In today's digital era, There are many ways to promote your product, work, or service. One of them is through an e-commerce website. This provides a great opportunity for continuous growth for online businesses, artists, etc.
Although, it will be a challenge for them to be able to find the right eCommerce platform that fits their goals. Thus, it is essential to do deep research on each e-commerce platform, including the features, performance, price, pros, and cons.
You should know that there are always leading brands in every race and in much the same way here, we have the two most popular platforms in the enterprise race: Wix vs Shopify.
So, let's consider each of them and then decide which one is the best ecommerce platform to share your artwork:
What are Wix and Shopify?
Image Via Freepik
Wix Platforms
In 2006 Wix started operations and quickly became one of the pioneers in the e-commerce space. Wix is an Israel-based website-building tools company that lets you create websites for free.
With Wix, you can create websites in any niche without any knowledge of web technologies like HTML or CSS. Moreover, Wix also offers a particular store for artists: Wix Art Store. This makes it a great platform for artists in promoting their artworks.
Wix Art Store also allows artists to post their works in the highest image quality, mobile-friendly viewing, and artistic templates. In addition, the platform has generated millions of users and works with more than 130 million websites worldwide.
Apart from being a general-purpose website builder, Wix also has several features that help it empower eCommerce websites. From shopping cart integrations to payment gateways, Wix offers several options for small businesses.
Shopify Platforms
Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce platform in Ottawa which is the world's leading online shopping platform to start, run and grow your online store.
Shopify started before Wix (in 2004) as an attempt to solve common problems entrepreneurs face when building an online presence.
With Shopify, you have complete control over the look and feel of your online store. It comes with secure shopping cart technology, digital artwork, Google advertising and social media integration, and delivery integration.
Shopify's services have recently appealed to artists just starting online, as they are easy to understand and use. You can take advantage of the Shopify compass, and find explanatory videos, and tutorials to guide you in creating a company on Shopify.
8 Key differences need to consider
Image Via Freepik
At first glance, both Wix and Shopify seem like similar products, and for good reason. Both eliminate the need for coding skills, use a drag-and-drop interface, and have special features for artists who want to promote their artworks.
1. Ease of use
On the ease of use side, you need to consider choosing platforms. This is because it will allow you to highlight your work of art. Fortunately, Wix and Shopify rank quite high on the ease-of-use index.
Let's start with Wix first. As I already mentioned, Wix uses a simple drag-and-drop UI editor to create websites. Using the Wix editor, all you have to do is set up a template, create a website structure, and add the necessary content.
Next to Shopify, you will go through a slightly different experience. Wix allows users to work with the front-end editor, whereas in Shopify, most of the changes are made in the back-end interface. Only when you preview or post changes can you see how your website will look like.
2. Customer support
Customer support is one of the most important elements in running your business. This can affect customer comfort when making a purchase process for your work of art as an artist.
Having someone to contact at any time and being available 24/7 will give customers satisfaction. You will see for yourself the difference in terms of customer service between Shopify vs. Wix.
Let's start with Shopify. This one platform offers 24/7 phone support and lives chat that can even be used until midnight. Your online store is down and requires immediate intervention.
In addition, Shopify also provides customer service via email, social media, and the Shopify help center. Very easy to reach right? If you have trouble or have system problems, you can solve them immediately.
On the other hand, Wix provides a help center in the form of various kinds of content related to their services, such as articles, explainer videos, tutorial videos, etc. Similarly to Shopify, Wix offers 24/7 phone and email support.
The difference is that, if you have problems or questions, you can simply click on the element's question mark and it will show up with a concise answer or a video walkthrough.
3. Design Functionality
Next pay attention to the functional design of Wix and Shopify. This is important because a store with an organized design is the main attraction for customers when they visit your online store and whether they are interested enough to keep coming back for more.
When you access your Wix account, you have access to over 800 professional themes and templates. The designs you get are contemporary and sorted by industry type.
On the other hand, Shopify has themes that are mainly aimed at eCommerce websites; what to expect, as the platform is focused on e-commerce. However, the number of free themes you get is only 9, much less than Wix.
4. Pricing and values for money
These two platforms have varying package prices. The most significant difference between Wix and Shopify in terms of pricing plans is that Wix offers a completely free plan, while Shopify only offers a two-week trial. However, Wix's free plan comes with a few caveats, such as intrusive ads and limitations in using its features.
Each Wix plan varies in terms of storage, access to apps, eCommerce features, and even level of customer support. Shopify's pricing structure, it's arguably simpler compared to Wix. To sell via the Facebook page, accept credit card payments, and access the Buy button.
For detailed information about pricing and values for each package in every platform, you can check their websites and compare each platform. Ensure you choose the one that suits your goals and needs.
5. Shipping options
On the shipping options side, these two platforms have their inventory management and shipping capabilities.
Shopify and Wix offer options to create various shipping rules. Both offer a wide variety of options, from free shipping options to flat rate shipping and even shipping based on product weight and type, you have plenty of alternatives at your fingertips.
Additionally, both platforms offer the ability to provide real-time shipping quotes to customers. They also offer attractive discounts; however, it is limited to certain countries and regions only.
6. Tax settings
After talking about payments, maybe you are now wondering about the tax system of these two platforms: Shopify vs Wix.
Wix offers you easy tax settings, from activating and deactivating taxes, to including taxes in product prices. However, you will need application assistance to help you calculate your taxes and total sales price for more accurate results.
On the other hand, Shopify allows you to have control over your tax settings. This platform also provides automatic tax settings that can handle general tax calculations to free up your time and reduce your energy for thinking.
Wix vs Shopify: Overall Winner
Now that you can make the right choice to promote your artwork as an artist, whether Wix or Shopify is a better choice for you.
Each platform has its uses, features, and price. When you have a small business that has just been started, you can consider using Wix because you can access Wix at a more affordable cost or even for free and can take advantage of all of its features. Plus, it's easy to use and gives you a lot of creative freedom, making it perfect for the brand-conscious entrepreneur.
On the other hand, if you have a large business that is looking for the right platform to support long-term business development. This requires a sizable budget but is a worthwhile investment to increase your business sales.
Wrapping Up: The Best eCommerce Platform for Artists
In the battle between Wix vs. Shopify, the best solution is to choose the one that suits your business needs and goals. If you are an artist and want to sell your work, you can explore from every side mentioned above. While both are great for building websites, each has its strengths and weaknesses.
If you want to create a custom eCommerce portal with all the bells and whistles, Shopify offers the best collection of plugins and features. However, for general-purpose small business websites with eCommerce capabilities, Wix is the best choice.
FAQs
Q: Are Wix and Shopify compatible?
A: Both have their advantages, it depends on what your goals and needs are. For example, if you want to create a beautiful website, the winner will fall to Wix. If you are looking for a full-fledged eCommerce store, Shopify is miles ahead.
Q: Which is cheaper, Wix or Shopify?
A: Wix and Shopify prices don't have big differences. You can use Wix to sell online for only $27 per month (paid annually). Meanwhile, the cheapest plan that Shopify offers is $29/month and comes with a few extra fees.
So adjust it to your budget and business needs. If you are a large business, it would be best to use Shopify because it offers more and various tools that you can use!
Q: What’s the easiest way, Wix or Shopify?
A: Both of these eCommerce platforms are considered user-friendly content management systems. However, if you are a beginner then Wix is the perfect platform for you as it is much more beginner-friendly than Shopify. With Wix, you can find features that make it easy for beginners, like drag-and-drop features and prebuilt online store templates.
Q: Do Wix and Shopify have a discount functionality?
A: Of course! even both platforms provide discount codes for your customers. This can be a distinct advantage for sellers and buyers. However, they have different systems. Shopify has the upper hand here as it can offer percentage discounts. Meanwhile, Wix can only offer discounts in the form of a certain amount of money.
Author
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video production company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).
