Which ecommerce platform should you choose?

A fact for you: ecommerce is now a multi-trillion dollar industry, with over a fifth of all retail sales happening online last year alone. 

That explosive growth is exactly why ecommerce platforms offer such a powerful opportunity to take your products or services to a much wider audience. But if you’re starting an online shop, or thinking about giving your existing one a serious upgrade, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is which platform to use.

We’ve broken down the pros and cons of the three most popular ecommerce platforms…

WooCommerce  

Best for:

Businesses that want a completely custom online store that’s tailored to their brand and ways of working.

WooCommerce is a flexible ecommerce platform built on WordPress ‒ and it’s all about giving you full control. If you’ve got a unique product, a standout brand or specific business processes, WooCommerce is your best bet.

Pros:

• Fully bespoke design: Your store can look and feel exactly how you want it to, with a custom theme that reflects your brand.
• Tailored functionality: Need something a bit different? You can build in custom features to support your unique business needs.
• Built on WordPress: Great for content management and SEO, especially if blogging or content marketing is part of your strategy.
• No monthly platform fees: The plugin is free, and you only pay for the features and tools you choose to add.

Cons:

• More hands-on: You’ll need to think about hosting, maintenance and updates ‒ or work with a developer who can take care of that for you.
• Takes longer to set up: A bespoke site takes time to build properly, but the result is worth it.

Our take:

If you want a store that’s built around your business, it’s a fantastic choice. We love using it to create ecommerce sites that are one of a kind, both in design and in how they work behind the scenes.

Shopify

Best for:

Businesses that want to get up and running quickly with a fully-managed store.

Shopify is designed to make launching an online store as smooth and stress-free as possible. As a fully-managed ecommerce platform, they take care of all the technical stuff such as hosting, security and updates, which is a great time saver ‒ but it comes at a cost.

Pros:

• Super user-friendly: You don’t need to be techy to get a beautiful store up and running.
• All-in-one solution: Hosting, security, payments ‒ it’s all taken care of.
• In-built POS solution: For taking in-store purchases easily.
• Great support: 24/7 customer service if you ever need help.

Cons:

• Monthly fees: There’s a cost involved, and it can rise depending on the features you need.
• Less flexibility: Customisation is more limited and relies on third-party apps and extensions that have an extra monthly fee. 
• Transaction fees: Unless you use Shopify Payments, you’ll pay extra transaction charges on every sale.

Our take:

Shopify is a great option if you want something that works right out of the box. It’s perfect for those who want to focus on selling without getting bogged down in tech.

BigCommerce

Best for:

Growing businesses that need robust features and room to scale.

BigCommerce offers a powerful set of tools built-in, which means you can do a lot without needing to install loads of plugins or third-party apps. It’s geared towards businesses who are serious about growth and need an ecommerce engine that can keep up.

Pros:

• Feature-rich: Advanced SEO, multi-channel selling (eBay, Amazon, social) and more ‒ ready to use immediately. 
• No extra transaction fees: Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce doesn’t take a cut if you use third-party payment gateways.
• Scalable: Built for businesses that expect to grow.

Cons:

• Learning curve: It’s not quite as beginner-friendly as Shopify.
• Revenue-based pricing: As your sales grow, so might your monthly fee.
• Limited theme selection: Not as many themes to choose from compared to other platforms.

Our take:

If you’re already trading or have ambitious growth plans, BigCommerce might be the solid, scalable solution you’re after. It offers a lot of bang for your buck ‒ especially if you’re selling across multiple channels.

Not sure where to start?

Don’t worry. We’ve worked across all three and can help you find the one that fits your business, your goals and your budget. Whether you’re building from scratch or giving your store a glow-up, we can guide you through the process ‒ just get in touch, and let’s chat!