When it comes to selling your products online, the right tools can make all the difference. Two of the biggest names in the e-commerce game are WooCommerce and Shopify. Both options can work well for your business — but there’s not necessarily a one size fits all pick.
To help you better understand which one could be the better fit for you, here’s a look at what each platform has to offer.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an e-commerce platform specifically designed for integration with WordPress sites. It is a free, open-source platform that offers a variety of modern templates, as well as other e-commerce essentials such as analytics, shipping configurations, and secure payments.
The real customization of WooCommerce comes through being able to make use of other WordPress plugins and extensions. While not all of these are free, you have over 55,000 options to choose from. This lets you pick and choose the plugins that are the most relevant to your site and its needs (including key areas like SEO and marketing).
By making use of free themes and plugins, you can generally keep your e-commerce expenses down to those associated with obtaining a domain name, web hosting, and an SSL certificate. WooCommerce does not charge any fees on transactions made through your online store. Of course, if you use a lot of paid plugins or themes, your costs could begin to add up.
The main drawback of WooCommerce is that it does’t come with a drag and drop design tool. Instead, building your site is more reliant on coding. You’ll also need to manage updates, backups, and security yourself. This can be a bit of a challenge for less technically-minded people (though services like our Website Care Plans can help).
Shopify
Shopify is a hosted software that provides hosting, security, and design templates to help you easily get an e-commerce store up and running. The platform is exclusively focused on e-commerce, and as a result offers built in support for features like offering discount codes or implementing multi-channel integration with Amazon and other sales channels.
The big pro of Shopify is that it is incredibly easy to use. Everything is fairly straightforward for building a brand new e-commerce website, and the company offers vast how-to guides and other resources to help you get your site up and running. However, WordPress integration is pretty much limited to adding a buy button to your site.
Perhaps the biggest drawback of Shopify is its price. Shopify plans range from $39-$399 per month, with more features unlocking at the more expensive plans. In addition, Shopify charges 2.9% + 30 cents on all online credit card purchases, which can eat away at your margins.
The Verdict
If you already have a WordPress website, then adding WooCommerce is going to be your best option. Not only is it cheaper and more customizable, but it can easily integrate with your existing online presence.
Shopify is a powerful selling tool of its own, but it generally requires using Shopify’s own platform, even though you can add Shopify buy buttons to a WordPress site. Still, it can work well if you need to quickly make an e-commerce site with little technical know-how and don’t mind the higher prices.
