The most visible e-commerce platforms in Europe, October 2026

October 2026 · 105 questions asked from 7 countries · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 420 answers read

Leader

Shopify

81Heralded Score, range 78–83

Most cited source

forbes.com

14citations

From Google AI Mode, Gemini and Google AI Overviews

Where engines disagree most

Squarespace Commerce

1/4engines put it in their top three

Top three on Google AI Mode, not on Gemini, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

Brands

Search is not measured for this board yet, so it ranks on AI answers.

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Shopify CA New entry 81 , range 78–83 81#1
81
  • : score 81 · #1
96% 47% First reading
2 WooCommerce US New entry 72 , range 68–75 72#2
72
  • : score 72 · #2
78% 39% First reading
3 Wix eCommerce IL New entry 53 , range 48–59 53#3
53
  • : score 53 · #3
53% 29% First reading
4 Squarespace Commerce US New entry 35 , range 32–38 35#4
35
  • : score 35 · #4
26% 12% First reading
5 Square Online US New entry 33 , range 30–36 33#5
33
  • : score 33 · #5
21% 12% First reading
6 Wix Studio IL New entry 29 , range 20–32 29#6
29
  • : score 29 · #6
24% 0% None First reading
7 PrestaShop FR New entry 10 , range 7–21 10#7
10
  • : score 10 · #7
11% 4% First reading
8 BigCommerce US New entry 9 , range 6–17 9#8
9
  • : score 9 · #8
10% 3% First reading
9 Gomag RO New entry 8 , range 5–13 8#9
8
  • : score 8 · #9
8% 4% None First reading
10 Ecwid US New entry 6 , range 4–9 6#10
6
  • : score 6 · #10
6% 2% First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI gives each brand’s score and rank from the engines’ answers; Search is not measured for this board yet. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
1 forbes.com Media 3.3% 3 of 4 6 14
2 pcmag.com Media 2.6% 3 of 4 3 Not read
3 fuer-gruender.de Media 1.9% 4 of 4 3 12
4 techradar.com Media 1.2% 2 of 4 3 7
5 ecommercenews.nl Media 0.5% 1 of 4 2 Not read
6 lecoindesentrepreneurs.fr Media 0.5% 1 of 4 1 3
7 stackbriefly.com Media 0.5% 1 of 4 1 Not read
8 whito.co.uk Media 0.5% 1 of 4 1 5
9 acquisa.de Media 0.2% 1 of 4 1 Not read
10 aranzulla.it Media 0.2% 1 of 4 1 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
¿Qué es mejor para una pequeña empresa: una plantilla para una tienda online o un desarrollo a medida? Spanish No brand recommended
¿Qué alternativas hay a gestionar los pedidos online por mensajes para una pequeña tienda? Spanish Shopify and WooCommerce, tied
¿Qué alternativas hay a vender productos en marketplaces para una pequeña empresa? Spanish Shopify, Wix eCommerce and WooCommerce, tied
Tengo una tienda de ropa con dos empleados. ¿Qué plataforma online puedo gestionar yo mismo? Spanish Shopify
Tengo una pequeña empresa y necesito una tienda online que pueda montar sin ayuda de un desarrollador. Spanish Wix eCommerce and WooCommerce, tied
best ecommerce platform for small businesses selling online English Shopify, Wix eCommerce and WooCommerce, tied
online store software for independent retailers English Square Online
how can a small business sell products online English No brand recommended
how to set up an online shop for a clothing business English Shopify and Wix eCommerce, tied
how can an independent retailer take orders online English Shopify, Wix eCommerce and WooCommerce, tied

Each engine's top three

Method

Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.

For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured