Marketing is essential for any online business, and building a storefront is only the beginning. Modern e-commerce platforms are expected to support discovery, conversion, and performance tracking across multiple channels from day one.

For e-commerce marketers, that means looking beyond templates and product catalogs to evaluate how well a platform supports marketing automation, integrations, analytics, and scalable growth. This roundup of e-commerce platforms focuses on tools designed to help you launch, promote, and optimize your online store. Below, I’ll break down the six best e-commerce platforms for marketers to help you find the right fit for your business.

What is an ecommerce marketing platform?

E-commerce software is designed to help you build a website and sell products or services. But in 2026, many of these tools have marketing solutions built in, giving you an all-in-one solution that boosts your capabilities. The right e-commerce marketing solution will help you attract, engage, and convert the right customers for the products or services you’re offering. The below tools focus on helping you create and run targeted campaigns, personalize user experiences, and track your results to better inform your efforts moving forward.

Best E-commerce Marketing Tools in 2026

With so many tech tools available, it’s never been easier to start an e-commerce business. But the landscape is now so competitive, successfully growing an e-commerce shop is far more challenging than you’ll likely expect. The right platforms will automate some of the tougher tasks, freeing you up to focus on growing your business.

1. Realize

SMBs face more challenges than ever with paid advertising, especially within the walled gardens of search and social. Realize aims to tackle those challenges, offering AI-driven predictive targeting and support for a wide variety of ad formats on the open web, including vertical and carousel. The platform is designed to help brands scale their ads intelligently, with helpful tools like the Social Importer, which allows you to quickly and easily repurpose existing assets across high-impact, performance-focused placements.

Goal: Performance marketing and lead generation.

Suited for: SMBs seeking to scale their customer acquisition beyond search and social.

Features: 

• Support for diverse, high-visibility ad formats.
• Predictive audience targeting based on 17+ years of first-party data.
• Social Importer tool for easy asset repurposing.
• Fast, simple landing page building.
• User-friendly campaign management.
• Built-in AI assistant.

Pricing comparison: Higher-priced than many competitors, but with a higher ROI potential.

Pros:

• Supports carousel and vertical ad formats.

• Broad campaign visibility.
• Powerful audience targeting.
• Focuses exclusively on the performance funnel.

Cons:

• Not designed for top-of-funnel campaigns.

2. Shopify

For ease of use, it’s tough to beat Shopify, which features a user-friendly interface and a wide range of integration options. In 2026, Shopify has evolved beyond a simple store-builder into a full-fledged commerce operating system, making it a strong choice for brands that want to scale marketing, sales, and operations from a single platform. If you want a site that will grow with you, Shopify’s a great choice.

Goal: Easy setup and management of online shops with built-in support for multichannel marketing and growth.

Suited for: Businesses of any size that are interested in a platform that makes it easy to set up and manage an e-commerce shop while supporting long-term marketing and sales expansion.

Features:

• Drag-and-drop store setup.
• Built-in SEO optimization tools.
• Advanced shopping cart features.
• Inventory management.
• Built-in shipping solutions.
• Marketing tools.
• Unified commerce features that connect online, in-person, and wholesale sales.

Pricing Comparison: While Shopify isn’t the most affordable solution on the market, it’s far from the most expensive. In 2026, costs can increase as businesses rely on apps, advanced features, and third-party tools. Still, the midrange pricing makes it a good fit for midsized businesses or small businesses that plan to grow quickly.

Pros:

• Easy to use.
• Scalable.
• Wide range of integrations.

Cons:

• Transaction fees for third-party providers.
• Limited customizations in lower tiers.
• No email hosting.

3. BigCommerce

Limiting your sales to one channel can cost you, so BigCommerce can help expand your reach. The omnichannel capabilities let you sell in person, on social media, or on your website, with a strong emphasis on centralized control and marketing tools that make promotion easy for more complex selling environments.

Goal: Create a highly customizable e-commerce selling experience.

Suited for: Mid-market businesses and growing brands that need customization and integrations.

Features:

• Omnichannel selling.
• Inventory automation tools.
• Support for multiple locations.
• Abandoned cart recovery.
• Multi-currency support.
• Customizable checkout.
• Built-in B2B and wholesale features.
• Expanded automation and partner-led AI capabilities.

Pricing Comparison: Slightly higher than competitors and often tiered based on revenue.

Pros: 

• Highly customizable.
• Free 15-day trial.
• No added payment fees.

Cons: 

• Steeper learning curve.
• Pricier than some competitors.
• Limited AI tools.

4. WooCommerce

WordPress users may want to check out this plug-in that turns your website into a storefront. WooCommerce is open-source, so there’s no cost to add it to your WordPress site, but you’ll need to add other features via plug-ins, and those prices can add up as your business grows.

Goal: Adding an online shop and marketing tools to a WordPress site with full ownership over housing and customization.

Suited for: Businesses who build their sites using WordPress and are comfortable managing ongoing updates, optimization, and maintenance.

Features:

• Open-source and free.
• Hundreds of themes available.
• Integration with hundreds of plug-ins.
• Inventory management via plug-in.
• Comprehensive reporting.
• Appointment and booking plug-ins available.
• Shipping carrier integrations.

Pricing Comparison: Best value in its class at small scale, with costs increasing as additional plugins and hosting resources are required.

Pros: 

• No cost.
• High flexibility and control.
• Highly customizable.

Cons: 

• WordPress site required.
• Can negatively impact site performance.
• Some tech knowledge is required.

5. Wix

Wix’s e-commerce builder makes it easy to create a store. Simply choose a template and use the drag-and-drop editor to customize your design. You can easily add products in bulk by uploading a CSV file, or you can move items over from another site using the Cart2Cart app.

Goal: Set up a shop that’s easy to create and manage.

Suited for: Business owners who want an easy store setup and don’t anticipate complex catalogs or large-scale growth.

Features:

• Built-in AI technology.
• Hundreds of customizable templates.
• Easily add multiple products at once.
• Multichannel inventory management.
• Recurring payment support.
• Multicurrency support.

Pricing Comparison: More affordable than many competitors for entry-level e-commerce needs.

Pros: 

• Multichannel selling.
• Strong design flexibility for non-technical users.
• 24/7 support.

Cons: 

• Product limits.
• Limited scalability.
• Limited e-commerce features.

6. Squarespace

Like Wix, Squarespace is a DIY website creation tool that offers e-commerce solutions. For ease-of-use, it’s one of the best platforms out there, particularly for design-forward and content-driven brands. But, it has fewer templates than some competitors, so you may find your design options limited.

Goal: Set up a simple storefront that emphasizes products and brand representation.

Suited for: Time-challenged business owners who want an easy-to-use solution and prioritize design, content, or services alongside physical products.

Features:

• Easy-to-use website builder.
• Unlimited number of products.
• Abandoned cart recovery tools.
• AI tools.
• Support for shipping, fulfillment, and taxes.
• Wide range of integrations.
• Mobile store management.

Pricing Comparison: Lower priced than competitors, but the $23 per month plan will be necessary for business-geared features like analytics and advanced customizations.

Pros: 

• No transaction fees.
• Easy to use.
• 24/7 support.

Cons: 

• Fewer templates than competitors.
• Sluggish performance.
• Can’t easily change templates.

How to Choose the Best Tool for Your E-Commerce Business

Setting up an e-commerce business is no easy feat — you’ll need to get your online storefront set up and start driving traffic to it. Here are some tips on choosing the best tools for your e-commerce business.

Define Your Business Needs

Each business is unique, and those differences call for unique solutions. Before choosing an e-commerce platform, it’s important to consider what you’re actually selling, whether it’s physical products, digital goods, or subscriptions, as some platforms are designed to support certain selling formats more effectively than others.

Consider Scalability

With any luck, you’ll outgrow your current setup over time, say, when your customer base increases and you grow your team. As your business grows, your e-commerce platform should be able to grow with you. That’s why it’s important to look for solutions designed to scale over time. Platforms like Shopify stand out for their ease of use, scalability, and extensive app ecosystem. These platforms also often bring built-in tools, social media integrations, and flexible customization, allowing business owners to focus more on selling and less on tech support.

Evaluate Integration Capabilities

When it comes to marketing an e-commerce store and driving sales, the key is integration. Widely adopted platforms tend to offer the broadest ecosystem of ready-made integrations, making it easier to connect with the marketing tools that teams already rely on without custom development.

Before choosing an e-commerce solution, inventory your existing business tools, email providers, SMS platforms, and subscription management solutions and check for integrations. This can help you avoid costly workarounds and ensure your marketing stack continues to scale smoothly as your business grows.

Considerations Before Deciding on the Best E-Commerce Marketing Tool

Once you’ve established your goals and lined up your product offerings, it’s time to build and market your e-commerce business. Here are some things to consider as you’re researching e-commerce tools.

Budget and Pricing Structure

Startups and small businesses don’t have unlimited resources. You’ll need funds for website hosting, website themes, marketing, raw materials, and packaging, among other expenses. Scouting out cost-effective solutions, both for your website hosting and the apps you use, can create savings that add up over time.

Most e-commerce platforms charge a monthly fee that can be anywhere from near-zero to hundreds of dollars, depending on features and scale. Open-source solutions can be a cost-cutting option, but you’ll likely still need to pay as you add features. This can be an affordable way to launch quickly while still maintaining tighter control over ongoing expenses.

User-Friendliness

Most technology comes with a learning curve, but some platforms are more intuitive than others. When you’re researching any tool for your SMB, look for video demos that show you exactly how the solution works. If a video isn’t readily available, you can sometimes reach out to the provider and ask for a one-on-one demo, especially if you’re considering spending a considerable chunk of change on the solution.

You should also consider how user-friendly a platform is within the context of your existing systems. Ease of use doesn’t stop at the dashboard: Reviewing available integrations and extensions upfront can help ensure the new solution fits naturally into your environment, rather than adding unnecessary work.

Technical Support

For SMBs, having technical support when needed is essential. You likely don’t have the funds to pay a full-time dedicated IT team, and even if you do, your on-site support won’t have the in-depth knowledge necessary to troubleshoot every piece of software you use.

That’s where customer support comes in. Most reputable solutions provide tech support when needed, but will that support come quickly? If you have to put in a help ticket and wait two or three business days for a response, it will have an impact on your business. Look for solutions that provide support the way you prefer it, with the turnaround time you’ll need.

Marketing Capabilities

Marketing is essential for any small business. Whether you’re setting up e-commerce on your WordPress site, selling on an existing marketplace, or choosing a new CMS for your sales team, it’s important to take a look at the marketing capabilities of any platform you use.

The right platform supports selling across multiple channels, automates key marketing and sales processes, and scales as your business grows. Built-in or easily accessible marketing integrations — such as social commerce, retargeting, and email automation — play an important role in helping platforms remain competitive and effective in today’s e-commerce landscape.

Reporting Needs

Data is more important than ever. To remain competitive in 2026, you’ll need to understand the ROI on all of your marketing efforts. For that reason, it’s important to look at the reporting capabilities of every platform you use for selling products and marketing your business.

Strong reporting tools also make it easier to understand customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns over time. Gathering and organizing that data early allows businesses to better meet customer needs and build a foundation for long-term growth.

Key Takeaways

A successful e-commerce shop starts with choosing the right tools to market your products and boost sales. You’ll need to look at cost, usability, and app integrations to ensure every platform you add to your toolbox will grow with your business. Defining your business goals and your budget ahead of time can help you narrow your options.

More on E-Commerce Marketing Tools

E-commerce businesses have unique needs when it comes to marketing. You’ll have to make sure you reach customers where they spend the most time, whether that’s social media, email, or video. Here are a few more expert tips on maximizing your e-commerce business’s ROI.

How Do E-Commerce Marketing Tools Improve Online Sales?

The right e-commerce marketing tools excel at helping you learn more about each customer. You can see how visitors are interacting with your shop, as well as which types of posts and ads get the most conversions.

Tools like recovery automation, intelligent product suggestions, and streamlined add-on offers help capture sales that might otherwise be lost. When paired with customer data from your CRM systems, these tools make it easier to deliver relevant messaging that supports long-term customer loyalty.

Can Social Media Marketing Tools Be Integrated With E-Commerce Platforms?

Most modern e-commerce platforms either include social media marketing tools or provide this functionality through plug-ins. Here are social media capabilities for the social media tools listed above:

• Shopify: Includes tools that help you sell on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The App Store includes apps that will help you sell on Pinterest and SnapChat.
• BigCommerce: BigCommerce now offers social selling integrations with Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
• WooCommerce: Extensions help you sell on Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
• Wix: Partnerships with platforms like Pinterest and YouTube Shopping have recently expanded Wix’s social selling capabilities. The built-in editor helps you create visually appealing graphics to promote your site on social media. Using the Social Media Marketing tab in your site’s editor, you can also create and schedule posts.
• Squarespace: Create images and posts directly from the website editor, thanks to integrations with Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the 4 Ps of marketing in e-commerce?

The four Ps of marketing in e-commerce are:

• Product: Understanding the products you sell and their unique value proposition is essential to marketing your e-commerce business.
• Price: Properly pricing products is a tricky endeavor when you’re running an online store. You want to be competitive while also ensuring you charge enough to be profitable.
• Place: Where do you sell your products? Some e-commerce shops only sell online, while others maintain both physical and virtual storefronts.
• Promotion: How and when you promote your products plays a direct role in your success.

When choosing an e-commerce platform, you’ll need to consider not only how it supports your current needs, but how well it can scale as your business grows. As product catalogs expand, order volume increases, and marketing efforts advance, the right platform should be able to handle that growth while continuing to support your sales and operational efforts.

How do you grow e-commerce sales?

Growing e-commerce sales is a matter of getting the word out about your offerings while also paying close attention to your store activity. Over time, you’ll learn which marketing efforts work and which don’t. A combination of search engine optimization, email marketing, social media outreach, and carefully tracking results can help grow an e-commerce shop.

Sustainable growth goes beyond choosing the right platform. Using a mix of marketing tools together helps create a cohesive, multichannel experience that supports consistent sales and long-term brand growth.