10 Best International Ecommerce Platforms Shortlist
One significant advantage of operating an online store is that it's not limited by geographical location, allowing you to see products wherever you want. This makes international ecommerce platforms so worthwhile. But going worldwide requires reliability, efficiency, and a specific feature set from the software you plan to use to achieve your international goals. If the thought of finding the right platform that will help you offer your products around the world, I put this article of the top international ecommerce platforms together, including their top features, so you can understand exactly what you need to get started.
What Are International Ecommerce Platforms
International ecommerce platforms are digital frameworks or software services designed to facilitate online buying and selling activities across global markets. These platforms offer a range of tools and features that enable businesses to create and manage their online stores, process payments in multiple currencies, handle international shipping and logistics, address language and cultural preferences, and adapt to various regulatory and tax requirements of different countries. By providing a centralized infrastructure, these platforms empower businesses to expand their reach beyond domestic borders and engage in cross-border trade with customers around the world.
Overviews Of The 10 Best International Ecommerce Platforms
Here are my evaluations of the top international ecommerce platforms available, including the critical elements that make them worth consideration.
Adobe Commerce
Best for scaling
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) allows ecommerce businesses to scale their company across the globe.
Why I picked Adobe Commerce: Once known as Magento, Adobe Commerce is an international ecommerce platform that offers a range of tools and capabilities that can help you create and manage orders worldwide. Adobe Commerce provides a range of payment gateways, shipping options, and analytics tools to help you scale your online presence. The platform allows you to use a multi-site structure, which means you can slowly add new countries for each new store you create and use free language packs.
Adobe Commerce Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include search engine optimization (SEO) tools that give users control of URLs, site map generation, and more to improve SEO. Adobe Commerce Cloud also enables businesses to develop ecommerce sites that are intuitive and mobile-friendly.
Integrations include connections with third-party tools such as Adobe Analytics, Inxmail, KatanaPIM, Kleene, MyCommerce, Phrase, Pimberly, ShipMonk, SocialBigCRM, Supplysail, and other software options. You can also use the platform’s API or a paid Zapier account to create custom integrations with your current business systems.
Pros
- Sophisticated analytics and reporting solutions
- Scalable and flexible platform
- Many built-in ecommerce tools
Cons
- Can require specialized knowledge
- Slight learning curve
Squarespace
Best for ecommerce templates
Squarespace helps international ecommerce brands build captivating, modern website through its award-winning ecommerce templates.
Why I picked Squarespace: The platform allows you to quickly create an international online store with everything you need with its selection of ecommerce templates. Squarespace is best known for empowering businesses to create professional websites that match their brand using a simple page builder with their templates. Also, with Squarespace’s SEO and marketing tools, you can promote your new website to your international audience.
Squarespace Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include tools to help you accept payments from anywhere worldwide without adding any location restrictions. Squarespace also offers analytical tools to help you better understand store visitors and gain insight into their behavior.
Integrations include a collection of third-party connections, such as ChargeKeep, Google Analytics, Leadformly, Mailchimp, PamBill, RebelMouse, Store Locator Plus, TeliportMe, Unsplash, Website Speedy, and other software options. You can also create custom connections through Squarespace’s API or a paid Zapier account.
Pros
- Affordable plans
- Excellent inventory management capabilities
- Award-winning pre-built templates
Cons
- Undoing changes is challenging
- Slight learning curve
Weebly
Best for value
Weebly offers online brands the best value available on the market compared to other international ecommerce platforms.
Why I picked Weebly: I added Weebly to this list because it offers incredible value through its free forever plan that empowers users to add an unlimited number of products to their site. This allows you to get the time you need to build an online store without any upfront investment. The platform also uses a “what you see is what you get” website builder that ensures you develop your website exactly as you want to see it online.
Weebly Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include SEO tools to help you rank your site on Google when implementing digital marketing strategies. Weebly also offers intelligent shipping tools that simplify the process of sending products worldwide.
Integrations include connections with over 370 popular business tools, such as AWeber, Easyship, Jotform, Live Chat, LiveAgent, Printful, Privy, ShipRobot, ShipStation, Tidio Chat, and other software options. You can also use Weebly’s API or a paid Zapier account to create custom integrations.
Pros
- Helpful SEO guides
- Significant number of integrations
- Free plan with standard ecommerce functions
Cons
- Outdated site templates
- Poor mobile website formatting
Volusion
Best search engine optimization
Volusion offers comprehensive SEO capabilities to help international brands appear high in search rankings.
Why I picked Volusion: Everyone with a business website needs to use SEO tools and tactics to ensure their site shows up at the top of the competition’s search results. So, I added Volusion to this article because it uses built-in SEO features to help perform well on different search engines worldwide. One of these features is fast load times, which allow you to eliminate frustrations when visitors browse your store and increase brand trust online.
Volusion Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include expertly designed website themes to help you create online stores with excellent shopping experiences for your customers. Volusion also provides a robust inventory tracker that enables your team to monitor your store’s inventory status and establish low-stock alerts.
Integrations include native connections with over 80 applications to help you better manage your ecommerce business, such as Authorize.net, Avalara, Cartmojo, Constant Contact, Google Analytics, Klaviyo, QuickBooks, ShipStation, Shipwire, SkuVault, and other software options. Volusion also allows users to create custom integrations through its API or with a paid Zapier account.
Pros
- Excellent customer support
- No coding experience necessary
- Simple set up
Cons
- Reporting needs improvement
- Limited customization options
Shopify Plus
Best for ease of use
Shopify Plus is a popular ecommerce builder platform that offers significant ease of use and can still handle an extensive number of international sales.
Why I picked Shopify Plus: The platform is a comprehensive ecommerce website builder, enabling businesses to create online stores within minutes. Shopify Plus’s ease of use makes it an excellent option for first-time international ecommerce organizations. Those using the solution will also have access to the Shopify Learn feature, which provides a library of free learning resources from proven experts to help users successfully operate their businesses.
Shopify Plus Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include the ability to create highly tailored shopping experiences with local languages and currencies within each market you’re targeting. Shopify Plus also allows you to develop international, localized domains that optimize for search results to drive more traffic to your store.
Integrations include connections to help you extend the performance of your online store, such as Attentive, Gorgias, Jasper PIM, Klaviyo, Omnisend, QuickBooks Commerce, ShipBob, ShipHero, Smartlook, TrueCommerce, and other software options. Shopify Plus also empowers users to create custom integrations with its API or a paid Zapier account.
Pros
- Customizable checkouts
- Simple third-party integrations
- Effortless inventory management
Cons
- Customer support needs work
- Not suitable for small businesses
Square Online Store
Best for small businesses
Square Online Store is an ecommerce builder that allows small businesses to create an online store.
Why I picked Square Online Store: The platform is an excellent option for small businesses that want to sell their products internationally. Square Online Store helps small ecommerce stores manage orders, conduct inventory management and process payments. It’s also an option for ecommerce stores with physical locations, thanks to its card reader and POS solutions.
Square Online Store Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include online checkout tools that will handle payments across your entire business through a simple link. With sophisticated machine learning that identifies and blocks payment fraud, Square Online Store also helps users manage risks and prevent losses.
Integrations include connections with solutions and third-party applications, such as Bookkeep, Gigasheet, Linktree, Next-Cart, QuickBooks Online, Shippo, Shopventory, Thrive Inventory, Wix, WooCommerce, and other software options. The platform also offers an API that allows users to create custom integrations, or you can use a paid Zapier account.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- All plans have unlimited storage
- Helpful drag-and-drop tool
Cons
- Limited customizations
- No mobile site viewer
Spryker Commerce
Best for expanding worldwide
Spryker Commerce is a robust ecommerce platform that helps enterprise-sized brands expand their business in several ways.
Why I picked Spryker Commerce: If you’re currently operating a large ecommerce business, you can use Spryker Commerce to continue your expansion throughout the world. Spryker Commerce uses multiple ways to help your business grow worldwide with its opportunities, strategies, and technological solutions. With Spryker Commerce, you can use marketplaces, multi-store, and direct-to-consumer (D2C) methods to scale your business across multiple borders.
Spryker Commerce Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include solutions to help accelerate customer transactions, such as comprehensive product management capabilities to improve efficiency. Spryker Commerce also offers multi-store and multi-currency tools and the ability to help your team manage international tax rates.
Integrations include an extensive number of connection options to help make your store successful, such as Actindo, Akeneo, Algolia, Avalara, Crownpeak, Easypost, Fluent Commerce, Minubo, Sendinblue, Tealium, and other software options. You can also use the platform’s API to create custom integrations with your current systems.
Pros
- Supports scaling businesses
- Excellent online documentation
- Modular, flexible setup
Cons
- Upgrading to newer versions is difficult
- Onboarding developers is complex
WooCommerce
Best for customizations
WooCommerce is an open-source international ecommerce platform that enables brands to build customizable, versatile online stores in WordPress.
Why I picked WooCommerce: Instead of a standalone ecommerce website builder, WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin businesses can use to turn their site into fully functional online stores. WooCommerce is open-source, meaning you can customize anything you want across your site from scratch. Also, the extensive number of integrations will help you add the specific functionality you need to target international customers, such as multi-currency and multi-website tools that change payment and other vital regional information depending on your customers’ locations.
WooCommerce Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include comprehensive, built-in analytics that provides essential details about orders, customers, inventory, and much more. WooCommerce also offers a significant number of mobile-friendly website templates to ensure your site works no matter the device your customers are using.
Integrations include native connections with an enormous number of solutions and systems to help grow your business, such as Google Analytics, Klaviyo, Live Chat, Mailchimp, Sezzle, Shippo, Stripe, TaxJar, Xero, Zendesk, and other software options. As you may expect, you can use WooCommerce’s API or a paid Zapier account to create custom connections with your current systems.
Pros
- Significant number of integrations
- Highly customizable
- Excellent for SEO
Cons
- WordPress has a steep learning curve
- Customer support needs work
Netsuite Commerce Suite
Best for unified ecommerce management
Netsuite Commerce Suite helps international ecommerce businesses simplify online sales processes to ensure customers have a seamless experience.
Why I picked Netsuite Commerce Suite: I added Netsuite Commerce Suite because it helps improve and simplify your online sales processes when selling globally, resulting in a simple shopping experience for your customers. NetSuite Commerce Suite can help your business quickly create personalized and consistent experiences that differentiate your brand. You can also use the platform to connect with your customers to enhance their experience throughout every stage of your multi-location business.
Netsuite Commerce Suite Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include a single platform that enables users to operate both B2C and B2B ecommerce and support the unique requirements of each. Netsuite Commerce also offers order management capabilities that allow you to manage orders from multiple channels, such as in-store, online, mobile, and through a call center.
Integrations include a small number of connections with third-party applications, such as Affirm, Lightyear, Netsuite CRM, Neuron ESB, Pacejet, and ZoneBilling.
Pros
- Global business support
- Responsive website designs
- Integrated inventory management
Cons
- Customizations are complex
- Limited number of integrations
BigCommerce
Best for large international brands
BigCommerce is an ecommerce builder platform suitable for enterprise-level, international brands offering an extensive product inventory.
Why I picked BigCommerce: I decided to add BigCommerce to this article for those operating a large ecommerce business with an enormous inventory of products. Regardless of how many variants, SKUs, sales channels, or warehouses you have, BigCommerce can keep inventory management simple - and your customers won’t have any difficulties finding what they want on the front end of your store. If you sell products with a wide range of finishes, colors, sizes, and so on, BigCommerce can help because you can have up to 600 variants tied to a single SKU.
BigCommerce Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include channel management tools that help you easily track customers and revenue and adjust the channel settings you’re using, such as social media or various online marketplaces like Amazon. BigCommerce also offers multi-site management, enabling international ecommerce brands to handle different options for stores in different regions and accept payments in over 100 currencies.
Integrations include native connections with over 1,300 third-party applications and tools, such as ActiveCampaign, Brightpearl, Gorgias, Hubspot, Klaviyo, LiveChat, Mailchimp, QuickBooks Online, ShipStation, Zendesk, and other software options. If you need custom integrations with your toolset, you can take advantage of BigCommerce’s API or use a paid Zapier account.
Pros
- Excellent customer support
- Customizable themes and templates
- Extensive number of integrations
Cons
- Interface needs work
- SEO can be more robust
Best International Ecommerce Platform Summary
| Tool | Trial Info | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adobe Commerce Best for scaling | Free demo | Pricing available upon request. | Website |
| 2 | Squarespace Best for ecommerce templates | 14-day free trial | From $16/month. | Website |
| 3 | Weebly Best for value | Free plan available | From $10/month. | Website |
| 4 | Volusion Best search engine optimization | 14-day free trial | From $31.50/month. | Website |
| 5 | Shopify Plus Best for ease of use | Free demo available. | From $2,000/month | Website |
| 6 | Square Online Store Best for small businesses | Free plan available. | From $35/month. | Website |
| 7 | Spryker Commerce Best for expanding worldwide | Free demo available. | Pricing available upon request. | Website |
| 8 | WooCommerce Best for customizations | Free to download | Free to use. | Website |
| 9 | Netsuite Commerce Suite Best for unified ecommerce management | Free demo available. | Pricing available upon request. | Website |
| 10 | BigCommerce Best for large international brands | 15-day free trial | From $29/month and 2.59% + $0.49/transaction | Website |
Other Options
There are many options that are worth significant consideration other than the solutions I researched above. So, I added another brief list of options to ensure you have enough choices to determine the best possible international ecommerce platform for your needs.
- Wix eCommerce
Best for beginners
- Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Best for Salesforce users
- Ecwid by Lightspeed
Best for adding ecommerce functionality to any website.
- PrestaShop
Best for complete ecommerce control.
- X-Cart
Best for data-driven growth.
- nopCommerce
Best free international ecommerce platform.
- OpenCart
Best for multi-store management.
- Shift4Shop
Best turnkey ecommerce solution.
- Miva
Best all-in-one solution.
- Ultra Commerce
Best for creating online experiences.
Selection Criteria For International Ecommerce Platforms
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best international ecommerce platforms for this article:
Core Functionality
During your search, you’ll find that the international ecommerce platform you evaluate will have its own set of features compared to other options on the market, but each will have specific foundational functionality that makes it a global ecommerce solution. No matter what features, capabilities, or solutions the software offers, each platform will provide the following core functionality to your business.
- Multi-currency support; enables businesses to conduct transactions in various currencies, allowing customers from different countries to browse and make purchases using their local currency.
- Global shipping and logistics; provide tools to manage international shipping and logistics efficiently. They help businesses calculate shipping costs for different regions, offer various shipping options, and handle customs and import/export regulations to ensure smooth delivery of products to customers worldwide.
Key Features
There are countless features offered by international ecommerce platforms, which can be overwhelming for those getting started in their ecommerce journey. To help, I added solutions that provide the following features.
- Payment Processing: International ecommerce platforms allow customers to choose their preferred payment method, such as credit card or digital wallet.
- Security: There are some factors to consider regarding ecommerce security, and international ecommerce platforms support many of them, including firewalls, SSL certificates, and more.
- Customization Options: Highly customizable international ecommerce platforms enable businesses to develop unique online stores that reflect their brand and meet specific customer needs.
- International Shipping: To operate a genuinely international ecommerce store, comprehensive platforms will support worldwide shopping to help improve your customer's experiences with your brand.
- Analytics: This feature makes it easy for you to monitor your online store’s metrics that are essential to your business, such as churn rate, customer lifetime value, sales conversions, and average order value.
- Customer Support: Even the easiest international ecommerce platform will require some kind of support from the vendor, so I added many options that provide accessible and fast support through different options, such as live chat, email, phone, or self-help tools.
Usability
Not everybody is a developer, so I made sure to choose beginner-friendly platforms based on current user reviews. If your team doesn’t have strong technical skills, I added many options that are straightforward to use and require very little training to get up and running. As we know, managing an online store can be challenging, so I also added solutions that make operation processes seamless and intuitive.
Software Integrations
Integrating your international ecommerce platform with other third-party applications or business systems is essential. Without integrating with tools, your business will be siloed and unable to use the benefits of connecting to other systems, such as connecting with multiple systems and sharing data, automating tasks and processes, and connecting to new markets and customers. For example, any ecommerce platform will need to connect to an inventory management software and order management system in order to sell your goods; a product information management software (PIM) in order to run your catalog; and payment process tools, like shopping cart solutions and ecommerce accounting software.
International Focus
Those operating an international ecommerce business will need options that can handle the unique aspects of selling worldwide. For example, I look for global ecommerce platforms that support multiple currencies within their payment processing capabilities, support worldwide shipping tax calculations, and automate translation processes to eliminate language barriers. Lastly, I consider international ecommerce platforms that support security measures such as adherence to privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
People Also Ask
When searching for new international ecommerce platforms to implement in your organization, you might have some questions that need answering first to help you make the best decision for your business. To help, I answered other individuals’ most commonly asked questions when searching for these tools.
How much does international ecommerce platforms cost?
Which 3 countries spend the most on ecommerce?
What are the benefits of international ecommerce platforms?
Other Ecommerce Platforms Reviews
I believe these additional review lists will complement your research here, particularly if you're looking for something super specific for your store. You can start with the overall best ecommerce platforms, which contain a little bit of everything ranked in an ultimate list.
Ecommerce Platforms by Business Type
- SaaS Ecommerce Platforms
- B2B Ecommerce Platforms
- Ecommerce Marketplace Platforms
- Subscription Ecommerce Platforms
- Ecommerce Platforms For Small Businesses
Ecommerce Platforms by Need
- Headless Ecommerce Platforms
- Easiest Ecommerce Platforms
- Omnichannel Commerce Platforms
- Enterprise Ecommerce Platforms
- Free Ecommerce Platforms
- Open Source Ecommerce Platforms
- Social Commerce Platforms
- Cheap Ecommerce Platforms
- Hosted Ecommerce Platforms
Conclusion
Choosing the right international ecommerce platform for your business can be challenging and time-consuming. There are many features and fine print to consider along with your company’s unique needs. The solutions I listed above offer multiple capabilities and services to help your organization manage operations, such as customizable templates, inventory management, product variants, and integrations with popular shipping carriers. When selecting the best international ecommerce platform, considering your particular needs and goals and researching and comparing several options to find the best fit for you is essential.
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