Temp Shops: WooCommerce v Shopify
The COVID-19 epidemic has forced lots traditional companies online for the first time. Some opting for temporary popup shops and the advice they get from experienced digital agencies isn’t always the best.
Question: I’m currently fully stocked with spring/summer clothing. I’m looking to temporarily open a small online selling platform to keep the business running.
Is Shopify a good online selling platform?
They’re offering a 90 day free trial!! Anyone able to tell me the pros and cons from their experiences or an easier alternative that is safe.
Axelisys Says: This is typical of the requests we have seen. It very much depends on the business owner as the tech to be honest. I’m going to take a slightly different line to a lot of others who advise in this space as they’ve missed a crucial point. That you want a temporary shop.
Others often worry about Shopify’s vendor lock-in. However, with a temporary shop and even a permanent one, the lock-in is as bad for consumer tech as WordPress and WooCommerce are. Since Jo Public does not have the skills to transfer the DB in any event.
If you are able to use tech well, then WooCommerce is the cheapest way to go for hosting and runs on WordPress. By far the most ubiquitous Content Management Platform with tonnes of support and skills. The downside is that it isn’t a turnkey solution. Meaning it doesn’t just work out of the box. So you need to spend time setting up stuff that is only there to support WooCommerce and WordPress, such as hosting and plugins, not your shop nor sales. It’s analytics is also worse by default too.
“Tried using WordPress but it really frustrates me that it’s not drag-n-drop. Seriously, it’s 2020 already...” — frustrated WordPress user
Getting support if you’re not tech savvy can be anywhere between £300 and £30,000 and beyond depending on the scale of the shop, the infrastructure and plugins you’ve used (though it is rare to find the latter, as it’s only very large firms that have a hybrid setup and custom templates and plugins that use it at that side of the spending spectrum).
These days, with Shopify you’re running a 90-day free trial and you don’t have to enter your credit card to start. You can also cancel just before the period ends and Shopify normally just disable your shop. Not delete it immediately. If your shop is only going to last 30 days, that isn’t even remotely a problem. You just design what you want. If you need support for that or if you don’t want to, or don’t have the time, you’re looking at 2 figures from a lot of freelancers and outsourcing platforms (from £99).
Also, Shopify have a number of much slicker templates right out of the box. You can basically get your shop set up and running this afternoon (it’s possible to do it in 5 minutes), with your domain name (like something.co.uk) linking up in 48 hours. You’ll definitely take longer with WordPress and WooCommerce than Shopify.
In essence, a temporary shop with Shopify is free. Typically, add less than £10 for a domain either way if you don’t have one already. Even if you want to keep the Shopify shop, you are then paying about £9 for Shopify Lite, £27 a month for Basic or £79 for “Professional”. That means it takes you 7 to 13 months to spend the same amount as WooCommerce will cost when you have earned nothing. This is much better for your cash flow, as you pay it later and do so when you are earning. If the shop does not work, just close it after 90 days and you’ve lost nothing but an idea. With WooCommerce, you don’t recoup the support costs or infrastructure. That money is gone forever.
If you aren’t tech savvy, WooCommerce will cost you a setup and configuration fee from a specialist before you have earned a penny. That isn’t ideal for your cash-flow during this period. Even if you decide to keep the shop, you’re still looking at a totally manageable amount a month. Shopify, for a temporary shop, is a no brainer.
Disclosure: I run a firm (Axelisys) that not only specialises in startup and digital retail, but large multinational businesses too and optimising for cash flow is key to what I do. Very.co.uk, Very Exclusive, JD Williams and Littlewoods, LW Ireland and Shop Direct directly, with Boohoo as a second-tier supplier (we did the clever stuff for their fintech supplier offers). Feel free to drop me a note.
