Summer Nguyen | 04-17-2024
Many e-commerce platforms exist now. Businesses need help to choose the best one. We understand the challenge for businesses. They must find the strengths and weaknesses of each platform and compare them. Today, we will write about Shopify and Volusion. We will help you do this with 2 platforms
What are they exactly, and what are their differences? Let’s dive in right now!
We first ensure everyone knows that Shopify was founded in 2006. It is also a cloud-based solution. It will help businesses focus more on strategy, marketing, and selling. They can do that instead of infrastructure and development. This is seeing Shopify become a game changer. It has changed how merchants approach e-commerce.
Shopify has over 600,000 e-commerce stores. It has $82 billion in sales. Shopify is used by famous brands like the New York Times, Nestle,… When building your Shopify store, you must go through a process. This process includes 5 steps including arranging your shipping, taxes, payment processing, site design, and product catalog. And if you’re planning to switch platforms or need expert help transitioning, our Shopify migration experts can be a great asset in streamlining your move
Maybe you already know this: Volusion is an E-commerce platform that allows you to sell almost anything, including handmade goods and digital products. First, you need to enter basic info about yourself and your business. After that, it will guide you through many steps to set up your store.
You’ll need to set tax, payment, and shipping options. You’ll also customize the look of your store and make your product catalog.
Volusion and Shopify both have simple setup processes. They let you launch your store in a day. However, the primary disparity between Shopify and Volusion lies in their business approach
| Factor | Shopify | Volusion |
| Monthly fees | Start at $5 for social media | Start at $35 for personal |
| Payment processing | Starting at 2.9% + 30 cents | Starting at 1.25% |
| Ease of use | Users can easily navigate the uncluttered backend of Shopify. It has many modules and segments to explore. | Volusion provides a simple backend interface along with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and intuitive features for users. |
| Customer service | Email ,24/7 live chat, and phone support | Email and 24/7 live chat; Prime and Business members get phone support as well |
| Apps & Integrations | Its app store has many marketing and SEO apps. They can help solve business problems, like increasing site traffic or sales. | Volusion has a smaller app store than Shopify. But, don’t worry. They still provide some high-quality apps that focus on email marketing and automation. |
| Design and Templates | The platform offers templates and themes. They are easy to use and change. | Volusion offers a restricted range of themes, providing users with only a handful of options to choose from. |
Shopify’s plans start at $9 per month. But, they quickly increase to $25 per month ($19 per month if paid yearly) for online store builders. Indeed, the costs associated with Shopify extend beyond its subscription price. You’ll also need a domain name. It costs $10 to $15 per year. You might also need a premium theme and plugins to maximize your store’s abilities.
Here is the overview of Shopify’s cost plans, and you’ll see there’s a big difference
Shopify Lite
Shopify Basic
Shopify Standard
Shopify Advanced
In addition to the cost of Shopify plans, you often pay for a domain name ($15 per year) and premium theme ($75 – over $300 per year).
You can check easily on the website. Volusion offers a selection of plans at different prices, from $29 to $299 per month. They also offer a “Prime” plan for large businesses. You must request a price quote for this plan. All 4 plans have no transaction fees. We’ll begin by taking a closer look at Volusion’s different plans and what each comes with
Personal Plan
Professional Plan
Startup Plan
Business Plan
If you want to process payment in Shopify, you can have 2 choices: Shopify Payments and Shop Pay. You don’t need to apply for Shopify or connect a separate merchant account. You can still accept payments. Shopify Payments is the easiest option for almost all businesses. Its transaction fees are quite low.
You want to compare Shopify and Volusion for payments. Of course, Shopify wins. Shopify partners with over 100 payment gateways. Volusion’s integrations are more limited.
Volusion also provides built-in payment processing through a partnership with Stripe Payments. Its transaction fees are very competitive—never more than 1.25% of the transaction value. You can also choose to use a third-party option with its fee structure. Volusion collaborates with various payment processors including Stripe, PayPal, Fort Point Payments, Authorize.net, and NMI.
In short, Shopify is easier to use than Volusion. Why is that? When it comes to simplicity, Shopify excels by offering straightforward editing tools and a prominently placed ‘undo’ button. A user’s comment on Shopify’s ease of use reflects this sentiment: “I was pleasantly surprised. I can see why people opt for this builder.”
In conclusion, Shopify is easier to use than Volusion. It keeps the editing interface simple. It has lots of visual cues and a clearly labeled ‘undo’ button.
But, Volusion tries to do too much. The editing interface splits in two. One part is the storefront, which your customers see. The other part is the backend. This means you’re always clicking from one to the other. They don’t have any keyboard shortcuts. In conclusion, Volusion is too tricky to navigate. It lacks obvious cues or a simple menu.
With 24/7 phone and live chat assistance, along with email and social media support, Shopify ensures comprehensive customer service. Moreover, their Plus Level price plan includes a dedicated support agent, exemplifying their commitment to going above and beyond. With round-the-clock support via phone and live chat, Shopify stands out for providing the best customer help.
On the other hand, Volusion provides phone support, available from 7 am to 10 pm CST. However, they do not offer email assistance. But, they do use phone contact to offer a more personal experience. Volusion likes to call each customer for a personal experience. But, its service cannot match Shopify’s. Shopify has dedicated support agents, available on the Plus Level price plan.
One of Shopify’s strengths is its over 8,000 integrations, which are in the Shopify App Store. The store also has many marketing and SEO apps that can solve business problems like boosting site traffic or increasing sales. When we compare Shopify and Volusion, nothing is surprising; Shopify wins.
Read more: Top 16 Shopify B2B Apps You Should Try Now
Volusion has smaller app stores than Shopify. But don’t worry, they still provide some high-quality apps. These apps focus on email marketing and automation. Volusion, with over 80 integrations, pales in comparison.
In terms of quantity, Shopify provides 10 free themes along with over 50 premium options priced between $140 and $180 each. Additionally, every template offered is designed to be mobile responsive. They look good on any screen size. They’re suitable for almost any business. But, the platform doesn’t provide DIY or art industry themes.
All Shopify templates have their settings. They are easy to use. You can customize every part of your storefront. The Shopify theme store is set up to make finding the right template for your online store easier. You can browse using many filters, such as price, industry, catalog size, and features.
Volusion’s selection includes 11 free templates and 34 paid options priced at $180 each, rendering them more expensive with a smaller variety compared to Shopify. Moreover, Volusion’s platform lacks the capability to manage your site from a smartphone, limiting design flexibility. Still, for branding, variety sets your store apart from the web. Volusion provides no filters. They only have tabs. The tabs let you choose free or paid products.
Considering to use Shopify or Volusion, it is hard for your business to choose. You need to understand each platform’s strengths and weaknesses. You must see how they fit your specific business.
Shopify is best for:
Volusion is best for:
Overall, Shopify emerges as the clear victor in a comparison between Volusion and Shopify. Several factors contribute to this outcome. Firstly, Shopify boasts a larger selection of templates, incorporates a sophisticated point-of-sale system, facilitates selling in multiple currencies, and integrates blogging capabilities. Additionally, Shopify is notably more user-friendly. In summary, it’s challenging to deny that Shopify represents a significantly stronger and more valuable platform overall.
Summer is the CMO and Digital Commerce Solution Expert with 10+ years of experience. She specializes in Magento, Shopify, ERP, CRM, AI, and Blockchain, delivering strategic solutions that transform businesses. With a deep understanding of digital commerce, she helps brands scale and stay ahead in a competitive market.
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