Ecwid Review: Free Ecommerce Solution

Ecwid is a shopping cart platform that allows users to create an online store and add it to their existing website or create a new one. It offers a range of features including customizable templates, inventory management, and payment processing. Ecwid also provides tools for managing and marketing the store, such as email marketing, social media integration, and abandoned cart recovery.

What Is Ecwid?

Ecwid is a shopping cart platform that enables merchants to sell their products online through a variety of channels, including their own website, Facebook, and mobile devices. It is designed to be easy to use and offers a variety of features to help merchants manage and grow their online store.

Some of the key features of Ecwid include product management, payment processing, mobile optimization, marketing and SEO tools, order management, customization options, and customer service. It also offers integrations with a variety of popular tools and platforms, such as Google Analytics, Mailchimp, and social media networks.

Ecwid is used by merchants around the world and supports a variety of languages and currencies. It offers a range of pricing plans to suit different business needs, including a free plan with limited features and paid plans with more advanced features and support.

Ecwid Features

Ecwid is a shopping cart platform that allows merchants to sell their products online through a variety of channels, including their own website, Facebook, and mobile devices. Some of the features of Ecwid include:

1. Product management: Ecwid allows merchants to easily add and manage their products, including setting prices, adding descriptions and images, and organizing products into categories.
2. Payment processing: Ecwid integrates with a variety of payment gateways, including PayPal and Stripe, to allow merchants to accept payments from customers.
3. Mobile optimized: Ecwid’s shopping cart is optimized for mobile devices, making it easy for customers to make purchases on the go.
4. Marketing and SEO tools: Ecwid includes tools to help merchants promote their products and improve their search engine rankings, such as email marketing and social media integration.
5. Order management: Ecwid provides tools to help merchants track and fulfill orders, including order history, shipping labels, and inventory tracking.
6. Customization options: Ecwid allows merchants to customize the look and feel of their online store, including adding their own logo and choosing from a variety of templates.
7. Customer service: Ecwid offers customer support through email, live chat, and phone, as well as an extensive online knowledge base.

Ecwid Review: Ease of Use

There are mixed reviews regarding the ease of use of Ecwid. Some users have found it to be relatively straightforward and user-friendly, while others have had difficulties getting started or found certain features to be confusing.

One common complaint is that the interface can be cluttered, with too many options and features in some areas. Some users have also reported experiencing bugs or glitches while using the platform.

Overall, it seems that the ease of use of Ecwid may depend on the user’s familiarity with e-commerce platforms and online stores, as well as the specific features and tools they are using. It may also vary based on the user’s specific needs and goals for their online store.

Ecwid Pricing

Ecwid offers a range of pricing plans to suit different business needs, including a free plan with limited features and paid plans with more advanced features and support. The pricing for the paid plans is based on the number of products in the merchant’s store, and there are four plans to choose from:

1. Mini: This plan is suitable for small stores with up to 100 products and includes basic features such as payment processing, mobile optimization, and customer support. The price starts at $15 per month.
2. Personal: This plan is suitable for stores with up to 500 products and includes additional features such as abandoned cart recovery and marketing integrations. The price starts at $29 per month.
3. Professional: This plan is suitable for stores with up to 2,500 products and includes advanced features such as priority support and advanced reports. The price starts at $79 per month.
4. Unlimited: This plan is suitable for stores with more than 2,500 products and includes all features, as well as unlimited storage and bandwidth. The price starts at $199 per month.

In addition to the monthly subscription fees, Ecwid also charges transaction fees on paid plans, which range from 1.5% to 0.5% depending on the plan and payment gateway. The free plan includes a 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fee.

Ecwid also offers a 14-day free trial for paid plans, allowing merchants to try out the platform and see if it meets their needs before committing to a subscription.

Sell with Ecwid on Social Media

Ecwid allows merchants to sell their products on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Here’s how you can set up your Ecwid store to sell on social media:

• Connect your social media account to your Ecwid store: Go to your Ecwid dashboard and click on the “Marketing” tab. From there, you can click on the “Social media” section and connect your Facebook or Instagram account to your Ecwid store.
• Set up a Facebook shop: Once you have connected your Facebook account to your Ecwid store, you can create a Facebook shop by going to the “Social media” section in your Ecwid dashboard and clicking on the “Facebook shop” tab. From there, you can choose which products you want to display in your Facebook shop and customize the layout and appearance.
• Add the Ecwid shopping cart to your Instagram account: To sell on Instagram, you will need to use the Ecwid shopping cart. To add the shopping cart to your Instagram account, go to the “Social media” section in your Ecwid dashboard and click on the “Instagram shopping” tab. From there, you can follow the instructions to set up your Instagram shopping account and connect it to your Ecwid store.

Once you have set up your social media accounts, you can start selling your products on Facebook and Instagram. Customers will be able to browse and purchase your products directly from your social media pages.

The Ecwid App Market

The Ecwid App Market is a collection of third-party apps and integrations that can be added to an Ecwid store to expand its functionality. The App Market includes a variety of apps in categories such as marketing, shipping, and accounting, and is designed to help merchants streamline and automate various aspects of their online store.

To access the App Market, go to your Ecwid dashboard and click on the “Apps” tab. From there, you can browse the available apps and integrations and install the ones that are relevant to your business needs. Some of the apps in the App Market are free to use, while others may have a one-time or subscription fee.

Examples of apps that are available in the Ecwid App Market include:

• Marketing apps: These apps can help merchants promote their products and grow their customer base, such as email marketing and social media integrations.
• Shipping apps: These apps can help merchants manage shipping and fulfillment, such as by integrating with shipping carriers or offering shipping rate calculators.
• Accounting apps: These apps can help merchants manage their finances, such as by integrating with accounting software or offering invoicing tools.
• Productivity apps: These apps can help merchants streamline their workflow and save time, such as by offering tools for task management and project collaboration.

Ecwid Security

Ecwid takes the security of its platform and its users’ data seriously. The company has implemented a number of measures to protect its stores and their customers from security threats.

Here are some of the security measures that Ecwid has in place:

• SSL encryption: Ecwid uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption to secure data transmitted between its stores and customers. This helps to protect sensitive information such as payment details and personal information from being intercepted by third parties.
• PCI DSS compliance: Ecwid is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which is a set of security standards designed to ensure that merchants who accept credit card payments handle the data securely.
• Secure hosting: Ecwid stores and servers are hosted in secure data centers with multiple layers of security to protect against unauthorized access and data breaches.
• Fraud protection: Ecwid uses fraud detection tools to help identify and prevent fraudulent transactions on its platform.
• Regular security updates: Ecwid regularly updates its platform to address any security vulnerabilities and to keep its stores and their customers safe.

In addition to these measures, Ecwid also offers a number of resources and best practices to help merchants protect their stores and their customers’ data, including guidance on creating strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication.

Ecwid Payment Gateways and Fees

Ecwid supports a variety of payment gateways to allow merchants to accept payments from customers. The specific payment gateways that are available will depend on the merchant’s location and the currency they are using.

Some of the payment gateways that are supported by Ecwid include:

• PayPal: PayPal is a widely-used payment gateway that allows merchants to accept payments from credit cards and bank accounts.
• Stripe: Stripe is a payment gateway that allows merchants to accept credit card payments and also offers features such as recurring billing and fraud detection.
• Authorize.Net: Authorize.Net is a payment gateway that supports a variety of payment types, including credit cards, e-checks, and debit cards.
• 2Checkout: 2Checkout is a payment gateway that supports multiple currencies and languages and offers fraud protection and recurring billing.

In addition to the payment gateways supported by Ecwid, merchants can also use other gateways by using Ecwid’s API or by installing an app from the Ecwid App Market.

Ecwid charges transaction fees on paid plans, which range from 1.5% to 0.5% depending on the plan and payment gateway. The free plan includes a 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fee. These fees are in addition to any fees that may be charged by the payment gateway itself.