When it comes to creating an online store, artists and small creators are often faced with the daunting task of choosing the right platform that aligns with their business goals, budget, and technical know-how. In this detailed comparison, we'll examine Shopify and Big Cartel—two prominent ecommerce platforms designed to enable creators to bring their visions to life online. As someone who’s navigated the complexities of digital product engineering, I aim to shed light on the key differences, strengths, and considerations to help you make an informed decision.
Understanding the Platforms
Shopify: A Powerhouse for Versatility and Growth
Shopify is renowned for its robust ecommerce capabilities, offering a diverse array of features that cater to businesses of all sizes. From startups to established enterprises, Shopify provides a scalable solution that supports a broad spectrum of ecommerce needs. With an extensive app marketplace, customization options, and strong customer support, Shopify is designed to grow with your business.
Big Cartel: Simplicity for Creators
Big Cartel, on the other hand, shines with its simplicity and artist-centric approach. It targets small creators and independent artists who may not require the exhaustive feature set of larger platforms. With an easy-to-use interface and straightforward pricing structure, Big Cartel aims to make the ecommerce experience as seamless as possible, allowing creators to focus on what they do best—creating.
Ease of Use: Tailored Experiences for Different Users
Shopify: A Learning Curve worth the Investment
Shopify provides a comprehensive suite of features that can initially seem overwhelming to new users. However, the platform offers extensive documentation, tutorials, and 24/7 customer support to help you get up to speed. Shopify’s drag-and-drop store builder is intuitive, yet powerful, making it relatively easy to design a professional online store. The investment in learning Shopify’s ins and outs pays off with a highly customizable and scalable ecommerce solution.
Big Cartel: Designed for Simplicity
In contrast, Big Cartel focuses on straightforward usability, making it ideal for those with little to no technical background. The platform’s setup process is quick and straightforward, enabling artists to list products and start selling almost immediately. While this ease of use is one of Big Cartel’s strongest selling points, it does mean that users have fewer customization options compared to Shopify.
Customization and Design
Shopify: Limitless Possibilities
Shopify excels in offering extensive customization options, allowing store owners to fully control the look and feel of their sites. With a vast theme marketplace and the ability to tweak HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, Shopify accommodates any aesthetic vision. Additionally, its app store provides plugins for nearly every function you can imagine, from advanced analytics to marketing automation.
Big Cartel: Limited but Effective
Big Cartel offers a range of free and premium themes, but the customization options are more limited compared to Shopify. For many artists and small creators, these built-in themes are sufficient, offering clean and simple designs that put the spotlight on their products. While you can make basic customizations and inject some custom CSS, you won’t find the same level of control you get with Shopify.
Payment Processing and Transaction Fees
Shopify: A Range of Payment Options
Shopify supports a myriad of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and its own Shopify Payments. Using Shopify Payments eliminates transaction fees, which can be a boon for small businesses looking to minimize costs. If you choose third-party payment processors, however, you may incur additional transaction fees, ranging from 0.5% to 2% depending on your plan.
Big Cartel: No Additional Fees
Big Cartel integrates with PayPal and Stripe for payment processing and notably does not charge its own transaction fees. This can be particularly attractive for artists looking to keep their overhead as low as possible. The trade-off is that the range of supported payment gateways is not as extensive as Shopify’s.
Pricing Models: Clear and Straightforward vs Feature-Packed Plans
Shopify: Versatile Plans for Growth
Shopify offers a tiered pricing model that provides options to fit different business stages. Its plans range from Basic Shopify at $29/month to Advanced Shopify at $299/month. Each plan adds more features and capabilities, making Shopify a scalable solution for growing businesses. There’s also a Shopify Lite plan at $9/month for those who want to add ecommerce functionality to an existing site.
Big Cartel: Budget-Friendly for Small Creators
Big Cartel’s pricing structure is straightforward, with a free plan that allows you to list up to five products. Paid plans start at $9.99/month and go up to $29.99/month, with feature sets expanding accordingly. All plans are significantly more budget-friendly compared to Shopify, making Big Cartel an attractive option for artists with smaller inventories and budgets.
Support and Community
Shopify: Comprehensive and Always Available
One of Shopify’s strengths lies in its extensive customer support. Available 24/7 via chat, phone, and email, Shopify ensures that help is always at hand. The active community forum, Shopify Academy, and a plethora of online resources further cement Shopify as a well-supported platform.
Big Cartel: Sufficient for Simplicity
Big Cartel offers email support during business hours and an array of help articles and FAQs. While the level of support doesn’t match Shopify’s round-the-clock availability, it is generally sufficient given the platform’s simplicity and ease of use.
Integrations and Scalability
Shopify: Built for Expansion
Shopify’s extensive app store boasts integrations for every conceivable need, from SEO tools to inventory management systems. This makes Shopify highly adaptable and future-proof, ready to scale as your business grows. Whether you need CRM integration or advanced analytics, Shopify’s ecosystem is robust enough to meet complex demands.
Big Cartel: Basic but Sufficient
Big Cartel provides essential integrations with services like Google Analytics, Facebook, and Etsy. While the selection doesn’t match Shopify’s expansive marketplace, it covers the basics for most small creators. As a result, Big Cartel is best suited for those who have simpler needs and may not require extensive third-party support.
Making the Right Choice
Who Should Choose Shopify?
If you are an artist or small creator who anticipates significant growth, needs extensive customization, or requires a broader range of integrations, Shopify is the clear choice. While it comes with a steeper learning curve and higher costs, the scalability and versatility can pay dividends in the long run.
Who Should Choose Big Cartel?
For those who prioritize simplicity, affordability, and a quick setup, Big Cartel stands out. It’s perfect for small creators who want to showcase their work without getting bogged down in technical details. While it may lack the extensive feature set and scalability of Shopify, its ease of use and budget-friendly plans make it an appealing option for many artists.
In conclusion, both platforms have their distinct strengths and are tailored to different types of users. By understanding your specific needs, growth plans, and budget, you can choose the platform that best aligns with your vision and helps bring your creations to the world. At Deploi, we’re passionate about helping businesses navigate these decisions to find the solutions that will drive their success.
