One of the great things about starting an online store in this day and age is that you don’t necessarily need the kind of huge budgets and infinite resources used by industry leaders like Amazon.
Sure, the more time, money and manpower you’ve got at your disposal, the more impressive things you can do with your new website, but for now, let’s say you’re not in the slim minority of business owners who has all that, but rather the vast majority looking to start their own business on a shoestring budget.
For you, good news comes in the form of low-cost, easy to use website builders that give you everything you need to create a powerful, gorgeous looking eCommerce website without needing to know any complex web code or spending vast sums of money on getting somebody else to do the hard work for you.
Dedicated eCommerce platform vs. multi-purpose site builder
According to a number of leading review websites, two of the best eCommerce platforms out there right now are Shopify and Wix. The former is a dedicated eCommerce solution that focuses entirely on supporting new store owners with launching their first site, whilst the latter adds online store creation to its big portfolio of other kinds of websites, including creative portfolios, business brochure sites and personal blogs.
With that in mind, you’d be tempted to believe that Shopify rules the roost in this particular category, though if you check out any amount of feedback online, you’re sure to find that Wix’s eCommerce platform has more than its fair share of fans too.
So, which one really is better for building your new online store? We pitted Wix and Shopify against one another to find out.
Costs
Isn’t this what you really want to know? Which one is going to give you everything you need at the lowest price possible?
For this round alone, we have to give the point to Shopify, simply because they offer more flexible pricing to suit just about any kind of budget, with plans ranging from a low cost, ‘lite’ package at just $9, all the way to their grand enterprise package at a cool $179 per month.
With Wix on the other hand, you’ve basically got the one $10 per month eCommerce package. Whilst this does actually offer more than Shopify’s cheapest option, it doesn’t include quite as much as their next level up at $29 per month.
Ease of Use
Wix even the scores at 1-1 thanks to their highly intuitive user interface, clear, simple navigation and effortless template customization. Sure, Shopify isn’t exactly challenging to use, but having spent a fair amount of time on both sites, we found that Wix pretty much rules the proverbial roost as the ideal option for newcomers.
Theme design
Once again, Wix wins out here. Part of the reason this particular platform is such a popular option for all kinds of different websites is its attractive, professionally pre-designed templates that really stand a cut above the rest of the competition.
Again, this isn’t to say that Shopify’s templates aren’t up to scratch, but for the most part we found that all but a very few high priced premium themes offered anything different or unique, whilst even Wix’s free options were beautifully made to ensure that your online store didn’t just look like everything else on the market.
eCommerce tools and features
As you may expect from a dedicated eCommerce platform, Shopify wins this round to end our head-to-head battle on a 2-2 draw. Whilst Wix does include all the basic features you’ll need to start your site (such as payment processing, site security and a dedicated shopping cart), Shopify does all of that and a whole lot more, and generally does it a whole lot better to boot.
So, if you want e-commerce tools and features for your site at a good cost, you should pick up Shopify. If you want good themes and easy to use platform, go for Wix.
Which one would you prefer for yourself?
The post Wix vs. Shopify – Which is Better for Building Your eCommerce Store? appeared first on Startup Champ.
