Magento vs. Shopify: Which Is Best For Your E-commerce Store?

Published on: 11 June 2019 Last Updated on: 12 September 2024

The first quarter of 2019 has almost passed, and it has been predicted that 18% of the purchases will be made online by 2040. Further, 95% of the orders will be facilitated by e-commerce store.

Considering the above statistics, it comes as no surprise that the fate of your online business is dependent on how your website works. But did you know that all your website operations rely on the choice of your e-commerce platform?

Now, as the online store owners narrow down the choices, they are only left with two main platforms as the contenders- Magento and Shopify. While both platforms can create a one-of-kind e-commerce store, they differ in many areas.

To start with, Shopify works best for smaller businesses. On the flip side, Magento is aimed at enterprise businesses. This post is going will give you an in-depth insight on Magento and Shopify and help you decide which is an ideal platform for your e-commerce store.

Magento and Shopify in a Nutshell: e-commerce store

Magento:

Launched in 2007, Magento is a self-hosted e-commerce platform that powers a number of web stores. The platform is open source and comes with two versions including community (suitable for developers and small businesses) and enterprise edition (best suited for mid-sized and large e-commerce stores). The usage of the platform is free, but you’ll have to pay an amount for premium apps, themes, and hosting.

Irrespective of the price you have to pay, this platform is best known for its flexibility, ability to customize, and scalability.

Shopify:

Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform that allows single-step order fulfillment and lets you set up a store with a custom domain and a theme.

This platform comes with an easy-to-use interface and is more for beginner developers. Moreover, it comes with a 14-day free trial, allows integration with over 70 payment gateways, and is available in almost every language.

Although there are numerous Shopify alternatives available across the web, what sets this platform apart from others is its ability to set up a dynamic store in no time. You will have to pay for the platform after the free trial, but the Shopify team takes care of all the technical tasks.

Magento and Shopify: What Numbers Say!

Description	Shopify	Magento
Number of Websites	600,000	250,000
Number of Extensions	2,400+	3,000+
Number of Themes	60 (external purchase is allowed)	12 (external purchase is allowed)

Now when you are aware of what these platforms are, here is a feature comparison of Magneto and Shopify.

1. Basic Functionality and Ease of Usage:

Both the e-commerce platforms have all the basic store functionalities that are easy to use and maintain.

But if we compare both the platforms, Shopify is a drag and drop website builder. Magento has a steep learning curve, and you will have to learn some technical terms to get through the e-commerce store development process.

With Shopify, the developer can add the products; customize the look and feel of your store and set up the payment process in no time. The best part is you can make the entire e-commerce store without any technical knowledge.

In Magento, you have to learn some code to develop an entire e-commerce store. Not to forget, they have comprehensive user guides that walk you step-by-step through various processes. They also have a forum from where you can learn some tricks of the trade.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When it comes to SEO, both have great search engine optimization capabilities. However, you’ll have to leverage extra plug-ins in the cases for both platforms. But in the case of Shopify, SEO features are automatically built into the website, even in the product pages.

3. Themes and Templates Availability:

In terms of themes and templates, both platforms offer highly-functional customization capabilities. They let you edit the raw code directly and give you full control over the design and appeal of your e-commerce store.

Coming to the differences, Shopify offers a wide variation of mobile-optimized themes. Although many of them are free, if you go for the paid ones, your store gets a professional look and gets equipped with great sales potential. You also get the option to add new pages, change the color palette, move or resize the elements, and integrate the social media feeds.

When it comes to Magento, it has 12 themes. Out of 12, 10 of them are fully responsive. This platform does have free themes, and the paid ones also start at just $1.

With this platform, you can also create your theme or template from scratch. You have the option to add a slide, newsletter, and animation to the website.

4. Inventory Management:

All Shopify plans allow unlimited products in the store. Magento also allows you to add or create an unlimited number of products on the website.

But Shopify is one step ahead in this point due to its integration with drop shipping inventory apps such as Oberlo. Further, in Magento, you have the risk of slowing down your website.

5. Hosting Features:

Your website’s performance, storage, security, and speed are dependent on the hosting you choose. Did you know that 40% of people will abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load? This will result in a loss of customers as well as revenue.

As Shopify is a hosted platform, it takes care of your entire domain and hosting needs; offers you 24*7 support, and let you concentrate on your business.

Magento comes with two hosting options, including Open Source and Cloud. In Open Source hosting, you have to buy your domain and hosting. But in the case of Cloud, your e-commerce store is hosted and maintained by Magento.

Hosting

6. Payment Processing:

Shopify platform is already equipped with a payment processor, which is known by the name of Shopify Payments. If you use Shopify Payments for your e-commerce store, you won’t be charged any transaction fee. Moreover, it comes with the support of 60 external payment processors.

For Magento, you will have to download the extension of the payment processor that you want in your e-commerce store. You can look for these extensions in Magento’s marketplace. However, some factors that make Magento worth the consideration are international market coverage and support for multiple languages.

Summing Up:

When it comes to choosing an ideal e-commerce platform, there are lots of factors to consider including interface, scalability, number of themes, templates, speed, load time, cost, search engine optimization, and more.

Is Shopify worth it? If your considerations are ease of usage, availability of themes, not wanting to pay the transaction fee, and having the hosting and bandwidth taken care of, look no further than Shopify. It is user-friendly, has a payment processor, and comes with an array of themes to help you get started.

But if you are technically savvy and want to build an e-commerce store for a large enterprise, go for Magento. With this platform, you will also have to find your hosting provider, which can become expensive, as your business scale. Moreover, there is a chance that you might have to invest some time as well.

If you are still stuck on the decision, skim again through the comparison of features, weigh their pros and cons, and make the best choice for your business.

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What to Know About Location-Based Data

For businesses in any industry and of any size, location-based data and the use of a location analysis tool can take your marketing to the next level. Location-based marketing means that you’re targeting your audience based on where they are at a current moment, or maybe where they’ve recently been. For example, you could target an audience that had recently been to a local car repair shop, or maybe you’re using zip codes to target people. Location data can provide a lot of information about what a person does on a daily basis. This could include their shopping habits, where they prefer to eat, and it can even provide information about how they go from looking at a product online to buying it in a store. The use of location-based data means that you can personalize your products or services and be more targeted and efficient with your marketing. The following are some of the big things to know. The Basics Location data is typically a reference to the specific geographic position of a smartphone or another device, or a building. There are coordinates that are expressed as Latitude and Longitude, and these are the geographic positions themselves. As far as marketing, GPS data is what’s most commonly being talked about. GPS provides coordinates gathered by a device. There’s another term to be aware of here too, which is a Software Development Kit or SDK. SDK codes are used by app developers. These codes then tell the app once it’s installed on someone’s device to collect location data from that device. The codes that are installed in an app do require that the user give explicit permission for the collection of location data. The SDK method gives deep insight into the habits of users, but the opt-in element is important. Usually, the opt-in is obtained when a user first interacts with an app after downloading it. In some cases, an SDK can only work when the app is open, and others can run in the background. Legality Location data doesn’t record someone’s identity or any information that could personally identify them. Businesses small and large throughout the world do use location data. There are regulations and legal compliance issues to be aware of, though. For example, data privacy laws dictate how businesses can collect and utilize some customer data. A data collector has to get the specific consent of someone to use, store, manage or share their data. You also have to provide them the opportunity to opt-out any time. Strategies For Location-Based Marketing There are a lot of ways that you can use location-based data in your marketing. Examples include: Geofencing: This is a concept where location data is collected in real-time. With this approach, there’s the creation of a virtual perimeter around a certain location. Then, you’re either gathering data within that or targeting. You can use it for proximity marketing. For example, if someone with your app enters an area within your perimeter, then they might get a push notification letting them know of a sale or event. Geotargeting: This is about delivering ads to people in a particular location, but it’s different from geofencing in that it can use previous location data paired with specific attributes of the audience. It might, for example, use location along with interest or behavioral data. This gives the opportunity for segmented and tailored marketing. Conquesting: This location-driven marketing approach is about reaching your competitor’s customers. For example, you’re using collected data to reach an audience when they are visiting the location of your competitor. What Types of Businesses Are a Good Fit for Location-Driven Marketing? There are broadly a few types of businesses that might find location marketing is a good fit for them. First, if you have retail locations, it can be a good idea to explore the collection of location data. This can include shops, restaurants, or car dealerships. If you’re a business that has special events or seasonal events, you might consider it. This could include event venues, sporting businesses, and businesses in travel or hospitality. eCommerce brands might use location marketing to find shoppers that go to brick-and-mortar competitors. Niche industries such as transportation and real estate as well as education can benefit from location marketing. Location data is really the biggest thing right now in terms of understanding customer behavior and the full customer journey and filling in gaps in that journey or perhaps the gaps between online and offline behavior. Read Also: Crucial Role of Content Marketing in Local Business Tips on Doing Search Engine Marketing (SEM) for Businesses 5 Marketing Tips to Help Grow Your Business on Instagram

Make Sure Your Product Hits the Market As Soon As Possible

If you have a product that you want to make and market, there are countless things that are surely on your mind. Be it supply, production, or marketing, it can be pretty overwhelming to keep track of everything. In most cases, the packaging comes last and at that point, people no longer have the energy and the will to innovate and experiment. That’s why most people work with box manufacture and design professionals. However, there is a way to optimize your packaging process and make sure that your product is available on the market as soon as possible. Here’s what you should do. Shape and Size Matter : Before you make a decision about what kind of packaging you need and want, you need to be clear about the size and the shape of your product. There are certain norms and traditions when packaging certain products. You can learn more about that here https://www.boxcoop.com/boxes-by-industry/. However, even if you don’t want to follow in the footsteps of others, there are still certain designs and shapes which are not suitable for certain product sizes and shapes. What’s more, even the weight and fragility of the product can be an issue that takes serious deliberations when picking the perfect packaging option. Choose the Right Material : Not only the design options are limited by your product, so are the materials you can use. For instance, it is really difficult to package fragile products in a thin, one-layer paperboard without risking breakage. Once again, there are some typical and traditional packaging options for various product types. For instance, high-end electronics are typically packaged in thick, highly compressed cardboard boxes, whereas food items tend to be safe enough in thin paperboard, and so on. However, if your product is not limited by such factors, it is entirely up to you what kind of material you choose. In that case, you can take other factors into account, including the price, the availability of printing options, and so on. Collaborate with Professionals : When choosing your partners, there are several factors which you need to take into account. Some people will give you fantastical prices and timelines which they are not very likely to uphold. Make sure that you only collaborate with people with good track records. You can do a lot of research online and find genuine and verified information about the company you want to do business with. The old maxim ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’ makes perfect sense in this situation. Manufacturing anything costs money and takes time. Assess whether your proposed partners can actually deliver what they are promising. You can also ask for samples of their work to evaluate the quality of their work. Speak Your Mind : Once you have been given the preliminary packaging concept, it is time to give your opinion. There is plenty of time to make adjustments and change things that you don’t like before the sample is manufactured on a larger scale. The graphic designers from your packaging manufacturers will surely do as much as they can to reach a mutually agreeable option. However, once you approve the design, it is likely too late to change anything in the packaging design, at least for the first batch, so make sure you genuinely like it and want it to represent your product. Once your product is ready to hit the market, you should be confident that you have chosen the right packaging and the right design options. Read Also : How To Get Product Ideas For Your E-commerce Business 5 Steps On How To Market Your Business Using Social Media Get The Details On How Sferic Protect Can Benefit Your Business & Its Safety

How we could be able to get benefits from the outdoor marketing

Outdoor advertising, very simple, is marketing that organized outdoor massive places to attract the customers. Various types of outdoor branding can be done to make a brand visibility. Billboards can be comprised about 65% of outdoor marketing. • Sitting benches branding • Schools gates branding • Specific event coverage • Recreational place banners • Shops branding • Shopping malls • Bus branding • Bus stands • Bridge branding Here we also include other populated areas are vital to show all types of flying flags imprinted with logos, images, and promotional messages. There are plenty of ways to attract your customers by seizing the attention and offering them a huge amount of benefits while the competitors are not. To make our brand a significant exposure outside the home where most of the folks are outing, visiting and taking rest of long hours of hectic work burden. Outdoor marketing isn’t a new way to market the products and brands. In the current era people are getting bored with the old stuff of commercialization – now they are demanding some new content as our world has advanced into the digital world of marketing. To make our brand’s promotion different from the competitors’ it would be better to give a strong reason to our customers so that they easily can buy products. Why should we use outdoor Marketing? 1. Target your audiences 2. Positioning at points of sale 3. Brands talking point build 4. Consumer pulls distributor push 5. Target your audiences efficiently 6. Outdoor advertising can’t be turned off 7. Other media cover outdoor promotional activities How we can take the maximum benefits from outdoor marketing through outdoor banners. 1- Outdoor Advertising has High Impact To preparing TV ads and other digital media promotional content, we keep in mind how to be attractive in the 30-second streaming ad. But in outdoor advertising, it would be slightly easy to attract the audience with just simple but reliable graphical that according to the place atmosphere where it has changed. No matter the passengers taking attention or just this outdoor banner going through their eyes. It is not just a 30-second ad that will stream off. This is the main benefit of outdoor marketing to be there for some particular period by attracting the folks. 2- It would be Very Cost Effective Way of Marketing Through a widely accepted survey, it has been reddened that outdoor promotion is very cost-effective form all other advertising phases. It is just given and take the way of marketing how much we invest it would be good enough return profit. 3- It has Widely Reach to the maximum Audiences As outdoor advertising is stand out directly to customers every time, while passengers are walking or passing through. Most of the time some folks are individually read out what is being shown off on the display boards, sometimes its texture, content, images, and graphics. Through all these, our display boards would be the maximum reach to the audiences. 4- Outdoor Marketing is an Engaging Media Unlike most mediums, outdoor is actually liked by consumers. Research from APN Outdoor found that 71% of Australians preferred buses with advertising than those without and that 36% stated outdoor advertising as a welcome distraction. 5- Outdoor Marketing Impacts’ well on Sale It is a good marketing channel and mostly seen by the buyers, so that is the primary concern to enhance the chances of sale on the brands’ outlet or other places it is put on sale out. In outdoor stalls or extra promotional activities, we could be able to get promotional, visibility and sale by investing in this type of marketing. Read More: 5 Marketing Tips To Help Grow Your Business On Instagram Google Maps Marketing: Guides On How To Boost Brand Advantage Social Media Marketing Role In Technology

Magento vs. Shopify: Which Is Best For Your E-commerce Store?

Magento and Shopify in a Nutshell: e-commerce store