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The power of your marketplace on Shopify is to seamlessly connect you with diverse vendors and their unique products. Whether you're a tech expert or a novice, Shopify equips you to confidently manage an online marketplace on your own.

But in today's crowded digital landscape, how can your Shopify marketplace stand out? The secret lies in niche mastery, vendor empowerment, and customer experience enhancement.

Many marketplaces excel at carving a niche, yet stumble in the other two areas.

Why?

Without external plugins, Shopify falls short in vendor registration, product and order management by vendors, and commission calculations. Moreover, it lacks advanced order processing features like automated labeling, shipping, tracking, and invoicing, as well as essential marketing tools.

Enter Shipturtle, your Shopify multivendor marketplace plugin. This powerful plugin unleashes your Shopify marketplace's true potential.

Fortunately, we devised a comprehensive 9-point checklist to consider before building a marketplace on Shopify.

Shopify Marketplace: Tick This Checklist To Build a Thriving Multi-Vendor Marketplace

1. Choose the Right Shopify Multi-Vendor Marketplace Plugin:

• Begin by defining your marketplace's niche and value proposition.
• Then, select the right marketplace apps from Shopify's extensive app store:
• Multi-Vendor Marketplace Apps: Choose from Onport, or Flxpoint for vendor onboarding, product listing management, and commission tracking.
• Inventory Management Apps: Syncio, or SyncLogic can synchronize your inventory in real time across multiple stores.
• Shipping and Fulfillment Apps: Consider Pluginhive, or Indian Logistics Services for automated shipping and order fulfillment.
• Brand Partnerships: Connect with similar brands using tools like Carro or Shopcanal
  
  

Shipturtle stands out as a comprehensive solution for enhancing Shopify's capabilities, offering a range of features for marketplace optimization.

2. Theme Selection & Mobile Optimization

• Select a Shopify theme that is visually appealing, functionally rich, and responsive across devices.
• It should support vendor storefronts, product search filters, and a streamlined checkout process.

Find curated Shopify themes for your e-commerce marketplace here.

3. Legal Compliance

• Ensure your marketplace adheres to e-commerce and data privacy laws. This includes terms of service, privacy policies, and dispute resolution procedures.

4. Vendor Recruitment

• Focus on attracting the right vendors and facilitating their smooth integration into your platform.
• Create compelling recruitment materials and highlight success stories to attract potential vendors.

5. Onboarding & Vendor Vetting

• Streamline the registration process and provide dedicated support during onboarding. Utilize Shipturtle for automated vendor acquisition and management.

6. Product Quality Control

• Define meticulous guidelines for product descriptions, images, pricing, and shipping.
• Ensure vendors accurately portray their offerings and surpass platform quality standards.
• Empower vendors with gold-standard resources like training and best practices. Let them manage products at their end with Shipturtle’s amazing Vendor Website Sync
• This prevents you from manually uploading pages of product data at your end. Shipturtle also tracks every move your vendor makes on your marketplace website, making troubleshooting a breeze.

7. Payment and Commission Structure

• Establish a transparent payment system and commission structure.
• Integrate secure payment gateways and automate payment disbursements using apps like Shipturtle.

8. Shipping Options

• While Shopify tracks order fulfillment, integrating with Shipturtle with 200+ partners can streamline the entire shipping process, including label creation and tracking.

9. Analytics and Performance Tracking

• Utilize Shopify's analytics and third-party apps to track vendor performance, customer acquisition, and retention.
• Make sure to identify trends and make data-driven decisions.
• Offer responsive support across multiple channels. Implement a robust customer support system, including FAQs, and live chat.

Getting Started

Shopify's ecosystem is vast and varied, offering numerous opportunities for marketplace owners.

Launching a marketplace on Shopify is ideal for startups. Explore the range of apps and tools available, and how they can be integrated into your marketplace to enhance functionality and user experience.

Eventually, you need to foster a sense of community among your customers and vendors. Engage with your audience through social media, forums, and events. Building a strong community can lead to increased loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals.

Schedule a call with our e-commerce marketplace experts or explore our success stories and live chat for more insights.

Do you want to improve customer relationships and trust?

Emails are an important way to strengthen relationships with your customers, but bad email deliverability can ruin customer trust in your company. Curing bad email deliverability is key to increasing customer trust because it shows you value their time and trust.

We can help. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about improving convey deliverability in your emails. Boom, done and done.

Read on to learn how to improve email deliverability.

Prime Your IP for Success

To improve email deliverability, there are several steps you can take to "prime your IP for success." The first step is to make sure your IP address is not already listed as a source of spam on anti-spam databases. If it is, you can contact the database administrator to remove it.

Second, set up an SPF record for your domain, as this tells ISPs that emails sent from that domain are authorized to send emails. Third, authenticate emails using DKIM. This proves that emails sent are from the domain they claim to be from.

Finally, use a reputable source to send out emails, such as a professional email service provider. This will give you more control over the reputation of your IP address. Following these steps will help improve your email deliverability and increase the chances of your emails ending up in your recipients' inboxes.

Register a Subdomain and Use It Only for Email Activity

When it comes to improving email deliverability, registering a subdomain and using it only for email activity is a great step to take. This will ensure that all email traffic associated with that subdomain is tracked and organized so it can be easily monitored and managed.

Through this setup, emails associated with that subdomain will appear more reputable to ISPs and email filters, as they will have a "clean" online reputation due to the lack of other activities linked to it.

In addition, creating a dedicated subdomain also makes it easier for ISPs and email filters to properly authenticate emails coming from that domain. This means ISPs are more likely to recognize emails from them and not treat them as spam. By creating a separate subdomain for email activity and using it exclusively for email activity, email deliverability greatly improves.

Implement a Sender Policy Framework

A Sender Policy Framework (SPF) helps improve email deliverability and prevent spoofing by authenticating and authorizing domains to send emails. SPF records map the authorized host to a domain. It also identifies a set of IP addresses that are authorized to send emails.

To implement a sender policy, organizations must create an SPF record in their DNS and list the authorized mail servers for their domain. This record should be updated if the organization changes its mail server. Registered mail servers are required to have reverse DNS lookup, meaning the mail server should respond to reverse DNS lookup with the domain name for all IPs.

An SPF record can also be created using a third-party service provider to offload work to an SPF record that will show all authorized mail servers when a message reaches the recipient's mail server. Lastly, SPF records should be tested to ensure it's working correctly.

Check Your Sender Reputation

Checking your sender's reputation is a key step to improving email deliverability. A sender's reputation, or "score," is based on factors such as volume, content, and feedback about the email's sender. High-quality, timely messages will help increase the sender's reputation and ensure emails get delivered to the intended receiver.

Keeping an eye on your sender's reputation will also help you to identify potential problems early on. Companies offering email delivery solutions typically have tools in place to help you monitor your sender reputation and identify any issues that might be impacting deliverability.

Also, consider implementing sending limits and email delivery features to help ensure that outgoing emails are sent to the right recipients at the right time. Lastly, always pay close attention to feedback from recipients. Pay attention to complaints and unsubscribed, and adjust your system and approach appropriately.

Check Feedback Loops

When a recipient of an email indicates they do not wish to receive further emails from the sender, feedback loops allow the sender to be immediately notified, ensuring that they do not continue sending emails to someone who is not interested. This also helps the sender maintain a good reputation with popular email services.

To improve email deliverability, it is important to utilize feedback loop services, which give an accurate and timely report on the status of emails sent. Existing systems should also be closely monitored to ensure updates are applied, and email services are configured to take full advantage of feedback loop analytic capabilities.

Additionally, setting automated rules for email marketing to be triggered by the feedback loop can help keep the campaign aligned with best practices. They can stop direct marketing campaigns from being sent to those who have expressed that they do not want any further emails.

Stick to a Consistent Send Schedule

Improving email deliverability starts with sticking to a consistent send schedule. You want to make sure you are not sending email newsletters too often, or at too random of times, as this can be flagged as spam. Try to keep your emails to a certain frequency, such as once per day or once per week, and send them at a consistent time.

This will create an expectation with your subscribers that the emails will be sent at a certain time, increasing open rates and click-through-rates. Additionally, avoid sending large volumes of emails at one time, as this can also be flagged as spam.

Aim to send emails with consistent, lower numbers, such as bursts of 10 emails at a time. This allows you to still remain true to your consistent send schedule without risking having your emails seen as potential spam.

Learn How to Improve Email Deliverability

On how to improve email deliverability, one must take a proactive approach. Analyze your data, build out a personalized list of your own, and focus on boosting engagement from your subscribers.

Taking these steps demonstrates your commitment to staying connected to your subscribers and encourages them to open your emails. Get started today and improve your email deliverability.

If you want to explore the best topics, we've got you covered. Check out some of our other blogs today!

Ever wondered how some people run a thriving online store without ever touching the products they sell? Let us introduce you to the magical world of dropshipping, where you can sell products without even keeping them in stock.

It's time to unlock the secrets behind starting a dropshipping business and find out how Shopify can help you take the e-commerce world by storm.

So, grab a coffee, and let's dive right into Shopify dropshipping!

What Is Dropshipping, and Why Use Shopify?

Dropshipping is a business model where you sell products without physically stocking or handling them. You team up with a supplier who handles the shipping and inventory management. Whenever you make a sale, you forward the order details to your supplier, and they ship the product directly to the customer.

Now, why Shopify? It's a platform designed to make starting a dropshipping business a breeze. With Shopify, you get:

• A user-friendly platform to set up and manage your store
• A wide range of Shopify dropshipping apps for seamless integration
• Access to thousands of suppliers through those dropshipping apps

Ready to dive deeper? Let's explore the roles and benefits of dropshipping and how to make it work with Shopify.

The Role of Dropshippers

As a dropshipper, your primary responsibilities include:

• Finding and partnering with suppliers
• Choosing products to sell
• Managing your online store
• Marketing your products
• Processing orders

The success of your dropshipping business depends on how well you handle these tasks.

Finding and Partnering with Suppliers

The backbone of your business is choosing a dropshipping supplier. Look for:

• Reliability and reputation
• Product quality and selection
• Shipping speed and costs
• Customer service

Start by researching suppliers within your niche, comparing their offerings, and reading reviews from other dropshippers. Make a list of potential suppliers, contact them, and negotiate terms that work for both parties. Building a strong relationship with your supplier is crucial for long-term success.

Choosing Products to Sell

To maximize profits from dropshipping, pick the right products. Consider:

• Demand and competition
• Product pricing and profit margins
• Shipping size and weight
• Supplier stock availability

Use market research, keyword analysis, and competitor analysis to help you make informed decisions. Monitor trends, and don't be afraid to pivot to new products if necessary.

Managing Your Online Store

Shopify makes it easy to manage your store. Customize your store design, add product listings, and set up payment gateways, all within the platform. Shopify's user-friendly interface is perfect for beginners and seasoned e-commerce enthusiasts alike.

To optimize your store, focus on:

• Clear and attractive product images
• Engaging product descriptions
• Simple and user-friendly navigation
• Fast and secure checkout process

Marketing Your Products

Attracting customers is crucial. Use tactics such as:

• Social media marketing
• Content marketing
• Influencer marketing
• Email marketing
• Paid advertising

Monitor your marketing efforts, refine your strategies, and watch your business grow. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

Processing Orders

When a customer places an order, your job is to forward the order details to your supplier. Shopify automates this process with the help of Shopify app dropshipping integrations, making order management simple and efficient. Stay in close communication with your suppliers to ensure smooth order processing and shipping.

Benefits of Dropshipping

There are plenty of perks to running a dropshipping business. Some key benefits include:

• Low startup costs
• No need for inventory management
• Scalability
• Flexibility in product offerings
• Reduced shipping complexities

With dropshipping, you can test new products and explore different niches without breaking the bank. It's an excellent opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to minimize risk while building a successful online business.

Customer Service in Dropshipping

Providing top-notch customer service is essential for any e-commerce business, and dropshipping is no exception. Even though your supplier handles the shipping, you are still responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction. Focus on:

• Prompt and professional communication
• Addressing customer inquiries and concerns
• Handling returns and refunds
• Collecting and acting on customer feedback

By prioritizing customer service, you can build trust and loyalty, leading to repeat customers and positive reviews.

Legal Aspects of Starting a Dropshipping Business

Before you start selling products online, covering your legal bases is important. Here are some steps to consider:

• Register your business and obtain the necessary permits or licenses
• Understand and comply with sales tax regulations
• Create clear and comprehensive policies for your store (e.g., shipping, returns, privacy)
• Protect your business with appropriate insurance coverage

Consult with a legal professional to ensure you meet all legal requirements and protect your business.

Making Shopify Dropshipping Work for You

Shopify offers numerous apps designed to simplify the dropshipping process. Some of the best Shopify dropshipping apps include:

• Oberlo
• Spocket
• Modalyst
• Printful
• AliExpress Dropshipping

These apps help you find suppliers, import products, and automate order processing. Choose the app that best suits your business needs and niche.

Oberlo

Oberlo is a popular Shopify app that connects you with suppliers and allows you to import products directly to your store. With Oberlo, you can:

• Easily search and import products
• Customize product information
• Set pricing rules
• Track orders and shipments

Spocket

Spocket is another Shopify app that focuses on US and European suppliers. It offers unique features like branded invoicing and faster shipping times. Spocket's benefits include:

• Access to high-quality suppliers
• Quick shipping times
• Branded invoicing for a professional touch

Modalyst

Modalyst is a Shopify app that connects you with suppliers of niche and luxury products. It's perfect for dropshippers looking to target a more upscale market. Modalyst offers:

• Curated selection of unique products
• Real-time inventory updates
• Automatic order processing

Printful

For those interested in print-on-demand dropshipping, Printful is a must-have Shopify app. Create custom products like apparel, accessories, and home goods with your designs, and Printful will handle the printing and shipping. With Printful, you get:

• Wide range of customizable products
• No upfront inventory costs
• Easy integration with Shopify

AliExpress Dropshipping

AliExpress is a massive online marketplace offering millions of products at competitive prices. The AliExpress Dropshipping app lets you import products from AliExpress to your Shopify store with ease. The app provides:

• Access to a vast selection of products
• Customizable product listings
• Automated order processing

Your Path to Dropshipping Success

The world of dropshipping is a thrilling place, full of potential for those willing to learn the ropes and put in the effort. You have the tools to build a successful online store with Shopify and the right Shopify app dropshipping integrations. Focus on your responsibilities as a dropshipper, prioritize customer service, and always be ready to adapt to changing market trends.

So, are you ready to embark on your dropshipping journey with Shopify? The e-commerce world awaits, and it's time to make your mark! If you want some help along the way, don't hesitate to get in touch!

Shopify is in no way a small player when it comes to online presence, as over 4.4 million sites across the world use its services. It has helped many people put their e-shops on the map and get started with sales for their small businesses. Still, it is useful to check out a Shopify review or two before you get started so you know if it is the right tool for you.

This article will help you understand some of the benefits of Shopify so you can judge it for yourself. Read on and learn more about how the tool has helped millions of people across the world, and you could be next to see its benefits.

Simple UX

When setting up Shopify, the process is very easy, even for people who are not computing experts. After you create a Shopify account, it will guide you through several steps which will start to set up your store.

You can add the different products you have, set up descriptions and images, and create a simple shop in no time. If you want to select customizations, you can do this through a very simple interface that allows you to select from many different options.

All the features of Shopify are very accessible and appear well-tested ensuring you can pick up on how to use them very fast. If there is any confusion, the plethora of documentation means you can learn what your next steps are without much difficulty too. If you find yourself stuck, you could even check out some online tutorials or talk to Shopify experts to help you on your way.

Match Your Shop to Your Brand

With Shopify's friendly interface, you can select a theme that suits you and your brand identity. These themes are also very customizable, meaning you can change the fonts, colors, and even whole layouts to match what you need.

If you need to go into more detail, Shopify allows you to customize every detail on the page. You can use custom CSS to alter any part of the page, including the header, footer, or any other part of the layout. You might need to understand how to use CSS to do this or hire someone who does, but it will be rewarding.

High-Quality Security

Shopify uses many modern methods to ensure stores stay safe from malicious use. As you set up Shopify, for example, it automatically installs a free SSL certificate. This will help protect sensitive information from hackers.

With the certificate, third parties will have a lot of trouble stealing any information. Thus, you will follow laws and regulations related to customer data with a lot more ease.

Shopify also has a high-class fraud protection system. It can help you identify if someone buying something from you is not to be trusted, meaning you will avoid chargebacks.

If you are worried about people accessing your Shopify account, you can also add two-factor authentication. This will require you to verify any login by using a second method, such as a mobile device notification or security key.

Together, these features help not only protect your customers but also you from similar problems. You can use Shopify knowing there is no extra overhead for security.

Scalable Shop Features

As an Ecommerce business starting out with a new shop today, you do not necessarily want every feature installed at the same time. You might instead want a smaller, lean shop you can add to over time. Shopify allows for this.

It can work well with only a few users buying your products or services. Or, it can grow over time to a site that handles thousands of people buying things from you.

Optimized for Mobile and Responsive

As an online business platform, many people will be logging into your shop via not only their desktop web browser but their mobile too. To help with this, Shopify uses responsive design.

Being responsive means, it can react to whatever scale of the screen it appears on. If you load it up on a large browser window, it appears one way, while if you open it on a tablet or phone it will appear differently again. This helps users scroll through your offerings and find what they need much easier.

Excellent Customer Support

No e-commerce platform is perfect. At some point, something is going to go wrong with your Shopify website and it might be anyone's fault. No matter where the issue lies, you can have the assurance Shopify support will help fix the problem. If you cannot do it on your own, Shopify will work to help you out and get the issue resolved.

Low Cost

As with any resource, you want to ensure what you use does not cost you an arm and a leg. Lucky for you, Shopify pricing scales with your use, and you can pay appropriate prices based on your needs and what features you want out of it. 

Free Trial

Shopify offers a free trial, so there’s no reason not to give it a shot.  Also, because we are Shopify Experts, we have an unlimited Shopify free trial.

At least once a month, a staggering 75% of consumers shop online. Online shopping allows buyers to compare prices with ease while accessing an endless array of goods and services. 

However, if you're looking to create an online store, you're probably wondering about the best e-commerce platform to use, namely, Ecwid vs Shopify. 

This helpful guide compares and contrasts Ecwid and Shopify and delivers a cost analysis so you can decide which online store works best for your needs. 

Cost

Ecwid appears to be more cost-effective than Shopify and offers a free plan. On the other hand, Shopify offers a greater value because its base store plan has unlimited products, mobile POS, and all sales channels.

When you select a lower Ecwid plan, you’ll find product limits and can only access mobile POS and all sales channels with top-tier plans. Sacrificing a few dollars a month may cost you features essential to your business. 

Breakdown of Ecwid’s Plan Costs

If you decide to use Ecwid, there are several plans to choose from. Here is a complete breakdown of what each cost, along with what's included:

• Free Plan: Included ten product listings with Instant Site
• Venture Plan: $15/month and includes 100 product listings with Instant Site, sell on Instagram and Facebook, and you can add your store to other blogs and websites 
• Business Plan: $35/month and includes 2,500 product listings with Instant Site plus everything included with the Venture Plan; sell on Amazon, mobile POS, Amazon, and more
• Unlimited Plan: $99/month and includes unlimited product listings with Instant Site plus everything included with the Business Plan; connect to other retail POS systems such as Square, Vend by Lightspeed, ad Clover (in-store sales)

If you pay annually, you can save roughly 15%.

Additional Fees

When using Ecwid, you’ll need to account for third-party fees. This includes processing credit card payments, retail POS systems, and labels for shipping.

You’ll also need to purchase a custom domain site. You’ll use this for your Ecwid Instant Site and can expect to pay roughly $15/year. 

If you add any custom integrations or apps, you’ll also incur additional expenses. 

Breakdown of Shopify’s Plan Costs

Shopify also has an assortment of plans to choose from, each with its own price point and available items. Here's what you can expect:

• Starter Plan: $5/month and comes with unlimited product listings; you can use mobile POS to sell items or use the Buy Button tool, but the online store is not included with this plan
• Basic Plan: $29/month and offers unlimited product listings so you can build an online store and sell your items on every sales channel, including mobile POS; Shopify add-ons include access to tools for business reporting and email marketing
• Shopify Plan: $79/month and includes everything in the Basic Plan but offers advanced reporting, marketing, and tools for business automation; you’ll also find reduced rates for Shopify Shipping and Shopify Payments
• Advanced Plan: $299/month and offers everything that the Shopify Plan includes, but also offers real-time shipping rates, along with tools for international sales; you’ll also benefit from Shopify’s lowest rates for Shopify Shipping and Payments. 

You can save with Shopify when you pay annually (10%) or biennially (20%).

Additional Fees

When using a Shopify store, you can expect to pay Shopify Shipping label fees and fees for every credit card payment via Shopify Payments. You can use your credit card processing machine, but Shopify will still include a transaction fee. 

Retailers have to pay another $89/month (per location) for POS Pro, and themes for advanced online store templates are at least $180. Any custom domain name you buy is another $15/year, just like with Ecwid.

Different Sales Channels

Both Shopify and Ecwid connect to different types of sales channels and authorize sales through Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Amazon, eBay, TikTok, and others. Ecwid and Shopify both support every kind of in-person sale through retail and mobile POS.

If you’re looking for an e-commerce platform that is beneficial to multichannel sellers, Shopify is your best bet. Ecwid, on the other hand, caters to sellers looking to publish a store on several websites or blogs and is perfect for multisite sales.

What About E-Commerce Features?

Shopify and Ecwid support all different kinds of e-commerce sales. This includes tangible products that ship to a specific location, products available for local pickup or delivery, and products available for digital download. With the help of add-on apps, Shopify and Ecwid both support a variety of online courses, subscriptions, and webinars, along with online payments and service bookings.

Businesses looking for an e-commerce platform with detailed product pages can use Ecwid or Shopify. Both platforms also offer item variations and photos and videos, and sellers can create store information pages, collections, and require customers to create logins to assist with automating order management.

Keep in mind that Shopify offers heartier store menus and product management compared to Ecwid. Any merchant using Shopify can organize large catalogs of products, creating collections with sub-categories. From there, they can list these collections on store menus with mobile-friendly features. 

Although Ecwid offers Instant Site for collections of products, they don’t carry over to mobile menu options.

Ecwid vs Shopify: Which Is Best?

When comparing Ecwid vs Shopify, you’ll find that both e-commerce platforms cater to the specific needs of entrepreneurs. However, the cost is one of the largest differences between the two online stores. Consider what features and website integrations your business needs, along with your budget, and select the plan —and platform—that works best for you.

Although Ecwid appears to be the cost-effective option, Shopify offers unparalleled services to entrepreneurs, helping you to grow your business in a way Ecwid cannot. 

If you're interested in Shopify, we offer a free unlimited trial.

Comparing Shopify vs. Squarespace: Which Is Best for Your Business

Discover the key pros and cons for each e-commerce platform with this Shopify vs. Squarespace comparison. Both offer robust functionality to in-person and online sellers, but differences in features make one or the other best for your business.

Shopify vs. Squarespace, e-commerce platform, online sellers, e-commerce platforms,

Whether you have a brick-and-mortar location in mind or intend to operate solely on the internet, having an online presence matters more than you may realize. Potential customers often visit a store or service provider's website before actually visiting the location, so a big part of achieving the consumer base you desire comes down to promoting your business online.

Fortunately, creating an online presence and getting your business online is a lot more simple with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Squarespace in your corner, but which one is best for your specific needs? The short answer is that Shopify usually works better for online sellers, while Squarespace generally wins out for businesses providing in-person services.

With that in mind, we've laid out the features, usability aspects, and costs of each to help you compare Shopify vs. Squarespace. Learn more about where these e-commerce platforms excel and falter and how they can help you grow your business and expand your online brand.

All About Shopify

When you want to sell both online and in-person, Shopify has you covered. With sales equivalent to 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S., Shopify serves over a million merchants in over 170 countries, handling $444 billion in sales annually as of 2023. If you're considering using Shopify to enhance your online or brick-and-mortar business, here are the advantages and disadvantages of this popular e-commerce platform.

Where Shopify Excels

Shopify excels at customer service, whether you're setting up your website or has an established shop, with 24/7 support offered via phone, email, and chat. Likewise, this e-commerce platform provides online sellers unlimited listings, allowing merchants to test pricing and marketing to see what works best in various situations. Another checkmark in the Shopify column is the e-commerce platform's ability to integrate with over 6,000 specialty apps that aid you shop personalization. Likewise, tools within Shopify, including excellent SEO options, offer help with everything from marketing and branding to maintaining your customer lists.

Where Shopify Falters

One key area where Shopify falters is its pricing structure. Annual billing may price some smaller online sellers out of using this e-commerce platform, especially when they need Advanced Plan functionality. Also, whether or not your shop makes sales in any given month, you still have to pay the monthly price for the plan you selected. Transaction fees on top of monthly fees also give some online sellers pause about using this platform. And while Shopify has robust analytics, these features don't apply to blogs, which may hinder tracking.

Shopify Merchant Pricing

Pricing that's clear plus three levels of service make merchants around the world happy to use Shopify as their choice in e-commerce platforms. Billed annually, Shopify's three price plans enable sellers to select exactly what they need at a budget-friendly price point.

• Basic Plan – Costing $29 per month, which comes out to $328 in annual billing, Shopify offers merchants tools to create and customize their online storefronts, ship their sales, and process payments from credit cards as well as third-party payment processors like Paypal, Stripe and Apple Pay. In addition to the annual costs, the Basic Plan charges sellers 2.9% plus 0.30 per transaction for online sales and 2.7% with no transaction fees for in-person sales. Other perks include a 77% shipping discount and 1,000 inventory locations. Keep in mind that the Basic Plan only includes two logins and only basic reporting functionality, so it's better for smaller businesses.
• Shopify Plan – Packed with all the features of the Basic Plan, the Shopify Plan goes the extra mile for medium-sized businesses with five staff accounts, professional reports, and an 88% discount on shipping. Billed annually at $948, this plan runs $79 per month and has fees of 2.6% plus 0.30 per transaction for internet sales and 2.5% with no transaction fees for in-person
• Advanced Plan – Costing $299 per month billed annually at a $3,588 rate, Shopify's Advanced Plan works best for larger, more established businesses. Packed with all the features of the Shopify Plan plus 15 staff accounts and a custom report builder, this plan offers more control over sales and marketing tracking, making it a great choice for retailers with multiple websites. Rates for credit card processing run 2.4% for online and in-person sales alike, though online sales do incur a 0.30 transaction fee.

If you're a new online seller and don't know exactly what you need when it comes to an e-commerce platform, consider Ultrafade's Shopify free trial. This e-commerce platform does give newbies a 14-day free trial, but it also charges you after that period ends, whether you've set up your online shop or not. With our offer, however, Shopify provides unlimited time for your business to launch so you're not stuck if you need to wait for your grand opening. Additionally, Ultrafade helps you bootstrap your online ship with our free preparing-to-launch training.

All About Squarespace

While Squarespace is considered an e-commerce platform, it's more of a website builder with e-commerce capabilities. Designed around those selling in-person services and online member content, Squarespace also lets you sell actual goods in your online store, with options for analytic reporting.

Where Squarespace Excels

Squarespace may be a better choice for your small business if you focus more on selling services and digital goods. Online appointment booking functionality lets you publish availability calendars on Squarespace, with customers requesting open times seamlessly. Notifications arrive with each booking, and you can even synchronize the calendar with digital calendars on other devices. Options for setting up intake forms to send out to customers when they book provide you with more information before each appointment. This feature also sends out appointment reminders to help you avoid no-shows.

Squarespace also allows seamless sales of digital content — something Shopify only offers via its Digital Downloads app. This feature lets you set up a members-only area on your website, which provides access to premium content such as exclusive content like articles, videos, courses, and even coaching sessions. Designed to work effortlessly with the appointment booking feature, this walled garden approach keeps you on track.

Where Squarespace Falters

The main place Squarespace falters is in its payment processing capabilities. While this e-commerce platform accepts credit card payments via Stripe and Paypal, it doesn't support Apple Pay or other third-party providers like WePay. Likewise, while Shopify offers shipping discounts, Squarespace only allows for charging standard rates when shipping physical goods. Also, you need to add Square service to your Squarespace account when you want to accept credit cards at a physical location.

Merchant Pricing on Squarespace

Squarespace has four levels of merchant pricing, depending on what you need for your business. Keep in mind that Squarespace pricing doesn't require merchants to pay a percentage of sales or transaction fees — all their rates are all-inclusive for the services you select. These include:

• Personal — This plan sets online sellers back $19 monthly or $14 per month when you opt for annual billing for two contributor accounts. Features included with the Personal plan include SSL security on a free custom domain, custom analytics, numerous website templates, and basic SEO tools.
• Business — With all the features of the personal plan plus some extras, the Business plan costs $33 monthly or $23 per month with annual billing. Extra features include a pro-Gmail account and Google Ads credits, top-notch analytics tools, and extended customization of your website via CSS and JavaScript.
• Basic eCommerce — Costing $36 monthly or $27/month when billed annually, the Basic eCommerce plan offers robust functionality designed especially for online stores. Merchandising tools and point-of-sale processing simplify online and in-person selling, while customer reviews and analytics offer powerful tools for growing your customer base.
• Advanced E-commerce — For $65 monthly or $49/month with annual billing, you get everything included with the Basic eCommerce plan plus added features that help you optimize sales. These features include abandoned cart recovery, subscription payment functionality, and access to numerous e-commerce APIs for social media marketing.

Shopify vs. Squarespace: The Bottom Line

Both Shopify and Squarespace offer merchants a whole host of convenient features for their online stores, but the former works better for those selling physical goods, while the latter works better for those selling in-person services or digital goods. Use this comparison to decide which e-commerce platform is best for your business.

Buying and selling online requires an e-commerce platform for payment processing capabilities, and knowing which one is best for your business helps you start and continue at the top of your game. Two of the biggest online companies providing e-commerce solutions are Shopify and Etsy, and both have their pros and cons, depending on the type of business you operate. In this article, we'll compare Shopify vs. Etsy in detail, explaining how to use each platform and outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The Ins-and-Outs of Shopify

Shopify offers an e-commerce platform to merchants selling all sorts of wares, both online and in-person. Serving over a million merchants in over 170 countries, Shopify sales comprise 10% of total U.S. e-commerce and account for $444 billion in economic activity globally. Here are the main things you need to know about Shopify and the pros and cons of this versatile e-commerce platform.

Advantages of Shopify

Shopify confers numerous advantages to its clients, including 24/7 support via chat, phone, and email. Fewer restrictions on products and an unlimited amount of listings give merchants a chance to experiment with marketing, and since you host Shopify on your domain, you control all your marketing, branding, and customer lists. You can also integrate this e-commerce platform with over 6,000 specialty apps to further customize your customer experience.

Disadvantages of Shopify

The main disadvantage of Shopify is that even if your business doesn't sell anything, it still has to pay a monthly subscription fee to keep its place on the e-commerce platform active. Likewise, some merchants don't like having to pay transaction fees on top of the flat subscription fee. Some merchants also have concerns about Shopify's content marketing features because they feel they lag in comparison with other blogging services. Fortunately, third-party plugins typically fix the content marketing issue and make Shopify worthwhile to use for most merchants.

Shopify Merchant Pricing

Clear-cut pricing for services makes Shopify the go-to choice for many merchants around the world, small and large. Three packages that are billed annually help sellers pick the level of services they need and better control their budgets. These packages include:

Basic Plan – Shopify's Basic Plan costs $29 per month (billed annually) and provides everything merchants need to create their own storefronts, ship products, and process credit card payments. Rates for online sales run 2.9% plus 0.30 per transaction, while in-person rates at brick-and-mortar locations cost 2.7% with no transaction fee. Equipped for two account holders, this plan also includes basic reporting functionality and 1,000 inventory locations, as well as a 77% shipping discount.

Shopify Plan – Featuring everything in the basic plan plus professional reports, an 88% shipping discount, and 5 staff accounts, the Shopify Plan sets merchants back $79 per month, billed annually. Credit card processing rates for this plan run 2.6% with a 0.30 per transaction fee for online sales and 2.5% with no transaction fee for in-person sales at retail establishments.

Advanced Plan – If your business needs custom reporting, Shopify's Advanced Plan may be just what you're looking for. This plan includes everything the Shopify Plan comes with, plus 15 total staff accounts and a custom report builder. Costs for this plan run $299 per month (billed annually) plus 2.4% credit card processing rates for online and in-person sales. Online sales also incur a 0.30 transaction fee.

If you're uncertain about the type of plan your business needs, you can always try Ultrafade's Shopify free trial. The e-commerce platform itself provides new merchants with a 14-day free trial, but through our offer, your business gets an unlimited amount of time to launch its shop. Ultrafade also assists you to get ready with free "preparing to launch" training, helping you create a successful spot to showcase your brand and receive payment from customers.

All About Etsy

While Etsy is considered an e-commerce platform, it also serves as a marketplace for artisans and crafters to sell handmade goods. Using this service requires you to set up your shop on the marketplace and add your products. There are, however, key differences in how Etsy and Shopify work.

Advantages of Etsy

If you're selling handmade goods, Etsy is advantageous to use, even if you plan on using Shopify as well, for the built-in traffic it provides alone. The marketplace itself brings together buyers and sellers in a themed space where it's simple to find exactly the kind of artisan goods you want. Community support is also high on Etsy, with many sellers buying from other sellers. Shops are simple to set up and communications are easy between your business and potential buyers.

Disadvantages of Etsy

Sellers who aren't artisans or makers have nothing to offer on the Etsy platform. And while creating a shop is free, there are numerous fees associated with both listing and selling products in the Etsy marketplace. Further, you can customize your shop or add branding, nor can you take customer lists with you if you decide to move on to a different marketplace or platform.

Etsy Merchant Pricing

One of the main complaints with Etsy is the arcane fee structure, which third parties have created calculators to figure out for merchants listing on the marketplace. When you sign up with Etsy, you can create a free account or pay $10 per month for the Plus plan.

Free Etsy —Signing up for a free Etsy seller account costs nothing until you add listings, which cost 0.20 per product. If this product doesn't sell within four months, you pay the fee again, and if you have multiple of the same item listed, you pay the fee every time one sells to maintain an active listing. On top of the listing fee, you also pay 5% of your listing price as a transaction fee per sale plus payment processing fees of 3% plus 0.25 per transaction. Keep in mind that if someone purchases your products outside the U.S., you also must pay currency conversion fees.

Etsy Plus —The Etsy Plus plan improves on the marketplace's free plan with 15 listing credits per month, meaning you don't have to pay the 0.20 listing fee for those, and it also provides $5 in Etsy Ad credits. The Plus plan also lets customers request an email when you restock items in your shop, offers added shop customization options, and offers discounts on marketing materials such as custom shipping boxes and business cards.

Shopify vs. Etsy: Head-to-Head

While Shopify and Etsy are both e-commerce platforms, they're complementary rather than competitive if you sell handmade goods. Businesses that resale goods or manufacture things industrially are better off with Shopify since it has fewer limitations on the type of goods sold, whereas Etsy offers an e-commerce platform with a built-in marketplace for crafters and artisans to sell handmade goods. The ability to use your own domain, control your own marketing and branding, and keep your own customer lists make Shopify the best choice for most merchants looking to expand their online sales. Likewise, if you're an artisan, you consider third-party apps that integrate Shopify with Etsy to maximize your customer base.