Build your own ecommerce website with Sirclo

As ecommerce grows, more and more startups want to jump on the bandwagon. A lot of businesses want to have e-commerce websites, whether to supplement existing brick-and-mortar stores or to launch brand new ventures. But building an ecommerce site is no easy task. In the past it involved tedious tasks that many vendors didn’t have time for, like setting up a server.

Over the past several years, western startups such as Squarespace and Strikingly have helped people with no coding background to build their own sites, some of which are focused on ecommerce. But only a few companies have emerged from Indonesia to focus exclusively on domestic customers looking to sell products. You may recall last year we reported on Pixtem, an Indonesian startup aiming to do just that. Since then similar startups have arisen, such as Jejualan and, more recently, Sirclo.

(See: Pixtem Offers Solution for Beginners to Get Online, Build Websites)

Setting up a store on Sirclo is straightforward. I was able to sign up, pick a name, and choose a theme in less than two minutes. The cost of setting up a shop ranges from Rp. 99,000 (about US$8) to Rp 1.75 million (about US$148) per month, with more expensive packages offering increased storage and features. Sirclo’s most basic package is priced a bit higher than that of its competitor, but all of its packages can be tested under a 30-day free trial.

Unfortunately, none of Sirclo’s packages let users pick a custom domain for their shop. Although its theme selection is limited, all of the themes, both free and premium, are aesthetically pleasing and designed with attention to detail. However, if you’re looking to deeply customize the theme’s layout, you’ll be out of luck.

Sirclo’s admin panel is easy to navigate and would be familiar to anyone who has encountered WordPress or Squarespace. All options and features are clearly labeled and you won’t be wasting any time looking for specific settings or menus. Adding new products is as simple as making a new blog post on WordPress or creating a Facebook album.

The settings are just as simple to understand. All fields are clearly labeled and have question marks next to them, which, when hovered over, give details about that specific field. All of this makes the service extremely easy to use. Even if you do get stuck using Sirclo, you could always email or IM their customer support team.

Although Sirclo doesn’t have as many bells and whistles as its competitors, the simpleness of its admin panel makes it worth consideration for any aspiring ecommerce merchant.

(Editing by Josh Horwitz and Steven Millward)