The number of solutions for developing e-commerce platforms has multiplied in recent years, which sometimes makes it difficult for companies to choose. At OneClick, we had the opportunity to test most of the software solutions currently available on the market. Read on to find out more about the comparison between Shopify and the WooCommerce platform.
In our opinion, two solutions stand out: Shopify and WooCommerce. It should be noted that these are two very different solutions: Shopify is a proprietary software that offers various subscription models (with commissions), while WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin (an extension).
To make your choice easier, we offer you a comparison of e-commerce platforms, followed by a detailed analysis of each platform.
About Shopify
Shopify
Shopify was founded in 2004. Originally from Canada, the software now has just over 800,000 users and has been updated several times since its launch. Shopify is a proprietary, paid solution (monthly subscription + sales commission). Shopify is both very comprehensive and very user-friendly, which makes it a reference in e-commerce today. Its variety of functions is one of the reasons for its success.
Features of Shopify
The comparison of the e-commerce platforms shows that both Shopify and WooCommerce are easy to use. This is especially true for Shopify, which does not have the complex software image that is associated with open source solutions. The template store is very extensive and offers more than a dozen free themes and even more paid themes. The quality of the themes is really impressive and they can be customized and are available in different colors.
We offer professional Shopify development services to help companies build scalable and powerful e-commerce websites.
The editor for pages and product sheets is very easy to use. In contrast to most proprietary solutions, the interface does not work via drag & drop, but is similar to that of WordPress and Prestashop. The options for creating content are quite limited. If you want to combine an e-commerce section and a blog section on your website, we recommend that you choose a different software.
Shopify focuses on the essentials, namely the creation of product data sheets, the organization of the catalog, the management of payment methods, orders, deliveries and customers. And there's not much to complain about.
All the key e-commerce features such as automatic catalog updating, inventory management, item delisting, customer profile creation, discount codes and the ability to create a newsletter make Shopify one of the best e-commerce platforms for your online store.
Shopify offers a wide range of payment methods and allows you to configure and manage the entire delivery area very efficiently. Another plus point of Shopify is the ability to customize the templates and content of your automatic emails (e.g. confirmation emails). To add new features to your store, Shopify offers an impressive app store with over 500 applications, many of which are free.
Offers & Prices
Shopify offers three different subscriptions. In addition to the subscription price, Shopify receives a commission on your sales. This commission is degressive. It is 2 % of sales for the basic subscription, 1 % of sales for the medium subscription and only 0.5 % for the extended subscription.
The most important advantages of Shopify
- The simplicity of creating pages and managing the store.
- The quality of the templates.
- The world's best e-commerce functions, especially in terms of payment methods, delivery, discount codes or the configuration of automatic emails.
- Very responsive support (albeit in English).
Main disadvantages of using Shopify
- The price is quite high (subscriptions, commissions, applications).
- The rather disappointing quality of the tree structure (arrangement of the pages one below the other).
- The options for creating content (except e-commerce content).
WooCommerce
WordPress, as the name suggests, is an open source software originally developed for content editing (blog creation). WooCommerce, launched in 2011, is a WordPress plugin, i.e. an extension that allows you to add new features to WordPress and turn your WordPress into a powerful e-commerce store. In fact, WooCommerce is THE WordPress eCommerce plugin used by 30 % of eCommerce websites worldwide.
In 2016, 700,000 WordPress websites installed WooCommerce, making it the world's best solution for designing and developing e-commerce platforms. This success is due to the incredible functionality of this extension.
Features of WooCommerce
As with all plugins, WooCommerce is installed directly via the WordPress back office in just a few seconds. After installing WooCommerce, two new menus appear - the «WooCommerce» menu, which you can use to configure and manage your store, and the «Product» menu, which you can use to create your product sheets and organize them into categories.
Catalog management with WooCommerce: All important e-commerce functions are available to manage orders, payment methods, deliveries and vouchers. The statistics on eCommerce activity are very well prepared and quite comprehensive. We are amazed at the level of configuration and detail of the individual eCommerce aspects. Together with the large selection of add-ons, WooCommerce really fulfills all requirements, even the most specific ones, to be the best eCommerce platform for your online business.
The interface for editing product sheets will look familiar to those who are already familiar with WordPress. The only difference is the presence of the «Product data» block, which allows you to configure all the parameters of the product file, from the selling price to the variants, including color, size, weight, stock and calculation. Everything is there.
WooCommerce is already very complete out of the box, but its functionality can be extended even further thanks to add-ons. WooThemes, the publisher of WooCommerce, offers several hundred extensions, some of which are free and some of which are paid. With these extensions you can fulfill very specific business requirements, e.g.
- Configuration of flash sales,
- Adding a countdown
- Management of customer surveys
- Management of subscriptions etc.
Note: Make sure you choose a WordPress theme that is compatible with WooCommerce. Not all WordPress themes (including the eCommerce access themes) are compatible.
Offers & Prices
WooCommerce is a free plugin. However, some addons are chargeable and some templates are chargeable. Also consider the cost of hosting (choose the best web hosting for eCommerce), the cost of the domain name and the cost of maintaining your website.
The most important advantages of WooCommerce
- It's a plugin that works with WordPress, one of the most powerful open source software in the world!
- Unlimited customization options.
- The range of functions can be extended (almost) indefinitely using add-ons.
- It is absolutely free.
The biggest disadvantages of WooCommerce
- The plugin is not compatible with all WordPress themes.
- The relatively high price of some add-ons.
- WooCommerce is less suitable for very large e-commerce websites.
- Customizing your WooCommerce website requires programming skills.
Conclusion
These are some of the most important criteria for comparing eCommerce platforms. Both Shopify and WooCommerce are among the best eCommerce platforms for your online store. The final choice depends on your business requirements and your budget for developing a highly functional eCommerce website or application.
Mirostudio is recognized as the best Web agency for the development of eCommerce platforms in Switzerland. Our team of experts offers not only development solutions, but also the right digital marketing support to boost your sales. Contact us today to get your business online.
