No, Ecwid does not require you to sign a contract or make a long-term commitment. You can choose month-to-month options and cancel at any time, providing flexibility for your business.
Does Ecwid offer a free trial for its premium plans?
Ecwid does not offer a free trial for its premium plans. However, it provides a free plan that you can start with, and if you need more features, you can upgrade to a paid plan starting at $19 per month.
How does Ecwid support B2B selling?
Ecwid supports B2B selling by allowing you to sell wholesale items. The best way to do this is through bulk pricing, where tiered pricing is based on the number of units purchased by your customer.
Can I connect multiple Ecwid accounts to one loyalty program account?
Currently, you can connect one Ecwid account to one Marsello account for loyalty program integration. This ensures streamlined customer engagement and data syncing for your online store's loyalty program.
How does Ecwid handle customer data syncing for loyalty programs?
Data syncing from Ecwid to Marsello, such as order information, typically happens in real time. This ensures that customer engagement and loyalty program data are always up-to-date.
Can I sell digital goods on Ecwid?
Yes, Ecwid supports the sale of digital goods. This feature is available on the Business plan and above, allowing you to offer digital products alongside physical goods.
How does Ecwid handle inventory management across multiple sales channels?
Ecwid's paid plans allow for inventory management across multiple sales channels. When a sale is made on one channel, inventory automatically adjusts across all channels, ensuring accurate stock levels.
Can I use Ecwid for in-person sales?
Yes, Ecwid partners with Square and the physical Square Reader for in-person sales, allowing you to make sales at events like craft fairs and farmers' markets. This feature is available across all plans.
Can I customize my Ecwid store?
Yes, with Ecwid's Business and Unlimited annual plans, you get free customization hours where Ecwid developers will spend time customizing your shop. This service allows you to tailor your store to your brand's needs.
How do you recover abandoned carts with Ecwid?
To recover abandoned carts with Ecwid, you can utilize automated and manual email strategies. Automated cart recovery emails are dispatched 2 hours after a cart is abandoned, ensuring the reminder is timely and relevant. You can enhance these emails by including discount codes to encourage customers to complete their purchases.
How much does Ecwid charge per sale?
Ecwid does not charge any transaction fees on the creation of online storefronts and sales made through its platform. However, it's important to note that while Ecwid itself doesn't impose transaction fees, the payment providers you choose to process payments (such as PayPal, Stripe, etc.) may charge their fees.
Concluding the Ecwid Review
In wrapping up our comprehensive Ecwid Review, we've navigated through the ins and outs of this robust e-commerce platform, and it's clear why it stands out in the digital marketplace. Ecwid offers a seamless integration with existing websites, an intuitive interface, and a mobile-responsive design that caters to the modern entrepreneur. We've highlighted the platform's ease of use, affordability, and the rich array of features that empower sellers to launch, manage, and expand their online stores with minimal fuss.
While it may not have some of the advanced functionality of platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce, Ecwid more than makes up for it with its ease of use, seamless social media selling channels, and ability to embed stores anywhere online. For budding entrepreneurs or small business owners looking for an intuitive, affordable e-commerce solution, Ecwid is certainly worth your consideration. With Ecwid, you're not just getting an e-commerce platform; you're unlocking a world of potential for your business to thrive in the digital economy.
Don't just take our word for it—explore Ecwid today and see how it can reshape your online sales strategy.