Ecwid Reviews: Compare The Pros & Cons
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January 27th, 2025
In today’s digital marketplace, finding a reliable ecommerce platform to sell online is crucial. This article explores whether Ecwid is the right fit for your business. Unlike other review sites that give preference to the highest bidder, our assessments are unbiased, based on objective data and real user experiences.
Your feedback can help others make informed decisions, whether you’re just starting or expanding. Is Ecwid the right tool for your online selling needs? Click the button above to leave your review. Your opinion will help other aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs make an informed decision. Read on for our full review of Ecwid to learn more and see if it meets your expectations and business goals.
How Selling on Ecwid Works
Ecwid, founded in 2009, is an online shopping cart and web store builder. Users can sell various products, including self-manufactured goods, retail items from suppliers, digital downloads, services, and even subscriptions. The platform also supports dropshipping and donation acceptance.
By adding products to the Ecwid admin, sellers can utilize the Ecwid Instant Site or integrate with other website builders to display and promote their products across multiple channels like Facebook and TikTok. Ecwid provides comprehensive tools for managing product lists, orders, and customer profiles alongside over 70 payment processing options, making it a robust online store solution for all sorts of businesses.
Examples of Ecwid Sites
With over 1,627,501 sites built on Ecwid, companies across various industries have embraced this platform. Some standout examples include:
These companies showcase the diverse range of industries that thrive on Ecwid, from retail to auction sites.
Ecwid caters to an diverse mix of businesses, from fashion boutiques to specialized hobby stores. It empowers them to create vibrant online storefronts with ease. Entrepreneurs and established brands find Ecwid a versatile ally in their journey toward success online. Nearly anyone can transform their vision into reality with Ecwid!
Ecwid Pros and Cons
When considering Ecwid for your ecommerce needs, you need to weigh its advantages and disadvantages versus other options. On the plus side, Ecwid offers an easy setup and integration with existing websites, making it an excellent choice for small businesses eager to sell online quickly. However, it also has limitations, such as fewer advanced features than some larger platforms. You must understand both sides of the coin to decide if Ecwid is the right fit to achieve your business goals in the long run.
Pros
- Simple setup process
- Seamless integration with existing websites
- Very affordable
- Mobile-friendly design
- Multichannel selling capabilities
Cons
- Limited advanced features
- Smaller app marketplace
- Less customization than larger platforms
Ecwid Pricing and Value
Ecwid’s pricing structure accommodates various business sizes, focusing on the number of individual products you can list and the features available. With no setup fees, Ecwid offers a free plan that allows you to list up to five products without even requiring a credit card payment. As you scale your business, upgrading to one of their paid plans is easy, with automatic renewals that can be canceled anytime. There are no additional hosting fees, and Ecwid does not charge transaction fees, although third-party payment processors might.
The paid plans start with the Venture plan, which supports up to 100 products and offers the basic features. For more expansive needs, the Business plan allows up to 2,500 products and includes more tools for product showcasing.
- Venture Plan: Suitable for up to 100 products.
- Business Plan: Accommodates up to 2,500 products.
- Unlimited Plan: Offers unlimited product listings.
Lastly, as the name suggests, the Unlimited plan lets you list an infinite number of products and includes all the features of the lower-tier plans and more. While Ecwid provides various premium features in these plans, such as advanced discount codes and automated tax rate calculations, specific pricing details for each plan are:
Does Ecwid Offer Refunds?
Ecwid’s terms of service emphasize that while they do not offer a free trial, they provide a free plan option. Canceling a paid subscription requires switching to this free plan. Keep in mind that Ecwid does not offer refunds for subscription charges. To cancel, you must reduce your product count to five and switch to the free plan. It’s a straightforward process without any additional hoops to jump through, but a little unusual.
Additional Payments and Transaction Fees
Ecwid does not charge transaction fees, offering sellers a simplified experience. However, payment gateways integrations, such as Adyen, Amazon Pay, Authorize.net, Clover, Klarna, PayPal Checkout, Square, Stripe, Verifone, and Worldpay, do impose their own fees.
Ecwid does not integrate with Braintree, Helcim, Paysafe, or Stax Payments. Sellers should also consider the different fee structures for international versus domestic transactions, which can impact their overall costs. Understanding these aspects can help sellers better manage their pricing strategies.
Ecwid Features
Ecwid offers a comprehensive platform that enables sellers to manage their multi-channel online sales strategy efficiently. With seamless integration across leading social media platforms and online marketplaces, sellers can consolidate their product, inventory, and order management in one system, reducing redundant manual tasks and focusing on sales growth. The platform supports various product types, from apparel and accessories to services and gift cards, and provides customization options for product descriptions, including product variation fields for sizes, quantities, and colors. Sellers can enhance their product listings with videos and images, providing richer customer experiences. You also have control over product URLS, , product titles, meta descriptions, and product filters to facilitate efficient browsing.
Furthermore, Ecwid’s automated marketing tools are designed to expand a seller’s audience and boost brand awareness. Sellers can reach customers more effectively by utilizing targeted advertising on popular platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Integration with tools like Google Analytics and Meta Pixel provides valuable insights into customer behavior and interests, helping sellers optimize their marketing efforts. Additionally, Ecwid facilitates the connection between physical and online stores, streamlining operations through integration with point-of-sale systems and ensuring that product, inventory, and sales data are consistently synchronized.
Store Analytics Tools
Ecwid offers analytics tools to help sellers gain valuable insights into their online store’s performance. By understanding customer behavior, sales trends, and marketing effectiveness, sellers can make data-driven decisions to optimize their business. These analytics tools provide detailed reports on visitors, conversions, orders, and revenue, among other metrics. Reporting features are included on all paid plans, offering detailed insights and advanced analytics tools.
Adding and Managing Staff Accounts
Managing an Ecwid store involves various tasks, and adding staff accounts can be a powerful tool for delegating responsibilities. By allowing sellers to grant specific permissions to team members, this feature enables streamlined operations, such as adding products or managing orders. This feature provides significant value by enhancing productivity and optimizing store management.
Email Marketing Automation
Email marketing automation is a powerful tool that helps sellers efficiently connect with customers. By setting up automated marketing emails, sellers can engage customers based on specific actions, such as interest in a product, or functions like abandoned cart emails. These marketing features enable businesses to maintain customer relationships, enhance sales, and improve customer loyalty without sending individual messages to manual email addresses. These automation features are available on the Business plan, a worthwhile investment that can boost business growth.
Order Pickup
Order pickup is a valuable feature that allows sellers to offer their customers the option to collect their purchases directly from the store rather than waiting for shipping. This can significantly enhance the shopping experience by providing faster product access and eliminating fees for shipping. Sellers should consider the administrative costs while evaluating the potential benefits to ensure they align with their business strategy.
Ecwid Multi-Channel Integrations
Expanding your sales to multiple channels is crucial for reaching new audiences and driving growth. By integrating your business with platforms like Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google Shopping, you’re opening the door to millions of potential customers. Ecwid makes this process seamless, allowing you to manage everything from one place.
Selling on various channels increases your visibility, builds brand recognition, and enhances your business’s credibility. The more places your products are available, the more likely you are to connect with your target audience, and that could be the game changer in achieving your business goals.
Ecwid Amazon Integration
Selling on Amazon through Ecwid provides businesses with a streamlined approach to reaching millions of new potential customers. By integrating with Ecwid’s Amazon plugin, companies can manage their Amazon store directly from the Ecwid control panel. This integration offers a seamless experience, enabling sellers to list products and track orders efficiently. While Ecwid provides various pricing plans, additional fees, such as referral and fulfillment, may apply when selling on Amazon.
Facebook Integration
Integrating an Ecwid online store with Facebook allows businesses to sell products directly on the platform, expanding customer reach. Companies can sync their product catalogs with Facebook Shops using plugins like Sell on Facebook. This integration is available without additional costs from Ecwid, although Facebook may impose its fees on sales transactions. This seamless integration can empower businesses to achieve broader exposure and enhanced sales opportunities.
Google Shopping Integration
Ecwid’s integration with Google Shopping lets users easily advertise their products directly on Google. By leveraging this integration, sellers can reach a broader audience without leaving the Ecwid platform. This core feature is available on all Ecwid plans, including the Free plan, allowing users to manage their Google Shopping Ads and track performance through Google Analytics. However, note that while the integration itself is free, costs related to advertising on Google may apply.
Building a Site with Ecwid
Ecwid’s website builder offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to make creating an ecommerce site efficient and straightforward. Users can take advantage of customizable themes, which allow for personalizing the look and feel of their online store to reflect their brand identity. The drag-and-drop builder facilitates easy design adjustments without requiring technical expertise, while built-in hosting ensures the site is secure and reliable.
Additionally, companies can sell on their own domain, enhancing brand consistency and professionalism. Ecwid’s multilingual store support broadens the reach of companies by allowing them to cater to a global audience. Those with technical know-how, API access, and custom code/HTML capabilities have even more customization options. Faceted search and Google SEO analytics enhance the user experience and improve the store’s visibility in search engines.
However, while Ecwid’s platform is robust, there are certain limitations. Although it provides a range of key features like AI copywriting, blogging functionality, and a landing page builder, some users may find that advanced customization options are more limited than other platforms that allow more precise control. Additionally, while the platform offers an online store builder and various ecommerce tools, businesses with highly specialized needs or complex product offerings might find it challenging to fully customize their online presence without additional third-party app integrations or custom development work. Nonetheless, Ecwid remains a user-friendly choice for businesses looking to establish an online store quickly and affordably.
Ecwid Website Themes
Ecwid offers a diverse selection of website themes designed to meet the needs of various niches and businesses. Users can quickly set up online stores, choosing from over 40 templates, including Thunder Line, Spotlight School, and Pretty n’ Pink. These free templates offer a quick option for those looking to create a professional online presence without incurring the hefty costs associated with developers or designers. Ecwid’s website builder provides a straightforward and speedy solution, empowering users to personalize their templates by altering colors, fonts, and images to align with their brand identity.
The flexibility of Ecwid’s themes allows users to either select from pre-designed templates or, if they’re feeling particularly creative, to build their websites from scratch. This adaptability ensures that every business, whether in fashion, education, or culinary arts, can find a suitable template to showcase their products effectively. The focus on user-friendliness and customization encourages businesses to take control of their digital space.
Ecwid Admin Interface
Building a website with Ecwid is a straightforward process. Whether you’re a small business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, you can set up an attractive and functional ecommerce site in a single day. The Ecwid admin interface is user-friendly, allowing you to manage your site easily. Here’s how you can get started:
- Sign Up: Begin by creating an account with Ecwid. This gives you access to an easy-to-use website builder.
- Choose a Template: Select from over 40 ecommerce templates that align with your business niche.
- Customize Your Site: Use the drag-and-drop editor to modify sections like the header, menu, customer reviews, and “About Us” page to reflect your brand.
- Add Products: Upload product images and descriptions and set prices in the store section.
- Set Payment and Shipping: Configure payment methods and a range of shipping options that suit your business needs.
- Launch Your Site: Publish your site and start selling!
The admin interface is intuitive, guiding you through each step and making it easy to update and manage your online store.
Ecwid Drag and Drop Builder
Ecwid offers a drag-and-drop builder designed to simplify the website creation process. This key tool allows users to easily construct their websites by dragging and placing elements where they desire without coding. For sellers, this means focusing more on your products and less on the intricacies of web design.
With Ecwid’s drag-and-drop builder, sellers can efficiently create a personalized online store, highlighting their unique story and mission while customizing styles, colors, and fonts to suit their brand. Bring your vision to life and connect with your audience, with ease.
Ecwid Blogging Functionality
Ecwid’s blogging functionality allows online store owners to create a mini-blog directly within their Ecwid store, using category descriptions to publish posts. By incorporating a blog, sellers can improve their store’s SEO, foster stronger customer relationships, and keep potential buyers engaged with relevant content without leaving the site. Ecwid’s integrated blogging option allows store owners to communicate with their audience, share product details, and build brand loyalty. This key functionality is great for driving traffic and increasing sales, providing a unique space to share information, rather than just a catalog of product options.
Ecwid Integrations & Apps
Ecwid offers a variety of integrations to help enhance online stores and make managing them a breeze. Among its popular integrations, Ecwid connects seamlessly with website builders like WordPress, Wix, Weebly, and Joomla, making adding an online store to an existing site easy. To boost sales and reach more customers, Ecwid also supports integration with advertising platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads, allowing store owners to create targeted campaigns and track conversions. Additionally, Ecwid keeps business operations running smoothly by syncing with Google Calendar, helping users stay organized and never miss important dates.
Despite its wide range of integrations, there are some platforms Ecwid does not currently support. Specifically, users should note that Ecwid does not integrate with Stamps.com, TeePublic, or Zazzle. However, the platform still offers a comprehensive suite of tools to accommodate most business needs. The integrations aim to streamline operations, enhance customer engagement, and drive sales growth by connecting users with popular platforms.
Ecwid provides an API designed for developers who wish to extend the platform’s functionalities or integrate it with custom solutions. The API allows for creating customized features and integration with other systems, providing flexibility for businesses with specific needs. The API is well-documented, enabling developers to access and modify data such as products, orders, and customer info, thus empowering them to tailor the Ecwid experience to fit their unique business processes better.
Is Ecwid Easy to Use?
Whether or not Ecwid is easy to use depends on the user. Ecwid’s website builder is a gamechanger for many aspiring entrepreneurs. Furthermore, Ecwid’s Mobile App Management, which allows users to manage their online store on the go, and Order Fulfillment, which streamlines the process of handling orders, can be a significant advantage for any business owner. The platform also offers a community forum where users can exchange tips and advice and access courses and training. Additionally, a comprehensive Knowledge Base is available to answer common questions. These tools and resources might make Ecwid more accessible for some users, though those lacking in technical abilities may still struggle on their own.
All in all, every individual’s experience with Ecwid will be different based on their technical expertise and website needs. What one person finds intuitive, another might find challenging. The tools Ecwid provides are a huge help, but it falls in the middle as far as ease of use and overall ecommerce functionality. For those with a simple or straightforward website, it is easy to use. For those with more complex needs or objectives, custom solutions may require some technical tinkering.
That’s why it’s valuable for those who have used Ecwid to share their experiences and rate its ease of use. By contributing their insights, they can help others navigate the platform more effectively. Everyone’s perspective adds depth to the collective understanding, and sharing personal experiences can guide future users in making informed decisions. If you’ve worked with Ecwid, consider sharing your experience to assist others in determining how manageable the platform might be for them.
Mobile App Management
Mobile app management significantly enhances the ease of managing your online store. Users can oversee their products, orders, and customer interactions from their smartphone. The app’s features streamline daily operations, like adding products via photos or barcode scanning and receiving instant order notifications.
Store owners maintain seamless control by updating inventory, managing promotions, and tracking store performance on the go, ensuring their business keeps running smoothly.
Order Fulfillment
Order fulfillment is essential when handling online transactions, ensuring customers receive their purchases as expected. This process includes picking, packing, and shipping products, directly impacting businesses and their customers. By streamlining these steps, companies can enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction, leading to repeat purchases and positive reviews. Effective order fulfillment reduces errors and delivery times, creating a seamless experience that empowers businesses to grow while keeping customers happy and loyal.
Ecwid Customer Service
Ecwid offers a high level of customer support options to assist users with their ecommerce needs. The support team is accessible via AI support, live chat, and phone support, though it’s important to note that phone support hours are limited. Live chat is accessible 24 hours from Monday to Friday. Ecwid does not provide a dedicated account manager, which could be a consideration for businesses looking for more personalized assistance. Overall, Ecwid offers good customer support, but the lack of 24/7 availability keeps it from being great.
Ecwid Scalability & Security
Ecwid offers a versatile platform for various business models, including B2B and headless commerce. It’s an excellent fit for businesses looking to create a more personalized shopping experience, offering the freedom to sell diverse product categories. You can sell physical products, digital goods, or services, all while maintaining the capacity for hidden product attributes and categories for exclusive deals or specialized customer segments. However, Ecwid may not be the best choice for enterprise-level businesses due to its limitations in handling extremely large-scale operations. Yet, for small to medium-sized companies aiming for efficiency and targeted sales strategies, Ecwid is a solid choice.
For companies expecting rapid growth, Ecwid offers scalable options and easy plan upgrades. At an extra cost, businesses can integrate dropshipping platforms, enabling them to expand product offerings without the burden of inventory management. Similarly, the platform supports print-on-demand services, ideal for companies offering customized product variants. Ecwid can incorporate scheduling and booking systems for service-oriented businesses, making it a suitable choice for various industries. By leveraging these features, businesses can effectively tailor their online stores to meet specific customer needs while maintaining flexibility for sudden growth.
All of this is backed by Ecwid’s industry-standard shopping cart security, ensuring safe and reliable payment options for your customers.
B2B Solution
Ecwid provides an efficient ecommerce solution for B2B businesses. The platform integrates marketing and sales, allowing businesses to manage orders, promotions, and client relationships from a single control panel. This streamlined approach helps companies maintain continuity without interrupting their ongoing operations.
With features like personalized pricing, including discount coupons and volume-based rates, Ecwid offers flexibility to cater to business clients effectively. Ecwid does not impose transaction fees on purchases, ensuring businesses retain more of their sales revenue. This secure and comprehensive platform supports firms in optimizing their ecommerce strategies while navigating the complexities of B2B sales.
Headless Commerce
Headless commerce is an architecture that separates the front-end user interface from the back-end processing systems. This decoupled approach allows businesses to deliver a more customized and flexible shopping experience across various channels and devices. By using APIs to connect the front-end with back-end services, Ecwid allows brands to create unique user experiences across diverse platforms, and easily adapt to changing market demands.
If some of this jargon is over your head, don’t worry. Just know that Ecwid is built thoughtfully, so that your business can adapt to changes and stay live without undue interruptions.
Security on Ecwid
Ecwid is dedicated to ensuring the security of its sellers by implementing a range of robust security measures. It offers PCI compliance, which assures sellers that payment transactions are handled safely and by industry standards. Additionally, two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security, requiring sellers to provide a second form of identification to access their accounts. Ecwid also provides fraud protection to help minimize the risk of fraudulent transactions, although it does not offer fraud reimbursement. Using TLS (Transport Layer Security), Ecwid secures data transmission, protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access.
Ecwid also prioritizes data privacy and compliance, adhering to GDPR and CCPA regulations to ensure that personal data is handled responsibly. Automatic backups are in place to safeguard data integrity, while DDoS protection defends against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Sellers benefit from a free SSL certificate, ensuring encrypted connections for secure browsing. Malware protection and encrypted server locations offer additional safeguards against potential cyber threats. Ecwid’s comprehensive security policy is designed to inspire confidence and ensure peace of mind for ecommerce business owners as they focus on growing their online presence.
Ecwid Fraud Protection
Ecwid offers several strategies for ecommerce businesses to guard against fraud, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures to protect sales and customer relationships. Utilizing a secure range of payment gateways exercising address verification systems (AVS) and card verification value (CVV) checks is crucial in minimizing fraudulent transactions. These systems ensure that billing information provided at checkout matches the details associated with the payment method, effectively reducing the risk of unauthorized charges. Additionally, Ecwid supports using trusted payment processors like PayPal and Stripe, which can add an extra layer of security.
While Ecwid provides tools to help mitigate fraud risks, business owners must be vigilant and investigate fraudulent orders, such as mismatched shipping and billing addresses, or non-matching IP address locations. Unfortunately, if a fraudulent transaction results in a chargeback, the funds are returned to the customer, and the merchant may not be compensated. Engaging with customers for verification and keeping a low chargeback rate is advisable to maintain good standing with payment providers and avoid potential account blocks. Business owners should know that subscribing to some of Ecwid’s paid plans may involve additional costs for accessing certain fraud detection features.
Alternatives to Ecwid
Ecwid doesn’t offer the most customization options or best integrations with other platforms. design rigidity and limited features could be a turn off for others. However, Ecwid is a perfect balance of affordability and ease of use for hundreds of thousands of ecommerce entrepreneurs. But before you dive in, consider what competitors offer to be sure if Ecwid is the ideal fit for you:
- Wix: Wix stores offer an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it easy for anyone to build a professional-looking online store. With a wider range of templates and customizable features, it’s perfect for those who want a unique design without needing technical skills.
- BigCommerce: Known for its robust ecommerce features, BigCommerce is ideal for larger store rs aiming for scalability. It provides powerful SEO features, multi-channel selling, and a wide array of payment options, ensuring you can grow your business without limits.
- Square: If you’re looking for a straightforward, user-friendly platform, Square can be a great option. It’s perfect for small to medium-sized businesses, offering seamless integration with Square’s payment system and a streamlined approach to online sales.
- WooCommerce: A WordPress ecommerce plugin, WooCommerce is highly customizable. It allows you to leverage the power of WordPress to create an online store tailored to your specific needs. It’s an excellent choice for those already familiar with the WordPress ecosystem and offers high customization.
Don’t just take our word for it—check out our ecommerce reviews for each of these alternatives to see which best suits your business goals.
Is Ecwid Worth It?
Deciding whether Ecwid is the right platform for your business can be a pivotal choice. As an ecommerce business owner, aligning your tools with your unique needs and goals is crucial. Ecwid offers an array of features designed to simplify the process of building and managing an online store, though its limitations may hinder major growth.
Your experience and feedback could be invaluable for others in similar situations. If you’ve worked with Ecwid, share your story. And if Ecwid sounds like a great fit, consider signing up and seeing what the platform has to offer firsthand!