The choice of a company’s eCommerce platform can potentially make or break its success. There needs to be an emphasis on choosing the right kind of eCommerce platform for the right kind of business in order to achieve maximum gains. Users need to make informed choices when deciding which features of a platform do they need to factor in the most since no single platform comes pre-built with all the required features.
As a go-to application for medium to large scale enterprises, Adobe Commerce is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms out there. With a large user base and a wide array of clients, Adobe Commerce anticipates and provides them with just the right features that help them increase their ROI and build lasting customer relationships.
Shopify, on the other hand, is a popular choice for small businesses who need to engage with their customers through eCommerce services. Shopify overlaps with Adobe Commerce over a few key features and also aims to provide just the right kind of platform to cater to the needs of their specific brand of clients.
So for novices in the eCommerce world, the question remains, Adobe Commerce or Shopify? Let’s explore the two platforms to see what each brings to its users!
Convergence Of The Two Platforms: Adobe Commerce and Shopify
Adobe Commerce and Shopify are two unique eCommerce platforms, each with their own set of features and functionalities. However, at the core of it all, both Shopify and Adobe Commerce are eCommerce platforms dedicated to facilitating their users with the best means of managing their businesses.
Both platforms are well constructed and specifically designed in a way that renders them easy to use. Both Adobe Commerce and Shopify strive to provide the best user experience to the vendors and visitors alike. At the same time, both provide opportunities to expand the platform, however, they do so in different ways. Both platforms offer themes to users to personalize their application, and some of these themes are free, whilst some are available upon payment. Both platforms offer SEO and marketing tools to allow their users to reach a wider customer base.
Divergence Of The Two Platforms
Despite some similarities that are shared between the two eCommerce platforms, there are a lot of differences in the features as well as services provided by the two. This makes them both unique and allows them to cater to a varied audience.
Speed And Performance
Speed is an essential metric on which the success of an online platform is judged. A faster website results in better customer experience and increases the likelihood for them to revisit. I this context, Shopify does not offer its users any control over the hosting environment or the server-level adjustments. Despite that, the speed of the platform is still efficient enough to offer its users a seamless experience.
On the other hand, Adobe Commerce allows its users to choose their own server and make any changes or tweaks to boost the performance of their platform, as it is a self-hosted service. This gives users more control and flexibility over their own platform. The tweaks include using managed Adobe Commerce hosting with advanced technologies such as CDN and caching mechanisms.
Customizability
Having the option to tailor your eCommerce platform according to your specific needs is one of the most important things users look for when choosing the platform. Adobe Commerce being a self-hosted, open-source platform, gives its users a lot of flexibility and control when it comes to adjusting the way the application is set up, including the webpages, categories, integrations with third-party plugins, etc.
Shopify, on the other hand, is a hosted solution that on the one hand, offers users an easy-to-use ready-made platform that does not require any further development, but on the other hand, it means that the users have limited control over customizations since the source code is inaccessible.
Payment Modules
Both Adobe Commerce and Shopify have their own mechanisms to enable online payment. Shopify allows users to adopt a custom payment solution via integration and ensures their ease of payment. Magento, however, has far more extensive payment options available. Users can extend greater convenience to their customers by incorporating several different payment modules, including third-party applications due to Adobe Commerce’s open-source nature.
User Friendliness
Shopify allows its users to leverage simple features like the drag-and-drop interface and easy tools to make some basic changes to the platform so as to tailor it to their needs. Adobe Commerce, however, has a much more complicated method for customizations, that require users to familiarize themselves with slightly complicated development activities. The end result, however, allows users more room to tailor the platform according to their specific requirements.
Inventory Management
Since Shopify is a simple interface, it can mostly deal with low-volume inventories such as those for small businesses. Several features can be further added to Shopify by incorporating extensions such as those for promotional sales and discounts for registered users.
For Adobe Commerce, the basic inventory management system is supplemented by several advanced features that allow it to cater to medium and large enterprises. The inventory management can be made easier by adding extensions such as those that help the inventory be classified along the lines of product types or colors. The effort required for their setup is well worth the ease that users experience when managing the inventory.
SEO Opportunities
Employing useful SEO techniques allow brands to market their products in a manner that promises good returns. Shopify offers limited SEO options, which include optimizing the inventory, using meta tags, and editing product pages. Further optimization can be achieved by modifying file structures to facilitate in SEO.
As far as Adobe Commerce is concerned, it enables its vendors to incorporate their complex, digital marketing strategies into the eCommerce platform. Vendors can customize the store design and organize it in a way that maximizes any benefits that can be acquired from SEO techniques. These include adding meta-descriptions and fine-tuning perma-links for products in the inventory.
Pricing Model
Shopify comes with an initial free trial that eventually requires users to subscribe to the platform. The subscription fees vary as per the type of Shopify package purchased. Adobe Commerce begins with a basic free platform that goes on towards increased subscription fees depending on the complexity of the Adobe Commerce platform chosen by the users.
The Bottom Line!
Is Shopify cheaper than Magento (Adobe Commerce)?
Both Shopify and Magento are eCommerce platforms that are well-equipped to serve the needs of their users. With the added benefit of Magento being an open-source platform, there are several features that can be incorporated which make the scales tip heavier in favor of Magento. These added features can be third-party integrations and customizations. From hosting a website to adding extensions to adding security features; the user will have to pay for each extension and functionality they want to add. Hence, the price of setting up a store on Magento can be flexible depending upon the number of features and functionalities the user decides to add.
Shopify on the other hand is a hosted e-commerce platform with fixed monthly costs which includes all costs to build a store. The user can choose between their monthly plans which include the basic plan, shopify plan and the advanced plan. Shopify is easily manageable with its monthly subscription however the user has limited control i.e. Shopify offers one hosting solution; users do not have the option to choose whereas Magento allows users to choose their preferred hosting solution for their business. This is a big factor as using the right hosting can impact the quality of a website; from the speed of the website to the user experience. Shopify also charges a fee per transaction for transactions made through payment methods other than Shopify’s own payment gateway which is another additional expense to consider if you’re building your store on Shopify.
Is Magento (Adobe Commerce) good for e-commerce?
Magento is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms amongst businesses offering extensive features and high flexibility. Users have full control over the design and functionality of the website, from design templates to hosting options; the user gets to build their website from scratch. Magento (now Adobe Commerce) also offers integrations and tools such as search engine optimization and data tracking tools that help businesses boost sales. On Magento you’ll find thousands of extension options that can help you offer the best customer service i.e. multiple payment alternatives allowing users to choose their preferred payment gateways. The various features and customization options that Magento offers help businesses bring value to their website leading to positive user experience.
Is Magento (Adobe Commerce) user-friendly?
Magento enables users to operate multiple online stores under a single platform, making it easier for users to navigate through different stores. From Magento’s centralized admin panel, users can get an overview of multiple stores in one place instead of having to switch between platforms to access other stores. The layout and navigation of the platform is very easy to understand, resulting in better user experience. Magento has a quick page load time as well, which is essential to improve the click through rate of your store; a slow loading time can increase the bounce rate and reduce your CTR which can negatively affect your store performance. You need to make sure that you are using the latest version of Magento, upgrade whenever there is an update as new version launches bring improved features with better performance. Rolustech offers its expertise in Magento Customization Services that would allow you to make the most out of your eCommerce platform.
Interested? Rolustech is a full-service Magento eCommerce Platform development firm and our experts can make sure your e-commerce platform serves your business in every way possible. Get in touch today for a Free Business Analysis session!
