Ecwid Review 2022
Add specialist ecommerce functionality to an existing website.
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What is Ecwid?
Ecwid is a web-based online store builder. It differs from rival services such as Shopify and Volusion by specializing in adding ecommerce functionality to an existing website.
As a cloud-based platform, Ecwid does not require the installation of expensive software, making it the ideal starter option for small and medium-sized businesses.
Users can create catalogs of products: adding photos, pricing, and other information as required. A rich set of features, including a free plan, accepting payments via credit cards, and smart shipping calculator, ensure a solid user experience.
The service is applied via a widget (Ecwid is short for ecommerce widget), a standalone application that is easily embedded into your website. This means you can sync an Ecwid storefront to your business page, social page, blog, and mobile app to create ecommerce functionality for your entire online presence.
Ecwid Benefits Overview
If you have a successful website that is drawing a lot of traffic, Ecwid means you don’t need to build a brand-new website just to add ecommerce functionality. Saving time and money, the platform provides a highly efficient way to monetize your website and its social media pages.
Installation is quick and simple. For example, if your website runs on WordPress, Joomla or Drupal, Ecwid has ready-to-go integration modules that will get you up and running within minutes of signing up. What’s more, because Ecwid takes care of hosting, updates are automatic, resulting in less downtime and maintenance for your business.
Ecwid’s point of sale functionality is optimized for modern consumers. As a result, you can process payments from a wide range of payment providers, including PayPal. This feature provides the capability to accept payments from physical locations and mobile devices, allowing you the flexibility to sell in the move.
Ecwid Pricing
Unlike Shopify and most other ecommerce platforms, Ecwid offers a free plan, albeit with limited functionality. The company’s basic plan will allow you to sell up to 10 products in two categories. So, if you’re a start-up or a business that only stocks a limited range of products, Ecwid is a cost-effective option worth exploring. If your business sells more than 10 products, study the table below for a comparison of Ecwid’s tier-based pricing structure:
Tier | Number of Products | Number of Categories | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Venture Plan | Up to 100 | Up to 10000 | $15 per month |
Business Plan | Up to 2500 | Up to 10000 | $35 per month |
Unlimited Plan | Unlimited | Up to 10000 | $99 per month |
If you know you want to use Ecwid for a whole year, there’s potential to save money on all three plans outlined above. Paying annually, a Venture plan equals $12.50, the Business plan equals $29.17, and an Unlimited plan equals $82.50 per month.
Unfortunately, if you live in the UK or Europe, Ecwid if going to cost you slightly more. When paying in GBP or Euros, you will pay £15, £35 or £99 and €15, €35 or €99 per month for the respective plans.
Ecwid’s free plan is quite generous, but upgrading to one of the paid plans will provide you with access to a wider range of features that will extend the functionality of the platform. Scan the matrix tables below for a comparison of channels and features available with the Free, Venture, Business, and Unlimited plans:
Channels/Type of Plan | Free Plan | Venture Plan | Business Plan | Unlimited Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Online store | ||||
Facebook shop | ||||
Instagram store | ||||
Mobile point of sale | ||||
Marketplaces | ||||
Point of sale |
Features/Type of Plan | Free Plan | Venture Plan | Business Plan | Unlimited Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Free starter site | ||||
Add ecommerce store to any website | ||||
Abandoned cart saver | ||||
Access to App Market extensions | ||||
Advanced SEO tools | ||||
Automated tax calculations | ||||
Inventory management | ||||
Chat support | ||||
Phone support | ||||
Priority support |
Ecwid Features Summary
Ecwid offers a strong suite of features that will help you manage your ecommerce store with confidence. Highlights include:
Selling Directly From Instagram And Facebook
Customers won’t have to leave their favorite social media platforms to shop with your business. Ecwid’s seamless Facebook integration makes it easy to create a shop section for your business page. After you connect your website to Facebook, Ecwid syncs all product information and pushes updates from your product catalog automatically. Similarly, by tagging products in your Instagram posts, customers can check that product’s pricing, grab a link, and buy it from your Ecwid store.
Free Starter Site
Ths starter site is a separate feature to the Ecwid storefront. It’s designed as a great jumping on point for businesses that don’t have any type of online presence. Available on all plans (including the free one), it provides a free landing page as well as everything you need to start selling a limited range of products online. As an added bonus, this feature allows you to change the web address URL to something more SEO friendly, too.
Responsive Storefronts
eMarketer estimates that ecommerce sales reached $2.3 trillion in 2017, with mobile accounting for a majority 58.9% of the total. Consequently, your storefront needs to display perfectly on all devices, and Ecwid is 100% responsive on both desktop and mobile.
You Can Sell On The Move With PayPal Here And Ecwid mobile
Ecwid's point of sale (POS) functionality will allow you to process customer payments from your online store or Facebook page. You can also integrate your online store with platforms such as Square, Stripe, and PayPal to sell in physical locations, market stalls, trade shows,
and all the other places you might do business on the move.
In terms of integrating payment methods on the go, PayPal Here is probably the easiest to set up. Simply download the Ecwid App for IoS (mobile payments are not available on Android at present) and sync it with your PayPal Here service. Then, you can start taking mobile payments from a PayPal Chip Card Reader or Paypal Mobile Card Reader.
You can buy the mobile card reader direct from Ecwid for $14.99 or the chip card reader for $99.99. Note: Apple is phasing out the audio jack that connects the mobile card reader to your phone, so you might need to invest in the more expensive product if you own a newer iPhone or iPad.
Connecting With Customers Around The World
You can translate your Ecwid storefront into over 50 different languages, including
Brazilian Portuguese and Chinese, the most widely spoken language in the world. In today’s globalized market, this makes the platform a sensible choice if you have a lot of international customers, or you want to visit a trade show in a country that does not speak your native language.
Ecwid guarantees a seamless user experience by translating the language of your storefront automatically using each customer’s browser settings or IP address. In contrast, Shopify can only provide this functionality through third-party app add-ons or Google Translate.
In addition to seamless translation, Ecwid allows you to choose from a wide variety of regional shipping options, including the United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS, FedEx, Canada Post, EMS, Russian Post, Brazil Correios, and MDS Collivery.net. And Ecwid’s platform will keep you compliant by applying tax settings by local area in Canada, Australia, Europe, and the US.
Ecommerce Comparison Features
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Overall Rating | ||||||
Price | From $9 | Free to Install | Free to Install | From $29.95 | From $2.99 | From $5.00 |
Themes | 100+ | 1000+ | 1000+ | 120 | 15 | 500+ |
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Our Review |
Ecwid Store And SEO
Although SEO tools are not included in the free plan, ensuring your Ecwid store is optimized for Google is relatively simple. Via the control panel, you can fill in SEO fields for all your catalogs, their respective products, as well as individual product pages. You can also edit meta descriptions for each page, making it easier to incorporate vital information that will encourage click-throughs.
Ecwid’s WordPress plugin offers seamless integration. If you have a WordPress site, this means you will be able to make full use of the platform’s features to create SEO friendly URLs for your Ecwid store.
Ecwid And Social Media
We’ve already covered adding ‘buy now’ functionality to your business’s Facebook or
Instagram page. However, there are several other useful features you can use to promote your products to friends and followers.
From the Ecwid control panel, there is a built-in way to share products on Twitter, and add Facebook Like and Share Buttons. Through the Social Boost app, you can also run offers, giveaways, and competitions through your social media channels that will help keep customers glued to your brand.
Ecwid Interface And Ease of Use
Customizing product images, catalog pages, and product pages is uncomplicated. You can adapt all of these using default options and sliders in the Ecwid control panel, which work intuitively and in a similar way to most content management systems (CMS).
Ecwid has a range of features and options that will allow you to customize the functionality of the platform still further. For example, with intermediate design skills, personalizing the look of your site using CSS codes, applying custom fonts, and adapting buttons shouldn’t present a problem.
Ecwid Support And Security
Ecwid’s level of support varies based on the type of plan you opt for. On the free plan, you will only have access to email support. On the Venture plan ($15-per-month), you will be able to rely on live chat support and email. And if you are on the Business ($35-per-month) or Unlimited plan ($99-per-month), you can phone Ecwid for face-to-face support.
To make sure your business and its customers are safe, Ecwid has robust security options built in. Stores always run on HTTPS, ensuring a secure checkout; credit card details are held with PayPal Here or your favored payment gateway, not on your site; and secure hosting means all product and customer data is stored via Amazon Web Services.
Ecwid Analytics
Through the Ecwid control panel, you can access reports and stats about which products are selling, what offers are working, how much customers are spending, and much more at the click of a button. You can retrieve data and track sales with the Ecwid mobile app that includes push notifications when an order is placed or a payment has been accepted. For an even better understanding of what works and what doesn’t, you can analyze visitor behavior by connecting your ECWID store to Google Analytics.
Managing Your Orders Through Ecwid
Tracking your inventory is simple. You can specify stock quantity for each product separately, which Ecwid adjusts automatically when customers make a purchase. If your inventory for a specific item empties completely, Ecwid will send you an email and add an ‘out of stock’ notice to the relevant product. Crucially, it also freezes your customers’ ability to purchase this item.
Ecwid Automated Abandoned Cart Recovery
Online retailers lose an average of 67.45% of sales because of abandoned online shopping carts. Ecwid’s abandoned cart saver feature allows you to send automated emails to visitors who add an item to their cart and don’t check out. This feature is only available to users on the Business and Unlimited plans but is a proven method for increasing sales by re-engaging customers who exhibit strong purchasing intent.
Ecwid is one of the simplest and cheapest solutions on the market for adding ecommerce to a website. Available on the free plan, you can even start selling your product online without a website using the generous starter site option. The fact that PayPal is limited to iOS and phone support is only available to users on the most expensive plans does subtract slightly from the package on offer. However, overall, Ecwid is a great solution for small businesses and traders who are just starting to sell online.