For this reason, the growth of search for e-commerce platforms has increased significantly, so some have chosen to provide this service for free, but the question here is: are these platforms really free?
Do free e-commerce platforms work?
To answer this question, we must first analyze some points, such as: if you need an active virtual store, you will need domain registration, you need to know approximately how many sales you will make per day in your e-commerce and how many products you will register.
All these points are very relevant when choosing the best e-commerce platform because some limit the number of registered products, others limit the number of daily sales and there is also a limitation in payment methods.
Thus, it can be said that the e-commerce platform brings the solution for free, but to have full access you will need to invest in it .
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Free E-Commerce Platform
Well, as we saw above there are some advantages and disadvantages of opting for a free e-commerce platform and in this topic, we will clarify some of them for you.
Disadvantages:
Access limitation
Access limitation should be placed as the first of the disadvantages, as this can limit your performance as an entrepreneur. Limiting the number of registered products, daily sales or even categories can provide a limited result as well.
Not having optimization in the mobile version
Another disadvantage is that free e-commerce platforms may not be optimized for the mobile version, that is, your customer will not be able to access your virtual store via cell phone. This is another point that counts a lot in choosing the ideal e-commerce platform and can lead to future problems if you don’t have this optimization.
Does not integrate stock control systems
This is another significant disadvantage and can bring more work for the entrepreneur, in which case you will need to make a monitoring system more effective and practical manual.
Therefore, it may be that the lack of integration with management systems demands more from you than scheduled, so put this disadvantage in the balance as well.
Have paid templates
Templates are pre-prepared advertisements and descriptions that can help you a lot in creating your online store. Optimizing time and making your product description more attractive to the customer.
Unfortunately on free e-commerce platforms they are not available, only in the premium or paid versions.
Benefits:
Newsletter and e-mail capture banner
A good advantage is the banners for capturing e-mails and newsletters that most platforms make available to help publicize virtual stores. This point contributes a lot to those who are creating e-commerce and are still new to the subject.
They already have security partnerships for online payment
Another great advantage is the payment methods and the security in the payment methods that these platforms offer.
When we create a virtual store, we have to think about the customer’s safety when making the payment, so it is worth saying that the more secure the platform, the greater the possibility for you to make the sale.
In the end, will my online store be free or not?
In fact, the answer to that question is no! There will come a time when you will need to invest, whether in the platform that offers free e-commerce or in the additional features to complete your store.
For this reason, free e-commerce platforms end up being paid, whether due to the need to expand access, resources, number of sales or products. You will always want to expand and for this reason, you will look for bigger solutions as per your demand.
Another fact that will make you invest during the creation of the virtual store is its domain registration or inventory and sales control systems. Because some platforms do not allow integration with these systems, you will need the solution externally, having to invest as well.
So, think carefully before looking for a free e-commerce platform.
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