The benefits of online shopping need no elaboration anymore. Billions of people rely on online shopping service providers across the world. In fact, the e-commerce platforms proved to be saviors for people during the months of lockdown. Developing an online store can be profitable for sure but choosing the right tool or application is also necessary. There are plenty of e-commerce solution development platforms available, and picking the best one can be tedious. Shopify and WordPress are two top contenders.
The basics of Shopify and WordPress
There was a time web developers resorted to manual coding to create e-commerce websites, but that is no longer seen. Nowadays, platform and CMS tools have made creating an online store simpler and faster. WordPress is a CMS powered by PHP. It can be used to develop almost all types of websites. To create an online store with WordPress, you have to use WooCommerce, a popular plugin for WP. For those with a WP website, using WooCommerce is only logical and convenient. Seeking the expertise of a WordPress development company will be of help in this regard.
Shopify is the ideal solution if you want to create a stunning and functional online store without using any kind of coding, and delay is the last thing on your mind. It lets you create an online store fast, and the features are quite comprehensive. It is a robust e-commerce website builder. It comes with a trial covering 14 days. The service is hosted, and users need not worry about hosting their online stores. It is a SaaS tool.
Picking between Shopify and WP (WooCommerce)
Both Shopify and WP come with their own advantages and limitations for developing e-commerce websites. It will be easier for you to fathom which one matches your needs better after assessing their pros and cons.
The advantages of WordPress for E-Commerce website development
- Free and Open Source- Both WordPress and its plugin, namely WooCommerce, can be used for free. It is an Open Source platform. So, it is suited for brands with a limited budget or small entities. WP also has a hosted version, and rates are quite low compared to the rivals.
- Very customizable- WP is loved by the users for its huge customization options. It has a huge number of themes, including some nice free themes. Some customizing the online store will not be a problem when WP is chosen.
- Huge range of plug-ins- You can make use of many free WP plug-ins to enhance the overall performance of your online store. WooCommerce is a plugin to make a WP website into a functional online store smoothly. There are plugins for security enhancement, backups and media management etc.
- Product and Inventory Management- WooCommerce is ideal for making online stores that let you sell physical and digital products. Adding newer products and removing older ones is also simple. Hire a WordPress developer to make things easier in this regard.
- Mobile-Friendly- WordPress has mobile-friendly themes, so your online store will be optimized for mobile device users.
Regular updates- You will receive updates for both WP and WooCommerce. These updates bring in useful new features, and these are also handy for enhancing the stability and security of your e-commerce website. - Multiple Payment Gateways- WooCommerce supports multiple currencies and payment gateways. This helps in keeping things easier and flexible for target buyers.
- Thriving online community- A major advantage of using WP is the huge community support. It has been in the web development arena for a long time, and so the number of online community groups has grown over time. When you need solutions for your WP online store, finding resources and tips online is easy.
The drawbacks of WordPress for E-Commerce website development
- Lacks advanced features- Compared to many competing e-commerce development tools, WooCommerce lack certain advanced features.
- Performance Glitches- A WP website with many plug-ins may face glitches from time to time. This can be triggered by specific plug-ins. The load on the server can go up-leading to a slow loading speed.
- Additional costs- While WP itself is free and there are some free themes and plug-ins that is not the end of the story. To get hosting and buy a domain name, you have to pay. Certain useful plug-ins are not free, as you will see. The Ecommerce plan in the hosted version of WP is quite costly.
The advantages of Shopify for E-Commerce website development
- Mobile-Responsive Themes- Shopify has fewer themes than WP, but its themes are mobile-optimized. The themes look great, and they are professionally designed. The online stores powered by Shopify load fast on PCs and mobile devices.
- Secure platform- You may be worried about the safety of your online store. Shopify is a secure platform, and the company deploys advanced security features.
- In-House App Store- Shopify has a robust in-house app store with 1200 plus plugins and apps. These apps can be used to boost the functionality of your online store.
- Top-Notch Analytics- When you pick Shopify, you get embedded analytics features. These help you fathom a lot of nuances of e-commerce operations. You get insight into nuances like sales, customer preferences, retention rate etc.
- Decent Customer Support- Shopify has become popular partly owing to the superb customer support offered by the company. You get access to a huge database of FAQs, to begin with. Besides, it offers email, chat, and telephonic support.
- Scalability- Shopify-based online stores are scalable. So, you can cope with a sudden hike in online traffic.
- Payment gateways- Shopify offers support for most of the popular online payment gateways.
- No hosting woes- When you pick Shopify, you get a SaaS solution and so there is no need to look for hosting.
The drawbacks of Shopify for E-Commerce website development
- Transaction Fees- Shopify does not come for free, and this can be a deterrent for brands with a tight budget. There are several subscription plans, and the basic one costs $29 per month. This may not be ideal for start-ups.
- Small quirks- Shopify uses jargon that may make things hard for beginners. There are limitations on Product Filtering as well.
- No Email Hosting Facility- Shopify does not offer an email hosting feature. You cannot use an email address which is domain-based.
Which one to choose between Shopify and WP for e-commerce development?
It depends on your budget, situation and usage needs.
Choose WP if:
- You are well versed in WP and have a WP website already.
- Your budget is rather limited.
- You need extensive customizations for an online store.
- You want extensive customization.
Choose Shopify is:
- Budget is not an issue.
- You want the online store to be designed ASAP.
- You want the store to look awesome and lack design skill.
- You want security to be top-notch.
- You want great customer support.
- You seek a hosted solution.
While these two tools are great for developing e-commerce websites, you can also think of using other popular contenders. There are tools and services like Magento, BigCommerce, Prestashop, Ecwid and Trello.
Hiring a veteran Shopify or WP developer is important.
Whether you pick Shopify or WP for setting up an online store, seeking the expertise of a developer can be useful. A veteran Shopify development company can set up an online store and utilize advanced features in the right ways. The same thing can be said about the usefulness of hiring an ace WP developer. When you look for the Shopify developers, check for their expertise, portfolio and client feedback.