Wix vs Shopify For eCommerce
Choosing a reliable, scalable eCommerce platform is a crucial component to getting started with selling online. There are numerous platforms to choose from, and researching all of them can be overwhelming. In this blog, we’re discussing what to expect when you invest in building an eCommerce store with Shopify or Wix.
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Wix: Cloud-Based Development Platform
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Israel, Wix is a cloud-based, website building platform that offers built-in and premium features that merchants use to create professional eCommerce websites. With a complete suite of tools to build websites, optimize for SEO and build brand awareness, Wix is a popular tool that many smaller eCommerce businesses use.
Ascend by Wix
Ascend by Wix is a complete marketing and customer management suite that helps merchants engage with consumers at each step of the buyer’s journey. Attract visitors with Wix’s built-in SEO tools, create brand awareness with Facebook and Instagram posts and upgrade to pro marketing tools for detailed insights on your customers.
Wix Stores
Create a professional website and build custom product pages and more with Wix Stores. Optimize the checkout process with previews of products from within the shopping cart, express checkout and shipping and tax estimates. Securely accept customers’ credit cards with trustworthy payment providers such as Wix payments, Stripe and more.
Wix Logo Maker
Create a custom brand logo for free using the Wix Logo Maker. It provides SVG files and pre-sized formats, so merchants can utilize their newly created logo throughout their website, social media platforms and more. Plus, the Business Name Generator helps businesses that are just getting started find a unique name for their brand based on the logo’s design. This is great for smaller businesses or those that aren’t yet established.
Wix Video Maker
The Wix Video Maker is a free, online video editor software that lets brands create videos for promotional purposes, product demos, social media awareness and so much more. Once a video is created, it’s easy to add it to YouTube, Facebook or Instagram and throughout your website.
Wix Blog
Blogging on wix is fairly simple; merchants are offered two ways to do so. First, you can use Wix’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) tool, which is the fastest way to create a blog. The ADI tool doesn’t provide much control over the design of your website’s blog; however, the second way to create a blog does allow you to have more control over the blog’s design, and that is by choosing a blog template from Wix and customizing it in the Editor.
Velo by Wix
Velo by Wix is a full-stack web development platform that merchants use to build, manage and launch websites, apps and APIs. The development tools used within Velo cut down the time it takes to code a site, so merchants can get their sites launched and running much quicker.
Shopify: SaaS eCommerce Platform
Shopify is a subscription-based eCommerce platform that enables merchants of all sizes to build and design a website. Founded in 2004, Shopify is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada and has expanded to service customers in 175 countries around the world.
As a Shopify Plus Design & Development Agency, Groove Commerce advocates for the use of Shopify Plus for mid-market and Enterprise merchants. In addition to reading some of Shopify’s features below, we encourage you to check out this review of Shopify pros and cons from a development perspective to learn more about building your website on the SaaS eCommerce platform.
Shopify Collections
One of the most common requests that our development team receives from clients is the need for product organization on the front-end of their website. Shopify Collections provides this solution.
Shopify Collections is a feature that lets merchants group their products into what they call “collections” so that shoppers and website visitors are able to quickly and easily find products based on their category. Once collections are created, they’re shown as their own web pages with photos of the products in each collection.
CMS Product & Inventory Management
In addition to grouping products into collections, Shopify’s CMS supplies all the tools needed to successfully run an eCommerce store. From product and inventory management to sorting features, price setting, shipping detail configuration and so much more, Shopify makes it easy for merchants to track inventory and provide accurate information to customers.
Blogging on Shopify
Including organic written content is key to a successful SEO marketing strategy. If you’re a Shopify merchant with no existing blog, it’s likely time that you consider investing in this functionality. Blogging on Shopify is simple. Each Shopify store is included with a built-in blog, so merchants can generate content that drives traffic to their site.
Shopify Integrations
The Shopify platform requires integrations with apps to function. There are free and premium apps available in the Shopify app store. Shopify’s robust API also provides numerous options for building custom front-end websites and integrating with other platforms.
Shopify Payment Gateways
Choosing a Shopify payment gateway is the process of selecting a payment processor(s) that enables customers to complete transactions. Payment is the final touchpoint in the purchasing process, and Shopify offers a variety of payment processors such as PayPal, Stripe, Square and others. There are hosted, self-hosted and non-hosted payment gateways that merchants can choose from.
Shopify Reporting
Shopify’s detailed reporting is beneficial for merchants interested in eCommerce metrics such as conversion rate, average order value, repeat customer rate, total sales and more. Track sales and see how your brand stacks up against industry benchmarks, and consider using advanced tools (at an additional cost) for creating wish lists, reviews and more. It doesn’t stop at customer analytics, either. View financial reports such as payments and pending transaction data.
Looking for Other eCommerce Platform Options?
We've created many comparison guides for eCommerce retailers assessing their options. View a short list of some of the most popular comparisons below.
- Shopify vs Squrespace
- Wix vs Shopify
- WooCommerce vs Shopify
- Shopify vs BigCommerce
- More Shopify Alternatives
Conclusion
All in all, we believe that Wix is a suitable platform for small businesses, and Shopify Plus is a great solution for mid-market and Enterprise eCommerce merchants. If you’re still uncertain after reading this Wix vs Shopify blog and are looking for an eCommerce platform that scales with you as your business grows, we recommend checking out this article about BigCommerce vs Shopify, as these two platforms are great options for growing brands.
As always, reach out to our team using the form below if you need help migrating eCommerce platforms or want to find the best platform for your business based on your unique eCommerce needs.
