Businesses in the dynamic world of e-commerce are continuously seeking the best platform to launch and expand their online presence. Shopify is a platform that has become very popular in this regard. Shopify has quickly become the platform of choice for numerous businesses due to its user-friendly interface and extensive feature set.
Shopify has been around since 2006, and in that time it has become a top e-commerce platform that helps companies set up and run their online stores. Shopify has enabled innumerable people and businesses to establish and grow their online endeavors with its huge app store, dependable hosting, and user-friendly design.
Shopify has many benefits, but it isn’t going to work for every business. A different pricing structure, more complex functionality, or more customization choices may be necessary for some business enterprises. At this point, it’s critical to look into Shopify alternatives.
Why Should You Look For Shopify Alternative Platforms
Cost: If you don’t use Shopify Payments, there will be additional transaction costs regardless of the pricing plan you choose. Keep in mind that many countries currently do not have access to the Shopify Payments system.
To top it all off, Shopify charges a fee for accepting credit card payments. There is still an additional expense, even though the prices do go down a bit when you upgrade to a more costly plan.
Plus, most apps on Shopify’s marketplace will cost you extra. To add advanced order tracking, marketing tools, and other capabilities, as well as other functions, you will require additional extensions.
Third-Party Extensions: Shopify powers a plethora of fantastic online retailers. Nevertheless, the vast majority of them rely on the store owner’s selected ecosystem of apps rather than the platform itself to work.
The Shopify app store, of course, has hundreds of amazing apps. Monthly subscription costs for all of the apps—even the necessary ones—could add up to a surprising amount. As an example, the price of a Shopify store theme ranges from $140 to $180, while the cost of an app might range from a few dollars to $100 each month.
Also, keep in mind that certain apps may be problematic or even slow down your store’s performance. The possibility of installing malicious software that compromises your Shopify site exists, even though Shopify’s app store is generally well-policed.
Steep Learning Curve: Shopify does claim to be a user-friendly platform. There is a learning curve to creating an online store using Shopify, but it’s not necessary to be a skilled web developer.
For those without prior knowledge, there is no shortage of internet resources such as Shopify experts, ‘how-to’ instructions, and tutorials that can assist in the creation of an online store. The tremendous demand, however, disproves Shopify’s claims of being an intuitive platform.
Therefore, Shopify may not be the ideal option to think about if you are not in the mood for anything too complicated and are only seeking a straightforward method to begin selling a few things online.
Best Shopify Alternatives For Your E-commerce Business
Entering the realm of e-commerce platforms, this article will look at the top alternatives to Shopify that are expected to have a major influence in 2024.
PrestaShop
PrestaShop is an open-source, self-hosted shopping cart system. In other words, you can download it for free. It is completely customizable once you set it up. The easiest way to build a one-of-a-kind online shop is with an open-source solution. The secret to lasting success in this cut-throat world of online retail is creating a distinctive brand identity.
Here are some of the features of PrestaShop:
- Coding knowledge is not needed.
- Self-hosted open-source tool that is free.
- Choose from over 1500 pre-made storefronts in the PrestaShop marketplace.
- A robust user base to help in setting up the store.
- No limit to the quantity of items.
- Interactive advertising capabilities.
- Allows for the use of several currencies and languages.
Before you jump into downloading PrestaShop, there are things you should know:
You will want your own hosting in order to construct an online store using PrestaShop. There is a cost to being flexible and technical expertise is required. Find a developer to help you with the setup if you don’t know how to code. Whenever you have problems or require modifications, you will also require assistance with managing the technical aspects.
WooCommerce
With the WooCommerce plugin, you can turn your WordPress site into an online store. This gives you greater leeway in designing your storefront. Having a solid grasp of web design fundamentals, domain names, and hosting is essential.
Versatility is one of WooCommerce’s strengths. When it comes to personalising your store, it allows you complete freedom. Due to WooCommerce’s status as an open-source platform, the marketplace is also often updated with custom-built plug-ins.
WooCommerce does have some great features and benefits:
- Countless extensions and add-ons.
- Totally modifiable with some knowledge of source code.
- A large community of helpful WooCommerce users is at your disposal.
- Setup for WooCommerce is really straightforward on WordPress.
- The WooCommerce plugin is available for free.
However, the most significant problem they face is the installation process, as well as the steep learning curve that may be encountered by individuals who are not familiar with WordPress.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a scalable platform that lets you create an online store without requiring any technical knowledge or coding skills. A drag-and-drop page builder is available on the platform, allowing you to easily create and personalise your online store.
Additionally, it comes with an app store where you can get a plethora of other features for your online store, such as marketing tools, payment processors, logistics providers, accounting software, and more. In contrast to Shopify, BigCommerce does not charge for transactions and provides free payment gateways.
Features of BigCommerce:
- Conveniently integrated marketing and SEO capabilities.
- Zero transaction fees.
- Any subscription includes an unlimited number of staff accounts.
- Integrated capabilities for doing product reviews.
- No coding knowledge required.
- Robust resources for retail management.
However, when it comes to personalising your store, BigCommerce only provides seven free themes to pick from. In other words, if you want more than what BigCommerce provides, be prepared to shell out more for premium themes.
Sellfy
Sellfy is a hosted eCommerce platform that is very simple and easy to use compared to other Shopify alternatives. It’s not quite like other eCommerce options. Additionally, Sellfy provides a plethora of in-built functionalities. There are a lot of features built-in, such as an endless email template library, a ‘pay what you want’ option, digital subscription capabilities, built-in marketing tools for email campaigns, and more.
All three of Sellfy’s pricing tiers provide access to increasingly powerful features. Here are some of those features:
- A clean, well-organised design is delightfully easy to use.
- It works with digital, physical, and subscription products out of the box.
- Automatic email marketing within the platform.
- It is possible to incorporate the ‘buy now’ button to your website or personal blog.
- Provides the opportunity to incorporate a full shopping cart experience into a website.
- No limits on the number of products that can be added.
- Efficient and simple checkout process with integrated payment gateways.
Although you can personalise your storefront to a certain extent, there are certain restrictions. For example, you won’t be able to use sophisticated sorting or filtering features on the products sold in your store. While Sellfy is versatile enough to handle the sale of any product type, digital goods tend to do better.
Shoppd by Appscrip
Appscrip’s Multivendor E-commerce Marketplace platform Shoppd offers a wide range of features that set it apart from other Shopify alternatives. Here are the key features and advantages of Appscrip’s solution:
- Fully Customizable: The platform offers extensive customization capabilities, enabling you to tailor the look, feel, and functionality of your marketplace so as to align with your brand identity and user preferences.
- Maintenance & Support: Appscrip provides ongoing maintenance and support services, ensuring that your marketplace remains up-to-date, secure, and functioning optimally.
- Mobile App: Shoppd supports mobile apps for both iOS and Android platforms, allowing your customers to access and shop from your marketplace conveniently on their smartphones and tablets.
- Integration to Google and Facebook Marketplaces: Shoppd integrates seamlessly with Google and Facebook Ecommerce marketplaces, expanding your reach and visibility to a broader audience.
- Product Catalog Management with Interactive Videos and “Shop the Look” Feature: You can manage your product catalogue effectively with interactive videos, enhancing the shopping experience for your customers. The “Shop the Look” feature allows customers to purchase entire outfits or ensembles with ease.
- Business Analytics: The platform provides robust business and product analytics, allowing you to gain valuable insights into customer behaviour, sales trends, and performance metrics. It supports tools like BigQuery and Looker for comprehensive data analysis.
- Bulk Import: Easily import vendor data and category-level information through bulk import functionality, simplifying the onboarding process for sellers and minimising manual data entry.
- Customer App & Web: Provides a real-time online shopping experience with features like live commerce, multiple payment options, order tracking, search and recommendation, and the ability to ‘shop-the-look’.
- Seller On-boarding: Allows sellers to register and create their stores on the marketplace, manage orders, and showcase their products.
- Admin Features: Enables administrators to manage the overall business model, product inventory, sales tax, order processing, blog management, and more.
Appscrip’s solution also provides advanced marketability features, such as a landing page builder, mobile app accessibility, multi-currency and multi-language support, abandoned cart recovery, and a discounting engine.
Additionally, the platform offers streamlined e-commerce operations with features like inventory management, seller portals, invoicing, PO generation, supply chain management, commission payout, and optimised checkout and browsing experiences.
Conclusion
When it comes to setting up an e-commerce website, there are several alternatives to Shopify that offer unique features and advantages. While Shopify has established itself as a reliable platform, businesses may find themselves needing more customization options, advanced functionalities, or a different pricing structure.
One such alternative is Shoppd, Appscrip’s Multivendor E-commerce Marketplace platform. With its comprehensive set of features, including robust inventory management, seller onboarding, seamless payment integration, and mobile app accessibility, Appscrip provides a customizable and scalable solution for businesses looking to create their own marketplace.
If you’re looking to take your e-commerce venture to the next level and are exploring the possibilities of a multi-vendor marketplace, Shoppd will be among the best solutions for you. With a user-friendly interface, marketability features, and expert support, Appscrip can help you build a thriving e-commerce business.
