The biggest question - Shopify or Big Cartel? Well, Shopify will give you everything you ask for but if you are a small business, Big Cartel can help you get started! That one sentence may have answered your question about Shopify Vs Big Cartel but I'd suggest you read on so you are informed enough to make the best decision for your specific requirement.
You must be well aware by now that Shopify allows you to set up an Online Store without the need for any prior coding experience and it is the #1 most popular store builder on the internet with over a million stories on the platform!
Big Cartel, on the other hand, was created for small businesses, artists, musicians, etc to get set up with their online store as easily as possible with some nifty features. One of them is the option to start your store for FREE!
Shopify Vs Big Cartel 2020: In-Depth Comparison
Overview
The debate Shopify vs Big Cartel boils down to your preferences and needs. If you are just a beginner, small-time artist or strained on budget, Big Cartel may make more sense to you with their easy to use UI and it being absolutely FREE to start! If you are looking to create a completely customizable, scalable online business Shopify is the way to go because of its unique set of features, ability to automate tasks, and scalability.
To truly reach a conclusive decision, we must learn the specific advantages and disadvantages of both the platforms. Here I will try to give you an in-depth analysis of what they have to offer.
Shopify was started back in 2006 in Canada and today it is the #1 Ecommerce Solution with over $155 billion in sales from its platform. What makes Shopify so popular? The fact that it's not only easy to launch a brand new store, there are also various tools in-built to help you manage your business effectively.
One of the best things about Shopify is . It allows you to source products from verified suppliers directly, adds them to your online store, and ship directly to your customers! This method of selling is called OberloDropshipping but more on that later. The best advantage of using Oberlo with Shopify is that you don't have to hold an inventory and you only have to pay the supplier when you get a customer!
Big Carte l was started by artists, for artists. Since 2005, Big Cartel boasts sales upwards of $2.5 billion on its platform. They are a small group of independent artists who had a dream to do it big and they are now helping others like them to do the same.
But wait, there's more!
Made specifically for a niche segment of artists, musicians, or small businesses that care more about just monetizing their offerings rather than building a store with a massive inventory, Big Cartel makes it really simple and easy. And when I say simple, I mean it and so does Big Cartel. The below screenshot shows what you will see once you've signed up on the website, that's your dashboard. From here, you can start adding products, set up your store theme, and set up your checkout or payment process.
From the design and layout, it's pretty clear that the Big Cartel wants you to waste no time in the technicalities and set up your E-commerce store in the shortest time. To make this process even more hassle-free, Big Cartel offers a setup assistance feature to help you out. As soon as you sign in, you'll see a chat box pop up and to greet and to show you around! I feel that really comes in handy for newcomers.
Once you get comfortable and start designing your store, you'll be able to adjust the colors, fonts, text, video, and audio with the help of virtual tools. There is absolutely no need to worry about coding. That won't be necessary. It is very easy to create new product pages and to edit the price, product description, etc. Depending upon your plan, you'll be able to upload product images. If you are on the free plan, only 1 image per product is allowed.
On the dashboard, you will quickly be able to see recent orders, your overall sales, items that have sold out, and more. There is a separate section for you to set up your custom printing packing slips and to view specific information about orders. You can also export the data to view in Microsoft Excel.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel - Themes
Shopify Themes
Next on the list is Themes for your stores which are free as well as paid. Themes can be customized according to requirements easily without any design/programming skills. They are optimized for PC as well as Mobile viewing, so no matter which device your customers use, they'll be getting a consistent experience. Themes can also be 'imported' if you've bought them from a third party designer.
The process is supposed to be streamlined and smooth b for the advanced users who really want to customize their website, Big Cartel has made provisions for them too. You can edit and customize the themes with advanced HTML and CSS coding as per your own preferences. By this, the developers don't have to rely entirely upon the virtual builder and give their store their own flavor.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel- Online Payment
Another important advantage of Shopify is the ability to sell online, in person, adding 'Buy Button' to affiliated blogs or websites or through various Sales Channels like social media. All of this can be done in your store and there is no need to create multiple stores or businesses. The relevant help guides are present on the Shopify website.
For online payments, Shopify supports various payment gateways such as Paypal, Stripe, and others depending on your region. The most convenient payment method is Shopify's own Shopify Payments. By default, every store has it integrated and all users have to do is enable this in the payment settings. This allows you to quickly start selling and skip the long waiting and approval processes of other payment gateways. It allows your customers to choose their preferred method of payment while shopping on your online store.
Big Cartel also offers an iOS app and a swiper to make "in-person sales" when you are physically marketing your products at a fair, conference and other such events. So, even if you take your store "offline" Big Cartel has got your back.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel- Apps and Learning
With running a business comes the job of marketing it. No business can thrive if it cannot reach its target audience. And to help the business owners on its platform, Shopify also provides marketing solutions, SEO, the ability to create campaigns, Facebook pixel integration, and more. You can view several reports, charts, and graphs to get an insight into how your business is functioning.
You can view your total sales, conversions, and other vital stats that will help you decide your sales and marketing strategy to take your business to the next level. You also have access to various marketing 'apps' such as MailChimp for email marketing, SEO Image Optimiser, Privy, etc. There is a big catalog of Apps available on the Shopify App store and you can safely assume that there is an app for everything.
With Compass, Podcasts, Blogs, and guides there is no dearth of information even for the new entrepreneur or an experienced business owner. Shopify helps you with everything from naming the business to the collection of the payments and scaling the business.
Apps such as Stripe, Paypal, and Square are available for you to add to your store to give more payment options to your customers. They are free to add but they do charge their own transaction fees on every purchase made, so keep that in mind.
If you need something to help you with shipment management, you can use ShipRobot or ShipRush, both are paid. More information about them available on their own websites.
For site analytics, you get the trusted option of Google Analytics which is free. And if there's something more you want or some extra stats, LuckyOrange could be the app for you but mind well, that it is paid. There are a lot more categories of apps that you can use which include Facebook store integration, Email Marketing with MailChimp, etc.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel- Customer Care
If you ever require , Big Cartel's support team is available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm EST. Suppose you require help outside of these hours, you can refer to the FAQs on the Customer SupportBig Cartel website. Additionally, you can message and email the support staff but expect a reply only during the working hours.
Shopify Vs Big Cartel- Pricing Review
I would like to mention at the start that across all Shopify plans, you can add unlimited products to your store and have access to unlimited file storage which is absolutely vital for an online business. There is no compromise there. The differences in the plans are in the transaction fees, the addition of staff accounts, various detailed reports, and some plan specific features.
Note - Keeping in mind the circumstances the world at large is facing due to the CoVID-19 pandemic or the CoronaVirus, Shopify has introduced various measures for helping existing businesses and as well as new businesses on its platform.
- Free Physical and Digital Gift Cards across all plans to help maintain cash flow.
- Local pick-up and delivery support to help flatten the curve.
- $200 million in funding for Small Businesses with Shopify Capital.
- Extended 90-day trial for new businesses to learn and set up their online store.
And with more support through courses about Ecommerce, free email marketing, and community support, Shopify's response to the challenges posed by the pandemic has been impressive.
Big Cartel Pricing
If you look at the price points that Big Cartel offers, you'll notice that they are relatively inexpensive!
Customer Reviews
Shopify
Big Cartel
FAQs
Final Verdict- Shopify Vs Big Cartel 2020- Which One is Worth Your Money?
Shopify Vs Big Cartel is really not much of debate considering the fact that they both are looking at different segments of the market.
Shopify is an all-inclusive package for serious business owners who can work with the monthly charges that do begin to add up as you add more apps, Payment Merchants, etc. If you want complete control over the look and feel, design a complete online business and build a professional business or already are one, Shopify should be your choice.
Big Cartel, on the other hand, is for people who don't want to worry about every small detail of their store and just put up their product for sale and not worry about building a business. If you are an artist, writer, musician, or a business owner with a small inventory, Big Cartel will prove to be the right choice for you.
