Ecwid 101. A Guide for New Users

What is Ecwid?

Ecwid is an e-commerce platform that helps to easily create a bold, easy to use online store and start selling anywhere online or in-person.

Ideal for small and medium sized businesses. Free plan forever. No setup charges and no transaction fees. Used by over a million merchants in 175 countries.

Ecwid store looks perfect on any smartphone and automatically adapts to your customer’s screen size — laptops, tablets, smart TVs or smart watches

How Does it Work?

Ecwid is a shopping cart which can be seamlessly integrated with your existing website, business page on a social network, your blog, marketplaces or mobile app. All the storefronts are synced and managed from one control panel.

Ecwid lets you organize your products, customize your storefront, accept credit card payments, track and respond to orders — all with a few clicks of the mouse.

All credit card and transaction information are protected by the same level of security used by banks. Ecwid is certified Level 1 PCI compliant.

How to Install Ecwid

Ecwid is web based e-commerce software. This means there’s no installation required, just sign up for an account and publish your store on any website. We host Ecwid so you don’t have to worry about installing, upgrading or maintaining any software or web servers.

All store setup and information on your customers and orders are done from Ecwid control panel located at https://my.ecwid.com/cp/CP.html Once you sign up with us, you will receive the access to this panel.

Ways to Sell Online

If you want to get your store selling on multiple platforms at the same time — Ecwid is the solution for you.

With Ecwid you can sell everywhere: on social networks, marketplaces and your own website

Starter site

Starter site — a nice mobile friendly one-page website with a built-in Ecwid store. This feature is available to every Ecwid user out-of-the-box: create an Ecwid account, add products to your store and voila — you already have a nice ready-to-go web page with your store onboard.

Websites

Ecwid can be added to any website. You simply need to insert Ecwid widget to the backend on your site and Ecwid store will appear on your site page. Installing Ecwid store is even easier for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Wix users with our powerful plugins on offer.

Find more details here: Add Ecwid to your site.

You can easily add Ecwid online store to your website

Facebook and social media

You can open an online store on Facebook page with a few steps, using our ready application for Facebook. See our easy instructions for adding a seamless shopping cart to Facebook.

Win more buyers by adding Ecwid online store to your Facebook page

Marketplaces

Online marketplaces are websites aggregating product information from wide variety of sellers, millions of users search for and compare products to purchase online. Ecwid is integrated with 7 the most popular marketplaces: eBay US and eBay Russia, Google Shopping, PriceGrabber, Nextag, Shopzilla, Yandex.Market, eBay Commerce Network.

Read more about selling on Marketplaces.

Sell on marketplaces with Ecwid

ShopApp — customized mobile store app for every merchant

Turn your online store into a mobile app. It probably seems complicated, but it’s actually easy — Ecwid can do it for you! Your personalized, custom mobile app will look something like this:

Buy button (single product widget)

One of the simplest ways you can sell from your website/blog is to add a button or widget that links directly to a specific product.

Ecwid’s “Buy Now” button is essentially a site plugin that allows your customers to purchase your products with just one click. They don’t even have to leave your site, and they won’t be directed elsewhere to complete their checkout.

Ecwid’s “Buy Now” button is essentially a site plugin that allows your customers to purchase your products with just one click.

POS

If you have a brick-and-mortar storefront or sell offline at markets and conventions, you need a reliable way to unify your inventory and keep everything synchronized. You wouldn’t want to sell your last item in-store only to have a customer buy it online minutes later. Situations like that can lead to complaints, returns, and added stress for everyone.

That’s where a point-of-sale integration with apps like Square, Vend, and Ecwid app comes in! Square and Vend ties your offline and online inventory together to make sure you don’t oversell any of your items.

Partners’ websites (place Ecwid to your partner’s website)

You also can source your products to trusted partners so they can sell your stuff on their own site. Find a person or media entity active in the same space as you and reach out to them, asking if they have any interest in championing your products. When you partner strategically, you form mutually beneficial relationships to help carry your business to the next level.

Android and iOS store management app

Do you want to start executing sales from your mobile device? You need only install an app with point-of-sale functionality, like the Ecwid app. Not only can you manage orders and edit product details from wherever you have connectivity, but your phone becomes a mobile POS. Get push notifications when you make a sale online!

Download Ecwid app from iTunes or Google Play.

Android and iOS Ecwid store management app

Setting Up Your Ecwid Store

After logging in to Ecwid, you can set up your store, configure your settings, and manage your business. Follow Onboarding wizard to set up product catalog, shipping rates, taxes, and payment options.

Customize Your Store’s Look

Ecwid is designed to display optimally in most website browsers and versions. However, you can easily change the appearance of your online store using CSS (cascading style sheets).

Simply open the Ecwid control panel and proceed to: System Settings → Design → CSS Themes. There, you can choose from several pre-defined templates or create your own custom version.

For more information on customizing Ecwid elements, visit our CSS FAQ. Not familiar with CSS? Get the basics on the W3School site or contact our design team for assistance.

Where to go for help

Ecwid offers many resources to help you become a successful Ecwid merchant. Start by visiting our Help Center, where you search extensive information to resolve your question or issue.

Join the Ecwid community

Besides the Ecwid blog, you can use the Ecwid forums to learn with other merchants and better understand what you need to do to set up your business and make your first sale. If you don’t find an answer, create a new thread on our forums and our support team will assist you.

Ask support

If you’re not able to find what you’re looking for in the Ecwid Help Center, you can reach out to the Ecwid Support team at any time. Go to this page and get in touch.

Hire an expert

If you did not find a feature you were looking for or you need help with the design for your store, ask Ecwid expert to assist. Also, we will be glad to develop a feature or help you with the design for a one-time fee.

For annual Unlimited plan — 12 hours of custom development is included.

Stay in Touch

Subscribe to our blog’s updates to get the latest news about Ecwid

PDF version (0.1 MB)