justin
Which is the best e-Commerce platform?
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- , Uncategorized
Overview of both WooCommerce & Shopify:
So you have decided you are going to sell your products online and perhaps you are not sure as to which e-commerce platform you should incorporate into your website.
The two most commonly used solutions are Shopify and WooCommerce. Deciding which one you should choose for your small business largely depends on your individual needs. As if often the case with products that basically do a similar but not identical job both products have their supporters and detractors with one being favoured over the other. When it comes to building an online store these two options are far and away the most popular options due to ease of use, expandability, and overall value.
The biggest difference between the two platforms is the setup process and pricing (Woocommerce is a free). WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress which means your site must be a WordPress website for which you have to pay a hosting fee, install the WooCommerce plugin, and then setup the online store. However, if you already have an existing WordPress website, adding WooCommerce is an option.
The other option, Shopify, is a self-hosted solution meaning you don’t have to find a web host, install a separate content management system, and then add Shopify. If you have no technical skills or if you are starting from scratch, Shopify is probably the easier choice.Essentially this means that Shopify can be used even if you don’t already have a website.
WooCommerce offers the following features:
*Several different payment gateways which include PayPal, BACS, and Cash on Delivery.
*Free and/or flat rate shipping and tax settings which include different tax bands and local tax rates.
*Reporting capabilities that include incoming sales, reviews, inventory levels and general inventory performance.
*Integrated user reviews, discount options, usage limits.
*Functionality to cross-promote and up-sell products.
*The option to sell both downloadable and physical goods.
This wordpress plugin is also benefits from bespoke features, intuitive interface, and a simple representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API), which provides online retailers better ways to satisfy their shipping and order fulfilment related needs.
Given that WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin, there are SEO benefits to take into consideration. WordPress is primarily a content creation platform and it’s well-known for its SEO capabilities. When you pair WooCommerce with a WordPress website, you can easily content and add meta data and geo tag your images which improves your sites visibility on the search engines. In addition WordPress handles blogging in a logical and organised way with its categories and archives giving you greater control over your content.
WooCommerce offers the most basic features for free in the core plugin which is suitable for many businesses. However if you want to maximise your online selling potential, you will likely explore the options of a paid WooCommerce extension.
One feature that most of the people like about WooCommerce is the level of customisation ability it offers. The plugin is very adaptable to beef up the front-end user experience and utilising with back-end administrative tools to customise the look of your website.
The add-on option offers plenty of interesting choices which allow you to scale up, such as selling on Facebook, integrating your store with MailChimp, automatically recording sales in QuickBooks, setting up recurring subscriptions, and much much more.
WooCommerce offers detailed documentation which is very easy to follow and there is an active community of users as well as developers whose focus is to improve and extend WooCommerce by developing themes and add-ons.
Shopify offers the following features:
*Responsive, mobile-friendly design.
*The ability to use your own domain name.
*Usable website builder to customise the look of your store.
*Blogging platform available.
*Detailed reporting functionality and site analytics.
*Social media integration and email marketing feature.
*Product variations, review, discounts etc.
You have the option to build an e-commerce “stand alone” website without actually having to have a website. The platform is one of the best cloud-hosted e-commerce solutions available today.
Unlike WooCommerce, there is no free plan but the pricing is still affordable. Like with WooCommerce, there are a range of themes offered by Shopify as well add-ons which give you the option of additional features for your store.
As Shopify is used with dedicated servers catering exclusively to Shopify stores, the page loading times and overall performance can be slightly better than that of WordPress (this of course depends on other aspects of your web design).
Shopify has integrated SEO features such as: image optimisation, defining title, alt, and meta tags, as well as product descriptions. Something else in favour of Shopify is that SSL certification (Secure Sockets Layer) comes with all the stores in every plan, with no additional charge.
Similarly to WooCommerce, Shopify has detailed documentation and a very active community. But unlike WooCommerce where support comes mainly from the online community, Shopify has a dedicated customer support team available 24-7 as well.
WHICH IS BEST FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
WooCommerce is the most logical choice for those of you who are already set up on the WordPress platform, have an existing hosting plan, and if you don’t mind paying a little extra for an SSL security certificate. Integrating WooCommerce to your existing website is possible without any interruption to your current site.
Shopify is a great choice for those new to the world of eCommerce, and an option for those who don’t have an existing website. It features a user friendly design and some of the more advanced features will cater for the needs of more demanding users.Either platform can help you run a successful eCommerce site.
Get Started With an eCommerce Platform Today
Either platform can help you run a successful eCommerce site.
The decision is yours!
If you’ve already made your decision, see how Leg Up Web Designers can help you, enabling you to update inventory in real-time and automate order processing.
So if you are interested in selling your products online why not get in touch with us to discuss in more detail and discover how we can help grow your business. Both of these platforms are viable options for setting up your online store in a quick and efficient way. On top of being easy to use and feature rich, both offer plenty of options when it comes to the visual appearance of your store.
justin
Which is the best e-Commerce platform?
- ,
- , Uncategorized
Overview of both WooCommerce & Shopify:
So you have decided you are going to sell your products online and perhaps you are not sure as to which e-commerce platform you should incorporate into your website.
The two most commonly used solutions are Shopify and WooCommerce. Deciding which one you should choose for your small business largely depends on your individual needs. As if often the case with products that basically do a similar but not identical job both products have their supporters and detractors with one being favoured over the other. When it comes to building an online store these two options are far and away the most popular options due to ease of use, expandability, and overall value.
The biggest difference between the two platforms is the setup process and pricing (Woocommerce is a free). WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress which means your site must be a WordPress website for which you have to pay a hosting fee, install the WooCommerce plugin, and then setup the online store. However, if you already have an existing WordPress website, adding WooCommerce is an option.
The other option, Shopify, is a self-hosted solution meaning you don’t have to find a web host, install a separate content management system, and then add Shopify. If you have no technical skills or if you are starting from scratch, Shopify is probably the easier choice.Essentially this means that Shopify can be used even if you don’t already have a website.
WooCommerce offers the following features:
*Several different payment gateways which include PayPal, BACS, and Cash on Delivery.
*Free and/or flat rate shipping and tax settings which include different tax bands and local tax rates.
*Reporting capabilities that include incoming sales, reviews, inventory levels and general inventory performance.
*Integrated user reviews, discount options, usage limits.
*Functionality to cross-promote and up-sell products.
*The option to sell both downloadable and physical goods.
This wordpress plugin is also benefits from bespoke features, intuitive interface, and a simple representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface (API), which provides online retailers better ways to satisfy their shipping and order fulfilment related needs.
Given that WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin, there are SEO benefits to take into consideration. WordPress is primarily a content creation platform and it’s well-known for its SEO capabilities. When you pair WooCommerce with a WordPress website, you can easily content and add meta data and geo tag your images which improves your sites visibility on the search engines. In addition WordPress handles blogging in a logical and organised way with its categories and archives giving you greater control over your content.
WooCommerce offers the most basic features for free in the core plugin which is suitable for many businesses. However if you want to maximise your online selling potential, you will likely explore the options of a paid WooCommerce extension.
One feature that most of the people like about WooCommerce is the level of customisation ability it offers. The plugin is very adaptable to beef up the front-end user experience and utilising with back-end administrative tools to customise the look of your website.
The add-on option offers plenty of interesting choices which allow you to scale up, such as selling on Facebook, integrating your store with MailChimp, automatically recording sales in QuickBooks, setting up recurring subscriptions, and much much more.
WooCommerce offers detailed documentation which is very easy to follow and there is an active community of users as well as developers whose focus is to improve and extend WooCommerce by developing themes and add-ons.
Shopify offers the following features:
*Responsive, mobile-friendly design.
*The ability to use your own domain name.
*Usable website builder to customise the look of your store.
*Blogging platform available.
*Detailed reporting functionality and site analytics.
*Social media integration and email marketing feature.
*Product variations, review, discounts etc.
You have the option to build an e-commerce “stand alone” website without actually having to have a website. The platform is one of the best cloud-hosted e-commerce solutions available today.
Unlike WooCommerce, there is no free plan but the pricing is still affordable. Like with WooCommerce, there are a range of themes offered by Shopify as well add-ons which give you the option of additional features for your store.
As Shopify is used with dedicated servers catering exclusively to Shopify stores, the page loading times and overall performance can be slightly better than that of WordPress (this of course depends on other aspects of your web design).
Shopify has integrated SEO features such as: image optimisation, defining title, alt, and meta tags, as well as product descriptions. Something else in favour of Shopify is that SSL certification (Secure Sockets Layer) comes with all the stores in every plan, with no additional charge.
Similarly to WooCommerce, Shopify has detailed documentation and a very active community. But unlike WooCommerce where support comes mainly from the online community, Shopify has a dedicated customer support team available 24-7 as well.
WHICH IS BEST FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
WooCommerce is the most logical choice for those of you who are already set up on the WordPress platform, have an existing hosting plan, and if you don’t mind paying a little extra for an SSL security certificate. Integrating WooCommerce to your existing website is possible without any interruption to your current site.
Shopify is a great choice for those new to the world of eCommerce, and an option for those who don’t have an existing website. It features a user friendly design and some of the more advanced features will cater for the needs of more demanding users.Either platform can help you run a successful eCommerce site.
Get Started With an eCommerce Platform Today
Either platform can help you run a successful eCommerce site.
The decision is yours!
If you’ve already made your decision, see how Leg Up Web Designers can help you, enabling you to update inventory in real-time and automate order processing.
So if you are interested in selling your products online why not get in touch with us to discuss in more detail and discover how we can help grow your business. Both of these platforms are viable options for setting up your online store in a quick and efficient way. On top of being easy to use and feature rich, both offer plenty of options when it comes to the visual appearance of your store.