The pandemic has turned the e-commerce sector into a commercial honeypot. It has risen dramatically since 2020, doing commerce of roughly 4.28 trillion dollars, and by 2022, it is expected to reach 5.4 trillion dollars.
When it comes to how to launch an online store, two options stand head and shoulders above the rest: WooCommerce and Shopify. But how can you know which one is right for you if you’re deciding between WooCommerce and Shopify?
In this ever-increasing rivalry, you must plan effective methods as well as select the best e-commerce development platform for your online store.
Both WooCommerce and Shopify have several advantages and could be the ideal platform for you to use to create an online business. The best part is that you can do it without the assistance of expert designers and or developers.
While Shopify may appear to be more popular, use statistics reveal otherwise. WooCommerce has a 29 percent share of the top 1 million eCommerce sites, compared to 19 percent for Shopify, making it the most popular store builder on the market.
This merely goes to show that numbers alone aren’t enough to determine which is the best option. Much more significant elements to consider include ease of use, flexibility, features, payment methods, and integrations – and what’s ‘perfect’ for one store owner may not be suitable for you.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is an e-commerce software that aids in the management of an online store. It is a viable option to open physical stores to reach a worldwide audience. It allows you to raise both your sales and your reach without the increasing pains that come with expanding your store.
In other words, it’s a simple-to-use tool for online shops that also includes a Point of Sale (POS) app for making payments in physical stores. It allows businesses to create a multi-channel experience that highlights their brand. You may construct a website and use their shopping cart solution to sell, ship, and manage your products with their subscription-based platform.
Merchants can use Shopify to create and design an online store and sell it across numerous platforms, including the web, mobile, social media, online marketplaces, physical locations, and pop-up stores. Products, inventory, payments, and shipping are all managed through Shopify.
It’s cloud-based and hosted, so you can use it from any connected device, and we’ll take care of software and server upgrades and maintenance. This allows you to access and manage your business from any location with an internet connection.
How Shopify Works
Shopify operates on a monthly subscription-based Software as a Service (SaaS) model. You won’t have to bother about upgrading or maintaining software or web servers because it’s a cloud-based solution.
This allows you to access and manage your business from any location with an internet connection. With Shopify’s online store builder and themes, you can modify the look and feel of your online store. In as little as 15 minutes, users can have their own Shopify store.
Shopify offers options ranging from $29 for basic to $299 for advanced, all of which include access to the admin panel, which allows you to create a fully complete online store from the front end to the back end.
Shopify is expected to have over 1,000,000 active merchants and over 14,000 partners by 2020. It is without a doubt the most popular E-commerce platform for businesses of all sizes.
What is WooCommerce?
If you’re wondering “What is WooCommerce?” you probably already have a WordPress site and are ready to start selling, well, anything. We’ll go through what WooCommerce is, what it can do for you, and why you should use it in this post.
WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that seamlessly connects with your existing WordPress site, transforming it into a fully functional WordPress e-commerce site in just a few clicks. When the plugin was first released in 2011, it immediately became the go-to solution for anyone wishing to start their online store.
Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com) bought the plugin and its parent company in 2015, making it their largest purchase to that point, and it has continued to grow at a breakneck pace ever since.
Order tracking, customer engagement, delivery status updates, inventory management, and other capabilities are all available with WooCommerce. WooCommerce powers 99 percent of all WordPress stores, with over 27 million downloads to date. WooCommerce is a simple to use platform. It’s simple to use for new website owners.
In comparison to other eCommerce platforms, WooCommerce powers more than 25% of the top 1 million websites worldwide. Because it is adaptable and beginner-friendly, its popularity continues to grow.
WooCommerce enables selling any goods or service on your website simple and economical. It enables you to sell both digital and physical things, accept secure payments, manage inventory, and automatically sort your taxes.
How WooCommerce Works?
WooCommerce is a plugin that turns the WordPress operating system into a fully functional eCommerce store. WooCommerce is also the most common solution to create an eCommerce store for a profitable website. It is used by 25% of the top 1 million websites in the world which speaks volumes of its popularity.
The simplicity of WooCommerce’s installation is perhaps why so many website owners are asking, “What is WooCommerce?” The four-step procedure is straightforward: go to your WordPress dashboard, pick “Plugin Options,” search for WooCommerce, and install the plugin on your site. The Setup Wizard will then guide you through the simple process of setting up your online store.
Once you’ve set up WooCommerce on your website, you’ll have access to a wider choice of WooCommerce extensions. WooCommerce extensions are WordPress plugins that are meant to work in conjunction with the WooCommerce plugin. They enable your online store to do more. They can also integrate your store with other systems, such as your accounting software and email marketing software.
Both WordPress and WooCommerce are open source and free software. This implies that anyone can download and use the software for free. Anyone can alter and change the software thanks to the open-source methodology. Volunteer teams of developers from all around the world work on both WordPress and WooCommerce.
Shopify vs WooCommerce: Top Pros & Cons
SHOPIFY
Pros
- Shopify is simple to use
There are numerous advantages. Other eCommerce platforms lack features like aid with managing the store’s technological needs, a simple interface, and access to various useful ones, which Shopify does. - Shopify offers 24/7 support
Shopify employs a specialized customer service team. They offer user assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be able to address most of your problems by email or live chat. - Shopify offers high-quality designs
Shopify has high-quality designs that are responsive and mobile-friendly. There are roughly 170 free themes to pick from, and the Liquid template engine may still be used to develop custom themes. - Shopify comes with multiple plugins and tools
A single platform can’t provide all of the capabilities that businesses require to construct their eCommerce stores. Shopify has several built-in tool features to satisfy the demands of the platform’s users. - Shopify offers tons of marketing tools
The more people who see your store, the more likely it is to succeed. Search Engine Optimization is a powerful tool for increasing traffic to your website. Shopify’s platform includes numerous SEO features as well as other marketing tools.
Cons
- Shopify isn’t a free service
Let’s get one thing straight: Shopify is not a free platform. There is a monthly fee for this service. Some themes require payment. In their App Store, there are feeds for using various apps. - Customization isn’t easy on Spotify
Another disadvantage of utilizing Shopify for your eCommerce store is that its themes must be altered using the Shopify Liquid setup, which may be too complicated for inexperienced developers.
WOOCOMMERCE
Pros
- WooCommerce is completely free and open-source
Completely free and open source: WooCommerce is unique in that it is both free and open source. Because it is founded on open cooperation, any user, designer, or programmer can change its code. - WooCommerce is 100% customizable
Continuing with WooCommerce’s benefits, WooCommerce customization possibilities stand out especially brightly. There are thousands of themes available for this platform, and all of its aspects can be customized. - WooCommerce offers great flexibility
It can be customized for any type of online store, regardless of their market niche or products! It can be set up to sell products that are physical, virtual, or downloadable. It’s also adaptable to affiliate networks and other revenue structures. - WooCommerce offers superior security
However, security is one of the advantages of adopting WooCommerce. This platform is updated regularly to ensure that it is up to date in terms of cybersecurity. However, the WooCommerce plugin lacks features like an SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer) or backup facilities for making backups. - WooCommerce has countless extensions
It’s incredible how many features and tools can be added. If you’re looking for any unique features, there’s a good chance you’ll find them in a plugin.
Cons
- WooCommerce is WordPress specific
Because WooCommerce is still a plugin, you can’t use it on sites that aren’t hosted by WordPress. Such terms make it difficult for already established firms to implement WooCommerce because it necessitates a redesign of their website. - You have to pay for extensions
It turns out that this WordPress plugin may be downloaded and installed for free. The majority of its widgets and add-ons are available for free. - It doesn’t offer many core features
With their add-ons, WooCommerce may truly create the shopping cart of your desires. WooCommerce, on the other hand, does not have as much basic functionality out of the box as other shopping carts.