The Top 25 E-Commerce Features And The Platforms That Support Them (Updated for 2024)

Over the past few decades, e-commerce has transformed from a niche offering to a dominant force in the global economy. In the early days, online shopping was limited to a handful of websites with rudimentary features and slow adoption. As technology advanced, the rise of secure payment methods, mobile devices, and user-friendly platforms revolutionized how consumers interact with businesses.

Today, e-commerce is not just about selling products online—it’s about creating seamless, personalized shopping experiences across multiple channels. The evolution of social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and mobile-first designs has enabled businesses to connect with customers in ways that were unimaginable two decades ago. This rapid growth has turned e-commerce into a robust industry, reshaping how we shop, interact, and do business in the digital age.

E-commerce platforms provide many features designed to help businesses succeed online. Here’s a comprehensive list of the top 25 features every e-commerce platform should offer:

1. Abandoned Cart Recovery: Automatically sends reminders to customers who leave items in their cart, helping recover lost sales by encouraging them to complete the purchase.
2. Analytics and Reporting: This service offers detailed insights into sales, customer behavior, and product performance, empowering businesses to make data-driven decisions and improve operations.
3. App Integrations and Extensions: It supports adding third-party apps to extend functionality, making it easier for businesses to scale and customize their stores with new features like marketing tools or payment gateways.
4. Automated Tax Calculations: This feature automatically calculates taxes based on customer location and relevant tax laws, ensuring compliance and simplifying checkout.
5. Built-in Marketing Tools: Provides features like email marketing, discount codes, and social media integration to engage customers and drive conversions without additional software.
6. Custom Domain Name: By offering the ability to use a branded domain, businesses can boost credibility and improve SEO by using their URL instead of a subdomain.
7. Customizable Storefront: Allows businesses to design a unique and professional storefront that reflects their brand identity, helping differentiate them from competitors.
8. Customer Support Features: This package includes built-in customer service tools like live chat, help desks, or ticketing systems to streamline customer interactions and improve satisfaction.
9. Discount Codes and Promotions: Enables businesses to create limited-time offers, sales, or promotional codes to drive urgency and increase conversion rates.
10. Easy Product Management: This feature simplifies the management of large inventories, allowing for bulk uploads, SKU tracking, and product variants (size, color, etc.).
11. Fast Loading Speed: Ensures pages load quickly, improving user experience and reducing bounce rates. Faster websites often see higher conversion rates, especially on mobile devices.
12. Flexible Shipping Options: To meet customer expectations, we provide a range of shipping methods, including free shipping, real-time shipping rates, and international delivery.
13. Global Reach with Multilingual and Multi-Currency Support: It supports multiple languages and currencies, allowing businesses to sell globally easily and provide a seamless shopping experience to international customers.
14. Inventory Management: Helps track stock levels, manage variations, and automate reordering, ensuring smooth operations and preventing overstock or stockouts.
15. Mobile-Responsive Design: This ensures that the online store functions and looks good on all devices, including smartphones and tablets, which is critical given the growing mobile shopping trend.
16. Multi-Channel Selling: This allows businesses to sell on multiple platforms, such as social media, online marketplaces, and physical stores, expanding their reach and centralizing order management.
17. Point of Sales: This Integration combines online and offline sales channels with Point of Sale (POS) integration, enabling businesses to track sales and inventory across all locations in real-time.
18. Product Reviews and Ratings: Encourages customers to leave feedback, which boosts social proof, improves trust, and can positively influence purchasing decisions.
19. Return and Refund Management: This product streamlines the return and refund process, offering customers an easy way to manage returns and improving post-purchase experiences.
20. Scalability: Provides the ability to grow with the business, ensuring the platform can handle increased traffic, more products, and additional functionality without performance issues.
21. Search Engine Optimization: This includes SEO features like customizable metadata, alt text, and clean URL structures, which help businesses rank higher in search engines and drive organic traffic.
22. Secure Payment Gateways: These ensure that customer payment information is protected with secure, encrypted payment methods, reducing fraud and building trust with customers.
23. Security Features (SSL, Fraud Protection): Protects sensitive customer data and transactions through SSL certificates and advanced fraud detection tools, reducing the risk of breaches and enhancing customer confidence.
24. Subscription and Membership Capabilities: Allows businesses to offer subscription-based products or memberships, generating recurring revenue and encouraging customer loyalty.
25. User-Friendly Checkout Process: Streamlines the purchasing process with features like guest checkout, one-click purchasing, and auto-filled forms to reduce friction and cart abandonment.

These features give businesses the tools to scale, engage customers, and ensure a seamless shopping experience. Businesses can enhance operations, improve customer retention, and drive long-term growth by choosing a platform with these capabilities.

Top E-Commerce Platforms and Their Feature Support

E-commerce platforms have evolved to offer a broad set of features essential for modern businesses. Here’s an updated look at the top platforms and how they support these features, either natively or through integrations, and why they’re popular.

• Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento): Adobe Commerce provides essential features like SEO tools, inventory management, and global reach with native multi-language support. Advanced features, such as POS integration, subscription services, and marketing automation, typically require third-party extensions or custom development. Adobe Commerce is highly flexible and scalable, making it a preferred choice for medium to large enterprises with complex needs. Its open-source foundation allows businesses to build customized e-commerce solutions, which is ideal for companies looking to control every aspect of their store.
• BigCommerce: BigCommerce offers a comprehensive set of native features, including multi-channel selling, SEO tools, and scalability for high-traffic stores. Most essential features like abandoned cart recovery, analytics, and mobile-responsive design are available out-of-the-box, with some advanced needs met through integrations. BigCommerce is a favorite among larger businesses because it offers robust, scalable solutions without needing too many add-ons. Its enterprise-level functionality and ease of use make it an attractive all-in-one solution for fast-growing brands.
• Commerce Cloud: Commerce Cloud, part of Salesforce’s suite, offers a wide range of native features such as multi-channel selling, advanced personalization, AI-driven recommendations, and robust analytics. It also supports integration with Salesforce’s CRM and marketing automation tools. Some advanced e-commerce capabilities, such as POS integration or subscription management, can be enhanced through third-party apps available in Salesforce’s AppExchange. Commerce Cloud is popular for its scalability and deep integration with Salesforce’s broader ecosystem, making it a powerful tool for businesses seeking an omnichannel solution with a focus on customer relationship management. Its AI-driven features and enterprise-level functionality make it a top choice for large businesses looking to deliver personalized experiences and manage complex e-commerce operations.
• Ecwid: Ecwid provides core features like multi-channel selling, mobile-responsive design, and customizable storefronts natively. Some advanced features, such as POS integration or in-depth analytics, require integrations or premium plans. Ecwid is popular for its flexibility, allowing businesses to add e-commerce functionality to existing websites. It’s an excellent choice for those who want to expand their online presence without building a new site from scratch.
• OpenCart: OpenCart offers essential features like customizable storefronts, multi-language support, and inventory management natively. However, for advanced features such as POS integration or subscription services, businesses will often need to rely on third-party extensions or custom modules. OpenCart is favored by small to medium-sized businesses for its open-source flexibility and cost-effectiveness. It’s easy to customize and scale with numerous free and paid extensions, making it a great option for businesses that need tailored solutions.
• osCommerce: osCommerce provides basic e-commerce features, including customizable storefronts, inventory management, and multi-language support. Third-party add-ons are required for more advanced capabilities, such as marketing tools or POS integration. osCommerce is popular because it is open-source and has a strong community of developers contributing to its library of add-ons. Businesses that need a free, customizable platform often choose osCommerce for its flexibility and extensive plugin marketplace.
• PrestaShop: PrestaShop offers most essential features natively, such as multilingual and multi-currency support, product management, and SEO tools. More specialized features, like POS integration and advanced marketing tools, often require additional modules or integrations. PrestaShop is particularly popular in Europe due to its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and strong international selling capabilities. It’s open-source and offers a highly customizable experience for businesses looking to scale globally.
• Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart): Shift4Shop provides a robust suite of features natively, such as SEO tools, product reviews, and POS integration. For more advanced features like marketing automation or in-depth analytics, businesses may need additional apps or integrations. Shift4Shop is popular for its affordable pricing structure, offering many advanced features without monthly fees when using their payment processor. This makes it attractive for businesses looking for a cost-effective e-commerce platform with powerful tools.
• Shopify: Shopify offers nearly all essential features either natively or through its extensive app store. Customizable storefronts, multi-channel selling, and built-in marketing tools come standard, while advanced features like subscriptions or advanced analytics are available via integrations. Shopify’s popularity stems from its ease of use and scalability. Its robust app ecosystem and user-friendly interface make it an excellent choice for small and large enterprises.
• Squarespace: Squarespace provides the most essential features natively, including customizable storefronts, built-in marketing tools, and mobile-responsive design. More advanced features like POS integration or multi-channel selling require integrations or third-party apps. Squarespace is widely used for its elegant design templates and ease of use. It’s especially popular with creatives and small businesses prioritizing design and wanting a simple, intuitive platform to sell online.
• Volusion: Volusion provides a solid set of native features, including secure payment gateways, customizable storefronts, and mobile-friendly design. Advanced features like subscription services or in-depth marketing tools may require additional apps or integrations. Volusion is popular for small to mid-sized businesses due to its affordability and easy setup process. It offers a simple way to start selling online, focusing on usability and cost-effectiveness.
• WooCommerce: WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that offers most essential features through native functionality and third-party plugins. Features like product management, SEO tools, and customizable storefronts are native, while advanced features like POS integration often require extensions. WooCommerce is popular for its flexibility and the fact that it integrates seamlessly with WordPress. It’s highly customizable, making it perfect for businesses that want complete control over their e-commerce experience.
• Wix eCommerce: Wix eCommerce provides many core e-commerce features natively, such as customizable storefronts, SEO tools, and mobile-friendly design. More advanced features, like subscription services or abandoned cart recovery, are available through additional apps. Wix is popular for its drag-and-drop simplicity and affordability. It is ideal for small businesses or individuals who want a quick and easy way to build an online store without technical expertise.

These platforms are popular because they provide the tools businesses need to succeed online, with varying native support and integrations to match different business sizes and technical requirements. These platforms have become essential for businesses looking to thrive in the digital marketplace by offering flexibility, scalability, and ease of use.