*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. However, I literally move all of my private clients over to Shopify if they’re not already on it and I really love the platform. I’d never promote an e-commerce tool that I don’t believe in or have not personally used.
If you’re using a marketplace like Etsy, your sales are being stifled! That’s because in addition to worrying about your product, marketing, shipping and logistics, you’re paying some pretty heavy transactions fees with a shop that you don’t even own.
Etsy gets a ton of credit (and rightfully so) for making a home for makers to share their passion and craft. But if you want to experience real growth, migrating to a hosted ecommerce platform—one that allows you to add your own domain, set up a competitive storefront and actually keep the money you make—will give you the edge you’ve been looking for.
Turnkey solutions like Shopify are a great way to get things running fast without the heavy investment in back- and frontend development, making it easy to turn your beginner shop into a burgeoning online store.
So here are 4 reasons why you should switch from Etsy to Shopify today and get on track to building a better ecommerce business.
YOU CAN’T MANAGE YOUR ‘LOOK’ & ‘FEEL’
You’re making sales and that’s a good thing. But in order to set your brand apart, the visual experience adds much needed leverage (and an uptick in ‘perceived value’).
Right now, you’re just an ‘Etsy shop’, one of many that have a similar layout, look and feel, even with a vast difference in the types of products offered.
Etsy operates on a global design model, one ‘plug and chug’ option for sellers to be able to start quickly and relatively seamlessly. But it also leaves little to the imagination (and leaves you with less control).
A stand-alone website gives you the ability to connect with your ideal customer by inserting a tangible vision and creative direction for their web experience.
Controlling the navigation, placement of offers, adding videos or even simple things like a pop-up box for email capture can have a dramatic impact on your leads and sales.
Using customizable themes from Shopify (many of which are free and need little to no design experience to adjust) adds to the perceived value of your online store and can encourage more referrals and repeat purchases with a more inviting interface. When shoppers make buying decisions, it’s rarely as simple as click and buy.
You have to take into account elements like trust, status, convenience–all things that influence whether they shop with you or someone else. Having a well-designed website that makes the flow of information attractive may be the difference maker you need to convert more leads.
To be fair, Etsy does have a premium service in Patterns but the customization options are less robust than those offered by Shopify and a monthly charge is tacked onto the fees you already pay for listing and selling products on Etsy—but we’ll discuss that a bit more in-depth later.
YOU’LL HAVE DIFFICULTY EXPANDING YOUR PRODUCT LINE
With Etsy, sellers are limited to handmade, vintage and artisanal goods. But what if there was a complementary product available from a manufacturer that would really boost your customer experience (and increase your average order value)?
Well, you may experience a hiccup.
Craft is extremely important but it also takes more time, requires more energy, and yields less immediate availability. Shopping online is all about convenience and growth means being able to maintain or improve product quality while optimizing delivery.
Moving to an ecommerce solution like Shopify affords you the necessary product diversity to serve your customers better. And happy customers inevitably bring more happy customers.
TRACKING INVENTORY IS COMPLICATED & TAKING PAYMENTS IS A HASSLE
Want to know what’s going where and to whom, without a super long spreadsheet?
Hosted solutions like Shopify offer full inventory management that syncs with your customer orders. That means you don’t have to rely on records elsewhere and check back in forth.
Plus with a hosted e-commerce solution you have a payment processing service built in and a point-of-sale option for any offline purchases that can still track back to the inventory you have available online. Simply put: “simple is better”.
With Etsy, you’re maintaining your own records or using a third-party application, making the information you need immediately that much farther away. Plus, integrations can be a headache.
And when you have to make decisions fast, there’s nothing better than having the information you need right at your fingertips.
TRANSACTION FEES ARE KILLING YOUR PROFIT AND GROWTH
Businesses that have seen sustained success understand that every penny counts. If your Etsy shop is starting to get traction, that supposedly minuscule transaction fee (in addition to the card processing fees) can start to add up. That means you get to keep less of what you make. Meaning you have less to reinvest in your business so that you can grow faster.
Platforms like Shopify offer hosting and support in one monthly rate, and their robust app store lets you optimize your sell-through and customer experience, many of which are free, have a one-time buy in or low monthly subscription to maintain. That means you can integrate email marketing, special shipping offers, and other incentives to help your business really take off.
And instead of being a function of your revenue, those are upfront operations costs that you know to account for and have minimal fluctuation, if any at all.
The choice is yours: lose money as you slowly climb the e-commerce ladder or keep your hard-earned cash to propel your business.
Make the most of your web experience and drive more sales to your online store. Sign up for a free 14-day trial with Shopify today!
Original article and pictures take thierryaugustin.com site
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