Shopify Vs. Volusion: The Ultimate Guide

So here at TheGenieLab we love Shopify. But it isn’t the only place where you can build an impressive eCommerce website.

Here we compare Shopify with one of its biggest competitors – Volusion.

Pricing

Let’s face it, cost has a big influence on which online store builder you will use. You want all the latest features at the lowest possible cost, value for money is important.

If you are new to the world of online retail stores then you may like to experiment with these programs, get to know them, their capabilities and how to build the perfect shop. Lucky for you, both Volusion and Shopify offer 14 day free trials!

If you are already well versed in such software then you may want to compare their monthly charges. Each offer 4 packages of varying capabilities, all of which Shopify charges more for.

Volusion’s prices at time of article:

Not only is Volusion cheaper, it does not charge a transaction fee unlike Shopify who require a payment of up to 2% depending on the package bought. However you can get more for your money from Shopify as they allow an unlimited amount of products compared to the restricted Volusion.

You may also find that the templates on Volusion are more expensive, some can cost hundreds of dollars! With a price this high you may as well commission a freelance web developer to create you a unique online store. For the same price it would certainly be less stressful.

With both companies be aware that you may have to pay a payment gateway provider to process any transactions, or if using PayPal a transaction fee.

The Verdict: When it comes down to price, the prevailing factor is what design template you use. For simple, free templates and a low monthly cost choose Volusion. Or for a few extra dollars a month you can have quality templates – which in the long run will end up saving you money.

Features

The second component in getting value for money, is the assurance you will be provided with an abundance of quality and easy-to-use features. And both have quite similar features, but there are a few stand out USPs:

Volusion – Volusion’s pre-paid templates may be a bit pricey, but they have a considerably larger choice of free templates in comparison to its competitor (despite Shopify’s free templates being of a high quality).

Volusion also ups its game when it comes to functionality, especially with its product display and checkout tools. Want to view a product up close? That’s no problem with Volusion’s vZoom function. You can then compare the product with another, to help you decide which you want to buy. And the checkout is stress-free too, it’s all done on one page. It’s so easy!

And there’s benefits for the vendor too. How does a CRM tool and built-in affiliate program sound to you?

Shopify – Shopify also has a wealth of apps in its store. Whatever you need, you can be sure there’s an app created by a brainy developer that can help you get the job done. Shopify on the other hand has an essential feature that Volusion is in dire need of: a blogging tool. Website content is essential for search engine optimization and a well written blog gives a site the best opportunity to rank highly on search result pages.

Plus with the added pages, you increase the likelihood of a potential customer finding your site. And the more people on your site, the higher the chances of making a sale. Although Volusion doesn’t offer the option of creating a blog, you can link an external blog to a store created using their software. So if you have a third party blog, with WordPress for example, you can have it neatly sit in a subdomain. This is rather fiddly to do though – and not great for SEO – so for those who are not familiar with this, it is best avoided.

The Verdict: Volusion has great functionality, with some special extras, but if you want to build an online store with plenty of apps and, crucially, an easy to update blog then Shopify is the way to go.

Usability

When it comes to back ends, Shopify is all round much better to use. This is especially so if you are new to creating online stores. Shopify has a clean and clear interface. If you opt for the free trial, it will take you step-by-step through how to create a site, add products and market them. This makes building your first eCommerce store quick and easy.

Volusion on the other hand is a little more confusing. Yes it shows off its main advantages and USPs well, but you’re not guided by the hand with how to use the system as Shopify so carefully does. Volusion’s CMS can be challenging for even the most experienced users; both builders do however offer access to the CSS and HTML.

It’s not completely plain sailing for Shopify though; no one (or nothing) is perfect after all. In comparison with creating most features, trying to add a sub-menu to the navigation seems like an epic quest. And let’s not even get started on how awkward it can sometimes be to display welcome text on the homepage.

The Verdict: Shopify’s clear and helpful CMS wins hands down.

The Winner….Shopify!

Both are great all-in-one solutions for selling online, but of course there can only be one winner in the battle between Shopify and Volusion.

Volusion has great functionality, a vast array of free design templates and is cheaper month on month. But Shopify wins thanks to its user-friendly back end, brilliant blogging tool and cheap custom templates.

So if you are looking for eCommerce development with cloud service, give Shopify a try!

Talk to us about Shopify today

We can chat about Shopify ’til the cows come home. Looking for a way to build an engaging, interesting and good looking store? Talk to our expert engineers today.