3dcart may not have the popularity of other ecommerce software providers such as BigCommerce, Shopify and GoDaddy Ecommerce yet it is a dependable, affordable and quality option.

3dcart was founded in 1997, yet has flown slightly under the radar yet still hosts over 22,000 customers. It was also ranked number one by Business.com in their 2018 Best of Business awards.

Why 3dcart?

3dcart advertises themselves as a “feature-rich” ecommerce platform that serves merchants small and large. The company also features a number of pricing options so you, as a merchant, can judge if you need more features available in the higher priced plans or represent a small business that just needs the basics.

Like the other premier ecommerce software providers, 3dcart is all inclusive as it provides everything you need to build, launch and manage an online store. There is always an opportunity to add-on later but for starters when you invest in one of 3dcart’s plans you will get everything you need to hit the ground running.

With 3dcart users are granted a website, online store and blog. Not bad considering the price you will pay. 3dcart also enables merchants the opportunity to synchronize your products and orders with Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping and Facebook (to name a few).

Also, unlike some ecommerce web builders, 3dcart features no setup fees, transaction fees or any other fees for that matter. Not all providers offer a fee-less experience which makes 3dcart even more attractive for those on a strict budget.

Lastly, 3dcart is compatible with hundreds of apps which is a must for any business owner looking to expand to an online store, whether you have sold products through a physical store before or are a brand new business.

Website Builder

One of the primary purposes of an ecommerce platform is to provide a simple to use web builder. The notion here is that most merchants either don’t have the tools or expertise to create a website from scratch as well as lack the funds to hire an expensive web developer. Thankfully, ecommerce software like 3dcart exists for those on a tight budget.

3dcart offers a quality web builder though it may not be as simple to use as competitors such as GoDaddy Ecommerce. 3dcart provides offer 90 free themes that are also mobile responsive, and for those looking for a more stylish website can upgrade to one of their paid templates.

Again, 3dcart does little to scare away customers with their web builder and templates, though their selection feels a little more dated compared to other competitors.

Priced “premium” themes range from $99 to $199. There is also a unique option to spend $249 per year to receive unlimited access to every premium theme available through 3dcart. It may seem like a good deal, but overall one premium theme doesn’t seem all that much different from another.

There is an option to take matters into your own hand with custom coding, though this is only recommended if you have HTML or CSS experience, or are willing to learn. But if that’s the case you probably wouldn’t have went with 3dcart in the first place.

3dcart features quality security protection for your online store. Fancy terms like SecurePCI certified, Sitewide HTTPS as well as additional fraud tools will keep your business protected from imposters. Security is a must in order to not only protect yourself but your customers personal information.

Additionally, 3dcart boasts a reliable web hosting, one of the fastest in the industry, with 99.94 percent uptime as advertised on the company’s website.

Overall, 3dcart features a good but not great web builder. It all depends on what you need. There is always the option to take advantage of the free trial to decide if 3dcart is right for you.

Management Tools

3dcart delivers a plethora of ecommerce management tools and apps. Among the highlights:

• Sell physical products as well as digital items
• Supreme presentation of products including multiple images, videos and image zoom
• Enhance customer’s experience by creating Wish Lists or Waiting Lists
• Promote your products with coupons, discounts and gift certificates
• Automatic shipping calculator provides real-time quotes
• Customer interaction where they can submit questions to you or review purchases
• Built-in blog is a great way to boost SEO and get more visitors

Features

3dcart has plenty of back-end features to keep your online store running crisply. It is very simple to control inventory that highlights items low in stock. Furthermore, you have the option to showcase sale items with the Smart Categories feature.

Anyone who has sold products online before will testify to how important SEO is to building an online audience. The problem is SEO optimization is a little difficult to understand. However, 3dcart has plenty of resources to help with SEO including how a well managed blog can do wonders.

Another sweet feature of 3dcart is they support POS transactions. It means that customers can purchase items online and pick them up in person, or vice versa.

It is also possible to market your online store the traditional way with tools provided by 3dcart that provide email templates and other digital forms of contact to reach former as well as potential new customers.

Lastly, it is possible to sync the online store with Amazon or eBaby (as well as others) so merchants can sell across multiple channels. It is all managed in one place under the 3dcart platform.

Customer Service

3dcart has its own 24/7 customer service to support their customers — you. It is possible to get help to your questions via phone, email or “live chat”. The last one is in quotes because many users complain that 3dcart’s live chat is more like creating a support ticket since they don’t get back to you immediately.

Regardless, it is a fairly quality customer service team. In addition to speaking with an agent, it is also possible to reference video tutorials, support form, webinars and e-University for further explanation.

3dcart is also available on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) if you prefer to go that route.

Pros

• Sync with a variety of other stores yet manage them all in one place.
• Affordable service with variety of plans and absolutely no fees.
• Several SEO tools help explain how you can grow the online store.

Cons

• Not the best looking pre-built templates for a website builder
• Customer support lacks a quality live chat

Conclusion

Ultimately, 3dcart is a good middle of the road ecommerce software provider. The web builder lacks the high quality templates and ease of use of some other companies like GoDaddy Ecommerce and Shopify. However, it is affordable and the amount of management tools you get for the price paid is terrific.