Wix vs Shopify: Which is the Best Platform to Create Interactive Websites?

The online market is vast and with so many new websites circulating the Internet, we as an average user can easily get overwhelmed by which option should we choose to build our very own website. The ultimate battle between which platform is the best has long moved on from WordPress vs Magento to more robust solutions such as Wix vs Shopify, the online drag and drop builders on web. 

Yes, we have come to an age and era where online site builders have become the norm. 

Today, in the blue corner, we have the ultimate dedicated ecommerce lightweight champion which has supported website designs for more than 600,000 businesses and created revenue worth $55 billion. 

In the red corner, we have the challenger, a highly sophisticated drag and drop builder also termed as the king of drag and drop with an innate ability to sell products/services online, is none other but Wix. 

So how do you decide which online site building solution is the best for your business? Let’s find out. For clear understanding, we will measure different attributes for both the platforms and compare it. 

Ease of Access and Usability

We all know that time is a special commodity, one that neither the customer nor the seller can waste. The easier it is to manage the store, you spend more time on attracting and serving new customers. 

So here’s the big question, when it comes to usability, which is the best for you? Wix or Shopify. 

When it comes to ease of use, Wix business model easily rules the ring. It is a great drag & drop builder where you can create just about any kind of website you want, including an online store. Setting up a website is fairly simple as you only have to drag and drop elements to different locations. 

It’s a great option, if you just want to set up a store and start selling products online. 

However, if you want a more structured online shopping store, I’ll recommend you to choose Shopify. One reason why Shopify is absolutely amazing is because it keeps its editing interface and dashboard separate. It allows you to add products, manage sales, create email marketing campaigns, and more. 

Even though, Shopify has a restrictive editor than Wix, but themes are already set up to help you sell. 

If you’re searching for simplicity, Wix is really the best you’ve got. With Shopify, there are too many restrictions and you’ve less backend control which makes the usability aspect a bit of a hassle. 

When it Comes to Selling

When it comes to shopping, I must say this is where Shopify takes the lead. Wix is equally compatible but it doesn’t have the range of interesting Shopify features that makes it an ecommerce standalone. 

Online selling with Shopify is easy because it requires third party integrations to sell digital products. With Wix, you require a separate app to sell your products. Whereas, other platform have in-built tools. 

Both the platforms can sell physical and digital products. Likewise, both platforms can also sell service based products. But as far as service based products are concerned, Wix requires a separate app to sell these kinds of products whereas with Shopify, you require a third party integration to sell digital products. Other then that, both platforms allow the other two product types built-in selling.

Apart from selling, presentation also plays a major factor. If the product you’re about to sell looks good, the sales margin will eventually increase. When it comes to aesthetics, Shopify gains an edge. 

When it comes to product look and feel, Shopify offers you necessary freedom. It allows you to add unlimited products but if you want to add the zoom functionality, then you might need a separate app. 

With Wix, you can actually make your products shine. It offers built-in product video functionality and also introduces the zoom feature which makes the entire experience a whole lot interesting for users. 

Also Shopify offers a variety of sales options and multiple gateways. It allows more than 100 different payment options; however, it doesn’t support Square. Moreover, you will have to pay transaction fees unless you’re not using Shopify Payments. Wix, on the other hand, supports all traditional payment options including PayPal Stripe and Square and does not charge anything additional on any purchase. 

Design and Compatibility

Assume Johnny is walking down the street and he comes across two stores. They both are selling the same stuff, but one has more appealing aesthetics than the other. Where do you think Johnny will go? 

Apparently, it’s the same with online stores.

If your online store doesn’t look altogether appealing, it doesn’t have the charm to invite people to shop at your place. And as a store owner, it is extremely important that your store must have a charm. 

When it comes to design, both platforms have a variety of templates; some of them are free while others are paid. However, Shopify has an advantage because their themes are customized to sell.  

Almost 39% of the audience in the United States shop products using their mobile phones. Both Wix and Shopify offers a variety of mobile responsive design templates to give the best mobility experience. However, Shopify has around 60+ themes which falls in the paid category and are a bit expensive. But when it comes to online selling, nobody craft themes the way Shopify has done it. 

Wix on the other hand have more than 500 different templates. Not all of them are specifically designed to serve the ecommerce purpose but they still do cover a variety of professional industries.

Since they are super-easy to edit, you can turn your Wix website into anything including online stores. The only downside for Wix is that unlike Shopify, you can’t switch back to another theme once chosen.

If you ever want to rebrand, Wix isn’t going to be the best choice you make. 

Verdict – If you are looking for a user-friendly option where you can easily make edits, then Wix is a great option. However, if you would want to rebrand or need a more customized shopping experience, Shopify is hands-on the best choice for an online store builder. 

When it Comes to Marketing?

When it comes to marketing, Shopify again greatly rely on different third-party applications. Whereas, Wix has introduced Wix Ascend which is a one stop shop for marketing solutions. Ascend comes with a separate subscription plan and it also allows you to effectively manage your marketing campaigns.

If you focus on social media integration, Shopify stands above Wix as it has a multi-channel integration which allows Shopify to directly interconnect with multiple social media platforms. Using this integration, you can easily connect your Shopify with Facebook, Instagram, Amazon and eBay.

Almost 48% of many modern day searches begins at marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. With Shopify, you have an extra edge as the platform allows you to directly sell your products across them. 

Now, that’s something Wix just can’t match because it doesn’t have such integration to Marketplaces. 

But what Wix has instead is the ultimate control for its users when it comes to marketing. You can purchase their Ascend subscription and gain access to premium features for sending out emails. 

With Shopify, you won’t have that liberty as you require many third party apps like Privy, Recart or Happy Email to send them out to your customers. So, when it comes to retaining old customers or upselling Wix offers greater flexibility than Shopify, but when it comes to new ones, Shopify rules. 

Who Offers Better Blogging? 

When it comes to blogging, Wix takes the lead like no other. It offers you some of the best-looking blogs and you can design them with ease. The only functionality where it stumbles upon is saving old posts for the users to read. If you want to keep all your blogging information in one place, then my advice is that you get your hands on a blogging specific platform such as WordPress instead. 

Shopify on the other hand isn’t a magnanimous tool for blogging. It doesn’t come with any analytics feature. There are no social bookmarking available and no particular blog specific search features. 

If you want to create a website where you can run your blog as well, my recommendation is that you choose neither. Go for something which is more versatile and can offer more and that is WordPress. 

Better Not Forget Analytics

If there is one thing that matters the most to every website owner, it’s how they keep track of their website’s performance. It helps the owner to identify what is working for their platform and what isn’t. 

Both, Wix and Shopify, offers insight through Google Analytics which enables the site owner to see what their customers are doing. It helps them to automatically customize website and earn better. 

If you’re using Wix, it is important that you’re on an ecommerce price plan if you want to use Google Analytics. On the contrary, with Shopify, Google Analytics is available by default on all pricing plans. 

Also, Shopify is even better than Wix because it includes some interesting built-in analytics features. Some of these features include customer behavior, stock levels, and conversion tracking as well. 

I believe all of this information is good enough to explain which platform is the best if you consider building your own ecommerce store. 

Shopify Wins the Match! 

Hands on, Shopify takes the lead. Even though Wix does have to offer some interesting features but they are altogether not that good as much as Shopify is in market.