IfÌýyou’ve been searching f´Ç°ùÌýanÌýecommerce platform toÌýstart aÌýdropshipping business ´Ç°ùÌýtoÌýtake your brick ²¹²Ô»åÌýmortar store into theÌýdigital world, you’ve probably heard ofÌýShopify.
Shopify boasts two million active users, making them theÌýmost popular ecommerce solution out there. Influencers onÌýYouTube sing their praises ²¹²Ô»åÌýtalk constantly about their own successes with theÌýbrand, recommending that everyone give Shopify aÌýtry.
But ifÌýyou dig aÌýlittle deeper into theÌýecommerce world, you’ll noÌýdoubt find ºÚÁÏÃÅ. ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýalso aÌý
Shopify: theÌý“best” ecommerce f´Ç°ùÌýyour business?
Read theÌýwriting onÌýtheÌýwall. Or, atÌýleast, theÌýreviews onÌý ²¹²Ô»åÌý. Many people are unhappy with their Shopify experience. SoÌýmany, inÌýfact, that they could make aÌýsmall, digital army. Sellers are not happy about:
- Shopify support, which seems toÌýbeÌýpinned down byÌýsuppressing users’ queries.
- Pricing that skyrockets asÌýmerchants add missing functionality byÌýinstalling multiple apps.
- Dependency onÌý
3rd-party integrations ²¹²Ô»åÌýpotentiallysub-par code quality. - Scalability limitations because ofÌýtheÌýapp providers ´Ç°ùÌýhuge expenses.
- Commissions from purchases ifÌýyou don’t use Shopify Payments.
- Design limitations that require developers toÌýadjust.
The solution? Maybe giving another platform aÌýtry. Here are 10Ìýthings weÌýbelieve make ºÚÁÏÃÅ better than Shopify. Read on, ²¹²Ô»åÌýdon’t forget toÌýshare with your friends!
Most ofÌýtheÌýonline sellers face theÌýfollowing challenges starting anÌýecommerce business:
- Choosing theÌýright technology f´Ç°ùÌýtheir business. There are soÌýmany ecommerce “solutions” that itÌýtakes forever toÌýcompare them ²¹²Ô»åÌýchoose theÌýright one.
- ´¡Ìý²õ³¾²¹±ô±ô
start-up budget. Business owners grow investments progressively when they see aÌýreasonable return. But itÌýcan beÌýdifficult toÌýsee these types ofÌýreturns when starting out onÌýaÌýshoestring budget. - Lack ofÌýtime ²¹²Ô»åÌýattention. These days, merchants have soÌýmany opportunities that itÌýtakes all their time just toÌýkeep upÌýwith theÌýfield.
- Lack ofÌýtech skills. Merchants ²¹²Ô»åÌýbusiness owners can see their goals clearly but can’t design ´Ç°ùÌýexplain their plans f´Ç°ùÌýimplementation. They want solutions, without theÌýhassle ofÌýlearning complicated coding languages.
- Attracting ²¹²Ô»åÌýretaining customers. The merchants need proper tools toÌýhelp them launch adÌýcampaigns, set upÌýemails, ²¹²Ô»åÌýget their products listed onÌýtheÌýInternet.
- Maintaining
long-term growth ²¹²Ô»åÌýscalability. ToÌýkeep moving forward inÌýtheÌýbusiness journey, merchants seek automation, integrations with sales channels, ²¹²Ô»åÌýself-sufficiency ³Ù´ÇÌý²¹±¹´Ç¾±»åvendor-lock.
ToÌýrespond toÌýmerchant’s needs like these, ºÚÁÏÃÅ offers aÌý
Reason 1:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ has aÌýfree plan
With theÌýFree plan, you have access toÌýInstant Site (an ecommerce website builder), which enables you toÌýstart selling your products online without anÌýexisting website ´Ç°ùÌýcoding expertise.
Shopify doesn’t have aÌýFree plan. They only offer aÌý
Reason 2:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýembeddable into anyÌýplatform
ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýanÌýecommerce widget that works with all major website platforms: WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, Joomla, GoDaddy, Tumblr, Blogger, ²¹²Ô»åÌýanyÌýother CMS ´Ç°ùÌýplatform that allows you toÌýembed new tools. IfÌýyou already have aÌýwebsite ²¹²Ô»åÌýall you need isÌýecommerce capabilities, ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýaÌýclear choice.
Shopify can’t integrate with other platforms, because it’s technically aÌýwebsite builder itself.
Reason 3:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ has NoÌýtransaction fees
ºÚÁÏÃÅ never takes aÌýcommission (otherwise known asÌýaÌýtransaction fee), soÌýmore money stays inÌýyour pocket.
Shopify takes aÌý2%Ìý transaction fee f´Ç°ùÌýeach purchase ifÌýyou don’t use Shopify Payments. IfÌýyour revenue with Shopify equals $100,000/mo, you’ll beÌýlosing aÌýportion ofÌýthose pretty pennies. With ºÚÁÏÃÅ, you’ll beÌýsaving upÌýtoÌý$2,000Ìýmonthly. With that money, you could launch aÌýwhole lot ofÌýads onÌýGoogle Shopping!
Reason 4:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ has valuable built-in features (product options, abandoned cart emails)
The idea here isÌý
ºÚÁÏÃÅ has many tools built into its toolkit. You don’t have toÌýcompare available solutions, install apps that mess upÌýtheÌýcode, ´Ç°ùÌýbother with additional registration. ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýjust…ready toÌýgo!
Available ºÚÁÏÃÅ features that Shopify doesn’t have byÌýdefault:
- Google Shopping allows you toÌýsell onÌýGoogle.
- gets your products inÌýfront ofÌýSnapchat users.
- showcases your best deals onÌýPinterest.
- Advanced product filters make searching f´Ç°ùÌýproducts more convenient.
- Abandoned cart emails remind theÌýbuyers toÌýreturn toÌýincomplete orders.
- ping shoppers about products they liked.
- allows special prices f´Ç°ùÌýexceptional buyers.
- Local delivery zones let you define delivery zones ²¹²Ô»åÌýprices, asÌýeasy asÌý
drag-n-drop. - Tips onÌýcheckout unlock theÌýability toÌýaccept tips from appreciative customers.
None ofÌýthese features require installing apps. However, some are only available onÌýpaid pricing plans.
Reason 5:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýbusiness-ready (it’s theÌýfastest-to-market solution)
ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýdesigned toÌýautomate asÌýmuch ofÌýyour selling routine asÌýpossible. You don’t have toÌýworry about design, coding, integrating servicesÌý— it’s already there. ToÌýstart selling with ºÚÁÏÃÅ, you need aÌýproduct, aÌýhand, ²¹²Ô»åÌý10Ìýminutes. The current
Can you beat that? Send usÌýyour videos ²¹²Ô»åÌýtell usÌýall about it!
With Shopify, such levels ofÌýautomation ²¹²Ô»åÌýease are impossible. You’ll have toÌýgoÌýthrough theÌýentire website building process toÌýhave your products goÌýlive online.
Reason 6:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ boasts noÌýmanual design labor
Just because you don’t need toÌýcustomize doesn’t mean you can’t! WeÌýknow that merchants want their online business toÌýstand out, not just because ofÌýtheir great products, but also because ofÌýtheir
WeÌýhave 70+ free professional design themes, optimized f´Ç°ùÌýdifferent niches. All are
Shopify offers only three free themes, each requiring manual modification toÌýmatch theÌýlook ²¹²Ô»åÌýfeel ofÌýyour products.
Also read: ºÚÁÏÃÅ 70+ Free Design Themes f´Ç°ùÌýOnline Stores
Reason 7:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ has demo products
Building anÌýonline store from scratch, itÌýcan beÌýhard toÌývisualize how itÌýwill look inÌýtheÌýend. Unless, that is, you have
With ºÚÁÏÃÅ, you get
Comparably, Shopify has noÌýdemo products, covers, ´Ç°ùÌýautomationÌý— only placeholders ²¹²Ô»åÌýinstructions.
Reason 8:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ has rich checkout customization
AnÌýoptimized checkout process can increase anÌýonline store’s conversion rate byÌý35%. That’s what Monica Kozak, aÌýSenior Vice President ofÌýDigital Strategy f´Ç°ùÌýBank ofÌýAmerica Merchant Services, said inÌýher .
ºÚÁÏÃÅ merchants have aÌýnumber ofÌýsettings toÌýmake their checkout process asÌýsmooth asÌýpossible. Here some ofÌýthem:
- Min/max allowed order subtotal toÌýcontrol theÌýaverage order value.
- Customer phone number input toÌýconfirm orders ²¹²Ô»åÌýkeep inÌýtouch.
- Lifetime link guarantee f´Ç°ùÌýdownloadable products.
- Related products featured onÌýcheckout page toÌýupsell.
- Button f´Ç°ùÌýpermission f´Ç°ùÌýmarketing newsletters toÌýcomply with GDPR.
- Tips f´Ç°ùÌýcharity ´Ç°ùÌýextra revenue.
- Allow checking out with theÌýphone number instead ofÌýemail.
- Create aÌýcustom checkout process.
Shopify does not allow customization during theÌýcheckout process.
Reason 9:ÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ uses mobile store management application
The ºÚÁÏÃÅ Store Management Mobile App isÌýaÌýsimple, convenient, ²¹²Ô»åÌýsecure tool toÌýcontrol ²¹²Ô»åÌýmanage your store. Take your store wherever you goÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýget things done much faster by:
- Creating ²¹²Ô»åÌýmanage products
- Fulfilling orders
- Running promotions
- Keeping inÌýtouch with your customers
The main thing that makes ºÚÁÏÃÅ Store Management app unique isÌýthat itÌýallows you toÌýlaunch online sales using only your mobile phone. With this app, you won’t need aÌýwebsite (although ºÚÁÏÃÅ will automatically create aÌýstorefront; you don’t have toÌýuse itÌýuntil you want to).
ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýnot aÌýtool f´Ç°ùÌýmanaging anÌýexisting store, but theÌýperfect tool f´Ç°ùÌýcreating oneÌý— theÌýfirst
Shopify also gives you aÌýmobile app, but you will still need aÌýdesktop toÌýadjust design ²¹²Ô»åÌýlayout.
Reason 10: ºÚÁÏÃÅ understands localization
ItÌýmight sound strange, but going global also means staying local. InÌýother words, you have toÌýconsider theÌýparticulars ofÌýtheÌýcustomers you want toÌýsell to, wherever they are. The most obvious factor inÌýthis local/global success isÌýlanguage localization. ItÌýmight sound silly, but it’s worth noting that people will only complete their purchase ifÌýthey can find theÌýBuy Button.
The transactional emails you send toÌýyour customers (order statuses ´Ç°ùÌýabandoned cart reminders) should also beÌýtranslated into theÌýrecipient’s language ifÌýyou want customers toÌýunderstand them, much less engage with them ²¹²Ô»åÌýrespond.
And don’t forget about theÌýmerchant (you!). It’s much more comfortable ²¹²Ô»åÌýefficient toÌýmanage your store with anÌýadmin panel that speaks your language!
ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýanÌýexcellent remedy f´Ç°ùÌýtheÌýpains ofÌýlocalization. WeÌýoffer 50Ìýlanguages toÌýautomatically localize your store’s most important content, asÌýwell asÌý20Ìýlanguages f´Ç°ùÌýtheÌýadmin, ²¹²Ô»åÌý12Ìýf´Ç°ùÌýemails.
All this, f´Ç°ùÌýfree (can you believe?).
What about Shopify? They also provide multilingual admin. But when itÌýcomes toÌýyour storefront, you have toÌýinstall aÌý3rd party localization app and/or upgrade toÌýShopify Plus plan toÌýhave your online store translated toÌý20Ìýlanguages (as opposed toÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ’s 50). OnÌýtop ofÌýthat, not all Shopify themes support content localization workflow. For example, they doÌýnot allow localized pages toÌýhave their unique URLsÌý— aÌý
Need more reasons why you should consider ºÚÁÏÃÅ asÌýaÌýprimary Shopify alternative? Check out our honest ºÚÁÏÃÅ vs. Shopify comparison [with infographics].
There you have it: 10Ìýreasons ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýtheÌýbest Shopify alternative. WeÌýhope you found our guide useful inÌýfinding theÌýright ecommerce solution f´Ç°ùÌýyour needs.
Ìý
- ºÚÁÏÃÅ vs. Shopify: Fancy aÌýFree Shopify Alternative? [Comparison Table]
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