WooCommerce VS Shopify

Choices can be a curse when there are no clear winners of compelling advantages over disadvantages in all the most critical deciding factors! In the Shopify vs WooCommerce case, the decision most often depends on 1) finances and 2) the level of technical skill available either through yourself and or someone else. This article provides non-techie people not only the pros and cons of each choice but also a conclusion with workaround solutions for the key disadvantage(s) for either choice (Shopify or WooCommerce).

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PROs: WooCommerce

• No monthly cost. This is a significant difference! I am a fan of reducing and, if possible, even eliminating fixed costs. Fixed monthly costs (like those associated with a Shopify account) accrue regardless of whether your startup store even makes $1. Consequently, the permanent freedom from fixed costs is noteworthy for reducing your risk of closure if you have tight financial constraints. Note however that, depending on the complexity of your needs, you may still need to buy some fancier app plug-ins, regardless of whether you are using WooCommerce or Shopify. plug-ins are programs that are compatible with a main platform, in this case, WooCommerce. App plug-ins provide additional functions you want in your online store like apps for referral affiliate programs, immediate shipping / carrier cost calculations that integrate with a pre-existing shopping cart and so on.
• Lots of plug-ins that can offer more technical functionality than Shopify. Read above to learn about app plug-ins. (NB some plugins require your payment).
• More control over code. This is a great advantage if have access to a suitably skilled designer. Code is a specialized markup language used for designing any aspect of your ecommerce store, ie form colors to the functionality of your shopping cart. Of course though, code is a technical language you do not master overnight. Trying to learn code just to set up your store yourself is arguably counter productive. It will only detract from the more strategic use of your effort, like planning your sales funnel among other things. However, if you have access to someone that can develop the code precisely as your customers need, you can enjoy this considerable advantage.
• Superior Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO refers to the combination of strategies used to attract visitors to your eccomerce store.
• More themes than Shopify. Themes refer broadly to the layout of a website. For instance, among other things, it involves the overall feel of the website given atmospheric variables like colors and graphics. Themes also determine formatting variables like the location and number of navigation menus.
• Superior blog capabilities. The value of this advantage depends largely on the strategic importance of blogging for achieving your ecommerce goals.

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PROs: Shopify

• 24/7 toll free telephone technical support. This is a HUGE advantage for any non-techie person, especially if you do not have the time to figure out WooCommerce. Needless to say, WooCommerce does not offer any kind of employee support. Essentially, the stark contrast is that WooCommerce requires you to search the internet for content to answer your burning questions.
• Easier and faster set up. This is ideal for someone without ecommerce setup skills. Furthermore, if you encounter any challenges, you can contact technical support to walk you through the process. After you figure out these basic Shopify elements, you can master Shopify.
• Free trial for a limited time (of roughly 1 days). This is where Shopify competes directly with WooCommerce. It is so much easier for a non-techie person to start the free trial with Shopify than the permanently free facility of WooCommerce. The fact that Shopify offers customer service with a level of support that will even guide you in how to click through your current screen on an already easier platform makes Shopify a much easier option for the hardest step, ie starting. In contrast, WooCommerce poses too many techie obstacles at the start.
• Only a few good plug-ins that are free.

CONs: WooCommerce

• No tech support. You will need to hire someone to do at least the setup. Building a site on someone else's schedule might take longer than you would like.
• You need to update all of the plug-ins. This gets tedious because the failure to update one plug-in can affect others with an ensuing domino effect. In fact, plug-ins conflict with each other sometimes. you run an ever growing risk of this with a higher number of plug-ins. Eventually, this can even lead to risky security breaches. For instance, breaches can even translate into having your customer lists stolen. To avoid problems, you need to be consistently doing backups. in contrast, Shopify has a technical team that automatically takes care of these matters, so you never need to.
• Costs. You will need to pay for bells and whistles eventually if you need fancier plug-ins like auto-shipping calculators for instance. This is a moot point since it also applies to Shopify.
• SSL and plugin costs.

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CONs: Shopify

• Costly fixed costs. By the end of a year, your costs will have totalled at lease USD 360.00 for the most basic package. It is good to know however that any account starts with a free 14-day trial period during which your store may go live.
• Additional costs. The fixed monthly cost of having a Shopify account does not include the costs of plug-ins and any bells and whistles you may include to customize the store to meet your customer's specific needs. In fact, these additional costs are often fixed and monthly.
• Limited SEO

WORKAROUNDS: WooCommerce

• Technical setup skills. You can hire a skilled designer to set up the online store. The designer can be someone in your area with whom you can meet physically. However, know that you can find virtual assistants online (via sites like www.upwork.com/). With technologies that allow you to share screens, to hand over control of your computer to the assistant, see him and so on, a virtual assistant experience can easily feel as if your assistant were physically with you. If possible, ask whether you can learn the process as he is completing basic setup tasks. However, leave the option open for hiring him for more complex tasks. Unfortunately, the creation of the store can be drawn out and painful. However, this is more likely if the details of your vision are unclear. I will discuss this matter later.
• Technical maintenance skills. Hire your virtual assistant to complete maintenance tasks. Once both are competent, you can even hire a different person from the setup phase to maintain your WooCommerce website. Developing a relationship of trust with an assistant is most critical here. After all he will have access to all of your information on the backend. In addition, his level of skill to avoid security breaches and crashes are extremely important. As with setup tasks, ask whether he can teach you some of the basic routine tasks.
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• Costs. The initial financial setup cost is likely to be at least a few hundreds of dollars (like any paid advanced Shopify store theme that is paid). Console yourself with the fact hat they cost will be a one-time cost that is cheaper in the long run. In fact, it will likely be cheaper than a paid fancy Shopify store over the long term. Depending on your area, a virtual assistant may even be a more cost effective option. Furthermore, learning basic set up and maintenance skills will also reduce your costs if you need basic design changes and additional WooCommerce stores. However, beware of the monthly maintenance fees BEFOREHAND. Specifically, if they surpass Shopify fees, you might need to reconsider this choice if cost is a key deciding factor and if you can not find a cheaper alternative that will deliver good work.
• To allow for a smooth working relationship with the designer and lower costs, have a very clear and detailed vision for your website even before hiring an assistant. Since your project must start from nothing, you must approach your assistant only when you are prepared, ie even to a greater extent than if you were preparing for Shopify (as per the Shopify workaround list below). Here are some tips for preparation.
• List features and elements that you need. If possible, find third party websites to which you can refer your assistant to illustrate your point.
• Note the general layout that you need. As in the previous tip, find third party websites to which you can refer your assistant to illustrate your point.

WORKAROUNDS: Shopify

• Cost. There really is no way to avoid Shopify's fixed costs. However, if your store is generating a healthy profit, you will agree that you must spend money to make money. If cost is a consideration, the only way forward is by researching your business idea very thoroughly beforehand. Although this is necessary for the WooCommerce option, it is obviously more critical in this case to avoid (greater) financial loss. For instance, have a solid business plan. Furthermore, accelerate the period in which your store can begin to profit by completing as many finer details as possible. For instance, even before using the free Shopify trial, complete tasks that do not require a Shopify account. The list below is an example of some such tasks. You only need a basic understanding of Shopify elements and how it works to do this.
• Content for pages (like 'About Us', 'Contact Us' pages and so on), ie information pages that do not directly relate to the display of products.




product tags, collections and other groupings that will be used for navigation menu options and

dynamically displaying products according to customized visitor searches

list of suppliers that will need to visit the beta version of the site before you can list their product (especially in the case of drop shipping)

list of functions you need to include.

• list of your questions for the Shopify customer service team.

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