The Most Successful PHP Ecommerce Platforms for 2021 to Build Online Stores

In today’s complex, rapidly moving world where everything is turning digital, it is necessary to have an online presence. Every enterprise today is all about consumers and their preferences. While the users have decided to shift their entire focus to online products and services, the businesses have also started moving to PHP eCommerce platforms. eCommerce is the fastest approach to reach a wide array of potential audience and PHP makes the platform even faster.

The Post Pandemic Effect on Businesses:

Amidst the pandemic where social distancing is the new normal, eCommerce stores are instead an essential aspect for the survival of one’s business.

We know how the economic slowdown has affected many industries around the globe. At this point, eCommerce seems like the only option to make business progress. Speaking of eCommerce platforms, PHP eCommerce platforms have started revolutionizing the online shopping industry.

The reason to do so is that they offer your business to start an eCommerce store even if you do not have any experience with its development. All you have to do is the point, click and drag, and Voila! Your eCommerce store is all set to launch.

Therefore, If you still haven’t checked out the most popular open-source PHP platforms to build your online store, it is time that you consider seeing it.

PHP and eCommerce:

To help you out in that matter, we have assorted a list of successful eCommerce stores running on PHP that are not only user favorite but also can fulfill all your business requirements.

But before we move along with the list, let us first understand what is eCommerce and how can it prove to be useful for your business?

What is eCommerce?

eCommerce stands for electronic commerce (also known as online commerce and internet commerce) that represents the action of selling and buying products and services using electronic networks such as the Internet.

It involves everything from the transmission of data, to payment of money, to the performance of transactions. These processes can be done online across certain mediums through electronic payment systems like PayPal, Paytm, UPI, credit cards, Debit cards, money wallets, etc.

Some of the eCommerce websites also support cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin as a mode of payment.

What Can Ecommerce Do to Your Business?

There are unlimited advantages of having an eCommerce store; some of the major ones are mentioned below:

• Quick response to market demands
• Flexibility of customers
• No, reach limitations.
• Easy product and price comparison
• Quick buying process
• Cost-effective

Now when we talk about eCommerce channels on the Internet, you will find thousands of websites built on different programming languages. However, PHP eCommerce websites offer distinctive features and a wide range of functionalities to their users. Henceforth, PHP eCommerce is a charm of the web development industry.

Let us take a quick glance at some of the best PHP eCommerce platforms:

Magento:

Magento is the most loved PHP platform. It is very identical to WordPress, where one gets to choose themes among thousands of displays with a large number of extensions available. This platform also allows easy integration of third party applications with PHP eCommerce website. Magento offers complete control and flexibility over content and features and can also manage multiple websites from one admin panel. Hire PHP developers for building eCommerce websites.

OpenCart:

OpenCart is another preferable eCommerce platform. It is known for its scalability, lightweight, and easy-to-use features. OpenCart also has a powerful and robust community. It offers over 300 plus attractive themes in order to customize the website.

Shopify:

Shopify is one of the most simple and most effortless PHP eCommerce frameworks. It will provide a custom menu to record its customer preferences for future marketing campaigns. It will also enable you to add various catalogs to your website.

Shopify is extremely mobile friendly and can be edited in CSS and HTML directly.  Its interface is very similar to that of Magento, but on top of that, it provides unlimited bandwidth and several payment gateways.

X Cart:

X Cart is an open-source, free, and self-hosted eCommerce platform built on PHP. It offers engaging design templates along with the feature of shipping carrier integration like FedEx, Canada Post, Australia Post, and UPS.

ZenCart:

ZenCart is the simplest yet mindful eCommerce platform. Any beginner can easily use it without having specific knowledge of the field. The platform supports millions of products and is well versed in multiple languages and currencies.

Zencart also gives you an entire catalog on customizing features with several product management tools.

PrestaShop:

PrestaShop is one of the fastest leading and professional PHP eCommerce websites. It contains around 310 dynamic eCommerce features such as downloadable products, on-page checkout, and cross-selling. PrestaShop’s mobile theme is also available to build a mobile version of the website. With over 3500 modules and themes, this platform provides a wide variety of options to utilize.

Prestashop is established in 63 different languages and has strong community support.

JigoShop:

JigoShop is an ideal choice for both small and big projects worldwide. If you prefer a clean, simple, yet absolutely advanced eCommerce site for your business, this platform is the best option for you. Jigoshop has an extremely clean interface and can be used by beginners due to its flexible deployment. It comes with a basic dashboard, including incredible themes.

WooCommerce:

Saving the best for the last, wooCommerce is the most popular and loved eCommerce platform based on PHP programming language. It is basically an extension of WordPress CMS. The platform is entirely open-source, which means one can easily customize and modify anything and everything. There are multiple analytic tools and themes available that can be changed within no time. Apart from that, WooCommerce is highly secure and will offer you regular updates. Due to its popularity, the platform is loved by almost every enterprise and therefore represents a large community.

Final Thoughts

There are more PHP eCommerce platforms and websites that couldn’t make it to the list, like Drupal Commerce and OSCommerce. One factor that is similar in all these websites is scalability. All the platforms are highly flexible and will offer enormous support to your website. And the cherry on the cake is that most of them are free. Hence, you can open your store for literally zero cost. However, if you wish to opt for advanced features, you might have to go for a premium upgrade. So it’s still not too late; choose PHP eCommerce framework to create your dream business website.