As e-commerce and print on demand take the world by storm, more and more platforms come out every day that can make your dream of owning and managing an online store a reality. But which one is the best for us? And once we’ve selected a service can we move to another?
In this article, we’ll explore two of the most famous e-commerce companies out there, Shopify and WooCommerce and specifically, how do you migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify?
Shopify VS WooCommerce
Both platforms offer all the tools you need to get your online business up and running but there are some key differences that make people prefer one over the other.
Design
Shopify comes with 54 themes (10 of which are free) and they each come with their own variations. They’re also responsive. Some of the nicer ones can get a bit pricey but, when it comes to Shopify themes, you’re paying for what you get here.
Their designs are also developed by third party designers to make sure the templates are always current and up-to-date. Shopify themes are easy to apply and swap between them. Also, they don’t require any programming or graphic design knowledge.
Woocommerce doesn’t really do the design, you see, this is an app that allows you to sell and manage a store from a WordPress account so the design depends on the template you have installed at the time. This app is compatible with most WordPress themes out there. Although, it is always a good idea to select those that have been specially designed to be used with Woocommerce.
In the end, Shopify has an easy-to-use but very restrictive list of themes to choose from while Woocommerce is compatible with way more themes but also requires a bit more technical knowledge to install them.
Price
Shopify’s revenue model is very straight-forward. It offers three different monthly rates depending on what you need, starting with basic at £23, Normal at £63 and the Advanced version for £237 a month.*
WooCommerce’s is a bit more complicated. Technically, the app is free but you have to consider the extra costs that come along like hosting and the SSL certificate. Also, these services have to be hired from a third-party which means the prices can vary greatly.
* Prices are approximate.
Technically, WooCommerce is the cheaper option of the two but it is really easy to go over budget when acquiring extensions. Besides, you have to look for them yourself while with Shopify everything comes included.
Features
Shopify offers 24h/7 days a week customer support via email, chat and phone. While it has several templates to choose from, it is still a limited platform and you may only modify your shop within its confines. The service comes with hosting, a free subdomain, SSL certificate and unlimited file storage. Unfortunately, Shopify controls your online store’s data.
WooCommerce instead offers ticket support, forum support and has got many other resources online where they teach you how to use their product. As long as you have the skills, there are no limits as to how you can modify your store. This app also offers the user complete control over their website’s data. Finally, WooCommerce doesn’t include hosting nor subdomains and file storage depends on the host.
[content_band bg_color=”#E8F6D2″ border=”all”] [container]If you found this blog post useful, then you should also consider reading ‘5 solid reasons to translate your online store.’[/container] [/content_band]Why do people prefer Shopify over WooCommerce?
As we already mentioned, they both have their benefits and disadvantages but some people still prefer Shopify over WooCommerce.
Simplicity
Although WooCommerce can also be easy to use, it requires some extra steps. For example, you already need a full-functioning WordPress theme before installing the app. Also, in order to really make the most of their customisation possibilities, you need programming knowledge.
Straight-forward Pricing
Shopify charges a flat monthly fee while WooCommerce’s final cost will depend on services you acquire from third parties you hire for hosting, etc…
24H Support
It doesn’t matter where you are or what time it is, you can always call Shopify’s customer support and there will be someone there to help you. And while WooCommerce has got many sources online, it depends on you being able to find them.
How to migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify
Now that you’ve decided to move from one platform to the other, it is time to explore your option. Basically, you can do it manually by yourself or you can use a third platform to do it for you.
Manual Transfer
If you head over to Shopify’s help centre, you’ll find an easy-to-follow guide on how to manually migrate. But, simply put, the process consists of exporting your data from WooCommerce and then importing it to Shopify. All you have to do in the end is ‘clean up’ the details.
Transfer via an App
If downloading and uploading XML files isn’t your thing, you can always hire a service to do it for you. Nowadays there are several apps that can help you with this process, they vary in size and pricing but they all do the same in the end. The only problem with these apps is that it is hard to calculate the price because they base it on the store’s size.
Some of these apps include:
In most cases, the process it’s pretty straightforward. All you have to do is sign up to the new service, pay and connect your WooCommerce with your new Shopify account. They will take care of the rest.
Print on Demand
Here at Printsome, we’ve always supported creative endeavours which is why we’re proud to announce our brand new ‘print on demand’ service.
Thanks to our five years of experience in the apparel-printing industry, we were able to design a platform catered towards the needs of artists and designers who want to start their own T-shirt line. Printsome’s ‘Print on demand’ service has no minimum orders and can print any design with no colour limitations.
From the moment you connect your online shop (like Shopify) with our platform, anyone can buy one of your designs. We deliver all over the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Drop shipping has never been this easy.
Why worry about inventory or logistics when we can take care of that? We deal with the boring stuff so you have more time to do what you love. To find out more, simply visit our brand new website.
