Old hand needs new web shop...........Shopify?

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Lucan Unlordly

Lucan Unlordly

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Feb 24, 2009
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  • #1
    Bit of background..... I have essentially 2 businesses. One is software related and offers an online service to 99% of the customers I want to reach via the second business, which sells associated products via a stand alone webshop currently running on an outdated version of Magento.

    Both of the independent web guys I've used since day one have moved further away from e-commerce and whilst still making all the necessary security updates and product changes, I need to bring the web shop in house so that I can manage the simple things like product additions and updates in my own time.....simply! I don't need backlinks, flag waving SEO and wordy Meta descriptions etc.,
    I see in another thread about Shopify that marketing prior to webshop choice is considered essential but that's not the case here.

    Is Shopify the way to go?
     
    Ozzy

    Ozzy

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  • #2
    IMHO if you want little to zero maintenance then an off the shelf hosting service, something like Shopify, would be the way to go for less maintenance and support needs.
    You pay for that in flexibility, where using some self hosting customisable platform (Woocommerce, Magento, etc) will give you custom flexibility.

    So if you want the low maintenance option, I'd say yeah go Shopify
     
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    Lucan Unlordly

    Lucan Unlordly

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  • #3
    Ozzy said:
    IMHO if you want little to zero maintenance then an off the shelf hosting service, something like Shopify, would be the way to go for less maintenance and support needs.
    You pay for that in flexibility, where using some self hosting customisable platform (Woocommerce, Magento, etc) will give you custom flexibility.

    So if you want the low maintenance option, I'd say yeah go Shopify
    Click to expand...
    Cheers Ozzy.......... Do I read into your reply that my current host wouldn't be able to continue doing so if I kept the same domain name?

    The problem with Magento for me is the over flexibility, or rather learning and coming to terms with it when updates and additions etc., are only needed a handful of times across the year.
     
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    Ozzy

    Ozzy

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  • #4
    Lucan Unlordly said:
    my current host wouldn't be able to continue doing so
    Click to expand...
    Shopify is a hosted service (if I recall correctly) so you will need to move your domain name to Shopify and you will leave your current host.
     
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    fisicx

    fisicx

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  • #5
    Or…

    Just install Wordpress, import all the products to woo commerce and it’s good to go. One to two hours even for a numpty.

    Set everything to auto update and it pretty much looks after itself.

    If the products are digital downloads it’s even easier.
     
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    antropy

    antropy

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  • #6
    Lucan Unlordly said:
    Is Shopify the way to go?
    Click to expand...
    It can be good for simplicity, and if you don't have too much customisation, but because most of the extensions are monthly subscriptions, the costs can really add up, see our Shopify vs OpenCart calculator here.

    Paul.
     
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    Lucan Unlordly

    Lucan Unlordly

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  • #7
    fisicx said:
    Or…

    Just install Wordpress, import all the products to woo commerce and it’s good to go. One to two hours even for a numpty.

    Set everything to auto update and it pretty much looks after itself.

    If the products are digital downloads it’s even easier.
    Click to expand...
    You lost me in the first sentence🤣

    I'll check it out and ask a numpty if I get stuck🥵
     
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    fisicx

    fisicx

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  • #8
    Ha!

    Most hosts offer a Wordpress installer. You click the button, set a password and it’s all done. You then ask someone what to do next. It’s a lot simpler than Magento
     
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    Lucan Unlordly

    Lucan Unlordly

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  • #10
    Shopclicks said:
    Can you share how you drive traffic to the site?
    Click to expand...
    Yes, .....I don't need to. Our customers for the products are already customers for the online service we offer. We know when their events are, in many cases what they've bought in the past, have a better range than others, better prices etc., etc.,

    We've gone from having a decent website that most folk ordered directly from but have struggled to keep it up to date and get 'what have you got on offer' calls from regular customers which means engaging them in a sales conversations, sending an invoice, chasing the invoice etc., Basically we need a simple online catalogue that customers place orders on. It needs to be simple as I aim to share the responsibility with a part time freelance colleague who does some sales, is capable on other software and has the time.
     
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    Shopclicks

    Shopclicks

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  • #11
    Lucan Unlordly said:
    Yes, .....I don't need to. Our customers for the products are already customers for the online service we offer. We know when their events are, in many cases what they've bought in the past, have a better range than others, better prices etc., etc.,
    Click to expand...
    Your sales funnel is never reversed? ie. Buyers find the products and then purchase the software? Is that not a possibility? Does it not happen that way because with your product website can't be found in an applicable search?

    If you want simple and easy to manage, you can't get better than Woocommerce, when it's done properly.
     
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    Paul Kelly ICHYB

    Paul Kelly ICHYB

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  • #13
    Ozzy said:
    you will need to move your domain name to Shopify
    Click to expand...
    You can just repoint the DNS - keeping the domain and server separate might.

    @Lucan Unlordly Shopify & WP/Woocommerce actually work in similar fashions. Your choice would be based on how much you want to manage the platform - Shopify is managed, WP/WC needs installing/setting up (but it isn't difficult).
     
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