In this Video, we’ll explore the pros and cons of Shopify vs WordPress with WooCommerce,
to help you decide which is the best option for you.
Specifically, we’ll analyze how they compare in terms of getting started, pricing, design
and customization options, and features.
When launching an online store, there are a number of things to consider like product-market
fit, your general go-to-market strategy, and customer acquisition channels.
And as part of that, there’s choosing the right e-commerce platform to support your
venture.
Which by the end of this video, is a decision you should feel comfortable making.
So, let’s get to it.
We’ve put together a blog post that you can follow along with on the OHKLYN blog,
at OHKLYN o-h-k-l-y-n.com/blog (we’ll add a direct link in the description below).
As well as provide a link to each platform, and include discounts where available.
Let’s take a look at Shopify first.
Shopify is the ultimate all-in-one, go-to e-commerce platform for anyone seriously considering
starting their own online (or offline) store.
If setting up a complete, well-rounded e-commerce shop in less than an hour with zero programming
or web development skills, no downloads or installations, and no extra worries around
hosting or domains sound like what you need, Shopify could be for you.
As a side note, Shopify now even provides Point of Sale services.
This means that you can utilize Shopify to handle the sale of products in a physical
store, as well as directly online.
Shopify can even help take care of your inventory and shipping.
So what is WordPress with WooCommerce?
WooCommerce itself is just a plugin – It’s a piece of software that you can ‘plug-into’
an existing platform to add the features, functionality and new components required
to provide the full e-commerce experience.
You can’t do anything with WooCommerce on its own, but it definitely shouldn’t be
underestimated.
WooCommerce provides almost everything Shopify does (offline PoS capabilities aside).
You may have noticed some pretty big differences between the two platforms from the brief descriptions
covered so far.
Note that Shopify is an all-in-one solution, whereas WooCommerce is just a plugin that
needs to be used on an existing platform.
The most important thing you should know is that both, by-and-large, provide you with
the same capabilities when all is said and done.
They do go about providing these solutions though in very different ways and that is
what we want to highlight for you.
Firstly, let’s compare Shopify Vs WordPress (with WooCommerce) in terms of getting started
Setting up an online store without any web development experience, no prerequisites,
and a minimal time investment sounds ridiculous right?
Not with Shopify.
This is one factor where Shopify really stands out.
To create an online store with Shopify: Follow the link in the description to the
Shopify website Click the “Get Started” button.
Fill in some basic personal info as well as what, and how you want sell.
And you’re off!
Now, by navigating your way to the dashboard, this is where you can start customizing your
store, add products, choose your domain/URL, look at sales reports, or choose a plan if
you are ready to make things official.
From here, it’s also easy to add new products.
You simply go to the “Products” option, and click “Add Product” or “Import Product”.
In the ‘Add Product’ screen, you’ll enter some basic information about the product
as well as some images.
It’s easy to add auxiliary information like product type, vendor, sales channel and collections
that will make it easier to organize your store, and improve the user experience.
It really doesn’t get much simpler than this.
Ok, it’s time for WordPress.
If you already have a WordPress site set up, it’s actually a relatively straight forward
process.
And if not, we have a number of free tutorials that walk you the the process of creating
an eCommerce website with WordPress, step by step.
To access these, check out the OHKLYN website or YouTube channel.
The steps you’ll need to cover include: Securing your domain + hosting.
We would recommend WP Engine, there’s a link to a discount in the description.
However, if the budgets tight you can go with a shared hosting option to start with like
bluehost.
Once again there’s a link in the description for a discount, which includes a free domain.
You will then need to install WordPress.
If you go with the WP Engine option, this will already be taken care of for you.
If you plan to accept payments directly on your site, you will need an SSL certificate,
this is also included for free with WP Engine by Let’s Encrypt, or can be purchased via
Bluehost.
Next you’ll want to find a WooCommerce-ready WordPress theme: WordPress has thousands of
themes (free or paid), but only some support WooCommerce.
We have put together a list of the best eCommerce WordPress themes, to help make this decision
easier for you.
Lastly you’ll need to add the WooCommerce plugin to WordPress: Luckily this process
is quick and easy, and comes with an installation wizard, which is simple to follow.
Once WooCommerce is installed, you can start customizing and adding products to your store.
The process isn’t all that different to Shopify.
Next, we’ll look at the pricing structure of Shopify Vs WordPress.
Nothing in this world, that’s worth having comes for free, and this is also true for
Shopify.
From the outset, we must say that for what you get, we think Shopify is worth it for
most users.
The pricing structure is also very straightforward – The more you pay per month, the better
the rates and more access to features.
There are three primary options: Basic shopify at $29 per month,
Shopify at $79 per month, and Advanced Shopify at $299 per month.
As you can see the different packages come with varying inclusions and features, as well
a difference in transaction fees.
We’ll add a link below to the Shopify pricing page, to allow you to go through the inclusions
in more detail.
There is also a $9 ‘Shopify Lite‘ option that allows you to sell items and run a store
through social media platforms or an existing site.
Let’s take a look at the WordPress with WooCommerce pricing structure
As a piece of open source software, the basic version of WooCommerce is completely free!
Because it is free, it’s not an all-in-one solution like Shopify, and there are extra
costs associated.There are also a number of paid extensions that allow you to extend the
base functionality, and include things such as managing subscriptions, invoicing, and
packaging, just to name a few.
We’ve provided a list of the costs for running a WordPress with WooCommerce website on the
OHKLYN blog post, which covers things like, your domain, hosting, SSL certificates, and
premium themes.
Check out the article for more details.
We’ll now compare Shopify Vs WordPress from a design and customization perspective.
This is perhaps one field where Shopify falls short in comparison to WordPress.
To bring your the vision of your online store to life, you’ll need to take advantage of
a website theme.
Themes are pre-designed layouts that are styled a certain way and ready for you to simply
pop in your own images, text, elements and make some minor customizations.
Shopify only allows you to choose themes from their own theme library.
Currently, their library consists of: 10 Free themes, usually with 2 styles per
theme, and 48 Paid themes, each with 3 - 4 styles per
theme.
As you can see, the list isn’t extensive.
This closed set of themes does come with a unique benefit though.
Each theme is guaranteed to be of high quality.
The creation of these themes is outsourced to ensure that they stay current and very
attractive.
Every theme is strictly vetted by Shopify to conform to their practices and rules.
All themes have the below characteristics: Consistent coding standards and logic flow.
Are SEO-optimized.
Come with an excellent, scalable design, and Are tuned for great performance.
Shopify themes are easy to use and scale well with your business as it grows.
The loading times are also impressive compared to many other hosting services.
The only drawback is the limited number of design options to choose from
In stark contrast, the open source nature of WordPress and WooCommerce leads to an overwhelming
number of themes and styles to choose from.
Review our list of the best WordPress themes for eCommerce available on our YouTube channel
or Blog.
When reviewing a WordPress theme, you will need to pick one that supports WooCommerce.
This will ensure that there are no problems installing the WooCommerce plugin, and that
everything works as expected.
.
Lastly, let's explore the features of Shopify Vs WordPress.
Seeing that we described Shopify as an all-in-one e-commerce solution, you’re probably expecting
a powerhouse list of features – Well, you won’t be disappointed.
Some of its many features include: Print shipping labels
24/7 support Fraud analysis
Free SSL certificate Gift cards
Professional reports Abandoned cart recovery, and
An advanced report builder - just to name a few
Obviously, availability of some of these features will depend on which package you choose.
Follow the link in the description below to learn about all the inclusions.
It’s also worth noting again that Shopify also provides services for physical stores,
including auxiliary functions like taking inventory of stock and shipping.
This gives it a huge advantage over WooCommerce and WordPress if you already own a physical
store.
That being said, WooCommerce is definitely not far behind in regards to features.
It has some capabilities for a parallel offline store, but it isn’t as extensive as Shopify.
Pretty much everything you need to sell products online is at your disposal.
It may take a little more work, but whatever you can do with Shopify can be achieved with
WordPress and WooCommerce, and much more.
Some of the core features include: On top of credit cards, the ability to set
up a variety of external payment gateways like Paypal or Stripe, as well as many others.
You can adjust shipping rates and taxes Just like Shopify, you can have an unlimited
number of products and categories.
A large number of plugins, extensions, and apps available, and
Free extensions for a Facebook store and ads.
The biggest advantage you’ll gain by using WooCommerce is that you’ll be utilizing
the WordPress platform itself.
WordPress is one of the leading CMS platforms out there, and allows you to create a full
online store and website experience, with greater control over design, features, and
functionality.
So let’s wap this up.
When is Shopify a better option than WordPress + WooCommerce?
You already have a physical store, or want to launch one in unison with your online store.
You are not web or tech savvy, and would like a completely hands-off approach, and
You don’t already have a site or blog, and it isn’t the focus of your online store.
Alternatively, when is WordPress + WooCommerce a better option than Shopify?
You already have a WordPress site or blog set up.
Blogging is an essential part of your business, and you need a full website experience, or
You are relatively web or tech savvy, and won’t more control and freedom over your
online store.
And that completes our review of Shopify Vs WordPress.
Hopefully you feel more informed and equipped to make the right decision for you.
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