Date
23 Sep 2021
Author
Jonathan Ward
E-commerce has become an indispensable part of retail and has been brought into sharp focus by the events of the past 18 months.E-commerce has become an indispensable part of retail and has been brought into sharp focus by the events of the past 18 months. To help you with your decision, this blog will take a look at four of the hottest platforms currently on the market. Shopify vs. Magento 2 vs. AeroCommerce vs. WooCommerce.
E-commerce has become an indispensable part of retail and has been brought into sharp focus by the events of the past 18 months.
Global e-commerce sales are set to reach a staggering $4.891 trillion by the end of 2021.
E-commerce accounts for 19.5 percent of total global retail sales. By 2024, it’s estimated that world retail e-commerce sales will reach $6.388 trillion and the overall e-commerce share of retail sales will hit 21.8 percent. An e-commerce platform is the backbone of an online retail enterprise, regardless whether it is for a B2B or a B2C company. The right e-commerce platform can help to streamline how your business interacts with its customers and employees.
Choosing an e-commerce platform based solely on its popularity is not the best way. The best e-commerce platform is the one that successfully delivers the outcomes and objectives that you have set for your business. Choosing the right platform can have just as big of an effect on your business as choosing a building or location for a physical store.
To help you with your decision, this blog will take a look at four of the hottest platforms currently on the market. Shopify vs Magento 2 vs AeroCommerce vs WooCommerce. Besides looking at development and operating, there are other factors that you need to consider when selecting your eCommerce platform. Factors such as:
- Functionality
- Design
- Usability
- Longevity
- Ease of use for updates
- Reporting
Shopify
One of the most popular e-commerce platforms on the market is Shopify. Founded in 2004, the owner set out to create an e-commerce store that was easy to use and easy to sell on. After struggling to set up a store selling snowboards without a user-friendly platform, he decided to take matters into his own hands and create one – and that was the birth of Shopify.
Shopify is utilised in over 170 countries and can facilitate e-commerce requirements from businesses within all industries. Whether you’re an online clothing brand or a musician wanting to sell your original products, Shopify can help you get up and running quickly. Allow people to shop anywhere and any time with an easy Shopify app back office to allow you to manage sales. The Shopify platform lets you sell online or in person, just about anywhere…provided you’ve got an internet signal.
Shopify prides itself on its ease of use. As of November 2020 you can extend your reach by integrating Shopify, Instagram and Facebook shopping, allowing a seamless purchase direct from your Instagram or Facebook pages. Shopify gives you a mobile-friendly, secure checkout option to add to websites as well.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Hosting sevice | Migration difficulty |
| Exceptional security | Basic marketing tools |
| Automatic SEO advantages | Not organised in the way other platforms are |
| Multitude of add ons | Can get expensive when you move to higher subscriptions |
| Exclusive built-in features |
Magento 2
Magento 2 is a popular choice for countless businesses around the world. This platform is one of the most mature eCommerce platforms in the world, and it has been for quite some time.
Due to its open-sourced nature, which allows users to fully customise the design, feel and experience of their e-commerce store, it has been the preferred choice of larger retailers with more advanced demands, However, it is used by a whole host of businesses of a variety of sizes that cater to a diverse range of industries.
Magento is infrastructure-heavy, which means that hosting costs are a premium. If you’re a small business and are looking to get your e-commerce site up and running as quickly and as cost-efficiently as possible, other options may well be better suited. Furthermore, Magento is the perfect platform for businesses who are expecting exponential growth. It is a complex system that usually requires agency help to develop and build. However, it’s one of the most powerful products available on the market, it’s all about working out whether it’s the right solution for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Depth of functionality | Takes longer to launch |
| Unrivalled ECO system | Requires cache and indexer knowledge |
| Limitless customisation | Heavy server resource |
| Global platform |
AeroCommerce
We’ve mentioned some of the bigger players in the eCommerce field, but AeroCommerce is still relatively new to the market, however, the founders behind the platform have a long and successful track record in this sector having previously built and sold a large eCommerce platform. AeroCommerce is a performance based platform. It is designed with retailers at the forefront of their minds. Site speed is key with e-commerce with 1 in 3 shoppers leaving a website if they wait more than 5 seconds for a page to load. When comparing site speeds Aero sits at an impressive 1.6 seconds.
Magento – 4 Seconds
Shopify – 2.2 Seconds
WooCommerce – 3.3 Seconds
AeroCommerce – 1.6 Seconds
AeroCommerce understands that requirements and needs are constantly evolving, so reflects this in the service that’s offered. It is lightning fast, intuitive to use and offers competitive running costs. It’s feature-rich and allows you to extend functionalities and capabilities as you need them. It’s fully scalable, which makes it attractive to a wide range of businesses.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Site Speed (1.6 Seconds) | Limited plug-ins available |
| Built on a Laravel framework | |
| Customisable | |
| Quick to deploy |
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is powered by WordPress. It takes that basic WordPress operating system and turns it into a fully-functioning e-commerce store. In slightly more technical terms, WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress. So if you want to create your own eCommerce store with WooCommerce, you’ll first need to install and set up WordPress. Beyond offering you a secure, functional way to create a store, WooCommerce is also easy to extend, which lets you customise your store to meet your needs. If you choose to use WooCommerce you are required to purchase hosting and a domain name to use it.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Sales reporting | Can be dependent on plug-ins |
| Inventory management | Easier to compromise the security |
| Integration with WordPress | Needs updates and patches constantly maintaining |
| Easy to deploy | Difficult to troubleshoot |
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Conclusion
Although each platform has its pros and cons it is important to define what you want from your e-commerce store.
Small to medium businesses thrive on Shopify as it’s a great place to start. With easy to use templates and plugins and a simple back office that will grow with your business.
Already busting with lots of products and complex integrations? With a need to upscale your site with added multiple functions. Then Magento 2 could be the way forward.
If you are looking to supercharge your e-commerce where site speed and customisation are important to you then speak to use about AeroCommerce.
Based on WordPress and offering versatility and cost-effective websites for new businesses, WooCommerce is a great platform to establish your e-Commerce business upon.
If you need help making the decision of which platform is best for you contact us at Reach Studios and we’ll go through it all step by step.
Why Choose Reach?
Our skilled team are experts in developing complex eCommerce systems to suit your business.
We have experienced the ever-changing eCommerce trends over the last 10 years from both a visual aspect through to technological developments. Our projects have allowed us to gain real insight into user trends, device changes, exposure to more market places and integration into retail-based applications which help assist your site and team.
By working with several platforms it enables us to provide you with the best possible advice on which is the right platform for you and your business. We’ve got strong experience and partnerships with some of the biggest names in e-Commerce.
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