OpenCart
Verdict: OpenCart is a comprehensive e-commerce tool that includes an impressive set of tools to build and launch your online shop, manage your inventory, and deal with orders. I really like its huge collection of modules and themes. You can easily customize them according to your business needs.
The platform offers outstanding design features. Build your online store with tons of free and premium themes. I love that you can add as many products as you like. Moreover, the management categories are also unlimited. Unlike many other similar tools, this platform is pretty cheap and is a great option for those who are on a budget.
OpenCart provides the amazing ability to manage multiple eCommerce stores through a single, easy-to-navigate interface. You can choose specific themes for each store, customize products for different shops, and localize your websites. You will not have any difficulties with this platform even if you are taking your first steps in the e-commerce business.
There are many eСommerce platforms these days. So, choosing the right one is an important step when starting your business. OpenCart is an excellent choice for both beginner entrepreneurs and those who want to switch to another eCommerce resource. It has been selected by over 300,000 online stores for selling a variety of products.
Having a user-friendly and clear interface is one of the key requirements for eСommerce shopping cart software. Easy navigation is especially important for users with poor technical experience. If you are one of those people, this program is perfect for you.
You will love the intuitive and simple аdmin Panel interface with a modern design. It contains many handy options such as managing the products, monitoring sales and customer groups, installing extensions, running marketing campaigns, and choosing a new template.
Owners of several online stores can manage them through a single admin panel. It allows you to choose settings for each online shop, customize themes, and distribute products across your stores.
Since it's an open-source e-commerce builder, you can extend its functionality through many integrations and add-ons. Currently, you can take advantage of 13,000 extensions. With such a wide selection, you will have no problem finding the right option.
The program includes tons of free integrations from third-party developers. You can choose extensions for various needs including payment processing, currency, website building, language, and marketplaces. All options are divided into categories (payment gateways, languages, shipping methods, reports, etc.) for easier searching. With this program, you can get everything you need without going to an ecommerce development company for help.
OpenCart lets you choose from a variety of professionally designed themes and then make small tweaks to make it more unique to your business. Theme Forest, Template Monster, and other design companies have created thousands of free themes for you.
Go to the extensions store to access the entire collection. In order not to get confused due to such a variety of themes, you should consider only top-rated options or those that best suit your software. Find out a lot of useful information about a topic by clicking on it. You can learn how many times it's been downloaded, the last update and rating, and user reviews.
Plus, most themes come with a demo and detailed documentation. The modern online commerce market requires a contemporary and responsive store page that looks great regardless of the device. Since this platform is mobile responsive, you can be sure that your online storefront will be attractive on any screen size.
There are two types of support offered:
Community Support. You can get answers to your questions through the forum. This is one of the largest eCommerce communities with over 550,000 posts and 110,000 registered members. To make your stay on the forum more comfortable, the developers provide a whole section dedicated to forums in more than 30 languages.
Dedicated Support is the best choice for those who are looking for full pro-level technical support for their websites. This service is paid, but you receive comprehensive technical assistance at the highest level for a reasonable price. Specialists will fix any problem with your website in the shortest possible time. One-time assistance costs from $99.
The variety of available payment methods (53 options) is another plus of this platform. You can use popular systems such as PayPal, Square, and Authorize.Net or many additional options provided as integrations. Build your international sales with Stripe, BitCoin, and other locally targeted gateways.
You can add and monitor your marketing campaigns using the Marketing section. Here you can create a code that you attach to the link to know how many clicks and orders you are getting through a particular link. In other words, OpenCart allows you to find out where your marketing campaign will work most effectively.
If you want to start your own blog, you can use a dedicated module called OpenCart Daily. This is a great option to publish your news, articles, and posts. It includes other modules that you can integrate with software products and categories to organize sales via blog posts.
For your online business to be successful, you need to keep track of all processes in your stores. Careful inventory management is one of the key conditions on the way to profit. You need to be sure that certain items are available in the store at specific times.
With powerful inventory management software, you can always be aware of how many products are available thanks to automatic tracking. Use these tools as efficiently as possible and you will be able to increase your sales and get rid of excess inventory costs.
The Inventory Management option is a good tool for monitoring multiple warehouses or locations in real-time. It allows you to analyze the demand and check your inventory at any moment. As a result, you can take the necessary steps to avoid product and production shortages. What's more, the bar code scanning option will make intaking even faster and more convenient.
Besides, you can start earning with an inbuilt Affiliate system. It allows affiliates to promote specific products and benefit from it. Use a variety of payment methods (such as a bank transfer, Paypal, and check) and set different percentages. Retailers often offer products at lower prices to beat the competition. The platform provides many options to attract buyers and increase sales. These can be coupons, discounts, and special offers.
This software is free. As a result, your initial costs when starting an e-commerce store are quite low. First, choose the domain name and hosting. Then you should set up your online store. At this stage, you may need more investment. Keep in mind that top-quality design templates are quite expensive.
The most impressive templates created by professionals can cost anywhere from $20 to $100+. Next, I should think of extensions. The platform offers free basic features. If you want something more, then you will have to buy additional features. The more advanced add-ons you want, the more you will have to spend.
OpenCart includes a demo option. Thanks to it, you can try out your storefront. You can also test some features of the admin page via a limited demo. Keep in mind that in the demo you can only input some information but you can't save it or check how it is displayed in the storefront.
