Which Online Shop Platform Should I Use?
So you want to move your business online, or start an e-commerce business, and wondering which platform is the BEST!
It really depends on a number of factors:
- how you want your business to look online
- how much you are willing to pay
- how many products you want to sell
- and, everything else!
Here is what we think of a few of the most popular platforms to use.
We will start with Shopify. Shopify is a Canadian based platform, who are hosting thousands upon thousands of websites globally (for some of the biggest businesses in the world). Why does everyone love Shopify? Simple, it’s interface is simply gorgeous, and it keeps getting better and better. It isn’t too expensive either, with the cheapest plan starting at $29USD a month. One aspect which allows for Shopify to out-shine its competitors is via its own app store – where you can add plug-ins to your store that will enhance your website. One down-fall we have found with Shopify is that a lot of the themes look the same! In order to beat this, you really do need an agency to assist with giving your store your own added touch.
Additionally, Shopify has an amazing support team which work around the clock 24/7. They also host your website for free, and provide amazing security – so you won’t be hacked. So if you are after a beautiful and responsive website, which will make your life easier when fulfilling orders, Shopify is by far the best choice.
Our Mark: 5/5
Big Commerce is roughly the same price as Shopify, and we don’t mind it. It has a solid range of templates you can use to build your platform. The platform is more user-friendly in terms of customising your store, than Shopify. However, Big Commerce isn’t quite as fast as Shopify when we have tested speeds, but they are still ‘fast’ and a secure site. Unlike Shopify, they are limited in terms of useful add-ons. Additionally, the platforms back end product and inventory management doesn’t quite match up with Shopify, and if you are working with a big range of products, this can be a real bummer.
When comparing it to Shopify, for the same price, it’s hard to go past our Canadian friends.
Our Mark: 4/5
Wix is the free option. As you would expect though, for free, you aren’t getting anything amazing. Wix does have a lot of templates you can choose from, which have an easy drag and drop feature, which is user-friendly. While you can use it for free for as long as you like, you won’t have your own domain, and support will be lacking, the next plan up from free is $10USD a month – so still a lot cheaper than other platforms. Like Shopify, Wix does have its own App market, however no where near as big. Wix really is designed for simple, small businesses, who have no intention to grow into a big company. It is well suited to local artists, or a small cafe, so keep this in mind.
Our Mark: 3.5/5
If you are interested in an online store, and don’t know where to start, check out out online shop services, or contact us directly and we can get talking!
