eCommerce / 30 April
WooCommerce vs Shopify is a showdown between two popular eCommerce gladiators.
Shopify powers over 600,000 businesses, while WooCommerce claims to be the web’s “most popular eCommerce platform”. Fighting talk from our contenders.
But if you’re trying to choose between WooCommerce and Shopify, how do you know which one is better?
Well, it’s not really a question of which one is better. They’re both powerful, but markedly different options if you’re looking to sell online. The bottom line is, which one is right for you will depend on your personal circumstances.
Shopify is for you if you need an all-in-one-package. You can build and publish your own online store entirely through Shopify, and make use of its neat features and apps.
WooCommerce is for you if you already have a website. It’s a plugin that works with WordPress and helps turn your website into an online store.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to decide if Shopify or WooCommerce is right for you. You’ll find out the key differences, and how they should influence your decision.
Our side-by-side comparison will compare WooCommerce and Shopify on:
- Ease of use
- eCommerce features
- Design and appearance
- Cost
- Security
Pro’s & Cons
Pros
- Hosted eCommerce software
Shopify takes care of the technical maintenance of running a store for you. Your Shopify plan includes hosting, as well as the necessary security certificates. What’s more, you can relax as your store grows because you know it won’t crash under the increased traffic and sales volume. Shopify is a scalable eCommerce platform because it can deal with any growth of your store experiences. - Quality support 24/7
One of Shopify’s unique selling points is the level of its customer support. We’ve found Shopify agents helpful, quick to respond and effective at resolving issues. - Multi-Channel Integration
You can connect Shopify to various marketplaces and social networks (like Amazon or Facebook). This lets you sell your products directly through these other sites, giving you an almost limitless audience to advertise to.
Cons
- Need to know coding to customize extensively
To make serious changes to your Shopify store, you will need to learn the company’s own coding language, Liquid. This requires at least some technical skill on your part.
Pros
- Limitless customization
As an open-source platform, the code is available. This means the customization possibilities with a platform like WooCommerce are inexhaustible. You can create a store with a real personality. Little wonder that WooCommerce calls itself “the world’s most customizable eCommerce platform”. - Stylish, specially-designed themes WooThemes
Specific, mobile-responsive WordPress themes exist for WooCommerce. There’s a huge selection to choose from and, because WordPress themes work with WooCommerce stores, your design options are never-ending. - Powerful SEO
Access to WordPress’ blogging infrastructure and the ability to dig deep into your store’s metadata means WooCommerce gives you everything you need to harness the power of Search Engine Optimization and dominate those Google rankings.
Cons
- Lack of customer support
WooCommerce doesn’t provide phone support. Instead, you can submit tickets or try to find the answer to your problem on the forum. It’s a much more hands-off approach than Shopify.
Want to discuss this further? Get in touch …
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