Migrating to WooCommerce

There are times when an online business will run into too many obstacles with their website platform and feel like it’s a time to change. Whatever the reasoning may be for your need to switch website platforms, migrating to another platform is a possibility that you might be faced with. In our experience most e-commerce websites we migrate are coming from Shopify or BigCommerce and looking to move into WooCommerce. This begs the question as to why? Why are we migrating to WooCommerce? In this write-up I will explore the reasons why we have helped migrate e-commerce stores from Shopify to WooCommerce (WordPress). But first, let’s go over some of the basic history for these items.

History

WordPress was initially released as a blog writing software in 2003. Since then WordPress has grown to power more than 43% (1) of the World Wide Web. WordPress was and still remains a free resource with many free and paid-for software plugins available for expansion. WooCommerce is a free software plugin expansion for WordPress that allows any WordPress site to become an E-commerce website. Introduced in 2011 WooCommerce has grown to be one of the leading e-commerce software options with a market share position around ~30% at the time of this post (2).

Control

The number one reason why we have migrated people away from places like Shopify is control. Dealing with all-in-one solution entities like Shopify can seem very inviting and easy. That’s because it is easier to get going with one of those sites. However the easiest path is not always the best path for longevity. They own and control more about your site than you would feel comfortable knowing about. As the registrar and domain controller for your business they can decide at any moment to shut your store down for whatever reason they decide. I have witnessed this first hand. Having all of your eggs in one basket can be devastating in this situation.

Cost

The cost difference when considering WooCommerce vs Shopify is negligible. They are roughly going to cost about the same to get setup and going. However, when considering longevity as a prosperous measure I would lean on WooCommerce as the better option. Shopify charges a monthly fee depending on your account level. This will include your domain and hosting along with a license to use their software. They also charge for credit card processing and then fees on top of that. If you have a subscriptions option you might again need to split your pennies with each sale. The more money your Shopify store makes, the more money you will be giving to Shopify and its affiliates. The difference here is time and effort. With WooCommerce you will need to set up and manage your own processing account, email marketing services, domain, hosting accounts and more. I know this sounds like a lot of work but having a proper web development team like Skynet Solutions can help you through this process and prepare your business for the long haul. Having a WooCommerce e-commerce website will put you in a position to better understand, control and profit from your business.

Customization

WordPress is built on community development and this shows with its ~58,000 available software plugins compared to ~4000 available for Shopify owners. If there is an option you are wanting for your WooCommerce store it has most likely been created and is available via the WordPress Plugins repository. With WordPress/WooCommerce you also have the ability to buy software outside of their repository. There are many companies that specialize in creating and licensing new software plugins for WordPress and WooCommerce. In the event there is functionality that your e-commerce store is seeking that doesn’t exist there are plenty of developers, much like Skynet Solutions, with experience in creating custom software plugins for tailored your WooCommerce business.

Final Conclusion

WooCommerce is now well on its way to smoothing out some of the disconnects that the all-in-one solutions like Shopify are providing. WordPress/WooCommerce is now providing more walk-through processes as well as more integrated 3rd party service options. These new options can allow for a quicker, easier startup and overall website management process. With WooCommerce there is more setup and you will most likely need a web developer. However, the long term benefits from starting a WooCommerce website for your business will far outweigh the ease of entry with Shopify.

• • If you are needing to migrate your existing e-commerce store, please call Skynet Solutions.
  • If you are needing better e-commerce management personnel, please call Skynet Solutions.
  • If you are needing e-commerce customization, please call Skynet Solutions.
  • If you are wanting pizza, please do not call Skynet Solutions.

Sources:

1. https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management
2. https://trends.builtwith.com/shop