Fortunately, all of the aesthetic aspects can be taken care of in one simple way: choosing the right template.
When you choose an Ecommerce template offered by any number of top website building platforms, such as BigCommerce, Shopify, Zyro, or Wix, you’ll get a pre-designed website that you can customize to suit your particular niche.
There are two main kinds of templates for Ecommerce stores:
- Stylistic themes, like Shopify’s Empire or BigCommerce’s Scales Minimal
- Product or service-specific themes, like Wix’s Success Coach
The kind of template you choose will depend on your own personal taste and your selling goals. Do you have a big product catalog or small? Do you prefer an Amazon-esque look or something more avant-garde? Different templates can help you actualize different aesthetic goals.
Keep It Simple
Unless you’re selling art, it’s important for an Ecommerce website not to be too artsy; rather, it should be straight-to-the point, easy to browse/search directly for the item you’re looking for, and easy to make a purchase. Of course, it should also be nice to look at.
Where to Shop for Ecommerce Templates?
There are many website builders out there, but all you need is one single template that you can claim for your own. If you’re planning on launching a large-scale Ecommerce store, you may prefer a website builder that focuses solely on online stores, like BigCommerce or Shopify. If you have a smaller-scale operation, a website like Wix, which offers both traditional websites and Ecommerce options, may be better suited for you.
Below are some highlights from the industry’s leading brands.
Wix
Wix offers templates for both traditional websites and Ecommerce stores. If you’re working with Wix, make sure to choose a template that’s marked as “Ecommerce,” since those come with specific features that are ideal for online stores. There are hundreds of templates to choose from, and you may find that some of them match your niche exactly (for example, Plant Boutique or Dog Apparel Shop).
Wix is significantly less expensive than other website builders, with an Ecommerce plan that costs $16.50 per month, and a VIP package that costs $24.50 per month.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is designed for anyone to use, so you don’t need to be a graphic designer to get the most out of it. Its Ecommerce templates include responsive themes, flexible product management, and optimized online checkout—the trifecta for the ultimate online store.
BigCommerce has 4 payment plans, and while they don’t necessarily affect the template you choose, they do affect the features and marketing tools your site will have. BigCommerce’s Plus plan is the company’s most popular, at $79.95/month.
Shopify
Like BigCommerce, Shopify is a website builder designed specifically for Ecommerce stores; as such, it comes with all the amenities necessary for sales, shipping, and data tracking. As for templates, there are over 100 to choose from, and it seems like each one is sleeker than the next. Whatever template you choose, it’s fully customizable. You can browse through plenty of stylistic themes and also find choices for more concrete items like furniture and electronics.
Shopify offers 3 pricing plans, from basic to advanced; its most popular plan falls somewhere in the middle. It costs $79 per month, and you pay a 1% transaction fee for every sale.
Benefits of Using Templates From Top Website Builders
In addition to offering high-quality, beautiful templates, the top website builders also offer specific tools for operating and optimizing Ecommerce stores. While the names of the features may vary from platform to platform, the general gist is the same.
These features include:
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Various sales channels, like Amazon and eBay
- Social media links
- Easy, secure checkout
- Payment processing
- Shipping labels
- Reporting tools/analytics
If you have specific features in mind, it’s best to check out each individual website builder and make sure it offers what you want. Then, you can go on to browse through templates until you find one that works for you.
A Template Trick
You may spend endless hours looking through templates on various website builders, and instead of coming closer to a decision, you just feel overwhelmed and confused. If this describes your situation, here’s a little trick that may ease the decision-making process.
Find an Ecommerce website that already exists and that you love. You can do this by using Google to perform local company or product searches. Once you find a website you love, you can use online tools to find out which platform it’s on. Once you know the platform it was built on, you can go there and find the same template to use for yourself.
You’ve Chosen Your Template, What Next?
Once you’ve chosen your template, it’s time to customize it. This includes creating your own domain name, adding your product catalog, linking to your social media pages, and more. In short, this is the really fun part!
Of course, it’s also the most labor-intensive part, and the part that never ends.
Because most Ecommerce stores are regularly getting new products, offering sales and coupons, posting blogs, etc., your website will need constant monitoring and updating. But while the content will need to be updated—in some cases on a daily basis— the template will stay the same. And that is the kind of stability you can count on and enjoy once your Ecommerce store is up and running.
