The world of e-commerce is booming! It’s essential to stand out with a fantastic e-commerce website. Choosing the best e-commerce platform is vital, and chatbot support is a key feature in 2024. Let’s be honest, there are a TON of ways to build an online store – I watched a bunch of YouTube videos (I will share some of them at the end of this blogpost) and compared a lot of options for you! This list is for those of you running small to medium-sized businesses, especially if you’re just getting into online sales or mainly deal with physical goods. If you’re selling super-specific stuff or making millions a month, you’ll probably need something different.

Let’s explore the top e-commerce website builders and how they integrate chatbots. In this blog post, we’ll explore and compare the top ecommerce website builders with chatbot support in 2024: Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, WooCommerce, WordPress, and Ecwid. We will walk you through the most popular ecommerce website builders and also provide you with a table that has all the comparisons using our metrics.

Here is the overview for all the ecommerce website builders we recommend:

Best E-commerce Website Builders for 2024

Choose What’s Right for You

Shopify: Easy to Start

Shopify continues to be a leading ecommerce platform known for its user-friendly interface and extensive app ecosystem. With the integration of chatbot support, Shopify merchants can leverage AI-powered bots to engage with customers, provide product recommendations, and assist with inquiries. Shopify’s app store offers several chatbot solutions, allowing merchants to choose the one that best fits their needs. Additionally, Shopify’s robust analytics tools enable merchants to track chatbot performance and optimize their strategies accordingly.

Chatbot Options: You can bring SeaChat AI agent to your Shopify store. Shopify’s app store offers a wealth of chatbot choices like Shopify Inbox, Gobot, and Chatra.

Pros

• User-friendly setup for beginners.
• Complete e-commerce solution (hosting, domain, payment, etc.).
• Wide popularity means strong support resources.
• Vast selection of themes and apps to customize your online store.

Cons:

• App costs can add up quickly.
• Transaction fees might become significant for high-volume businesses.

Squarespace: Where Design Meets E-commerce

Squarespace is renowned for its sleek and modern website designs, making it an attractive option for ecommerce businesses focused on aesthetics. While Squarespace doesn’t offer built-in chatbot support, third-party integrations can be utilized to add this functionality. By integrating chatbots from platforms like Chatfuel or Botsify, Squarespace users can enhance customer engagement and streamline the shopping experience. However, the lack of native chatbot support may require additional setup and configuration.

Chatbot Options: You can bring SeaChat AI agent to your Squarespace store. Squarespace integrates seamlessly with external chatbot leaders like Tidio and ChatBot.

Pros

• Renowned for beautiful design and aesthetics.
• Effortless creation of stunning e-commerce websites.
• Connects with popular marketing and analytics tools.

Cons

• E-commerce features might lag behind dedicated platforms.
• Chatbot setup involves working outside of Squarespace.
• Pricing can become an issue for scaling stores.

Wix: User-Friendly and Versatile

Wix empowers users to create stunning websites with its drag-and-drop interface and customizable templates. Similar to Squarespace, Wix doesn’t offer native chatbot support but provides integrations with popular chatbot platforms like ManyChat and Botsify. By incorporating chatbots into their Wix stores, merchants can automate customer interactions, answer FAQs, and drive sales. Wix’s extensive marketplace of apps offers flexibility for users to choose the chatbot solution that aligns with their business objectives.

Chatbot Options: You can bring SeaChat AI agent to your Squarespace store. Wix has its own Wix Chat plus integration options with external chatbot solutions.

Pros:

• Intuitive website builder, visually appealing.
• Great for both websites and online stores.
• Many Wix features to explore.

Cons

• Less e-commerce focused than Shopify or WooCommerce.
• Some chatbots lack advanced features found in specialized platforms.
• Complex store designs can be limiting in the Wix environment.

WooCommerce (WordPress): Empower your Wordpress Website

As a plugin for WordPress, WooCommerce is highly versatile and customizable, making it a preferred choice for many ecommerce businesses. While WooCommerce itself doesn’t offer built-in chatbot support, WordPress users can easily integrate chatbot plugins such as WP-Chatbot or ChatGPT. These plugins enable merchants to deploy chatbots on their WooCommerce stores, providing real-time assistance to customers and improving conversion rates. With WordPress’s robust CMS capabilities, merchants can tailor their chatbot experiences to suit their brand identity and customer preferences.

Chatbot Options: You can bring SeaChat AI agent to your WooCommerce store. WordPress’s huge plugin library ensures tons of chatbot solutions, with many tailored for WooCommerce such as Chatra and Tidio.

Pros

• Extremely flexible e-commerce platform
• Ideal for existing WordPress users.
• Free for basic setup, paid plugins expand features.
• Massive community and support available.

Cons

• Complex to set up for beginners.
• Requires WordPress hosting, adding to cost and complexity.
• Plugin compatibility can sometimes be an issue.

WordPress (Standalone): The Power of Customization

WordPress powers a significant portion of the internet, and its flexibility extends to ecommerce through plugins like WooCommerce. While WordPress itself doesn’t offer native chatbot support, numerous chatbot plugins are available in the WordPress repository and third-party marketplaces. These plugins can be seamlessly integrated into WordPress websites, allowing merchants to engage visitors, capture leads, and drive sales through automated conversations. With WordPress’s extensive plugin ecosystem, merchants have access to a wide range of chatbot solutions to enhance their online stores.

Chatbot Options: You can bring SeaChat AI agent to your Wordpress site. Similar to WooCommerce, a huge selection of chatbot plugins is available, like such as Chatra and Tidio.

Pros

• Large community and open-source resources.
• Wordpress has been around for a long time so you can get abundant learning resources.

Cons

• Requires WordPress technical know-how
• Selecting and configuring plugins can be complex.
• Self-management of security and maintenance.

Ecwid: Budget-Friendly E-commerce

Ecwid is a popular ecommerce platform known for its simplicity and ease of use. While Ecwid doesn’t natively support chatbots, it offers integrations with various third-party chatbot providers like Tidio and Chatra. By incorporating chatbots into their Ecwid stores, merchants can offer personalized assistance to customers, recommend products, and address inquiries in real time. Ecwid’s seamless integration with chatbot platforms ensures a smooth implementation process, allowing merchants to focus on growing their businesses.

Chatbot Options: You can bring SeaChat AI agent to your Ecwid store. Ecwid also offers a native chatbot builder along with integrations with external services like Tidio.

Pros

• Free plan for starting an online store.
• Easy to set up and use, beginner-friendly.
• Integrates with a variety of platforms and marketplaces.

Cons

• Less powerful than some other e-commerce platforms.
• Native chatbot features might be limited compared to specialized providers.
• Transaction fees can add up for high-volume businesses

Choosing the Best E-commerce Website Builder for You

Best E-commerce Website Builders for 2024

Consider these factors when deciding on the best e-commerce platform:

• Chatbot Features: Do you need simple FAQ handling or complex lead generation? Do you want to use the same chat agent for multiple channels? It might be easy to get started but good planning can save you a lot of operation headaches later on. We are happy to help if you want to talk about chatbot planning for your web store.
• Budget: Factor in app costs and transaction fees. Scaling is a big factor. A lot of ecommerce builders are cheap or even free to start, but the transaction fees and package upgrades could increase your costs significantly over time. Do thorough research before getting started to avoid surprises.
• Ease of Use: If you are building the store by yourself, you need to be comfortable with the tools. Everyone’s comfort level and preference for technical tools are different, so be sure to test the tool before locking into a solution.

YouTube Videos that Can Help You Get Started

• BEST Website Builder 2024 (My TOP Recommendation) by Metics Media
• Best Website Builder in 2024 (My Top 5 Recommendations) by Stewart Gauld
• The ONLY 4 Ecommerce Platforms You Should Be Considering for Your Online Store! by MyWifeQuitHerJob Ecommerce Channel
• Best Website Builders for 2024 — My Top Recommendations! by Site Builder Report
• Top 7 Website Builders 2024 by Santrel Media

You can do much more with SeaChat

No matter what you end up choosing for your online business, SeaChat integrates well with the majority of ecommerce website builders. Build and launch AI chat agent in 10 minutes. Multilingual support. Live agent transfer. Integrate with webchat, SMS, Line, CRM, Shopify, calendars, Twilio, ZenDesk, and phone calls. Email us for more details at seachat@seasalt.ai or book a demo.