What is Ecwid?
Ecwid, now part of Lightspeed, is a comprehensive ecommerce platform designed to help businesses of all sizes create, manage, and grow their online stores. It is particularly ideal for small and medium-sized businesses, offering a range of features and tools to streamline online sales processes.
Key Features and Functionality
Product Management and Inventory
Ecwid allows you to manage your products efficiently, whether you have a few items or a large catalog. You can add new products, create variants (such as color, size, and material), and track stock levels down to the product and product option level. Features include low-stock alerts, bulk editor and mass update tools, and the ability to enable pre-orders for out-of-stock items or upcoming products.
Sales Channels and Integration
Ecwid enables you to sell across multiple platforms, including your own website, Facebook Shop, Instagram Store, and other social media accounts. It also integrates with marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, especially in the Business and Unlimited plans.
Digital Goods and Subscriptions
Beyond physical products, Ecwid supports the sale of digital goods (up to 25GB per file), subscriptions, services, and gift cards. This flexibility allows businesses to diversify their product offerings and generate recurring revenue through subscriptions.
Payment and Tax Management
The platform offers integrated payment processing through Lightspeed Payments, supporting various payment methods including credit cards, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. It also features automated tax calculations based on your and your customers’ locations, ensuring compliance with tax laws in several regions.
SEO and Customization
Ecwid provides SEO-friendly tools, including structured data and SEO-friendly URLs. You can easily edit page titles, meta descriptions, and other key SEO elements to improve your store’s visibility in search results. The platform also offers customization options, with up to 12 hours of free customization in the Unlimited plan.
Mobile and Offline Integration
Ecwid has a mobile app available for both iOS and Android, allowing you to manage your store on the go. You can add products, create orders, and use a built-in barcode scanner directly from your phone. Additionally, Ecwid can integrate with your physical store, unifying your offline and online business operations.
International Sales
The platform supports international sales by allowing you to display your product catalog in multiple languages and integrate with regional payment providers and shipping methods. This ensures a localized experience for your international customers.
Customer Engagement and Analytics
Features like abandoned cart emails, product filters, and recommended products during checkout help boost sales and customer engagement. You can also create wholesale pricing groups and manually create orders, which are particularly useful in the Business and Unlimited plans.
Security and Support
Ecwid is certified Level 1 PCI compliant, ensuring that all credit card and transaction information is protected with the same level of security used by banks. The platform also offers 24/7 support to help you with any questions or issues.
Pricing Plans
Ecwid offers four pricing plans: Free, Venture, Business, and Unlimited. Each plan varies in the number of products you can sell, additional features, and pricing. Here is a brief overview:
- Free Plan: Limited to 10 products, with basic features.
- Venture Plan: $19/month, allows up to 100 products, includes digital goods, social media sales channels, and automated tax calculations.
- Business Plan: $39/month, supports up to 2,500 products, adds features like abandoned cart emails, wholesale pricing groups, and eBay integration.
- Unlimited Plan: $99/month, offers unlimited products, POS integration, and unlimited staff accounts.
In summary, Ecwid is a robust ecommerce platform that provides a wide range of tools and features to help businesses manage and grow their online presence efficiently.