There’s no chance if you dream of running or owning a flourished online business and have yet to hear about “Shopify”.
There are over 4 million live ecommerce websites built on Shopify. And if you are not one of them – it’s time to wake up.
Shopify is more of a household name when creating an online store or website. No, we aren’t bluffing. According to one of the statistics, in 2023, Shopify merchants had 675 million buyers.
Whether you want to run an online store or do personal branding, Shopify is all in! They offer solutions, layouts, and themes that will match your purpose and create an instant base for your company.
The stats we read above are enough to support its popularity, but we need to get into depth to understand the factors helping Shopify reach the top.
Let’s look at the critical features of Shopify that are loved by all and used by many.
Key Features of Shopify: What makes it a top choice?
To make it to the top position, there must be some USPs, strategies and correct timings to get things done. As much as customers and business owners have trusted Shopify, the platform itself has given many reasons for doing so.
Let’s look at each factor helping Shopify climb the ladder & secure the top position.
Market Capture: Shopify covers a larger portion of the market, with almost 26% of the market share. Therefore, it is a popular platform for building eCommerce brands. The more the popularity, the better will be the reach.
As they have already captured the market by 26%, there is a high chance that your competitor is already using Shopify. It’s a sign that you should join the platform.
User Friendly: Yes! Half the battle is won when you make things easy for the customers. Online shop owners need help to leverage their responsibilities, competition, and trends. Now, if they also have to handle the stress of making an online store and understanding the complex steps, they will immediately switch to another platform. Shopify took this point into careful examination and developed an entire system that was user-friendly, easy to understand, and quick to follow.
Pricing Factor: One of the reasons behind Shopify’s popularity and relevance is the price. ‘Price’ is a sensitive factor. Shopify offers low monthly fees for entry-level plans and competitive rates for higher plans. No matter how tight the budget is, you still have an option to build your dream website on Shopify. And if you are looking for higher plans, then there are plans designed for you.
Payment Gateways: Imagine owning a website and having only one payment gateway. What will happen? Only those using that gateway will be able to buy from your site, but those not using the platform cannot proceed with the purchase. Well, with Shopify, the case is different. They provide multiple payment gateways, like PayPal, credit cards, Amazon Pay, and debit cards.
Top Shopify Competitors: Provide an overview of alternatives like Wix, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, etc.
To reach the top position, there has to be a journey that needs to be taken care of. And during that journey, you have to beat the competition. The same has been done for Shopify competitors like Wix, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce.
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Let’s talk about the Shopify Competitors, too
Wix: This platform will help to make and manage websites in a fraction of a second. You can enjoy creating and navigating the website from your phone or web. It is a perfect platform for freelancers, small businesses, and anyone wanting an essential website.
BigCommerce: A complete, user-friendly platform helping individuals and companies to curate the website & online store of their choice with a wide range of features. It offers multiple pricing plans for those walking on a tight budget.
WooCommerce: WooCommerce is a free and highly reliable WordPress plugin. It is popular amongst businesses as it comes with handy options for product management, payment options, understanding website trends-traffic-analytics, and more.
All the platforms have given Shopify neck-to-neck competition, as each platform has pros and cons.
Since we understand the crux of the platform, let’s do a competitive analysis, too.
Feature Comparison: Strengths and weaknesses of each competitor
Shopify Vs WooCommerce:
| Point of Difference | WooCommerce | Shopify |
| Cost/Price | The platform is available for free. But one has to incur hosting cost + domain + other expenses. Roughly estimated to be around $7.98/month. | Four pricing plans are mentioned on the website that suit customers with different budgets. Starting at $40.25/month. |
| Plugins & Extensions | Approximately 850 plugins and around 59000 wordpress extensions are available to build a dream website or Ecommerce store. | Shopify offers about 8000 apps in shopify stores to scale the online business. |
| Proficiency Required | You might find it a little difficult to set a base if you are not at all aware of the functioning of WordPress. Therefore a little proficiency is required or expected. | It is a user-friendly platform developed in a simple and easy-to-understand format where technical know-how is not much required. |
| Payment Gateways | Has a provision of basic shipping and payment settings. However multiple gateways come as an add-on. | Has the provision of multiple payment gateways. |
Wix Vs Shopify:
| Point of Difference | Wix | Shopify |
| Cost/Price | Offers a free trial of 14 days. Post that you can select the plan that suits you. Light: $17/month Core: $29/month Business: $36/month Business Elite: $159/month | Offers a free trial of 3 days. After that, you have to pay $1/month forthe first 3 months. You must note that the transaction fee goes down with plan upgrade. Starter: $5/month Basic: $29/month Shopify: $79/month Advanced: $299/month Shopify Plus: Starts at $2,300/month |
| POS System | Has an option of a POS system that can be exercised only in the US and Canada. | POS Lite comes free and can be used in any country. POS Pro is also available and is free with Shopify Plus. |
| AI Features Usage | AI integration is smooth and free AI assistance is also there. | The involvement of AI for image generation or content creation is accessible. |
| Marketing Options | Email and Ad Marketing for paid users is built in. | Offers email and Marketing to paid users. |
BigCommerce Vs Shopify:
| Point of Difference | BigCommerce | Shopify |
| Transaction Fees | No transaction fees are applicable. | Applicable for certain payments like payment via credit card. |
| Customization | Wide range for customizing the website and also offers API. | There are customization options available from a customer usage point of view. |
| App Store | Offers a good range of apps but comparatively the app is smaller and has fewer options. | Offers a really large app store with multiple apps that can brighten up the presence of online stores. |
| SEO | Has a Robust SEO tool that can help improve search engine rankings. | Strong and useful SEO features, helpful in creating site maps, meta descriptions, etc. |
Use Cases: Best platforms for different types of businesses
All the platforms are good in their ways, but they have limitations. The primary factor affecting the platform selection as to which platform will suit your business the most depends on the type of business/service, scale of business/service, features you want to add/use, etc.
Shopify Partner
Becoming a Shopify partner is always helpful for businesses of all types and sizes. As we read above, it has multiple apps, themes, and layouts to support different types and scales of business and function without any hiccups.
WooCommerce
Those who already have knowledge of WordPress and are comfortable with its functioning can rely on WooCommerce to create their eCommerce store.
BigCommerce
Perfect for high-volume businesses, B2B formats, and Wholesalers, as it can handle large catalogs, product categories, and high traffic without any glitches.
Wix Platform
Personal, small, and service-based brands can rely on Wix for their online presence. It has a simple drag-and-drop interface that helps quick creation and easy maintenance without much effort.
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Conclusion
Everything has been said and done. Shopify tops the game with multiple features, affordability, and many other parameters. Shopify can help your business grow if its potential is used to the max in the right way. For that, thorough research, analytics, and an understanding of trends are required. And expecting all this from one person running a business is too much. Therefore, getting the help of professionals like Softpulse Infotech is a must to utilize Shopify’s advantage without investing time.
Build a future-proof Shopify store with the help of Shopify Experts, who ensure your site remains competitive and customer-focused in every aspect. Contact Softpulse Infotech now and hire the best expert team.
