Handling a variety of products like subscription-based products, downloadable products, digital assets, e-books, print books, newsletters, as well as webinars, the publishing industry is exceptionally reliant on eCommerce stores. Where the majority of the products are online-based, the only way left for the publishers to sell their product is through an eCommerce store, which has accelerated even more after the arrival of the pandemic.
As the pandemic continues to stretch, almost every sector has been affected, in terms of the business, working culture, as well as profits. Among these, eCommerce, making digital marketing- the new normal is considered one of the most impacted areas. With the need of staying indoors and at a distance owing to their safety, people are inclined more towards online purchase than that from the conventional one. Talking about numbers from Statista– 52% of the US population reported purchasing more online during the pandemic.
Considering the fact, the publishing firms are also focusing on their digital presence and creating their eCommerce store. There are a wealth of eCommerce platforms in the market, picking the best among so many options is a real challenge and if contenders are so close, like in this case, it is Shopify and Magento, the task becomes significantly more tangled. Shopify and Magento are the two most popular eCommerce platforms in the market, each with its unique features. To help you to choose the best fit platform for your business, we have compared both the platforms on some crucial verticals.
7 Fundamental Differences Between Magento and Shopify
According to Shopify Conference, holding the third position after Amazon and eBay, Shopify has become one of the best online retailers in the U.S. In fact, today approximately 820k merchants are using the Shopify platform for their website, across the globe. Magento is also the choice of nearly 250K merchants, reflecting its demand in the market as well. To come to an effective decision, let’s dive deeper to understand the technical nitty-gritty and variations between both platforms.
Pricing Plans
The first thing that strikes out before buying a product is the expense related to it, so is the case with the eCommerce platform. Magento comes in 3 variations- Open Source, Commerce Starter, and Commerce Pro. The Open-source Magento software has no setup cost, you only need to pay if you switch to the commerce plan. Shopify, on the flip side, is commercial software that comes with three pricing plans- Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify based on the monthly charges. This cost might vary according to the selected plan, which ranges from 29 USD per month to 299 USD per month.
Web-Hosting
Purchasing the plan is not sufficient, you need to host the website as well. Shopify itself provides hosting services, so you need not worry about web hosting charges or figuring out a good web hosting provider. With Magento, which is a self-hosted solution, you have to opt for a third-party to host your website. Hosting accompanies many challenges, for example, discovering a decent hosting provider as it is liable for the scalability of the item, speed of the site, etc., and another challenge that comes our way is the cost associated with web hosting which ranges from 10$ to 100$ or even more.
User-Friendly
Usability is a contrasting factor between Shopify and Magento, especially for the publishing firm, which generally has both technical and non-technical editors. Shopify is known for its user-friendly behavior and its functionality is comparatively easier than Magento. In fact, no specific technical skills are required to use Shopify, making it a perfect fit for non-technical editors.
For Magento, you need to be technically sound to use it. So, the editors either have to take technical training or appoint a specialized person for this. Also, due to this complexity, the time required to understand and get a grip on this software is also a major point of concern.
Payment Gateway Options
Shopify, provides the user with its own payment gateway called Shopify Payment, accompanied by 100 more other inbuilt gateways inbuilt. Shopify charges no transaction fees for the payment made through the Shopify payment processor whereas that’s not the case with the other payment options such as Paypal. If the user chooses Paypal then he/she is charged with approximately 3% to 4% per transaction.
Magento comes with a comparatively fewer inbuilt payment gateway which is a disadvantageous factor for it. So, if the user needs more payment services, he has to buy it from Magento Market which might seem like a distressing task to the users. As they will have to go through the number of available gateway options and settle on a choice which is more feasible to buy.
Themes
Every publisher has its unique voice and style, helping them to stand out in the market, in which the theme of the website holds a gigantic significance. Both Shopify and Magento are packed with numerous amazing themes- paid and free. Shopify provides 73 themes for users to choose from. Magento 2, on the other hand, has thousands of customizable themes available from creators across the globe.
Inventory Management
Inventory Management in Shopify is a straightforward task as you can do this directly from your dashboard due to which the editors can get a hold of it very easily. Though both the platforms allow keeping unlimited units in the inventory, the management of the units differs in both cases.
Magento is packed with really advanced features, however, you might face website speed issues with managing your larger inventory and because of the third-party hosting, you will have to figure out the solution yourself. Shopify, on the other hand providing the hosting services, takes care of these issues at its end.
Customer Support
Shopify excels in support and assistance services as compared to Magento as it provides 24/7 assistance to its users. If you face any problem while using Shopify, you can easily reach the support team through phone calls, email, or live chats. Magento, on the contrary, does not offer any such services rather you are dependent on the technical forum to get your answers, which is a major setback.
Conclusion
Both Shopify and Magento are genuinely amazing and powerful platforms, having their fair share of strengths and weaknesses. If you are a newbie, want to launch your online store fast with less technical team or development efforts, Shopify would be an appropriate solution to build your online store. Shopify, being a complete solution, gives you a more prominent convenience with its simpler usability and outstanding performance. With Shopify, you need not manage a set of staff to operate it, instead, you can do everything on your own.
If you are looking for an enterprise-level solution that facilitates a more customized experience, tightly integrating with your backend systems such as subscription management system, CRM system, and financial system, then Magento is a perfect pick.
No matter which platform you choose, the effectiveness of the website can only be promised if it is handled by the experts. Having years of experience in the field, our experts can figure out your business needs and help you settle on the most appropriate platform accordingly. To harness the power of eCommerce platforms into your publishing business and take it to another level, Reach out to us.
