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Want to sell your products online? Making an online store is easier than ever these days. As you start your research it is easy to be overloaded with the number of eCommerce options. It would be nice if there was one perfect platform out there, but there isn’t. Each one has pros and cons depending on how you want to run your online shop, so it is important to look closely at the features and compromises you have to make to use one tool or another to find the right option for your business. 

Two of the most popular options for small businesses are Shopify and WooCommerce.

Shopify

Shopify is one of the most popular right now. One of the factors contributing to the rise of Shopify was the choice by MVMT, a site that sells luxurious watches at a somewhat affordable price, to use this platform. 

The Basics:  

Shopify is a quick way to create and operate a store. Using one of their templates, which range in price from free to about $180, you can have your products online ready to sell quickly. One of the most common complaints I’ve read is that the websites start to look the same. If you want to stand out using this tool be sure to use the variations and customize your site with different colors and styles.

The basic site is functional but limited. If you want more advanced tools like product reviews, customer wish list and/or product recommendations, then you will need to pay extra for these options in their app store. 

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Pros

  • Mobile Responsive
  • Multiple ways to sell
  • Very intuitive to use

Cons

  • Expensive
  • limited themes

Price: $29 – $299. You will pay more for advanced features in the app store.

Woo-Commerce

What makes WooCommerce so great is that it works well with WordPress and that’s because it’s a WordPress plugin. This means that it can instantly provide you the means to sell your products online, but when it comes to the design aspect, you will have to rely on your current WordPress design and theme. WooCommerce works with most themes, provided that they follow the standard recommendations and best practices. 

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Since WooCommerce first became a plug-in, there have been hundreds of themes that developers have created. This gives WooCommerce a big advantage over Shopify. With Shopify, you are limited to their themes. If you are looking for more customization and design towards your company, then WooCommerce is the way to go.

Pro
  • Opensource with new themes every day
  • More options for a lower price
Cons
  • More work to set up and customize for your current theme

 

Price: Free-ish. Does not include the money you will still be paying for hosting, domain, etc.

Which e-commerce platform you choose really depends on what you have already have set-up. If you have a website set up through WordPress, then WooCommerce is really the most logical choice. If this is a new website and you want an all in one package, then Shopify can get you started. Another option is to go the Shopify route and mimic it to look like your current WordPress website. I recommend setting up a trial and seeing which option will work best for you. 

More and more people are saying that retail is dead, which is far from true. If you want to survive though you need to learn to adapt. If you sell physical products, then e-commerce is an option that you need to look into. If you need help planning the best option for your website, Roundpeg is strategy company that can help you plan the best tactics for your business.

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