Migrating to Shopify

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.

For many individuals, organizations and established corporations, running a retail business is still one of the best ways to earn income while delivering quality solutions to consumers' needs. An excellent product will always be sought out by target markets; deliver consistently, and you will have a loyal following that will gladly spread the word about your business being a reliable, trustworthy brand.

As such, you must be able to deliver your offerings every time, and in this modern business landscape, that can mean both through brick-and-mortar stores as well as online. In terms of the latter, your choice of e-commerce solution must be carefully made — it is the best step you can take to successfully cater to your market's demand and to create happy, satisfied customers.

How will you be able to pick out the right software solution from the wide variety available? You can begin by doing research on some of the more popular options, such as Pinnacle Cart.

Pinnacle Cart in review
When it comes to ease of use, Pinnacle Cart receives some of the top marks from review sites. For small to medium retailers who have yet to become technologically savvy, this online shopping cart presents a simple platform that would allow effective and successful transactions.

Provided here are some of Pinnacle Cart's more notable features:

• Free 14-day trial
• No limit to the number of products you can sell at a time
• Provides 10GB of storage and 20GB of bandwidth
• You can use CSS or HTML to work on one of the free, attractive and highly customizable templates available
• Straightforward dashboard
• Storefronts are multi-lingual so your website can be offered in languages other than English
• 30 different payment processing options
• Free 24/7 phone support
• Integration that allows selling on Facebook
• Mobile device optimization
• Access to built-in marketing, shipping and sales tools
• Supports multiple account administrators
• Email marketing and SEO tools

Things to consider
While Pinnacle Cart offers a simple-commerce solution for businesses, there are some missing features that would have made this software the best one to use.

One provision that is lacking would be a built-in blog for the e-commerce site. Also, while phone support is available anytime, there is no live chat function or connection to a support representative upon signup. Plus, there are no custom email accounts provided.

Another key concern among Pinnacle Cart users is the absence of important security features. The Fraud detection service and the SSL certificate can only be added to the plan for a fee.

Finally, there is no POS system provided; this can prove to be a disadvantage for users who aim to merge their physical storefront with their online retail sales.

Making an informed decision
Pinnacle Cart may prove to be a highly functional e-commerce option for small to medium businesses that have yet to become fully familiar with e-commerce technology. However, if the goal is to become a serious long-term player that caters to consumers' needs from the get-go, it may be worth considering alternatives that can deliver on some of Pinnacle Cart's identified missing points, such as Shopify (which offers unlimited storage and bandwidth, an impressive POS system, a secure shopping cart with 256-bit SSL, and a blog).

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from Pinnacle Cart (or whichever platform you use). Just contact us to get started. We will also give you an unlimited free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not. If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below:

It can’t be stated often enough: Your choice of e-commerce platform has a direct and significant impact on your business.

With the right platform, you can save on costs and make your operations more efficient. You can ensure your business is sufficiently scalable and flexible, allowing you to address the changing needs of your buyers. You can more effectively reach out to new markets and more customers. A good e-commerce solution plays a key role in making your store more visible and competitive, leading to increased profitability and growth for your enterprise.

If you have narrowed down your options and you’re now choosing between Shopify and osCommerce Templates, here are some considerations that will help you make your final decision.

Price. If you’re bootstrapping, osCommerce is an attractive option because it’s free and the templates are ready to use. Plus, it works with any host of your choice, so you can further increase your savings if you can find cheap hosting.

Meanwhile, Shopify is free only for the first 14-day trial. After that, you can use it under the monthly pricing package you have chosen which starts at around $9 per month.

While it’s easy to go for the free choice, it’s important to check first if the vital features you need can be more accessible (and turn out to be cheaper in the long run) if you choose the paid service.

Features. osCommerce has unique features such as the ability to add product attributes, an alert when you are already low on stocks, and a tool to help you manage your newsletters. Meanwhile, Shopify’s features allow you to manage many factors of your business under one platform, including your site design and content, affiliates program, customer data, SEO, on-site search tool, merchandise display and more.

Customer experience. Take a cue from today’s leading e-commerce sites: They’re easy on the eyes, smooth, and fuss-free to use. Customers today know that they can just easily transfer to competing brands if they encounter any difficulty while using their site, so they expect the experience you offer to be top-notch.

In this regard, Shopify is proven to be more reliable than osCommerce in helping you ensure a pleasant and efficient experience to visitors due to the following reasons:

- Shopify’s features and aesthetics are by default customer-centric, providing you more ways to make your online store safe, secure, and easy to understand and navigate for your customers. One of the best features you can take advantage of and offer in your site is the speedy checkout process and built-in security features – all crucial elements if you don’t want to lose the focus, interest or trust of your potential buyers.

Best of all, Shopify themes are mobile-friendly, unlike osCommerce templates. As you know, mobile shopping has long outperformed online shopping via desktop platforms.

- It’s possible to carry out some modifications with osCommerce, but the adaptations you can implement on the ready-made templates will usually need graphic design and programming knowledge to carry out.

Meanwhile, making your online shop more tailored to the needs, behaviors and preferences of your audience is simpler with Shopify’s app store and its drag-and-drop design. This system also makes your store easier and less time-consuming to manage, allowing you to pay attention and spend more of your resources to other equally important components of growing your business.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from osCommerce (or whichever platform you use). Just contact us to get started. We will also give you an unlimited free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not. If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below:

Design is an important component in web development. This is probably something you can attest to. How many times have you ditched a site in the past after getting an unfavorable impression from its look? That’s natural. It’s what anybody would do after encountering a site that appears unattractive, confusing, or highly suspect.

This is why you want your e-commerce site to look appealing and professional. It’s a great way to welcome prospective customers and boost your odds of making sales. The fact is that you could have the most amazing product out there, but if your store looks lackluster or downright seedy, the regular consumer isn’t going to give you a chance at all. People are just programmed to judge based on appearance and, of course, to favor beautiful things.

How can you make your site visually engaging? A huge part of it is picking the right theme. Your choices, of course, are based on which e-commerce solution you’ve chosen to use. Two of the most popular options you have are BigCommerce and Shopify.

In terms of design-related features, they have similarities, of course. Both BigCommerce and Shopify have free and paid templates or themes for you to choose from, with their paid variants also having a similar price range. Besides this, both allow extensive customization of these templates as well, either through controls provided in the content management system or through tweaking at the HTML/CSS core.

Either brand will give you a nice-looking e-commerce site with your online shop window presenting your products in an enticing way. You have to understand though that while BigCommerce templates look decently attractive and professional enough, Shopify has the distinct advantage of being more established and boasting a wider and more varied array of template or theme offerings, both in the free and paid sets.

While preference is always subjective, many designers agree that Shopify themes are preferable to BigCommerce templates, with the former giving off a fresher and more contemporary vibe. This is probably due to the fact that Shopify uses independent professional designers to create their themes. In leveraging off independent designers, it is able to offer a wider selection of themes that are relevantly effective, which works to benefit the customer. Ultimately, if you’re looking for the “wow” factor, you’re more likely to find it among the Shopify themes.

It is also the common sentiment that while Shopify themes need less tweaking, they also present more room for exploring design changes — to the knowledgeable designer who is skilled at using a templating language called Liquid, that is. This allows HTML and CSS use as well as insertion of tags, operators, and other variables to come up with dynamic content.

Shopify may have the edge right now, but BigCommerce is hard at work updating their offering with premium options, all of which are mobile-friendly. For this reason, it’s best to keep up with developments from both brands to make sure that you don’t miss out on anything important.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from BigCommerce (or whichever platform you use). Just contact us to get started. We will also give you an unlimited free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not. If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below:

In the Volusion vs. Shopify contest, which will stand out? Here's a head to head comparison of the two based on a few critical factors.

Price
Shopify has five pricing plans, ranging from the Lite plan which costs $9 per month to the Shopify Plus plan, the pricing of which depends on requirements.

Volusion, on the other hand, offers four plans. The cheapest, Volusion Mini, costs $15 per month while the most expensive is the Volusion Premium which will set you back $135 per month.

But if you look at the prices alone, you are looking at an incomplete story. Shopify may seem to offer the lower entry level plan at $9 but that plan only allows you to set up buy buttons on external media (Facebook, Wordpress, etc). With Volusion's entry level plan, you can set up your own online shop. However, there are a few crucial limitations, including the amount of products you can sell as well as the allocated bandwidth.

Core features
Out of the box, both platforms offer a few similar features including the use of templates, catalog creation, store management using a CMS, search optimization for products, and different payment platforms.

One area where Shopify stands out over Volusion is in the fact that the former has a blogging tool which you can use for your content marketing. It is possible to link your blog with your Volusion store but that can take a lot of technical work, making it less ideal for shop owners with limited skills.

Apps
Apps increase the functionality of an online store. Shopify boasts over 1,200 apps while Volusion pales in comparison, offering only 75 apps.

Payment options
Shopify has over 70 payment gateways while Volusion has only 38. Out of the box, both platforms have their own payment solutions. Shopify's Stripe can be used by merchants from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Volusion Payments, on the other hand, is available only to American merchants.

Point of sale If you also have a physical store, it is worthwhile to compare Volusion and Shopify in their point of sale capabilities. Shopify can be used to process credit card payment and facilitate point of sale transactions. It is possible to do the same things with Volusion but as an added service. You also need to find hardware compatible with Volusion while Shopify’s works with iPads.

Templates
Shopify offers about 140 templates while Volusion only has 81. All of Shopify's templates are responsive while Volusion only has 23 responsive themes. And in terms of price, Shopify's templates are considerably cheaper.

Support
Shopify's phone support is available to all plans. Volusion has online support available to all plans. If you need phone support for your Volusion plan, you need to be prepared to spend $35 per month.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from Volusion (or whichever platform you use). Just contact us to get started. We will also give you an unlimited free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not. If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below:

If you are planning to sell online and have conducted some preliminary research about available platforms you can choose from, you might have encountered PrestaShop.

What is PrestaShop?

PrestaShop is a leading shopping cart software available in the market today. It is open source which means that you can use it for free. All you have to do is to download the software from PrestaShop's website, make a few modifications, and your online shop will be up and running.

Although PrestaShop is relatively a new player in the shopping cart software industry, it has garnered widespread attention due to its functionality, speed, light weight and ease of use.

The shopping cart software can be personalized through the use of different modules including those for new products, translation, notifications for new orders, and for gift coupons and discounts.

What are some of the advantages of PrestaShop?

The most basic configuration of the software offers a wide variety of features ranging from search engine optimization to email follow up automation, from responsive or mobile themes to international shipping and payment options.

The software has a file size of just 5.5 MB which means it can be downloaded and deployed even by users with a sluggish internet connection. You or your administrator can customize the software based on your preferences. You can even add or delete integrated functionalities of PrestaShop using the admin panel.

Like Magento's MagentoConnect, PrestaShop has its own official marketplace where users can buy themes and other modules.

The software is user-friendly and very intuitive to use. You do not have to have a high technical ability in order to begin using it.

Because it is open source, PrestaShop can be downloaded for free — you do not have to pay a monthly fee. This makes it ideal for business owners working on a tight budget.

Finally, PrestaShop has a vibrant online community which you can turn to for guidance and assistance.

But despite these benefits, PrestaShop does have a few drawbacks which you may also want to consider before making a final choice.

For one, the modules can be quite expensive. Although the base platform is highly functional, these modules can improve the functionality of the software but often at a steep price.

Another disadvantage of PrestaShop is that it is more suited for smaller to medium scale enterprises because it lacks a multi-store feature.

Finally, compared with other shopping cart platforms like Shopify, PrestaShop's overall design needs a lot of improvement.

Should you choose PrestaShop or should you look at other available options, including Shopify? Carefully consider these pros and cons and weigh these against your needs and goals before deciding.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from PrestaShop (or whichever platform you use). Just contact us to get started. We will also give you an unlimited free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not. If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below:

The most important strategy for e-commerce is to have a high performing shopping cart. Use one, and practically everything you need to set up in order to secure success for your online business will be a breeze.

There are a lot of options for an open shopping cart available today, and you can expect more to emerge in the coming months. Therefore, if you’re in search of one to use for your online business, the selection process may prove to be rather challenging. After all, these products tend to offer similar features and functionalities. The only reliable way to distinguish them from each other is to observe their actual performance.

Now, when it comes to solid performance, the open source shopping cart solution called OpenCart is a highly recommended option. It boasts of an abundance of useful features, and along with this, it is user- and search engine-friendly. OpenCart is deemed ideal for beginners, particularly for its intuitive interface which allows users to have complete control over their store. This means you can easily experiment with different looks for your site to effectively entice customers.

This shopping cart solution offers the following features and functionalities:

• Thousands of high-end e-commerce themes (you won’t have trouble creating a look for your site that really goes with your brand).
• 20+ payment gateways and 8+ shipping method integrations.
• It’s responsive, which means it can display properly across different devices.
• It can accommodate different currencies and languages.
• It can work for unlimited categories.
• It can display an unlimited amount of products; as such, increasing your offerings won’t require you to bump old products out of the lineup.
• Product reviews and ratings can easily be displayed.
• It can automatically resize images for better viewing and visibility.

Apart from this impressive range of features and functionalities, OpenCart logs high scores among internet merchants because it provides potential buyers the opportunity to give it a go before deciding to install. Plus, it offers free community and commercial support, as well as free user guides and video tutorials. OpenCart is also affordable, making it even more ideal for new businesses to use.

In the rankings game for open shopping cart solutions, OpenCart is often found second to Shopify, which remains to be the leading online shop builder in the world (powering over 300,000 online shops and generating over $20 billion worth of sales). Reviews claim it only falls behind Shopify by a few key features because Shopify has been quite successful in building relationships with other vendors such as theme designers and online tools providers, allowing the site to be a complete one-stop shop for the tools necessary for a successful online store. With that said, OpenCart still does a good job of delivering on its promises and meeting requirements.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from OpenCart (or whichever platform you use). We will also give you an unlimited Shopify free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not. If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below:

Many SMEs (small and medium enterprises) find themselves struggling with their decision on which e-commerce solution to use, open sourced or hosted. Unfortunately, there is no absolute answer for the question. If you’re facing this dilemma, your choice would have to depend on your unique e-commerce situation.

In determining whether you should opt for an open source or a hosted e-commerce program, consider these three vital factors:

• Budget – You might think that open source is the more economical choice, but consider a couple of things such as setup cost and hosting fees and you’ll see that this is not the case. With a hosted solution, the setup cost is usually low, unless you want a custom design, but even then, it would still be cheaper than setting up an open source store. With open source, the cost of setup is usually high, considering the work required. You’ll need to customize code, integrate template, test, and finally implement. As for hosting cost, a full service solution already includes hosting in the fee while an open source program requires you to provide your own hosting, for which you will be charged separately. So, it seems that you should choose the paid program if you’re going for a more affordable solution.
• Programming skills – Hosted platforms are usually easy to implement and maintain, even for people with moderate computer skills. Meanwhile, open source programs, while easily implemented and maintained by professional developers, present a high learning curve for many users. Again, a hosted solution is best for the layperson; however, if you have tech wizards on your staff, they can optimize the benefits that open source programs offer.
• Required store features – Hosted solutions would offer limited flexibility in comparison to open source ones in terms of features. Open source programs can be customized through paid for extensions and custom coding, lending them greater flexibility at quite the price. On the other hand, you can take it for granted that hosted programs would already have many useful features included in their plans. There’s no need to pay extra to utilize them.

What other factors should you consider in making your choice? Support is always something that should be taken into account. Hosted solutions typically offer full support through numerous contact channels, while open source software programs don’t really offer any official support.

Upgrades are another concern. With hosted e-commerce programs, upgrades, both bug fixes and new features, are automatically implemented. Meanwhile, open source upgrades would have to be manually integrated by the store owner or the developer.

Open source works really well for those sites that require a great deal of flexibility and have a big budget as well as specialized PHP developers managing them, but, at the end of the day, hosted is what many developers recommend.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from whichever platform you use. Just contact us to get started. We will also give you an unlimited free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not. If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below:

Your choice of e-commerce platform is of critical importance in the successful and efficient creation, management, and maintenance of your online store. Many online entrepreneurs and web developers are often torn between Magento and Shopify, two of the most popular e-commerce solutions available.

In pitting Magento vs. Shopify, you’ll find many similarities in their offering, but their fundamental differences are also clear. To begin with, Shopify is a commercial product while Magento is a free, open-source software program. This means that you have to pay to use Shopify. Another difference is that Shopify is a hosted solution while you have to arrange for your own hosting with Magento. This means that before you can create your Magento store, you need to get hosting, as well as install, set up, and configure everything. That requires more advanced web development and programming knowledge.

The following is a Magento vs Shopify comparison based on vital categories:

• Features – The two have many similarities, but you have to pay attention to see which one has the edge in each feature. For instance, Shopify is easier to set up when it comes to basic online store functionality. In terms of inventory management, both offer unlimited products, but you have to keep in mind that, with Magento, your choice of hosting could affect your loading speed if you have too many items on your online store. Shopify also offers more international payment gateway options. Meanwhile, Magento bests Shopify in its multilingual capabilities. As for themes, Magento may have more free variants than Shopify, but the general sentiment is that the free Shopify themes look more contemporary than the ones for Magento.
• Ease of use – Without a doubt, Shopify wins in this category. While both offer great e-commerce store platforms with a user-friendly interface, Shopify also has a wizard mode that makes everything even easier.
• Bandwidth charges – Shopify does not charge for bandwidth usage while Magento users base their bandwidth on the hosting they got.
• Theme prices – Both have a good number of free and paid themes, but Magento’s theme prices start at a mere dollar while Shopify’s start at $80.

Shopify has its strong points, as does Magento. Mainly, if you want the easier but more powerful solution, Shopify makes more sense with its hosting and fully managed service. If you’re after a free but effective product, Magento is the likely choice, but you do have to take care of hosting, maintenance, and other software or system setups that require higher level tech savvy.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from Magento (or whichever platform you use). Just contact us to get started. We will also give you an unlimited free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not. If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below:

Your choice of shopping cart for your e-commerce website can contribute significantly to the success of your business. Online consumers focus on the experience, and if your shopping cart makes purchasing too complicated, you will surely lose sales.

There is currently a long list of options for an online shopping cart; all of these options promise to deliver great services and create a positive user experience. But what qualities should you really look for in order to differentiate one shopping cart from another and determine what will work to your business’s advantage?

You know you’re working with the best e-commerce platform when it has the following qualities: 

1. Easy to use.

It should be easy to use for you and for your end users. Online transactions should always be easy; users are quite impatient and it’s no issue for them to find another site that offers similar products if your shopping cart is making the process too complicated for them.

2. Selection of payment methods.

It should accommodate different payment methods (PayPal and credit cards). Your business has everything to gain if your e-commerce store can accept different kinds of payments.

3. Online store set-up is easy.

It should make setting up your store a breeze without compromising the look that you wish to use for your brand. Online e-commerce platform Shopify scores high in this department for having 100 optimized online store designs, which are all beautiful, a breeze to customize, and optimized to generate good conversion rates from your visitors.

4. Budget-friendly.

It should be affordable yet packed with relevant features and functionalities. This is a huge advantage for new online businesses that are still working with a conservative budget.

5. Stays on top of transactions/processing.

It should be able to track and respond to orders effectively and in a completely organized manner.

6. Responsive and displays fast.

The site should load quickly across different mobile devices despite being feature-heavy. Studies reveal that “75% of online consumers express annoyance over poorly performing websites and apps; meanwhile, 69% said they get frustrated with slow e-commerce sites, and 19% said they distrust such sites and apps.”

7. Hosts the store for you.

No need for external web hosting.

8. Scales well.

It should be able to grow as your business grows.

9. Good customer service.

It should also come with a reliable support system despite being very easy to use for timely solutions to issues or concerns.

The best performing e-commerce platforms possess most of these qualities, but Shopify takes the number one spot in product reviews. Not only does it have all these qualities, but it even does so much more — and it’s cheaper than most other options. So if you’re looking for a solid e-commerce platform to use, study this option and discover how it can ensure success for your online business venture.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer an unlimited free trial (until you launch).  Sign up below and then contact us:

In choosing an e-commerce solution, you need to decide what suits your needs the best. There are several options on the market, so it’s best that you research to determine which would be the most suitable for your online store.

Two options that are very popular with many e-commerce entrepreneurs and are frequently endorsed by web developers are WooCommerce and Shopify. In comparing WooCommerce vs. Shopify, you can find out how they’re different from each other by exploring the pros and cons of each one.

WooCommerce

A WordPress plugin that allows you to transform a WordPress site into an online store.   WooCommerce provides an easy way for you to take care of such matters as inventory, payments, shipping, and more as well as access reports on both your products and customers. It works with almost any theme and easily integrates into an existing site. Its different features include products (unlimited number), inventory management, payment methods, coupons, shipping methods, reports, marketing, and tax support.

As mentioned, there are many WordPress themes compatible with WooCommerce. WooThemes was specifically designed for WooCommerce, but there are also many others that work with this particular plugin. There are also hundreds of extensions for expanding the functionality of WooCommerce in a variety of categories, including accounting, marketing, payment gateways, subscriptions, and many more. Some of them are product search, antifraud, future pay, affiliate software, recommendations, etc.

What are the advantages of using WooCommerce?

• You don’t have to pay for the plugin.
• You can expand it through extensions.
• You get to use the WordPress platform.
• You enjoy complete ownership since you’ll be taking care of your own domain and hosting.
• You can customize extensively.
• You have a choice of payment gateways.

WooCommerce does have some points working against it, such as the fact that you’ll have to be responsible for your site’s security and maintenance. Customizing it is also considered to be at a higher level of difficulty.

However, if it is the right solution for you, it's important to get really good hosting.  We recommend: WP Engine

Shopify

An outright e-commerce platform that allows you to create and customize your own online store, Shopify has a multitude of store templates. Nonetheless, it also allows you to build one according to your own needs and preferences.

Shopify is a complete WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) CMS, allowing you control over every aspect. It also has a blogging platform that enables interaction with users through comments. It provides your own URL, website builder, a blogging platform, customizable and responsive features, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited products, more than 70 international payment methods, gift card support, shipping options, global tax support, analytics, built-in SEO, and 24/7 support.

Shopify has both free and paid themes with the most popular ones costing about $140. Many of the themes contain features like dropdown menus, zoom-in product images, subcategories, newsletter integrations, etc.

What are the advantages of using Shopify?

• You’ll have an easy time using it.
• You can get started right away.
• You can leave security and updates to Shopify.
• You can expand with the use of apps.

The thing with Shopify is that there is only one host, so it’s like you’re renting instead of owning, but that’s a minor caveat considering that setting up shop is so fast and easy. Using it is simple and you don’t have to worry about maintaining it yourself.

At the end of the day, when you pit WooCommerce vs Shopify, your choice will depend on what you value more. Both have their good points and make solid choices, but many designers endorse Shopify for ease, convenience, and excellent features.

If Shopify is the right choice for you, we offer conversions from WooCommerce (or whichever platform you use).  Just contact us to get started.  We will also give you an unlimited free trial, so you don't have to pay your monthly fees (in both places) until you are launched. You can keep that unlimited trial whether you work with us or not.  If you want the regular 14 day trial, just click the banner below: