Big Cartel vs Shopify: Which is the Best Ecommerce Platform for Genevish Graphics?
Introduction
Welcome to the detailed comparison between Big Cartel and Shopify, two popular ecommerce platforms. In this guide, we will explore the features, pricing plans, customization options, and other important factors to help you determine which platform is the best fit for Genevish Graphics, an Arts & Entertainment - Visual Arts and Design business.
1. Pricing and Plans
Pricing is an essential consideration when choosing an ecommerce platform. Both Big Cartel and Shopify offer various pricing plans to accommodate businesses of different sizes and needs.
1.1 Big Cartel Pricing
Big Cartel offers four pricing plans: Free, Platinum, Diamond, and Titanium. The Free plan allows you to sell up to 5 products, while the paid plans offer additional features and customization options. The Platinum plan costs $9.99 per month, the Diamond plan costs $19.99 per month, and the Titanium plan costs $29.99 per month.
1.2 Shopify Pricing
Shopify provides three pricing plans: Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify. The Basic Shopify plan costs $29 per month, the Shopify plan costs $79 per month, and the Advanced Shopify plan costs $299 per month. Additionally, Shopify offers a Lite plan for $9 per month, which allows you to sell on social media and existing websites.
2. Features
When it comes to features, both platforms offer a range of tools and capabilities to help you run your online store effectively. Let's explore some key features of each platform.
2.1 Big Cartel Features
Big Cartel provides essential features for managing an online store, such as product listings, inventory tracking, order management, and customizable themes. It offers integration with popular payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Square. However, compared to Shopify, Big Cartel has limited built-in features and extensions.
2.2 Shopify Features
Shopify is known for its extensive set of features. It offers a user-friendly interface, mobile responsiveness, SEO optimization, multiple sales channels, abandoned cart recovery, product variations, and more. Additionally, Shopify has a vast marketplace of apps and integrations, allowing you to enhance your store's functionality.
3. Customization and Design
The ability to customize the look and feel of your online store is crucial for branding and creating a unique customer experience. Let's compare the customization options offered by Big Cartel and Shopify.
3.1 Big Cartel Customization
Big Cartel offers a range of customizable themes, allowing you to personalize your store's appearance. However, compared to Shopify, the customization options are more limited. If you require advanced customization, you may need to work with external developers.
3.2 Shopify Customization
Shopify provides a highly flexible and intuitive customization platform. It offers a wide selection of themes, both free and paid, catering to various industries and design preferences. Furthermore, Shopify allows you to edit HTML and CSS directly, giving you full control over the store's design. With Shopify, you can create a visually appealing and professional website that aligns with Genevish Graphics' brand identity.
4. SEO and Marketing
An ecommerce platform should have robust SEO capabilities to help your business rank higher in search engine results and attract organic traffic. Let's see how Big Cartel and Shopify address SEO and marketing needs.
4.1 Big Cartel SEO
Big Cartel provides basic SEO features, such as customizable meta tags and URLs, sitemap generation, and mobile-friendly designs. However, it lacks advanced SEO tools like built-in blogging, AMP support, and schema markup.
4.2 Shopify SEO
Shopify is designed with SEO in mind. It offers advanced SEO features, including customizable meta tags, clean URLs, automatic sitemap generation, canonical tags, and mobile optimization. Moreover, Shopify allows you to create and manage a blog directly within the platform, helping you regularly publish keyword-rich content and enhance your search engine visibility.
5. Support and Customer Service
Reliable support and excellent customer service are crucial when running an online business. Let's compare the support options offered by Big Cartel and Shopify.
5.1 Big Cartel Support
Big Cartel provides support via email and live chat. However, their availability is limited to specific hours, and response times may vary. They also offer a comprehensive Help Center with tutorials and resources.
5.2 Shopify Support
Shopify offers 24/7 support through various channels, including live chat, phone, and email. Their support team is known for being responsive and knowledgeable. Shopify also provides an extensive Help Center, forums, and community-driven support.
Conclusion
After evaluating the key factors, it's evident that Shopify is the superior choice for Genevish Graphics. With its robust features, flexible customization options, SEO capabilities, and excellent customer support, Shopify provides a comprehensive ecommerce platform that can help Genevish Graphics thrive in the Arts & Entertainment - Visual Arts and Design industry. Although Big Cartel may be suitable for smaller businesses with simpler needs, Shopify offers the scalability and functionality required for long-term growth and success.