E-Commerce Solutions refer to the products and services that help a business conduct trade online. As the world becomes more digitized, an online presence is crucial to a business’s success. Where it used to be simply a point of transaction, customers demand more from their online shopping experience than simply checking out an item. Businesses now use the world wide web for marketing campaigns, hosting detailed storefronts, offering 24/7 customer service, and much more. A company’s digital portrayal can make or break it. As the needs become more complex, the demand for more comprehensive solutions increases.

Types of E-Commerce Solutions

There are three main types of e-commerce solutions: SaaS (software-as-a-service) platforms, PaaS (platform-as-a-service) platforms, and on-premises platforms.

SaaS Platforms On-Premise Platform 

These cloud-based applications. They are a service and usually require a pay-as-you-go subscription. Maintained completely by the service provider.

• Google Workspace
• Dropbox
• Zoom

They enable you to build new products on the PaaS platform. The business would choose a PaaS platform.

• Google Compute Engine
• Microsoft Azure
• Digital Ocean

On-Premise Platform

The buyer has complete control over their data and IT infrastructure maintenance.

• Microsoft Office package
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Oracle

Online Shopping Cart System 

Online shopping cart systems are the very foundation of an online store. Soft shopping cart, or more descriptively, online shopping cart software facilitates online purchases. It allows buyers to select items and carry them over for eventual purchase. Any website that enables transactions uses shopping cart software. However, ‘shopping cart’ has now come to encompass any software that allows online businesses to display items, manage their store, and sell products.

The three main types of shopping carts are:

• Open-source shopping cart software
• Licensed shopping cart software
• Hosted eCommerce platforms

Open-Source Shopping Cart Software 

This type has an open license and allows any developer to access and edit the source. It is customizable and is usually free. The business is responsible for the setup and maintenance after installing it onto the server. The business must have its own server to host its website.

Licensed Shopping Cart Software

This is much simpler than the previous platform. The development is completely done by the company that offers it. Some software allows customization through add-ons and plugins. This software is available for purchase and has customer support service attached. This software also needs the business to have its own server.

Hosted E-Commerce Platform

These platforms are offered as a cloud-based service. They host your websites and negate the need for a personal web server. They are managed by the company that provides the service and also offers customer support service. The platforms are constantly updated by the developers and offer web-based options by which you can manage your business.