eCommerce Platform: What Are They?
With the advent of the Internet, the business paradigm has changed globally. The land and brick establishments now face competition from online enterprises, referred to as eCommerce sites.
Any online business-related activity can be termed eCommerce. Still, the term relates strongly to the sale and purchase of retail goods using platforms that enable three-dimensional displays, create a wish list, place orders, and enable electronic payments. This is what the common person understands, and the fact is accentuated more by sites like eBay and Amazon.
This is information technology at work, and recent capabilities enable small entrepreneurs to set up their stores for relatively much less investment and benefit cyberspace. This is creating a new paradigm for online retail stores. But professionals like artists and craft dealers who produce crafts and paintings, for example, are also seeking broader venues for sales of their creations and thus according to a major push to this online trade practices. A new niche is being created by these platforms leading to larger trade volumes and an increase in competition for the established and megacorps. Slowly but surely, land-based monopolies are vanishing, and an equal opportunity or a level playing field has entered the picture.
eCommerce entrepreneurs require involvement just like they would on a store established in the neighborhood. But the good news is they need to invest much less to create a virtual presence and sell their creativity, sell goods for commission or dropship. Here in this article, we will learn about two products that will fulfill our dreams of being in business! Online, of course!
What is Shopify?
The Company
Shopify is a proprietary name of a multinational company based in Ottawa in Ontario Province of Canada. The founders Tobias Lutke and Scott Lake used the open-source web application platform "Ruby on the Rails" to make an online store called "SnowDevil" which was later named Shopify in 2006. The API and AppStore launched in 2009 enabled users to create online stores and sell them on the APP Store. The app store for smartphones was launched as Apple App Store enabling owners to view and manage their stores using iOS devices.
A series of acquisitions created a scalable platform making the products more businessworthy than before. Acquisitions in the software program business lead to quick access to integration of features and toos that enhance functionality.
Shopfiy eCommerce Platform
Shopify as an eCommerce Platform allows you to sell products online as well as offline. It is a closed source SAAS platform, unlike Magento, and is not free but proprietary software. It uses a coding language called Liquid.
Using these services, one can establish an online store or a retail point of sale system. It is a complete suite of services that includes tools that enable marketing, payment online, delivery logistics, and support for customer engagements. More than 1000 000 subscribers residing in 175 countries makes the company global with high volume turnover. However, according to some reviewers, that figure could be much higher, and as per reports, the gross total merchandize volume exceeded more than sixty-one billion US dollars.
Plus Points & How it all works?
Being a full-fledged platform offers various features that help realize your products' sales potential in the store effectively. It is not a limited platform but supports large-scale sellers as well as smaller ones. It supports small retail ventures as well as high sales volume product sales.
The backend features and apps enable ascertaining site performance as well as sales. Merchants can follow order lists and receive payments. The platform enables various report formats that help you gauge site performance by assessing reports and analysis.
Owning and hosting an eCommerce website, however small, requires minimal investment in the venture if you consider various aspects of web development and the related expenses involved. Then consider the hosting and running costs - all this adds up to a substantial sum but much less than what you will invest in a brick-and-mortar shop. In addition, Shopify features help achieve sales targets without a website. Again, this leads to a substantial saving. However, the store can be set on partner websites, as well in case the seller owns one.
A virtual store is set up using the 14 days free trial to get acclimatized with the platform. You can also start with a minimal monthly plan. To make the store attractive free and paid themes and images are available. Many features help customize the store to its full potential using the tools. There are lot many apps paid and free that enable a sound e-business experience. In addition, there is a help section in the form of a blog that experts handle, and this provides support to enhance the productivity of your store.
The platform is hosted on cloud servers or networks which are more stable than independent services and reduce downtime. Another aspect of this platform is that it is easy to participate, and no advanced programming or designing knowledge is required.
Despite the massive support ecosystem for the sales on Shopify, a lot depends upon how to make your store visible and how you generate relevant traffic.
Remember, an eCommerce business is a full-fledged activity and not a passive income source hence dedication and involvement using strong business acumen is a must. In addition, optimizing the store and promotion using digital marketing techniques like SEO are also a requirement.
Magento O/S for eCommerce Sites
The platform is built using PHP and is an open-source code distributed under Open Source Licence (OSL) v3.0. The software was created by Varien Inc., based in Culver City in California in the USA. It is now under the ownership of Adobe Inc.
Accounting for thirty percent of market share, it has created a US $155 billion trade volume and has been downloaded more than two and a half million times. In addition, more than one hundred thousand online stores operate using this amazing platform.
Magento, unlike Shopify, is an operating system that enables users to create online stores for eCommerce. The license is open and free to download and build upon. But the enterprise versions are on a paid basis.
It arrives in two distinct platforms:
- Magento Open Source (Free)
- Magento Commerce as an on-premises version or as a platform-as-a-service. (Paid)
In the year 2015, an updated version 2.0 incorporating many features was released. The lacunae present in the earlier versions were filled up, and now the open-source code has fewer table locking issues and improved caching. In addition, customization is better in 2.0 with a new file structure made possible, and the CSS Preprocessing is with LESS & CSS URL Resolver. Many of the features incorporated in version 2.0 are SEO friendly, and inbuilt rich snippets for structured data is one example. The SEO-friendly inputs are a must to increase traffic and gain business leads and conversions.
Besides PHP coding, the code employs MySQL or MariaDB and elements of Zend Framework. Additionally, it applies conventions of OOPs programming and model-view architecture. The latest version is 2.4. requires Elastisearch for its catalog search capability feature. Another advanced technology used is an entity-attribute-value model for storage. Version 2.0 introduced model-view-
ViewModel to its front-end code using JavaScript library Knockout.js.
Magento helps web design and development companies to develop eCommerce stores. Popular for a long time, it is an open-source self-hosted system. The source code is free, but users have to pay for hosting solutions. Without any limitation and flexibility, the software can create complex eCommerce stores online using a developer's ingenuity. This scalability makes it immensely useful for creating large eCommerce portals. This is enabled by advanced features and tools available along with the software. The output is responsive offers a viewing experience suitable for smartphones and related devices.
The source code uses PHP as a coding language and open source, and there are no restrictions. The store can be modified to perfection and fulfill e-business needs. This can be done with great flexibility; hence it suits mega portals in online trade.
eCommerce stores created using this platform have to be hosted using a third party on a paid basis. Good service means stability and consistency, which is ideal for e-business. This software allows multi-party functions without putting security at risk. Several coders can work on this system within one account to add their specialized inputs as per the development needs. If the in-house coding experience is wanting, the businesses can hire coders with the requisite skills to run and maintain the stores.
The scalability and flexibility are further enhanced by extensions that are available as paid and free. With thousands of extensions available, the site can be upgraded with ease to cross over limits reached. The stores designed using Magento can sustain heavy traffic, which anyway is a must for online business generation. What's more, some of the extensions can be implemented by non-coders.
The front-end features add greater functionality to the stores and provide a platform to create a system that generates coupon or promo codes, a must for discounts to incentivize a product purchase.
Likewise, gift cards can also be created. In addition, a customer dashboard along with wish lists and saved carts features come in handy for enabling frequent purchases by loyal customers. All of these can be implemented with ease on this free online business platform creator. It is also possible to create magnification for images, display product reviews and maintain a history of reorders by loyal customers.
Shopify vs. Magento
While both are eCommerce platforms, there is a fundamental difference between them. This article enumerates the differences, quantifies features, and offers a comparison to choose between them…the one that suits the most.
Shopify is an online eCommerce Site, while Magento is an O/S system to set up a store for selling products. The latter requires expertise, and the degree of difficulty is higher than Shopify and WordPress CMS, for that matter. However, it is ideally suited for e-business, can provide complex solutions, and a much larger portal can be built. Find below a comparison between the two.
Shopify can be quickly implemented after paying the fee as per the plan. While Magento requires time to implement hence is suitable for mid-level or large enterprises for a scalable platform with frequent or time-bound changes to be in place. Although it is free, some incidental costs have to be calculated in the scheme of hosting, salary for developers, salary for digital marketers and overall development costs, etc.
It is quite evident that Shopify is better suited for small business owners and professionals seeking sales possibility online. However, those with coding skills in this category can take advantage of Magento open-source code. But as mentioned here, small business owners should go for the former since the customer needs are small and easily filled. Moreover, scalable projects that are bound to expand and modify need the open-source for greater flexibility and space.
Magento Pros
- Magento is a free, open-source code platform to build online stores.
- Feature Rich Powerful Platform
- Scalable
- Seo Friendly & Fast
- Highly Customizable
- Advanced Reporting Tools & Features
- Better CMS Experience
- Easy To Edit
Magento Cons
- Needs developmental resources is complex as well. It would be best if you had coding expertise
- More Suitable for Large eCommerce Sites
- Enterprise Versions Costly
- Paucity of Developers
- A paucity of Hosting Services
- Expensive Product Support
- Forum Support is Lacking
- Official Forum Support is Spammed Due to Lack of Centralized Monitoring
Shopify Pros
- Easy to Use Features & Tools
- Ideally Suitable for Small Business
- Seventy Plus Responsive Themes
- Multi-Channel Selling on Amazon, FB, eBay, and Instagram
- Extensive Range of Apps
Shopify Cons
- Transaction Fee
- Costly Apps
- User Structure Not 100 % Customizable
- Difficult to Create Sub Categories Required for SEO, although some SEO-friendly features are available for store owners.
Themes & Designs & Market Place Features Shopify
No designing skills are needed since the platform comes with beautiful designs and responsive templates. Moreover, you can buy third-party templates as additional features. Subscribers to the platform have an extensive range to choose from to make their stores attractive and appealing. But free templates are limited; hence paid options have to be utilized. Nevertheless, the scope of designing attractive stores in this interface is immense.
Products can be easily added using the interface, or in the case of large stores, a CSV file is used. It is also possible to import or export lists, orders, and even reviews. Drag and drop importing tool is available for BigCartel, Squarespace, Esty, etc.
Themes & Designs & Market Place Features Magento
Beautiful, professionally, designed and responsive templates are available from the company. In addition, third-party templates are available as paid. As a result, subscribers to the platform have an extensive range to choose from to make their stores attractive. In addition, extensions are available for various activities as paid versions.
Various Marketing Features are also available for SEO purpose, SEM, digital and email marketing, etc. besides automation products pertaining to various activities increases the functionality of large portals.
Payment Processors Gateways
The payment procession Gateway helps integrate payment service providers for store owners. It supports following operations connected with electronic payment systems online. The features include various systems that have been recently incorporated for electronic transfer, conditional hold on funds, withdrawing, time-bound electronic fund transfers, etc. Thus, a comprehensive mechanism is available in cyberspace for payment solutions for store owners.
Payment Processing Shopify
The payment gateway supports all types of methods. It supports all payment service providers, and integration is smooth and easy with the online stores. The cash on delivery app accords a better payment experience with greater control.
If you are using Shopify Payments, it facilitates both direct providers and third-party payment providers. In the former, all processes are completed within the interface, and no additional charge is applied. However, in the latter case, the processing is done outside the interface, which can be chargeable.
Pricing & Plans: How Much You Pay?
Shopify offers few plans as pricing models along with features and tools available. Beginners can use the fourteen-day trial period and then migrate to one of the plans.
- Basic - 29$
- Shopify Plan – 79$
- Advanced - 299$
Features that are included in the packages are available at the Shopify website.
All plans are monthly unless one sign-up for annual or biannual plans. The pricing may vary country-wise, and discounts are offered on annual and biannual plans.
Magento offers free open source code and versions, while the higher-up ecommerce packages are paid.
- Community Edition 2 - Free
- Commerce Pro – 1988.00 $ per month
This is ideal for B2C to B2B merchants of all sizes. In this case fourteen days free trial is offered to prospective merchants
- Enterprise Solution Edition
EE licensing ranges from $ 22000 to 125 000$ annually. This discounted fee is based on annual gross sales revenue.
Conclusion
Although both are ideal as eCommerce solutions, as mentioned above, there is a fundamental difference between the two interfaces. The article enumerates the differences for user benefit.
Which platform to choose?
Without the coding hassles, the customer base widens, and it is obvious that Shopify is ideally suited for small businesses and costs less than Magento. Nevertheless, the latter is power-packed with tremendous functionality and scalability much desired by mega enterprises or mega eCommerce portals. Therefore, merchants with a team of developers aiming for large portals should choose
Magento free source or the paid enterprise versions as per the nature of their business.
Though both platforms have pros and cons, the tremendous success is a vindication because they are the most preferred eCommerce platforms.
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Uday provides a search engine optimization service for digital marketing. He provides website content and content for authoritative links.
He can be contacted at:
pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323
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