Strong e-commerce platforms have several core features that enable businesses to effectively sell products or services online. These features include:

1. User-friendly interface: A strong e-commerce platform should have an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy for customers to navigate and find products. It should have clear and organized product categories, search functionality, and a streamlined checkout process. For example, Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface, providing a simple and intuitive experience for both merchants and customers.

2. Mobile responsiveness: With the increasing use of smartphones, a strong e-commerce platform must be mobile-responsive, ensuring that the website adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes. This allows customers to have a consistent and optimized experience across devices. WooCommerce, a popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress, offers mobile-responsive themes and designs.

3. Secure payment options: Strong e-commerce platforms offer secure payment gateways to protect customer data and ensure safe transactions. They should support popular payment methods such as credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and PayPal. Additionally, they should comply with industry-standard security protocols like SSL encryption. For example, BigCommerce integrates with various secure payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Square.

4. Inventory management: A strong e-commerce platform should provide robust inventory management features to help businesses keep track of their stock levels, manage product variations, and automate inventory updates. This ensures that customers can see accurate product availability and prevents overselling. Magento, an open-source e-commerce platform, offers advanced inventory management capabilities.

5. Scalability and customization: A strong e-commerce platform should be scalable to accommodate business growth and handle increased traffic and sales volumes. It should also allow customization options to tailor the website's design and functionality to match the brand's identity and unique requirements. Shopify Plus is a scalable e-commerce platform that offers extensive customization options for enterprise-level businesses.

6. SEO and marketing tools: Effective e-commerce platforms provide built-in SEO features and marketing tools to help businesses optimize their online presence and attract more customers. These tools may include SEO-friendly URLs, customizable meta tags, integration with email marketing services, and social media integrations. Magento offers SEO-friendly features like URL rewrites and meta tag customization.

7. Analytics and reporting: Strong e-commerce platforms provide analytics and reporting features to help businesses track and analyze key performance metrics. These insights enable data-driven decision-making and help identify areas for improvement. WooCommerce offers various analytics extensions and integrations with popular analytics tools like Google Analytics.

8. Integration capabilities: A strong e-commerce platform should have integration capabilities to connect with other essential business tools and services. This includes integration with accounting software, shipping carriers, marketing automation tools, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Shopify integrates with a wide range of third-party apps and services through its App Store.

Overall, a strong e-commerce platform combines user-friendly design, secure payment options, inventory management, scalability, customization, SEO and marketing tools, analytics, and integration capabilities to provide a comprehensive and powerful online selling solution. These core features contribute to a seamless and successful e-commerce experience for both businesses and customers.