Shopify has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is without a doubt one of the largest eCommerce platforms on the internet.
It has numerous tools and features that make it simple to set up and maintain an online store.
However, Shopify offers advantages and disadvantages that may make it excellent or unsuitable for you.
These advantages and drawbacks will be discussed in this article, and I’ll tell you why you need to stop using Shopify.
1. You Don’t Own Your Shop
When you use Shopify for your ecommerce website, you are at risk of losing your store if Shopify decides to close its doors, as it’s a hosted platform, which means you don’t own the source code or in another words, you’re not the real owner of the shop you have created with Shopify.
2. Flexibility and Customizations Issue
Unfortunately, there are certain limits to the customization feature.
Shopify, unlike other platforms, employs its Liquid framework for theme customization. This program is unfamiliar to many web designers. As a result, many users may have difficulties customizing their themes. You or your web design team may spend hours learning how to use the Liquid setup.
3. Lock-In Mechanism
When it comes to leaving Shopify, the company is not very helpful. The lock-in mechanism prevents you from moving your business elsewhere.
If you decide to quit Shopify, keep in mind that you can only take your CSV report with you. So, before you establish your Shopify online store, consider whether you intend to stay with the platform for a long time.
4. Email Hosting Unsupported
Email hosting is not supported by Shopify. As a result, you can only launch your online store using the web hosting option.
5. Blogging Feature is Really Bad
There is no category for the blogging feature. As a result, you must include tags in your post, as well as inflexible blog layouts, an outdated editor, and other factors.
Plus, implementing a third-party extension for blogging on Shopify is a difficult task.
6. Hidden Fees
Shopify’s plans are reasonable at first glance, but when you delve deeper, you’ll discover that launching your e-commerce business with Shopify may be extremely costly.
For starters, regardless of which plan you select, you will incur additional transaction fees if you utilize a payment provider other than Shopify Payments.
Next, all Shopify plans include credit card processing costs, and the fees decrease marginally if you choose a more expensive plan.
If you wish to add further features, such as a loyalty program or advanced order tracking, you will have to spend extra by purchasing and installing an app from Shopify’s marketplace.
7. Shopify is Not a Content Management System
Shopify is not a content management system, and it is designed solely for the sale of products. If you want to include a lot of rich material on your site, such as videos, carousels, and so on, in addition to the items you wish to sell, you should avoid Shopify.
8. You Can’t Control Your Data
Shopify is less intuitive, and your business’s growth rate decreases significantly over time. It isn’t as adaptable as other e-commerce platforms, therefore you may lose out on potential customers. You can certainly enjoy your early stages with Shopify, but if you want to take your business to the next level, self-hosted e-commerce systems like WordPress are highly recommended.
Conclusion
You must avoid Shopify if you care about your business future, and you want to have full control over your data and your store’s ownership.
I highly recommend considering WooCommerce, WordPress for your ecommerce business.
Also Read: Using WordPress Can Actually Empower Your Online Business
