The platform you build your online shop on shapes everything from how you add products to what you pay each month. There's no single best option. The right choice depends on what you sell, how much you sell and how hands-on you want to be.
Shopify
Shopify is a hosted platform, which means hosting, security and payments are all handled for you.
Good for: most small and growing shops that want to start selling quickly and spend as little time as possible on technical upkeep.
Things to know: there's a monthly subscription, and many features come from paid apps. You have less control over how some parts of the checkout work. A custom theme makes sure your shop doesn't look like everyone else's.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce adds a shop to a WordPress website.
Good for: businesses already using WordPress, or those that want full control over their hosting and data, often with plenty of content alongside their products.
Things to know: you're responsible for hosting, updates and security, and extensions can add up. Built well and kept up to date, it's a flexible and capable option.
A custom shop
A custom shop is built specifically for your business, usually with a framework such as Laravel or as part of a Statamic site.
Good for: unusual requirements such as trade accounts, subscriptions, complex pricing rules, made-to-order products, or tight integration with your own systems.
Things to know: it takes longer to build, but you get exactly what you need without paying for features you don't use or working around a platform's limits.
Questions to help you choose
How many products do you sell, and how often do they change?
Do you need anything unusual, such as subscriptions or trade pricing?
Who will manage the shop day to day?
Does it need to connect to stock, accounting or shipping software?
How much content, such as guides or a blog, will sit alongside your products?
Moving from one platform to another
Already selling on one platform and outgrowing it? Products, customers and orders can usually be migrated, with redirects in place so you keep your search rankings.
If you're weighing up your options, take a look at my e-commerce websites service. I'll help you choose the platform that suits your business, then design and build a shop that's easy to buy from and easy to run.
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