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We took a look at IONOS ‘1 & 1 MyWebsite service, but they also offer a dedicated ecommerce website builder feature, which we’ll take a look at in this review.
Packages and prices
Unfortunately, just like 1 & 1 MyWebsite, IONOS does not offer a free trial, so you need to commit to a plan if you want to explore the functionality of the service. There is one condition, however, that you can try one month for free when you sign up, but each subsequent month will cost more than if you had opted for the traditional option without a free month.
The cheapest option is the Starter plan, $ 1 per month for the first year ($ 12 thereafter), and allows you to sell up to 500 physical products. You get SSL certificate and email, access to predefined layouts, and various payment options. It’s a great way to get started inexpensively, at least for the first year.
Plus is the most popular option and costs $ 5 per month for the first six months ($ 20 thereafter). Your product allocation is up to 5,000, and the models offered can be more widely customized. You also have the option to sell and track your purchases through Google.
Then there’s Pro ($ 25 per month for the first six months and $ 35 thereafter). Not only can you sell up to 10,000 products, digital downloads are finally available. Other features include the ability to manage your store through an app on your phone and support for multiple languages.
Finally, there is Expert ($ 35 per month for the first six months and $ 50 onwards). With it, you have no limit to the number of physical and digital products you can sell. You can link your store to and sell through Amazon and eBay, and take advantage of other features like volume discounts and customer group pricing.
Even though all plans are advertised as a monthly expense, you must commit to a full year in advance. There is however a 30 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the service.
To start
After purchasing your desired plan, it’s time to set up your website. There are several templates to choose from, all broken down into categories, with a handy search box at the top if you need it. All templates are fully responsive which means they look great no matter what screen they are displayed on, be it a desktop, tablet or phone .
The top of the page contains general functional tools like switching between devices (desktop, table or mobile), undo and redo buttons, preview, and a post option. The left sidebar contains items you can add to your pages like widgets, your store, blog, etc.
It’s all remarkably similar to other website services we’ve come across, with similar functionality, similar tools, a similar way of doing things. Suffice it to say that you have enough customization options to turn a template into a unique experience, and the process is intuitive enough that if you have experience with these services, you will have no problem navigating them. .
So let’s take a look at why we’re here: the e-commerce side of things.
Setting up a store
Click on the Ecommerce menu in the left sidebar to access your new online store. Adding items is easy, and since this service can support an unlimited number of items (depending on the plan), it’s reassuring to know that you can import them all via a CSV, XCart, or LiteCommerce file. Best of all, not only can you see what information is in each column, but you also have the option of rearranging those columns to match the data you’re about to import.
If you only need to add a handful of items, you can also choose to do it manually, one at a time, by clicking the “Add New Product†button.
Fill in all the fields relevant to your product, such as images, title, description, price, etc. If you sell items of different colors or sizes (like t-shirts for example), you can add variations (but only if you have the right plan: Pro or higher).
When setting up your store, you have the option to connect it to your social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest), configure various preferences, such as currency, weight and size. There are a few cool options, like hiding out-of-stock items (this option is off by default), enabling or disabling legal pages on some, all or none of your pages, and various ways to track your visitors through social media. and Google ads.
To entice your customers, you will probably make full use of the Discount section, where you can specify which items are discounted, the level of said discount and whether there is an expiration date or not.
The delivery options are quite comprehensive, ranging from free to package, to personalized rates based on size, weight, etc. When it comes to payment, there are various services available such as Stripe, Square, PayPal and even cash.
applications
IONOS also offers a selection of apps, many of which are free, to add functionality to your store. Options include additional payment gateways such as Authipay and Lemon Way Payments, to a label editor, the inclusion of chat buttons via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger (among others), to Delivery Trackers.
These are not essential, but could add an extra touch for you and your customers.
Final verdict
IONOS e-commerce website builder service offers many options to help you start an online store. The tools available to create and customize your site will not confuse anyone who has used similar services before, and when it comes to ecommerce, the features are comprehensive, clearly displayed, and easy to use. We especially liked the detailed way you can import your stock inventory, which is better than what we’ve seen other companies do, and the options available for discounts, payments, and shipping should satisfy the demand. most customers.
The only downside really is the lack of a clear and obvious free trial, and monthly fees that increase by a substantial margin after 6 or 12 months (depending on your plan).
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