For ecommerce websites, which platform should you choose?

If you’re starting an online store or looking to refresh your website, one of the first big questions is: Which platform should I use?

Whilst there are quite a range of options, and to keep keep it simple, we’ll look at two of the most common decisions: Squarespace vs Wix (great for all-in-one websites with ecommerce features) and WordPress & WooCommerce vs Shopify (two of the biggest names in online stores).

Squarespace vs Wix

If you are looking for a simpler solution, perfect for starting out in ecommerce, then these two platforms should offer all you need. We have worked with both over the years, and each is simple enough that you may not even need a web designer to help. However, many clients do not have the technical confidence, or the time to invest in learning how to use these systems. And this is, of course, where we can help - managing the process throughout from buying or linking your domain, selecting and adapting templates, adding content, helping with delivery and payment options, and finally making it live.

Both platforms offer free and paid templates which you can use to build your site. They can all be easily tweaked to match your brand colours and typography, add new pages and move some page elements around.

Squarespace currently has over 180 templates, most of which are clean, modern, and consistent, and many that feel very contemporary. Wix offers over 2000 templates, and greater page element flexibility, which is great for some, but runs the risk of becoming visually messy or cluttered. We used Squarespace to create this visually simple and elegant website selling vintage clothing (shown below).

Ecommerce

Squarespace includes ecommerce functionality in all its packages, whereas Wix offers it in all but its cheapest package. Wix will offer greater flexibility and app add-ons, but for simpler sites this may not be needed. And if more bespoke functionality is needed, then using WooCommerce might be a better option where the visual approach can be totally bespoke. For simpler and started ecommerce sites, then, we’d recommend the cleaner visual results from Squarespace.

WordPress (& WooCommerce) vs Shopify

This is essentially a decision of custom-built vs ready-made. WooCommerce is the ecommerce plugin for WordPress. This gives you complete control. You can customize everything from design, bespoke functionality, hosting and SEO, to checkout. We used this for this wholesale barware website (shown below) where customers can customize all projects with logo print (even specifying logo print colour and print method), select from tiered pricing options, build up customer loyalty points and more. 

WordPress also allows you to create custom pages much more easily, and blog functionality is built in. Some of these pages would be much harder to create in Shopify.

All this flexibility does mean that you’d be responsible for updates, plugins, and troubleshooting - but this is a service we provide to our customers, either on a monthly basis, or just as and when required. If you like having that level of ownership, it works very well. There are a range of templates to choose from, but when using WordPress, we would design the site bespoke, based on the client brief.

Shopify is built for simplicity, with all standard ecommerce functionally built in. As a locked down system, you don’t need to update anything, Shopify is responsible for that, and hosting. It also comes with useful store features like abandoned cart recovery and social selling built right in. There are a wide range of templates to choose from, all of which can be easily adapted to your brand, and the code can also be edited directly giving greater flexibility where required. 

We have worked with both of these systems, and ultimately the choice will depend on how you want to approach the project - totally bespoke with total control, or flexible to a degree, and easier to set up and manage.

In summary

Do you want simple and sleek, or flexible and customizable? Do you want control, or convenience? We can help you work out the best approach and work with you to get your ecommerce site up and running, and also support you as your business develops. 

Do get in touch for a chat or more information.