For ages, a question has been plaguing the minds of web designers and developers alike. They have come across many platforms and content marketing systems. They have even seen tools for designing and developing custom websites.
Then comes the question of whether to go for Shopify or Wix. Both are equally good with their specialties as Shopify is for dropshipping and eCommerce, while Wix is a drag and drop web design and development tool. Let us now read about it to see which one to go with.
First things first: Is the business an eCommerce one or a service based business?
A lot of posts comparing them both are present in the online world. They will talk about affordability, technical aspects, and even the ease of platforms. The answer is never an easy one because it all boils down to the specific business requirements. How companies plan on growing their eCommerce sides is also taken into consideration.
Those whose primary focus is eCommerce then they should go for Shopify. Wix is also good because it is affordable and easy to use, especially for those having no coding experience. Its primary purpose is for businesses based on information and services to add a small eCommerce aspect to their business.
If businesses have plans larger than that in terms of online business and stores, then it is wise to go for Shopify. A Wix site can be up and running in no time, but it also requires additional inventory management plugins and further customization specific to eCommerce.
Shopify, the leader of eCommerce
Shopify is a top-notch eCommerce platform for the very good reasons. Recent reports reveal that Shopify claims a 28% market share in the United States. Its primary competitors are Wix, Squarespace, and WooCommerce. Each of them claims a share of 14% each.
Wix offers an elementary level of eCommerce functionality. It comes with an additional price to the base website functions. It is quite an affordable option but it is not scalable. Shopify offers more scalability because it is eCommerce-oriented.
The primary purpose of Wix is for service-based businesses. Its eCommerce component is not optimized for proper conversion in comparison to Shopify.
Wix is a flexible tool. It is a drag and drop website builder. That is also its negative part. Shopify on the other hand has a wide range of themes and sections that are aptly designed and developed for top-notch and seamless user experience. Studies reveal that Shopify converts customers 36% more than Wix.
Expanding the store’s functionality
Shopify is also well known for the number of variants it has. Professionals from a Dubai-based web design agency indicate that Shopify product APIs support approximately 2000 variants. Moreover, there are many ways in-house expert developers at Shopify can expand the limitations in variants using patented meta fields and custom-made apps.
Expanding the functionality of online stores is also possible in Wix. The platform boasts more than 300 apps that can expand its functionality. They’re not entirely suited to eCommerce. Shopify has more than 7000 free and paid apps found in the Shopify store are all eCommerce-centric. They are designed and developed with optimal conversion and customer experience in consideration.
Giving user journey more priority over design
A limitation with Shopify is that the design options available have limits. Wix provides more than 800 kinds of design templates. Being an easy drag and drop platform, it also helps in the integration of brochure design.
Shopify on the other hand provides only ten design templates. The paid version provides a large number of premium themes. An advantage they provide is that they have sections rich in features that are suitable for eCommerce sites.
Over to You
As with any web design and development platform, advantages, disadvantages, and limitations are present. Shopify and Wix both have them. The latter is more affordable than the former but lacks proper scalability and eCommerce-centric apps and integrations. Shopify excels at that and provides out of the box solutions in that matter too.
Shopify offers a seamless checkout experience to customers which is not present in Wix. It has been doing that time and time again because it is an eCommerce-centric platform.