Start a Project

Client Login

menu menu

All Categories

Web Development

Custom-built Website or Ready-to-use Platform For Your E-commerce Business

06 Feb 2020

Mike Patel

Custom-built Website or Ready-to-use Platform For Your E-commerce Business

Do you have a business or do you want to start your own? Do you want to grow your business through the internet, but do not know how to create or maintain a website?

Since the internet was available for the public in August of 1991, businesses had to consider ways of selling their products online. That could appear in many different ways from posting on social media with a hyperlink to your products or creating a website. As the necessity for businesses to have an online presence increased, website building templates began popping up. Perhaps you have heard of some of them like Squarespace, Wix, Shopify to name a few. Even though these website templates are useful, you and your business have to determine if the templates or a custom-built website is best for your e-commerce goals.

Making a choice between Magento, Shopify and custom website builder for your business needs is a daunting task. There are so many aspects to consider including who will manage the website once it’s finished. To alleviate your trepidations, here are some ideas to consider.

Know Your Business’ Needs

Before you begin researching if you should use a DIY website or Shopify or Magento, you need to take into account your business’ individual e-commerce needs. You need to decide what objective you want your website to have on the internet. You also need to take into account if you are selling a specialized/customizable product or if you need to reach a specific target market.

Consider a Custom-Built Website

Even though the task of creating a website from scratch may seem overwhelming, do not let this steer you away from having a DIY website. If you take this route, you can hire a team to help you make the perfect website. Many companies choose custom websites for their e-commerce business because they have complete freedom with what they want their features, colors, outlines and online store to look like.

A great benefit of using a custom website is that it will be a one-of-a-kind e-commerce experience. You will immediately stand out because you did not take the easy route with Shopify or another template-generating site. If you can dream of it, you can make it. You have ultimate control over the kind of experience your customers will have on your website.

If you want a website that will grow along with your business, then a custom website builder will be your best bet. If you use Shopify or another template website, your business may outgrow their templates, resulting in you having to go with a DIY website anyway down the road.

Why Shopify

If you have sifted through the many template builder websites and decided on Shopify, you still need to know if this template is better for your e-commerce and overall business. Shopify specializes in offering tools specifically for e-commerce. There are thousands of combinations of themes, colors, and features to choose from. It is nice that these templates make your website more visually friendly and easy to use.

Templates on Shopify are convenient because they are for those who do not have an in-depth understanding of HTML, SEO or formatting. You can still make your website unique without hiring a team of website developers to help you with the arduous process of building a website that starting from scratch creates. Not only does Shopify make things easier for you, but it also makes your customer’s experience simple and easy whether they are shopping on their laptop or a mobile device. Overall, using Shopify will quicken the process of building a website while still offering customizable features.

Pricing

When you are deciding which way to go for your business’ website, the price does influence the decision.

Along with most template website builders, Shopify offers pricing at three different tiers. The basic price is $29 a month with the mid-range price at $79 a month. The highest tier is about $299 a month. This is convenient because some businesses can choose how much money they will spend on their website and the prices will stay the same year after year. An added benefit to Shopify’s $299 a month plan is that Shopify provides you with reports on online traffic to your website and a number of other records.

In contrast, if you use a custom-built website, the prices are not as set in stone. The initial cost of creating the website is usually more expensive than the cost of maintaining the site. If you do not plan on building your website yourself, you need to get a bid from website developers and other experts on how much their services will cost. Even if it is more expensive in the beginning, having a custom website may be the best for your specific business and generate more revenue.

Overall, whether you end up creating a 100 percent customizable website from scratch or you use Shopify, it depends on what you need. If you start with Shopify and realize a couple of years later that your business outgrew the templates, then that is not a problem. You can take comfort in knowing that your business is not alone in this. The transition over to a customizable website is completely doable, especially since you have a better understanding of what your e-commerce business needs.

Why Magento

Magento is the best platform for building a customized online store. Being open-source, scalable, and feature-rich, you can have complete control over the functionality of your e-commerce site with Magento.

The flexibility offered by Magento enables merchants to shape and mold their e-commerce store as per their needs, offering a personalized touch to the store. Custom-built Magento solutions help get the most out of your e-commerce store and is an effective way to achieve all your business goals.

If your company sells special products, reaches out to an extremely specific market or is a larger business, a custom website will save your work in the long run. On the other hand, if you are a small business and want an easy way to start having an online presence while still having some liberty with themes and features, Shopify is a great choice.

Mike Patel

Mike Patel is the Founder and CEO of ioVista, a leading digital commerce agency specializing in eCommerce solutions. With a strong background in business and technology, Mike Patel has been at the forefront of driving digital transformations for businesses. He has successfully navigated the ever-changing landscape of eCommerce, helping companies leverage the power of online platforms to grow their brand, increase revenues, and optimize their digital presence. Under his leadership, ioVista has become a trusted partner with major technology companies: Adobe/Magento, Google, BigCommerce, Shopify, and Yahoo. He is dedicated to staying ahead of industry trends, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and continuously improving strategies to provide clients with a competitive edge. Mike’s commitment to excellence and client satisfaction is evident in every project ioVista undertakes.

Custom-built Website or Ready-to-use Platform For Your E-commerce Business

Know Your Business’ Needs

Consider a Custom-Built Website

Why Shopify

Pricing

Why Magento

Get in Touch

Popular Posts

Start Your Free Website & Platform Assessment.