Are you planning to start an online ecommerce store?
For beginners, it is often a tough choice to decide on the ecommerce platform for their store. If you consider the top two ecommerce platforms, you have two options - Shopify and WooCommerce.
A brief comparison between the two will help in choosing the right platform. As the owner of a business, it is important to select the right ecommerce platform, because a major part of the success of your business is dependent on it.
So, let us briefly know about WooCommerce and Shopify. WooCommerce is a self-hosted platform. Thus, all your files will be on your own server. These files can be modified as per your needs. Shopify on the other hand is hosted. It implies that Shopify will manage and host the software for you. Thus, you are going to have plenty of flexibility.
Though WooCommerce offers greater flexibility, it is not easy to use, or it isn’t beginner friendly. Shopify, is beginner friendly and suitable for those who are just getting started.
Launching an Ecommerce Store
As a user creates a WooCommerce store, there are two things which need to be done.
WordPress needs to be installed and in case you do not know the interface, you need to learn it, to get started. Next, WooCommerce needs to be installed and the interface needs to be learnt. Thus, before starting your online store, you will need to find a host, install WordPress, Install and configure WooCommerce and find WooCommerce theme. Other details need consideration as well which includes tax calculations, payment gateways and more. This can be quite daunting and time consuming.
With Shopify, things are simpler. Users need to create a Shopify account, choose and purchase a domain and then sync the domain name. The theme needs to be selected. Shopify has an own payment gateway – thus, it is easy to accept credit card payment from the first day.
From the above comparison, it is quite evident that an ecommerce platform needs to be a perfect blend between functionality and aesthetics. Though, there are different platforms like PrestaShop, BigCommerce, Magento and OpenCart, Shopify has always been a preferred choice.
Here are some reasons why Shopify is the first choice for start-up ecommerce.
Simple and Easy Setup
Shopify is often referred as no-fuss platform. It is easy to use and also easy to setup. It is the perfect solution for all those companies which look forward to a total solution. There are no technicalities related to hosting and development. Shopify provides the necessary software and also hosting which is required for launching a website. In Shopify the admin interface is quite user-friendly.
Good Loading Speed
It is extremely important to ensure that a website loads fast. If a site takes time to load, it is not good for SEO as well. Visitors will quickly click away if the site takes too much time for loading. As Shopify provides a globally hosted solution, it is available with reliable infrastructure. It is available with optimized software and hardware. Thus, the platform gets quick loading speed. Thus, your ecommerce store will load quickly.
Visually Appealing
Who doesn’t want an attractive online store? Shopify provides a number of professional templates which help in creating visually appealing as well as unique stores. It is available with a minimal theme. However, developers and designers can work on the theme and build a store which offers an exceptional UX and rich UI.
App Integrations
Shopify offers plenty of customization abilities. It can be integrated with different apps. It implies that seller can include a few additional functionalities and functions. This will help in enhancing the value of the store.
Greater Reliability and Security
This is one of the main benefits of Shopify. It is a highly reliable platform. Security is extremely essential, as being an online ecommerce store, it will have to store critical financial data of clients. Besides, it needs to be online always so that customers can visit and purchase as and when necessary. Security and reliability are both taken care of Shopify.
Marketing Tools Available
Shopify is one platform which offers a marketing edge as well. Its basic version provides SEO features such as advanced e-commerce analytics. It also provides a number of marketing tools that include targeted email marketing, store statistics, discount coupons and also custom gift cards.
24/7 Customer Support
Through this e-commerce platform, users have access to 24 hours customer support. In case of any kind of difficulty or technical hassle, the online team is ready to offer the much needed support. Thus, you do not have to worry about whom to contact – experts are available through phone, live chat and email.
With several amazing features, Shopify is certainly one of the preferred ecommerce platforms for online store development. If you are just starting your ecommerce store, it is going to make things easier for you.
