Square has built a solid reputation of making credit card payment processing available to everyone. Their newest offering, Square Online Store, seeks to simplify the online store experience along with facilitating taking payments through its Square platform.
Although it is easy to use, since you don’t need coding or web design experience, high volume sellers may find this platform very limiting in comparison to other eCommerce options.
If you are interested in exploring other eCommerce options while still maintaining Square as your payment processor, look no further. Here are five highly recommended options that Square features in its app marketplace.
- BigCommerce
Bid Commerce is a cloud-based cart software that helps all merchants, regardless of experience or revenue, sell their wares online. There are no setup or cancellation fees. There is no contract to sign for the monthly plans. Pricing levels are solely based on your store’s annual online sales. They offer a free 15-day trial and no credit card is required. Some of their features include: inventory management, product reviews, one page checkout, offer free shipping, and sell on social media, just to name a few.
- Ecwid
Ecwid is an abbreviation for “eCommerce Widgets” and is basically a shopping cart widget that can be incorporated into any website with only a few lines of code. With Ecwid, merchants can sell through multiple websites, social networks, and marketplaces, while managing their business as an “easy-to-use admin.” Although there is no free trial, Ecwid does offer a free plan where sellers can list 10 products to sell to get up and running. This model is used to upsell you to other paid plans. All plans are billed monthly and there are no contracts to sign. Some of their features include: marketplace integrations, promotions and discounts, language capabilities, real-time shipping rates, and so much more.
- Weebly
Although recently acquired by Square, Weebly is considered the largest and most popular “drag and drop” website builders on the market. After the acquisition, Weebly now features three different editors (including Square’s Online Store) to build your online store and its website builder is now fully integrated with Square’s online processing service. Some of Weebly’s features include: Mobile management, shopping on Instagram, video hosting, and a blog.
- WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a free open source shopping cart plugin that works exclusively with WordPress websites. It is free to download, however, not free to operate a fully functional WooCommerce store. Do expect to pay for web hosting and extensions to take advantage of the advanced features. Some of its features include: mobile-friendly design, sell digital and physical products, inventory management, shipping options, and more.
- Square eCommerce API
Square’s Application Programming Interface allows Square to act as both your gateway and your payments processor. Unfortunately, you will need both programming and coding skills to make it function. More than likely, you will need to hire a developer to do it for you. This can translate into a hefty investment, based on your needs.
This is the best fit if you already have a background in web technology and have a firm grasp on how programming works. However, if you do lack the know-how, it might be best to go with a “pre-built” solution.
In Conclusion
Although far more advanced than what Square’s Online Store can offer, even the best eCommerce integrations featured here will have limitations. It is best to explore all these options carefully to make sure that it fulfills all of your business needs.