When You Know You’ve Outgrown Your Website and Need to "Graduate" to Shopify.
The Twitter algorithm surfaced a tweet from New York based entrepreneur Tamara Charese recently:
I have a squarespace website that I love but I’m convinced it’s stunting my business growth. Have any of you switched from squarespace to Shopify? Any tips?
— Uh uh; But How Do It Free Us? Sanchez (@maracharese) March 28, 2023
It’s a common question we get, and the answer and my answer isn't as clear cut and simple.
Based on what your objectives are, the right platform gives you the right tools to maximize your chances of being successful and getting the results you want. I’ve previously written on how we choose the ideal platform for the right reason. Are you making an informational site to sell an idea, and need maximum UI flexibility to build a beautiful website? Squarespace may be the tool for you. Conversely, are you looking to build a site to sell things, sometimes upwards of hundreds of transactions a week? The transactional functions of Shopify would be a better fit.
Nothing wrong with sticking with what you’ve got to start “part-time” selling
Most businesses don’t find themselves deluged with transactions overnight. It takes weeks, months, and sometimes years of effort to build a successful Ecommerce operation, but everyone needs to start somewhere. That’s why there’s nothing wrong with sticking with what you’ve already built to begin your Ecommerce journey. Squarespace has Ecommerce functions built in, and with the Commerce subscription tier, you’ll find plenty to start your selling journey online. From product catalogs, checkout, payment gateway, to notification emails, Squarespace is an excellent choice to test out your waters for your first tranche of customers.
What happens if “part time” selling becomes a “full time” obsession?
At some point, it’s worth looking into scaling to a “full-time” Ecommerce platform
When you start looking at automating your Ecommerce operations and expanding it with more customer-facing selling features, you may discover the need to look into a platform that’s built for Ecommerce, such as Shopify, instead of sticking with a content management system that comes with Ecommcerce functions. What is the tipping point? Our customers often tell us:
More time spent on manual processing: Once our customers reach a certain scale, manual workflows to update inventory, ship packages, and respond to customer comments take up so much operational time and mindspace that growth and customer acquistion suffers.
Missing out on functions that they want, or their competitors have: Selling a few products is simple enough, but with the right product mix you may be looking for features like bundled selling, scenario-based discounts, and other features that give your store an edge over your competitors, and a “part-time” platform doesn’t have the plugin ecosystem or customization functions to make that a reality
Integration to your business operations is limited: You’d like to connect your Ecommerce operations with your warehouse systems, or your accountanting software, but it’s just not possible with the platform you’re on
The bottom line is: when you’re spending too much time find workarounds and accomodations instead of serving and growing your customer base, then it may be time to graduate to a full-time Ecommerce platform.
The journey of a website is like car ownership…
We offer an accurate, albeit fun, analogy with our clients: the storyline of a growing Ecommerce operation is similar to the path of car ownership - When you start out all you need is a cheap and cheerful car to get you from point A to point B, but when you get serious about starting a family and now you need to haul children AND their pets, it’s time to seriously look at something that will fit the whole brood. A small car isn’t going to cut it, so it’s time to look for something that will deliver now that things have changed for the better.
If you're looking to "switch" from a platform to another, congratulations, it sounds like your business is growing. Looking to discover if you’re ready to look into getting into a full-time Ecommerce platform? Give us a shout! Let's talk.
Author
Ray Lai is a managing partner of Promentum Technologies, and has been storytelling with websites for two decades. He’s an AWS certified solutions architect, and a Shopify certified solutions partner.