How to pick the right ecommerce platform for your online store

How to pick the right e-commerce platform for your online store:

So, you’ve decided to launch an online store? Great! Now it’s time to choose the right ecommerce platform, the tech and software that powers everything from your product listings to checkout. Picking the right one is crucial, as it can impact your store’s performance, customer experience, and long-term growth.

If you don't have an online store idea yet check out how you can Create the life of your dreams visualize it and do it here.

If you have started researching e-commerce platforms already, you will have noticed there are a couple of big players, namely Shopify and WooCommerce, and perhaps you are confused as to which one is best?

You might have discovered there are pro’s and con’s for each, all with varying pricing and reviews.

Let me highlight my experiences with each platform as well as pro’s and con’s for each.  

Now I must admit I’m a Shopify fan and user through and through. I use Shopfiy for my own online store, iland co. and love it.  But aside from my opinion, here are the pro’s and con’s for four of the leading e-commerce platform:

SHOPIFY:

Shopify is an all-in-one solution that enables you to create an online store, manage your products, and handle payments, all from a single, easy-to-use platform. For many small to mid-sized businesses, Shopify is often considered the right ecommerce platform thanks to its flexibility and user-friendly interface.

Shopify positives:

• Considered the ‘gold standard’ for small to mid-sized e-commerce businesses 

• Easy to use and update and has a great mobile app as well

• You know exactly how much you'll be paying every month and the pricing is fair

• There's access to thousands of apps to extend your store

• The themes are plentiful with 54 different store templates, 10 of which are free

• Dropshipping is rather simple with Shopify.

• Free Point of Sale (POS) app available for those who also sell in person

• Great support with 24-hour chat

Shopify negatives:

• Monthly recurring charges
• Somewhat limited in design (but many templates to choose from)
• A little restricted with SEO capabilities out of the box - but workarounds available

WOOCOMMERCE:

WooCommerce is a self-hosted software for eCommerce. This means that you can tap into the code and access various parts of your store for more customizable options.

This flexibility makes WooCommerce an appealing option if having complete control over your site is important to your team. It’s also ideal for those already running a WordPress blog, as WooCommerce integrates seamlessly with WordPress.

However, when considering WooCommerce as the right ecommerce platform, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons. While it offers unmatched freedom, that freedom comes at a price—you (or your team) will need to manage the technical side, including site security, plugin maintenance, and updates.

If you're tech-savvy or have a developer on hand, WooCommerce could be the right ecommerce platform to give you the flexibility you need to scale your store on your own terms.

WooCommerce positives:

• WooCommerce offers complete customization and control.
• WordPress has a huge community online.
• The themes and plugins are endless since just about anyone can make and sell them online.
• WooCommerce is simple to configure on WordPress.
• The WooCommerce plugin is free.

WooCommerce negatives:

• WordPress does have a bit of a learning curve.
• You may find that WooCommerce ends up being more expensive due to plugins, themes, and hosting.
• You're stuck managing everything from hosting to security, and maintenance to backups.
• Support isn’t as readily available with no support desk to call on but extensive FAQ documents and user forums.

BIG CARTEL:

Big Cartel is the only e-commerce platform around which lets you sell online for free, and is best suited to creatives with small-scale businesses selling individual products (such as art or jewellery pieces).

Big Cartel positives:

• 4 membership levels - Gold, Titanium, Diamond and Platinum. They range in price from Free to $29.99 a month.
• Members are allowed to upgrade, downgrade or cancel their account at any time
• No transaction fees
• The ability to sell digital products such as art, music, and eBooks.
• The opportunity to sell in person and process the payments through Big Cartel’s iPhone app or via your Facebook page.
• Beautiful and artistic collection of themes

Big Cartel negatives:

• Paypal and Stripe are the only available payment processing options
• The free Gold level only permits up to 5 products with a maximum of three hundred listings on the Platinum level plan
• You will need to have some understanding of coding to build and maintain your store
• The support team is only available Monday-Friday from 9 am to 6 pm EST 

SQUARESPACE:

Squarespace was initially designed to be a website builder first and an online store second. It started as a platform focused on content-based websites, ideal for portfolios, blogs, and service-based businesses. However, with the relatively recent addition of e-commerce features, Squarespace now allows you to sell products online as well.

If you’re primarily creating a content-driven website and want the option to sell a few products, Squarespace might be the right ecommerce platform for your needs. It offers beautifully designed templates, simple drag-and-drop functionality, and a streamlined experience for beginners.

However, for larger-scale online stores or businesses that require more advanced selling tools, integrations, or customisation, Squarespace may feel limiting compared to platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce.

So when evaluating the right ecommerce platform for your business, consider whether your focus is on content-first or commerce-first and choose accordingly.

Squarespace positives:

• Easy-to-use site builder and management dashboard
• Stylish and professional themes
• Unlimited products
• Customer support is available 24/7 via email and on Twitter. Live chat is available between 4 AM and 8 PM on weekdays.
• Squarespace is a well-known and popular site-builder which in turn comes with a large community of active users on the forums for extra support

Squarespace negatives:

• The promotion features only available on the top plan.
• A small number of only 10 themes available
• The number of integrations is limited.
• Without coding experience, retailers will find it difficult to add smaller features, like countdown timers or personalization. 
• If you want access to a large add-on library, a solution like Shopify might be preferable

All four platforms offer a free two-week trial, so you can test things out before making a final decision. This gives you valuable time to explore features, compare ease of use, and ultimately find the right ecommerce platform that fits your business needs and growth plans.

I hope this information helps you decide which ecommerce platform to use for your online store. Each one offers something a little different—so with the right insights, you’ll be able to find the right ecommerce platform to complement your business model.

If you have decided to go with Shopify, I actually have a great training course which takes you step by step, through building your own site.  It’s so easy, I even did it, and re-built my own Shopify store, iland co.  in a weekend!