Are you looking to start your online business? Choosing the right eCommerce platform to launch your online store is crucial and it involves various factors such as website loading time, ‘must-have’ features list, platform types such as hosted, proprietary, open source, multi-level security, choosing the most suitable CMS and plugins/tools support.
There are many eCommerce platforms, but among them, the top three are: Magneto 2.0, Shopify and WooCommerce. So, which eCommerce platform will best suit your needs? Let’s checkout in this comparison. Before getting into the details, here’s a brief application of each eCommerce platform.
Shopify is a subscription-based platform with more than 1000 apps to add functionalities. Magento is suitable for large-size businesses as it can host different online stores from a common admin panel and like Shopify, there are many plugins, free as well as paid. WooCommerce best fits small or medium businesses and can help create an online store from scratch, with just WordPress.
Shopify
Shopify is specifically for eCommerce and has many advantages such as easy installation of apps, beginners-friendly and easy catalog management. More than 500,000 users have chosen Shopify as their eCommerce platform. Here are the key highlights of Shopify and the benefits you can enjoy choosing this eCommerce platform:
- ‘eCommerce-first’ approach
- Easy app installation and updation
- Built-in SEO tools available
- 70+ gateways supported
- User-friendly platform
- Beginners can use and navigate easily
- Catalog management is easy
- Theme setup is simple and easy
- Includes SSL and hosting
- Cost-effectiveness
It is equally important to learn the shortcomings of Shopify to know where this CMS may not suit your needs. Here are the key factors.
- Limited CMS capabilities
- Difficulty in managing complex catalogs
- Extra transaction fees when not using Shopify payments
Magento 2.0
Magento 2.0 is one of the popular eCommerce platforms among online retailers. Across the globe, more than 250,000 retailers use Magento. It has extensive functionality and with Magento 2, developers can further utilize the latest technology and deliver incredible results. Here are the major highlights of Magento 2:
- Multi-lingual & multi-currency functionality
- Suitable for B2B eCommerce
- Easy catalog and order management
- Flexible, scalable and integration-friendly
- Provides secure payments
- Gets built-in testing framework
- Allows multiple editing
- Strong core functionality
- Gets migration tool
- Capable of handling large product database
Magento 2 has drawbacks that you have to keep in mind before choosing it. The drawbacks are listed below:
- Overall cost of ownership is high
- Implementing themes and integrating third-party apps take time
- Development operations involve cost and additional time
WooCommerce
WooCommerce has two million users across the world which makes it the most commonly used eCommerce platform. Unlike Shopify or Magento, it is confined to be a wordpress plugin. This essentially means that WooCommerce is most suited for small projects that use WordPress as their CMS. Here are the top highlights of WooCommerce.
- Integrated with Google Analytics
- Open source community
- Wider CMS capabilities
- 50000+ plugin options
- Plenty of free and paid themes available
- Simple platform for beginners to learn and use
- Plenty of free and premium themes are available
- Gets sophisticated extension system
- No transaction fees
- Easy customizations with full control of code base
WooCommerce, like Shopify and Magento, has its own set of disadvantages as listed below:
- Not fully eCommerce-centric
- Dependency on developer is high, especially for maintenance and improvements
- Constant updates required for plugins and core software as well.
Suitable Industries for each eCommerce platform
Shopify is best suitable for fashion, consumer goods, jewelry and retailers. Magento suits B2B, health & beauty, multinational retailers and manufacturing. WooCommerce can fit publishing, lifestyle, healthcare and services industry.
Conclusion
We have known the advantages, disadvantages of each eCommerce platforms and also the industries that use each eCommerce platform. So, choose the right eCommerce platform that best suits your industry.
Are you looking for a partner to develop your eCommerce store? At The Commerce Shop, we have certified professionals and experts in Magento, WooCommerce and Shopify. We have created a host of eCommerce stores for our clients. Contact us today!
