Have you narrowed your future e-commerce platform down to Wix vs Shopify? You might have a killer idea for a product to sell, but you need the best platform to put that idea to use. Below I will show you why this is really no competition and I strongly recommend that you try the clear winner out today.
You might have slight confusion when it comes to these two platforms. Shopify is a true ecommerce platform. It was made so users can build an online storefront. Wix is not an actual eCommerce platform.
It is a cloud-based web development platform that allows users to create HTML5 websites using drag and drop tools. While it is not an actual selling platform Wix does have ecommerce features for two of their plans. If you want an actual ecommerce platform, then try a 2 week Shopify trial.
Price comparison, let’s start with Wix first.
Wix monthly pricing plans
Both companies allow for a month to month billing. When you pay annually in advance you get a cheaper price. With Wix’s ecommerce plan it will cost you $16.17/mo. With their VIP plan it will cost you $24.92/mo. The other plans do not give you ecommerce features. I would like to remind you that the above prices are when you pay yearly. If you would rather pay month to month, then the ecommerce plan is going to cost you $19.90 and the VIP plan is going to cost you $29.90.
shopify monthly plans
Only the last 3 plans give you an online storefront. The first plan only allows for a FB store. While this is extremely effective, mostly people want more. These plans are their monthly plans. If you pay annually you can save up to 20%. For an e-commerce platform the $29 plan would be perfect for anyone. (Learn more here.)
Fees
You don’t have to worry about any selling fees with these two companies. The only transaction fee that you have to worry about is the payment gateway fee for whatever payment gateway that you choose.
Different avenues for selling
With Shopify, you will have a greater opportunity to sell your products. As you can see in the image above, not only will you be able to have your own online store, but you will be able to sell directly from social media accounts. That means your customers can purchase from your store without leaving their social media. This increases your chances of making a profit and being a success exponentially.
I especially like the Pinterest store feature because Pinterest is a proven way to drive traffic to your site and increase sales by 100%. Most people on Pinterest make over 50K a year. You are exposing your products to millions and Pinterest is getting larger. While Wix does give you a website it doesn’t give you the option to sell on multiple social media platforms.
Payment gateways
Shopify is the most popular ecommerce platform in the world so of course, it is going to have more payment gateways than all the other platforms. Shopify kills Wix in this category with over 70 payment gateways. Wix has only 7. More payment gateways means more options for your customers, which means more sales.
Here are the Wix payment methods that you can use with your online store. PayPal, WebMoney, Skrill, Authorize.Net, PayU Latam (Latin America only) or the Offline Payment option with your Online Store shopping cart. Brazilian users can also use PagSeguro.
Here are some Shopify payment methods that you can use in the U.S and in other countries.
- Amazon Payments
- Shopify Payments
- Paypal
- NETbilling
- QuickBooks Payments
- iDEAL
- BitPay
- Stripe
- TransFirst
- PayU
- Authorize.net
- Optimal Payments
Themes
When it comes to themes everyone will agree that the Wix themes are not that appealing and you will not have a lot to choose from like you will with Shopify. Shopify themes were made to increase sales and give you the precise ecommerce theme that you have been looking for. Many of the Wix themes are not for e-commerce because remember it’s not an actual e-commerce platform. Taking this into consideration this makes it much harder to find the right theme for your business. (Check out Shopify themes.)
Storage space
As you can see in the above Wix chart, Wix has storage limitations. If we examine both eCommerce plans you will see that they only have 20GB storage plans. While their VIP plan offers unlimited bandwidth their e-commerce plan only offers 10GB bandwidth. Shopify allows you to sell an unlimited amount of products. You are given unlimited storage and bandwidth. This shows that Shopify is better for the future.
Sell in person
One of the most special features of Shopify is that you can actually sell on the go. You can sell within your own home, you can sell at your store, you can sell anywhere. Shopify gives you a free card reader and you can also use third party equipment which makes this deal even sweeter. Wix does not have a point of sale system and unfortunately, at the moment it is impossible to connect Wix with a POS.
Blogging and SEO
Both Shopify and Wix allow you to blog. This is important because blogging will increase traffic and sales by over 50%. What it comes down to now is which platform is going to help your blog and your products rank better in the search engines and the answer is going to be Shopify and here is why.
Wix sites have an undesirable URL structure. Your URL is going to look like this Myblog.com/#!selling-stuff/c739. As you can see, it’s not too friendly and in the world of SEO, you need every boost that you can get. Shopify offers you more powerful SEO apps and features to make your site more Google-friendly. The fact that it is hard to find popular Wix sites is another indication that their sites do not rank the best.
Apps
Both platforms allow you to install apps to enhance your e-commerce store. Wix has around 230 free and premium apps, but Shopify has well over 1000. Not only are there more, but these apps are not basic like Wix. These apps are unique and they give your site features that other eCommerce platforms don’t have. For example, there is a free Shopify app that adds live chat to your site and your live chat system learns how you respond to your customers and it becomes a virtual employee for you. This is a spectacular feature.
Features overview
Wix
- Easy Drag and Drop
- One-Pager Websites
- Beautiful Stock Images
- 40 unique galleries
- Video Background
- Parallax 3D Effects
- Social Buttons
Shopify
- Fraud tools
- Manual order creation
- Shipping label discount: 50% and up
- Discount codes & Gift cards
- FB, TW, P, and IG social media stores
- POS
- 70+ payment gateways
- Fast dedicated servers
Mobile responsiveness
Shopify uses HTML5 so your store looks great and is compatible with iPhone, Android, Blackberry and other smartphones. Wix sites do not automatically adjust to screen size. Many Wix customers are complaining about this to no avail. Here Wix states that their sites are not responsive.
Ease of use
Shopify makes it easier for beginners. All you have to do is sign up, choose a theme to use, and then easily customize it to your liking. Both Shopify and Wix are for nontechies, the reason that Shopify has an easier setup is that Wix is a drag and drop builder.
Everything is not ready-made for you. You have to basically start from the beginning and move everything around. Since there are so many different options to choose from and so many different things to customize it can be confusing to some people.
Technical support
Beginners should have many ways to contact their support team. Wix does not allow phone support unless you choose their VIP plan. Wix does not even offer live chat. Imagine if you run into problems in the future, this can be an issue. For me personally, I don’t like waiting for ticket support. Shopify offers 24/7 support. They offer phone support, live chat, and they have a forum. Both companies offer tutorials and guides to help you get started.
Which is the better option?
The choice is a no-brainer. Shopify is designed for people who want to sell and has featured in place to help you get more sales. Wix is for people who want a website with eCommerce features that they build themselves.
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