• Home
  • Free Marketing Templates
  • Speaker
  • News
  • Events
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Search
Bluewire Media - Web Strategy
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • More
  • Free Workshops & Mini-Trainings
    • Tips for LinkedIn Profile
    • Your Web Marketing Strategy (part 1)
    • Your Web Marketing Strategy (part 2)
    • LinkedIn Accelerator Exec Short Course
    • Build A Marketing Engine
    • 3 Orbits of Marketing
    • 3 Steps To WIn High Value Clients on LinkedIn in 60 Days
    • Calendar Year Planner Guide
    • Weekly Content Planner Guide
    • How to win clients from email marketing
    • Marketing Mini Course – Tools of The Trade
  • Our Best Selling Book
  • Marketing Club
  • Marketing Coaching
    • Free Marketing Scorecard
    • Book 20 Min Growth Plan (free)
    • Coaching Program
  • Corporate Training
    • LinkedIn Marketing – Keynote Speaker & Coach – Adam Franklin
    • Accountants – Social Media Training
    • Financial Adviser – Social Media Training
    • Real Estate – Social Media Training
    • Mortgage Broker – Social Media Training
    • In House LinkedIn Training
    • In House Social Media Training
    • Digital Marketing Training Courses
  • Adam Franklin & Bluewire Media?
    • Meet Adam Franklin
    • 10 Reasons To Work With Us
    • Recognition
    • The Bluewire Story
    • Company Profile

Bluewire Media Web Strategy Blog

Home / How to Choose the Best Ecommerce Shopping Cart for Your Store

How to Choose the Best Ecommerce Shopping Cart for Your Store

Posted by Aaron Agius

Share3
Share3
Pin
Tweet
6 Shares

Updated on March 18th, 2020

Ecommerce shopping carts

How to Choose the Best Ecommerce Shopping Cart for Your Store

In case you hadn’t realised, eCommerce represents a tremendous opportunity to connect with your customers wherever they are. Let’s explore the ecommerce shopping cart options.

In 2016, 53% of global internet users made an online purchase and 40% of US males aged 18-34 said that they would ideally buy everything online.

If you’re embarking on a new eCommerce venture, picking the right shopping cart software for your store is crucial. You’ll need a cart that is affordable, works with your web host, has all the features you need, and scales appropriately when your business grows.

Fortunately, all the reputable shopping carts come with essential functionalities, such as processing payments, managing inventory, and tracking sales. However, there are some significant differences when you dig a little deeper.

SaaS or Self-Hosted Ecommerce Shopping Cart?

Choosing between Software as a Service (SaaS) carts and self-hosted carts is an important distinction.

Generally speaking, it’s easy to get started with SaaS carts without any technical experience, however, they aren’t as flexible as self-hosted carts.

If maximum customisation is important to you, then go with a self-hosted cart. However, if you just want an easy platform to build your store on and don’t care about modifying minor details, SaaS is the way to go.

Although you’ll still have the associated costs with your site, self-hosted carts are free to use. SaaS carts charge a subscription fee and can result in significant costs as your store grows.

To help you make your decision, let’s compare some of the world’s most popular shopping carts.

1. Shopify

Cart type: SaaS

Price: $29 USD (initially)

Shopify is an incredibly popular shopping cart because of its simple features, abundance of store themes (both free and premium) and ease of use.

If you have zero design knowledge or experience with eCommerce, you can create a professional looking store and have it up and running within hours using Shopify themes.

Benefits

Shopify is an excellent choice for startups – you get an enormous amount of features for an affordable monthly fee.

If you want to analyze your traffic and conversions over a specific time period, Shopify’s in-store analytics are extremely useful. For more in-depth analytics, it’s easy to integrate Shopify and Google Analytics.

Using Shopify’s simplistic interface, you can quickly design a store without enlisting the help of a coder or graphic designer.

Shopify features social media integration, discount codes, abandoned cart emails and more. For extra features such as countdown timers and integrated reviews, you’ll find whatever you’re looking for at the Shopify app store.

Shopify’s customer support is also exceptional. They’re available 24/7 by phone, email and live chat.

Disadvantages

Compared to WordPress, Shopify’s blog functionality is underwhelming.

While there is an abundance of apps available to enhance your store, most of the good ones require a monthly subscription. As your store grows, your subscription to Shopify gets more expensive, so costs can quickly accumulate.

Finally, a Shopify store is much harder to customise when compared to self-hosted solutions. If you want to be able to change every small detail of your store, Shopify might not be for you.

2. BigCommerce

Big Commerce - ecommerce shopping cartCart type: SaaS

Price: $29.95 USD (initially)

If you’re experienced with HTML and CSS, you can use BigCommerce to create a unique store, customised to your own preferences.

Unlike Shopify, you will have to invest some initial time in learning how to use all of BigCommerce’s functionalities. Once you know what you’re doing however, BigCommerce is straightforward to use.

Benefits

In addition to many other functionalities, BigCommerce enables you to manage inventory, process payments from multiple channels, and identify your most popular products using analytics.

While BigCommerce has a store editor which is great for non-technical merchants, you can really customise the aesthetics and functionality of your store to a high degree if you’re experienced with HTML and CSS.

BigCommerce supports mobile users and you can get in touch with customer service at any time of the day or night.

Disadvantages

Like Shopify, BigCommerce’s recurring fees can add up, especially as your annual sales grow.

Surpassing $50,000 USD in sales will result in a monthly subscription increase from $29.95 USD to $79.95 USD. If you increase your sales to $150,000 USD per year, expect an even larger price hike. Credit card fees are also higher on BigCommerce than on Shopify.

While BigCommerce features a growing app marketplace, the diversity of apps is greater with Shopify.

3. WooCommerce

Woo Commerce - ecommerce shopping cartCart type: Self-hosted

Price: Free

Whether you want to create a store from the ground up or sell products on an existing WordPress blog, WooCommerce provides a flexible solution. WooCommerce has an abundance of features while remaining user-friendly.

Benefits

WooCommerce is completely free to use and features a higher level of flexibility compared to SaaS carts. If you already have a popular WordPress blog and are seeking to monetise it, you can easily install the WooCommerce plugin and get to work.

There are an enormous amount of WooCommerce Extensions available, allowing you to enhance your eCommerce store in any way that you want.

Typical eCommerce functionalities like store analytics and inventory management are all easy with WooCommerce.

Disadvantages

Although WooCommerce itself is free, many of the extensions come at a cost. Hosting will also have to be arranged separately.

Because WooCommerce cannot be used without WordPress, there is a learning curve required to operate both platforms.

WordPress is, by far, the most frequently hacked CMS, so consider security concerns when using WooCommerce.

4. Magento

Magento - ecommerce shopping cartCart type: Self-hosted

Price: Free

Out of all of the carts listed in this article, Magento offers the highest level of flexibility but is also the most difficult to use. The Magento Community Edition version is free. However, for the complete range of functionality, Magento Enterprise incurs a hefty price tag.

Advantages

Magento boasts an incredible range of features, and unlike WooCommerce, no additional extensions are required.

The platform has a large community of users, so soliciting help and feedback is never a problem. Magento can facilitate the running of multiple storefronts, in multiple languages, with multiple currencies.

For highly sophisticated eCommerce applications, Magento can be a wise choice.

Disadvantages

If you’re just getting started with eCommerce and want to sell your handmade goods, Magento is probably not for you.

First, you’ll need to get your hosting from a provider that specialises in Magento. Running Magento on a standard server can result in slow load times and a negative user experience.

Unless you’re a high-level coder, making edits can be challenging with Magento.

Finally, qualified Magento developers are scarce, so be prepared to pay a premium fee for freelancers who are experienced with this platform.

Which is your favourite eCommerce shopping cart and why? Let me know in the comments below.

Aaron Agius HeadshotAbout Aaron Agius

Aaron Agius is an experienced search, content and social marketer. He has worked with some of the world’s largest and most recognised brands, including Salesforce, Coca-Cola, Target and others, to build their online presence. See more from Aaron at Louder Online, his blog, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

Bonus 3Book wordpress3 Free Templates

Download the 33 free templates from Toby and Adam’s book.

 

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Aaron Agius

  • Link Building: The Dos and Don’ts - Jan 22, 2018
  • How and When to Get Into Paid Customer Acquisition - Dec 7, 2017
Share3
Share3
Pin
Tweet
6 Shares
No Comments
Business, Guest Post
 0 Shares
Tweet

Posted on Jun 1, 2017

Content Marketing Sales Funnel 3D Icon

Content Marketing Sales Funnel

Your content marketing sales funnel is all about getting people to know, like and trust you by nurturing them with the right information at the right time.

Download it now

← 5 Facebook Ad Hacks That Will Help You Grow Your Business The magic of marketing templates →
  • Latest
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • Tags
  • Fake negative comments Jun 23, 2022
  • 7 Offline Marketing Strategies That Your Online Brand Must Adopt Jun 17, 2022
  • How To Get Internet for Your Home in 3 Easy Steps Jun 13, 2022
  • My first keynote back Jun 2, 2022
  • How to Boost Your B2B Sales using Influencer Marketing May 5, 2022
  • Marketing experimentsMarketing Experiments: Email Content That Gets Clicked Apr 23, 2013
  • LinkedIn Marketing Strategy Infographic Nov 13, 2013
  • seo-secretsFishing for backlinks – Tips from SEO Secrets Oct 27, 2009
  • Your Ultimate Blog Checklist Jul 16, 2014
  • DanNorrisThe 5 Best Google Analytics Reports for Content Marketers Jan 8, 2014
  • Faux damaging feedback – Bluewire Media – Daily Business & Economy News and Information | Titan Business Consultants […] ← 7 Offline Advertising and marketing
  • Faux damaging feedback – Bluewire Media – Daily Business & Economy News and Information | Daily Business Digest […] ← 7 Offline Advertising and marketing
  • 7 Offline Marketing Strategies That Your Online Brand Must Adopt - applebusiness […] Resource website link […]
  • How to Boost Your B2B Sales using Influencer Marketing - PDL-10 […] Source link […]
  • Always-On Surges In B2B, Employee Influencers Build Trust, LinkedIn's New Captions, & Video Distribution Study - News As it Happens […] TopRank Marketing — How to Boost Your
#thebigwet Adsense blue sky factory cara drolshagen copy customer relationship management Dibgy Ioane Dogpile education websites expert interview garageband geo location Gmail Google Earth googleplex Instagram Internet jack dorsey Jason Fried Know your mojo LinkedIn London riots mike lieberman networx NSBS online advertising Outlook 2010 password photography RichardatDELL simon townsend social media. business subfolders Successful Blog success insights sunday mail socials sydney tips Toby Jenkins user testing VA web development Wikis wireframing zuckerberg

Archives

  • 2022 (15)
  • 2021 (20)
  • 2020 (94)
  • 2019 (132)
  • 2018 (31)
  • 2017 (60)
  • 2016 (131)
  • 2015 (176)
  • 2014 (122)
  • 2013 (99)
  • 2012 (73)
  • 2011 (93)
  • 2010 (152)
  • 2009 (135)
  • 2008 (1)
  • Back to Top
    • Home
    • Free Marketing Templates
    • Speaker
    • News
    • Events
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • Search
    • Bluewire Community
      • Free Marketing Templates
      • Amazon – Web Marketing That Works
      • Join our Faceook group
      • iTunes – Web Marketing That Works
      • Spotify – Web Marketing That Works
      • Bluewire Podcast
      • Recommended Reading
      • Online Tools
      • Student Centre Login
      • Subscribe to Bluewire News
      • Sitemap
    • Hire Adam Franklin to Speak
      • Social Media Speaker
      • Digital Marketing Speaker
      • Keynote Speaker
      • Marketing Speaker
      • LinkedIn Keynote Speaker
      • Harbour Space Uni Lecturer
      • Toby Jenkins
    • Adam Franklin – Awards Judge
      • Optus MyBusiness Awards
      • Real Estate Business (REB) Awards
      • Australian Broking Awards
      • Australian Accounting Awards
      • Women in Real Estate Awards
      • Better Business Summit Awards
      • Young Leaders In Finance Awards
    • Contributors To
      • The Australian
      • Sydney Morning Herald
      • Smart Company
      • Huffington Post
      • Convince & Convert
      • Hubspot
      • Problogger
      • Kochie’s Business Builders
      • Entrepreneur HQ
      • Dent /Key Person of Influence
      • Life Hacker
      • Quora
      • Medium
      • Elite Agent
    • Working with Bluewire
      • Hire Adam Franklin
      • As a Client
      • As an Affiliate
      • As an Event Attendee
      • As a Guest Blogger
      • As a Partner
      • Testimonials
    • Connect on Social Media
      • Adam Franklin on LinkedIn
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • Facebook
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Pinterest
      • Slideshare
    • Disclosure
      • Disclosure & Terms and Conditions
      • GDPR Compliance & Privacy Policy
    Australia

    6/179 Baroona Road
    Paddington
    QLD 4064

    Copyright © 2022 All contents Creative Commons Licensed Bluewire Media Pty Ltd.