As internet access and adoption are swiftly increasing worldwide, the number of online buyers keeps rising every year. In 2020, more than two billion customers bought goods or services online, and during the same year, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to $4.28 trillion. In 2021, more than 2.14 billion people are projected to purchase goods and services online. If these figures are anything to go by, it’s right to say that there’s no better time to take your business online than now.
Choosing the Right Ecommerce Platform
Similarly to running a physical store, running an online shop is a big challenge that requires taking care of many aspects. One of the important aspects to take care of is choosing the most ideal ecommerce platform for your business. An ecommerce platform is basically a software application that enables sellers to sell their services or products.
There are several ecommerce sites to choose from, and WooCommerce and Shopify are among the most-preferred ones when it comes to building an online shop. In this article, we’ve compared the recent developments for both ecommerce platforms to help you decide which one is the best for your business.
Recent Developments for WooCommerce
On 9th February, 2021, WooCommerce 5.0, which is the latest version of WooCommerce, was released. This is considered a minor release, which means that the latest version is backward compatible with the previous version.
Although this was only a minor release, it was another major step towards the bright future of WooCommerce and all websites that are built on it. The new WooCommerce 5.0 version presents new developments and updates, including:
WordPress versioning schema:
Prior to the new release, WooCommerce partially followed the Semantic Versioning (Semver) Schema. From now on, WooCommerce will follow the WordPress versioning schema. This change leads to a more consistent and predictable user experience for merchants.
WooCommerce Admin 1.9.0
Another notable change is that the new release updates the WooCommerce admin package from 1.8.3 to 1.9.0. This update includes bug-fixes and improvements, such as a help tooltip that appears when a task is not accomplished the second time, a home screen task extensibility that allows 3pd to add their own tasks, and an “unread” indicator that shows unread messages in the inbox.
Database changes
Although there are no schema changes to the database tables, there will be a script that runs in the database that addresses any potential issues with the product review counts.
WooCommerce Pros
- This ecommerce platform is very easy and fast for to set up if you have an existing website, especially WordPress.
- Competitive pricing makes it easy for small businesses to implement.
- It offers a well-rounded suite of tools and a large collection of plugins and themes that allows you to implement any kind of functionality.
- It’s robust enough to handle large ecommerce stores.
- It has a big community around it for trouble shooting problems.
WooCommerce Cons
- The platform does not offer everything out of the box. Therefore, you will have to install additional plugins for certain features, some of which are very expensive.
- Its backend dashboard is not only outdated, but it’s also could be slow. Sometimes it slows down websites when loading information.
Recent Developments for Shopify
Like other ecommerce platforms, Shopify works to improve its platform to benefit its partners, merchants, and third-party developers. The following are the most recent developments for Shopify that you should know about:
Partner-initiated app refunds
As from June 2021, Shopify developers will issue app refunds to merchants directly without involving Shopify in the process. Shopify partners will also issue refunds to merchants directly through the Partner Dashboard. This recent update means that merchants can get solutions to their challenges quickly and enjoy a better customer experience.
Syncing to Oberlo
As of June, merchants can connect disconnected Shopify products or map variants to Oberlo. Furthermore, all unfulfilled orders consisting of these products will be automatically synced to oberlo.
Track and receive stock transfers via mobile app
Merchants can now track and receive stock transfers between their suppliers and locations using the Shopify mobile app. By using this app to access transfer information, you can easily view the transfer of products from the suppliers to different locations that you sell. As such, you will always have accurate inventory across your locations.
Shopify Pros
- This ecommerce platform is very easy for beginners to set up.
- Shopify dashboard is user-friendly and the layout is clear when it comes to uploading your products.
- It provides a wide range of customizable themes to meet your own branding requirements.
- It’s available in five pricing plans, starting with Shopify Lite that costs $9 per month. The availability of multiple pricing plans gives you the opportunity to choose the one that suits your needs. In other words, you don’t have to pay more for what you don’t need.
- It easily integrates with extensions and social media platforms.
Shopify Cons
- While the platform is relatively straightforward, there is still a learning curve to it.
- Certain plugins tend to slow down the site speed.
- Although Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, many features are not available for the free trial.
- It’s difficult to modify the background to fit instead of fill when uploading themes.
Hire a Technical Services Company to Achieve Success in Ecommerce!
In this digital age, technology has become crucial for any business interested in remaining competitive. While technology is incredibly valuable when it’s functioning properly, it can also cause major headaches when it’s not. If you don’t want to deal with the technology aspects of your business, you should consider hiring a professional so that you can focus on executing your business strategy. This is where Ndevr comes in.
We are a technical services company dedicated to building web platforms for business of all sizes. We can help to integrate the most ideal ecommerce platform to your website so you can run your ecommerce business easily and cost-effectively. Our WebOps services include short and long-term support, security updates, and plugin updates, etc.
Contact us today for more information and we’ll be more than willing to assist!
