By An important decision that any digital business owner has to go through is choosing the best e-commerce platform to sell goods or services online. Finally, you might end up deciding between Amazon and Shopify.
If you go with Amazon, you could improve platforms with the existing Amazon audiences. With Shopify, businesses can get ownership of their online store, from layout, and marketing to customer experience. To decide on these two, here we compiled a few important factors to look at. That easily differentiates both.
1. Price plans
One of the crucial things that you need to ensure before choosing the e-commerce platform is how much you can spend on it. You don’t want to spend many dollars monthly if you sell just handmade items. Neither Shopify nor Amazon are pricey, so you can look for something between these two that fit the budget. Let’s see the pricing plans for both platforms.
Amazon features two selling plans:
- Amazon Professional Selling plan charges $39.99 monthly with extra selling fees
- Amazon Individual Selling plan asks you to pay $0.99 per item, this can be varied by the category
Amazon Individual plan is adequate for every business who are selling below 40 items monthly. However, you couldn’t personalize shipping rates for the Individual plan. There are several differences between the two plans. You can unlock more features for $39.99 monthly. You need to spend more if you use FBA.
E-commerce giant, Shopify offers three main pricing plans, that include:
- Basic Shopify plan – $29/ month
- Shopify plan – $79/ month
- Advanced Shopify plan – $299/ month
Shopify lets you unlock more features if you are ready to upgrade the pricing plans. The Basic Shopify plan offers everything that you require to set up the ecommerce website. You could even include apps for expanding the store’s functionalities & upgrade if you want. There is a chance of adding more costs if you add third-party apps.
Looking at both, Shopify wins absolutely. Amazon’s plan might look good for small-scale sellers, but Shopify provides the best value. Shopify is quite cheap than most of Amazon’s plans and more transparent and scalable than Amazon.
2. E-commerce Features and Tools
An E-Commerce store with powerful ecommerce tools is something you need. Amazon features a wide array of products via its marketplace, right from toys to electronics to services along with physical goods.
Individual sellers and businesses can find amazing tools that support online selling. This al’s involves different stores like global selling, Amazon Handmade, and global selling with targeted adverts.
Amazon offers the Fulfillment by Amazon program, that access users to attract Amazon Prime customers. That even allows Amazon to handle shipping, and storage of products. You could send products to Amazon, which ships products to the consumers. If you don’t need the hassle of shipping it’s an ideal solution!
In terms of Shopify, it offers an in-depth and widest array of sales tools. Shopify offers many sales features & tools that boost business easily. Few ecommerce tools that Shopify provides include, a logo maker, abandoned cart recovery, inventory system, tax calculator, app integration, and more. Shopify offers many tools to succeed in your Shopify store.
If you aren’t finding the apps you need in the dashboard, look at their extensive app store. From where you can find apps to upgrade ecommerce websites. Shopify wins in terms of features and tools. A Shopify agency helps in creating a successful online store with a different array of features from Shopify.
3. Payment Gateway
Payment options are another vital thing to consider for creating an online store. The more personalization that you add in payment, the more people can buy your products. People feel comfortable with the payment methods that they are familiar with.
Do you own a simple or any advanced Shopify store, then Shopify charges transaction fees if you don’t go for the Shopify Payments gateway? So, you don’t need to worry about transaction fees. If you can pay transaction fees, Shopify offers many payment options. That includes over 100 choices such as Amazon pay, Pay Pal, etc.
Amazon looks at a similar strategy with payment methods. It offers Amazon Pay which is the main payment gateway that accesses customers to accept many credits and debit cards. You couldn’t access PayPal, or other payments, however many are likely to go with Amazon Pay. Fees are varied by category, which includes referral fees and shipping. Choosing Fulfilled by Amazon involves many fees for the fulfillment process. Along with that consider inventory storage fees too.
4. Design and Customization
Amazon is a place where customization options are restricted. However with Shopify. Shopify access businesses design an incredible storefront to display and showcase their products. With tons of theme options both paid and free, any business can benefit from the ease of usage too. You can find keyboard shortcuts and undo functionality tags modifies many changes quickly. But, the downside is that once you have chosen the theme you. change it. Consult an expert Shopify agency if you aren’t sure what to do.
Amazon lets businesses sell products in big amounts with the least hassle. It is restricted from the personalization perspective. However, it is tough to build your site. But you can upload product descriptions and images. Amazon itself promotes products over the homepage without any branding. And costumers can easily find you on Amazon. With Amazon, you can’t build a crucial connection with the brand, as businesses couldn’t pick their brand and color options.
5. Help & Support
Whether you are an expert or a beginner in the online business, there can be something wrong. And that is where you need help. Shopify offers 24/7 live chat, phone, and email support for every plan. Their consumer service turned to be much more professional over the years. Their review from customers regarding quality support says a lot. The supporting email system is even provided in many languages.
With several online shop owners utilizing the Shopify platform, Shopify has an active user community. You could find a Facebook forum or group to get help for the Shopify store. However, Amazon doesn’t have any support system. They have a beginner’s guide to refine the details you require.
They offer phone support, however, you can only talk to them after requesting the call to Amazon. Phone and chat options are supported by the professional plan. Amazon’s support system isn’t streamlined to use. They offer a seller forum from which one can ask for help from one another.
Amazon vs Shopify: Who wins?
Hope through this article you got the information you need about Shopify vs Amazon. Both platforms have their pros and cons. However, it is easy to notice that Shopify helps build online stores simply and quickly. It is best for newbies to experts, who like to develop their brand in the Ecommerce market. Consult a Shopify Development Company to get a Shopify store with a professional look and aligned to your business goals today.
