That\u2019s the topic we want to cover in this article. We\u2019ll touch on the pros and cons of each platform – and when they\u2019d each make sense for you to use.<\/span><\/p>\n As you may already know, WordPress is basically the king when it comes to building websites.\u00a0<\/span>In the case of eCommerce, it\u2019s no different.<\/span><\/p>\n The biggest and most scalable solution for WP is called WooCommerce.\u00a0A\u00a0<\/span>plug-in that allows you to build your entire online store on WordPress.<\/span><\/p>\n Within the plug-in you have options for managing your inventory, customizing your product line-up and assigning SKU\u2019s at the click of a button.<\/span><\/p>\n All of this means you can relatively quickly build out your product line; even if you\u2019re doing something like clothing and have hundreds of SKU\u2019s for different sizing, colors etc.<\/span><\/p>\n They simply have to use a plug-in like WooCommerce to build upon your website and craft out your store.\u00a0<\/span>This ease of access passes a time and cost savings down to you.<\/span><\/p>\n WooCommerce has a very large library of extensions. There are more than 450 to choose from, allowing you to build functionality like coupons, email marketing<\/strong> and more into your store.<\/span><\/p>\n Some are free, while others are premium\/paid options. <\/span><\/p>\n This extendibility gives the freedom to \u201cmake the site your own\u201d and grow into more diverse marketing and sales opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n While there are of course premium extensions you can purchase, WooCommerce is completely free to use.<\/span><\/p>\n This is great as beginners can set up their store and begin selling risk free<\/strong>. No need to worry about monthly payments right out of the gates (like Shopify. More on this below).<\/span><\/p>\n While it is free to use, adding premium extensions onto your store for additional functionality can get pricy. <\/span><\/p>\n Some of the extensions cost upwards of $150. A large upfront investment you do not have when using Shopify. This is a trade-off as Shopify does come with a monthly fee.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re not familiar with Shopify – they are a standalone eCommerce platform.<\/span><\/p>\n Once again you have all the tools to set up your own store, start selling and processing payments. They also have a marketplace of \u201cplug-ins\u201d you can use to build functionality into your site.<\/span><\/p>\n Shopify is built for business owners of all kinds. Not only do they have the platform for online purchases. They also have tools to help you integrate into the offline world.<\/span><\/p>\n If you have a retail location, you can utilize Shopify\u2019s POS system to help centralize your transaction management<\/strong> and order processing (good for organization and accounting).<\/span><\/p>\n This can also help you better define and manage your customer rewards programs and discount offers.<\/span><\/p>\n Shopify\u2019s cheapest plan is $29 per month, and goes all the way up to $299. There are a huge variety of free plug-ins to choose from. However, many are paid as well.<\/span><\/p>\n The difference is most plug-ins are a monthly fee, versus WooCommerce which gives you a flat rate.\u00a0<\/span>On the plus side, Shopify offers a 2 week free trial so you can test them out before paying.<\/span><\/p>\n As WordPress has a large emphasis on its utility for bloggers, they have much better SEO features than Shopify.<\/span><\/p>\n If you are planning to blog, you may want to keep this in mind. You could however set-up a WordPress blog and link it to your Shopify store<\/strong> if you wanted to.<\/span><\/p>\n Now that you have a basis of comparison, how do you decide between WordPress and Shopify?<\/span><\/p>\n You may want to start by asking yourself the following questions.<\/span><\/p>\n If you are planning to only sell online, prefer a free platform<\/strong> to start, and want to focus on content, you might be best off with WordPress.<\/span><\/p>\n If you want to integrate your business online and offline into one system, and prefer something that \u201cdoes it all\u201d right out of the box, you might be best off with Shopify.<\/span><\/p>\n Now, how do you decide if you should go with Magento?<\/span><\/p>\n If WordPress seems like the better solution for you, pick WordPress. <\/span>However, if you are interested in the Shopify system, you will gain value from seeing how it compares to Magento as it is another complete commerce solution.<\/span><\/p>\n If you like Shopify, but feel a little constrained by what you see available in their marketplace, or think you may outgrow the software, Magento may be for you.<\/span><\/p>\n They specialize in more \u201centerprise solutions\u201d for the commerce world. See: Magento homepage. A few clients they mention right away are Burger King, Coca Cola, and Christian Louboutin.<\/span><\/p>\n As Magento is an enterprise solution, they\u2019ve built their software to help large companies scale up their product offerings and increase their traffic with as little friction as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n Magento takes the Shopify commerce system to the next level. If you\u2019re looking for a strong \u201comnichannel\u201d solution – this is basically THE only option.<\/span><\/p>\n They help you no matter where, when or how you sell. <\/span><\/p>\n The software is a bit complicated (as we\u2019ll touch on below), but there is a strong community of data-driven web specialists to help you build your website.<\/span><\/p>\n This can help you build your store with conversion optimization.<\/span><\/p>\n The learning curve is much bigger\u00a0here than the one you\u2019d have with WordPress or Shopify. This\u00a0means a bigger up-front time investment to get situated.<\/span><\/p>\n Given that it is more of an enterprise solution with more complex software – the Magento developer skillset is more specialised. \u00a0<\/span>For you, this means the development cost when hiring will be markedly higher than Shopify or WP.<\/span><\/p>\n For the typical small business owner, Magento is going to be a big headache to try and get your store online and running smoothly.\u00a0<\/span>By comparison Shopify makes setting your store up as quick as a couple hours.<\/span><\/p>\n For most business owners trying to build their store online, the decision is going to be between WordPress and Shopify.\u00a0<\/span>Use the information here to determine your needs and decide on a platform.<\/span><\/p>\n If you decide to use WordPress, remember that you\u2019re going to need a <\/span>domain<\/span><\/a> and hosting.\u00a0<\/span>Check out our <\/span>web hosting packages<\/span><\/a> to get started.<\/span><\/p>\n CanSpace is Canada’s leading domain name registrar and web hosting<\/strong> provider. Let us help you launch your store! Our support team is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help with any questions or needs you have.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019ve ever wanted to get your own store up and move into eCommerce, you may have wondered what the difference is between WordPress, Shopify and Magento. All three are used to build online stores. So which one should you use and why? That\u2019s the topic we want to cover in this article. We\u2019ll touch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"client_name":"","client_title":"","client_company_name":"","client_url":"","client_quote":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[76,75,74],"class_list":["post-376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-website-development","tag-magento","tag-shopify","tag-wordpress"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSelling Online With WordPress<\/b><\/h2>\n
WordPress Pros<\/b><\/h3>\n
1. Scalable and flexible platform<\/h4>\n
WordPress is one of the most popular website building applications. The platform is easy to use and learn, which means\u00a0<\/span>WordPress developers\u00a0typically come at a lower cost<\/strong> than other higher-level developers.<\/span><\/h4>\n
2. Extendible functionality<\/b><\/h4>\n
3. Free to use<\/b><\/h4>\n
WordPress Cons<\/b><\/h3>\n
1. WooCommerce can be expensive<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Selling Online With Shopify<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.canspace.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/shopify.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nShopify Pros<\/b><\/h3>\n
1. Strong integrations built for commerce<\/h4>\n
Shopify Cons<\/b><\/h3>\n
1. Monthly fee(s)<\/h4>\n
2. Weaker SEO<\/strong><\/h4>\n
WordPress vs Shopify<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
Selling Online with Magento<\/b><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nMagento Pros <\/b><\/h3>\n
1. Built to scale<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Seamless integration to the offline world\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Good community of “partners”<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Magento Cons<\/b><\/h3>\n
1. Complicated software<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Costly development<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Shopify vs Magento<\/b><\/h3>\n
In Conclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n