Ecwid

Ecwid (short for ‘e-commerce widgets’) is a free featured shopping cart packed with features. It’s very intuitive and easy to set up – all you need to do is insert a couple of lines of code onto the profile page of your website. Ecwid has more than 250,000 online merchants, operates in 174 countries and 43 languages. This is quite impressive considering they have only been operating since 2009.

Ecwid has also rethought the role of social media for eCommerce, particularly in selling things on Facebook. They particularly work well with small businesses, because social media allows for a more intimate connection between buyer and seller.

Stripped down – Ecwid is best for small companies, or those not selling many products. It should be noted that while Ecwid offers a completely free plan, it only entitles you to sell ten different products. If you want to sell more, you’ll have to upgrade to one of the priced plans.

Quick – Ecwid’s software is very easy to install and operates very quickly. It uses newer technology than most of its competitors to ensure that transactions are processed faster, irrespective of the hosting plan you use.

A work in progress. – Ecwid’s software is constantly updated. This is not a hassle, though. The updates occur seamlessly behind the scenes, meaning you don’t have to lift a finger to get newer, better software at your disposal.

Ecwid installation guide