Launching your own e-commerce business is a process with many important decisions along the way. One of the most critical and far-reaching of those decisions is which platform you will use as the foundation for your online store. As you look ahead several years down the road, you don’t want to have to switch e-commerce platforms because the one you chose initially isn’t able to meet your needs.
At Spectra, we regularly integrate with all the major e-commerce platforms, and we also provide fulfillment for clients with their own independent websites. We’ve seen the friction that can occur when a client outgrows the capabilities of their online platform, and we’ve also seen clients experience amazing growth when they make the right choice from day one and are well supported in their development.
Here is a brief overview of a few of the major e-commerce platforms available, with some comparisons to help you understand the basics of what they provide and what they do best. Whichever platform you choose in the end, be sure to get an expert fulfillment provider like Spectra on your team to make sure the orders you receive from customers are fulfilled according to their expectations.
Shopify
Shopify is perhaps the most recognizable and popular e-commerce platform, and the main reason is that it is designed to be user friendly. Nearly anyone can sign up and create a fairly good-looking, functional, and secure website to sell their products. One of the highlights of the platform is a highly developed system for designing, tweaking, and enhancing the look and feel of the online store to the customer.
Shopify is a great system for either the beginner looking to sell homemade items or a business that’s ready to offer hundreds of products with thousands of monthly orders. The service has become more or less a standard in the industry due to its versatility, customizable design, and integrations with many different warehousing and shipping options.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a major competitor with Shopify, but the target audience is slightly different. While Shopify has a broad set of features that generally serve all types of clients, BigCommerce is tailored to best fit the needs of large volume clients.
In fact, BigCommerce also provides features for clients that need to do B2B e-commerce, not just B2C or direct to consumer sales. While Shopify technically can be used for B2B e-commerce, BigCommerce is designed to serve those clients very well, with varying payment options that B2B customers often need to use rather than the standard credit card payment that normally accompanies B2C sales.
On the other hand, BigCommerce does not offer as much in terms of website customization. With all of these considerations taken together, BigCommerce may be a better choice than Shopify for a large, established company that prioritizes large capacity, complex factors such as multi-brand offerings, and B2B payment structures rather than an engaging website design that draws in shoppers.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce operates with a very different format than Shopify or BigCommerce. While those two are actual platforms that host the client’s online store, WooCommerce is a plugin that works on top of the client’s existing website. This is great for an e-commerce business that already has a secure, functional website and wants to offer products directly to its customers through it.
Another major difference from the previous two platforms is that WooCommerce is free to use. There are extra features that clients can purchase to enhance the appearance and functionality of their online store and offer their customers additional services, but the basic plugin is free to install and use.
Using WooCommerce does require more knowledge of website design on the part of the client, and particularly a good working knowledge of WordPress. WooCommerce was designed to work with WordPress websites, so the client needs to be able to connect it to the website and ensure that the customer will be able to find their way around and place orders.
Spectra: Your E-Commerce Fulfillment Partner
Once you have made the perfect choice between these three options and the many others that are available, you need to select a fulfillment provider. The major e-commerce platforms have default fulfillment providers that they point new clients to, but if you’re serious about growing in a sustainable way, you shouldn’t sign with a fulfillment service that you haven’t interviewed or learned about yourself.
Spectra is a powerful fulfillment partner for any e-commerce business that needs dependable service. Our clients range from local to global in scope, and we handle items from standard books and printed materials to extremely high value medical devices that come with strict handling and storage requirements.
Our inventory management systems integrate fully and quickly with all e-commerce platforms and independent websites, so you will be able to take full advantage of the range of options that your e-commerce provider offers you.
Perhaps best of all, though, the Spectra team functions like your dream in-house fulfillment department. Imagine if you were able to instantly hire a team with 24+ years of experience in fulfillment, buy a climate controlled facility, and outfit it with high quality materials and digital tools for inventory management. That’s what you get with Spectra, and our team provides you with advice and valuable insights as we get to know your business better. We’re here to help your e-commerce business succeed, and with our expert guidance, you will be able to maximize relationships with customers, get your products to them more quickly and reliably, and offer them great customer service for returns and other requests.
If you are looking into launching an e-commerce business, get in touch with us to set up expert fulfillment along with your Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce online store. Our knowledge and skill cover both B2B and B2C fulfillment, so whatever your audience looks like, we’re ready to help you serve them with outstanding fulfillment right from day one. And if you are looking to switch fulfillment providers, we’ll be happy to talk about making your transition to Spectra smooth and frictionless.
