SINGAPORE – As a small business owner, your time is precious. You need an e-commerce website that is cost-efficient, performs well and is easy to use and maintain. As our world becomes increasingly digital, having a successful revenue-generating e-commerce website can make or break your bottom-line. But if your website doesn’t work the way you or your customers expect it to, then it quickly becomes a liability instead of an asset.
Two of the most popular e-commerce website platforms today are OpenCart and Wix. Two platforms with both free-to-use and paid plans that dominate the market in terms of ease of access and value.
In this article, we’re going to compare the two platforms to see how they stack up against each other to determine which is most suitable for SMEs looking to set up and manage their own e-commerce website.
Wix vs OpenCart: Factors to Consider
Ease Of Set-up
One stark difference between OpenCart and Wix is the need to download OpenCart and upload it to your web server in order to install it. In contrast, Wix is a pure browser experience.
While free to download and install, OpenCart is more complicated to set up because it functions as a program, as opposed to Wix which allows you to build your website from your browser.
OpenCart uses a PHP environment, which means you’ll need to know some coding basics in order to set it up exactly how you want it. If you’re running a lean team, not everyone might have the time or is willing to learn basic code in order to set up and make changes to the website.
Meanwhile, Wix provides a guided setup that takes you through the entire website creation process from start to finish. It is designed to be intuitive to beginners, and its drag-and-drop nature makes it easy to set up and make changes without a dedicated programmer. The downside is the unremovable “Created with Wix.com” ad banner on top of your website if you use a free account — which means you definitely have to shell out for a monthly subscription if you want your website to look professional.
Content Management
SMEs need a website builder that has an intuitive, easy and functional content management system (CMS). At the end of the day, this is where you’ll be spending most of your time uploading content and editing your pages.
Both OpenCart and Wix boast easy-to-use content management systems. OpenCart has a simple and clean UI that makes it easy to add new products and fields. Wix also has a clean UI, but users can feel bombarded with options due to the platform’s flexibility.
Order and inventory management on OpenCart is fixed unless you tweak it in code. Meanwhile, Wix keeps orders and product inventory dynamic and easy to customize. Wix also offers additional e-commerce features such as a Customer Relationship Management Tool and Workflow Automation to make it easier to run your online store without having to micromanage everything.
Cost
At first glance, OpenCart is very attractive as a permanently free, open-source downloadable program, versus Wix’s basic plan at US$17 a month.
While its initial start-up costs are low, OpenCart charges a fee if you want to add necessary features like secure payment gateways, online booking systems, abandoned cart recovery as well as conditional shipping and payment methods. This means costs can quickly stack up way over your initial budget as your website becomes more complicated.
With Wix, most of the important features you need are already included in the free version. Premium adds storage space, the ability to add unlimited products, the ability to add a custom domain and the removal of Wix ads on your website. Wix’s basic business plan starts at US$27/mth with the website recommending its Business Unlimited plan at US$32/mth for most small enterprises.
Scalability
Many small to medium-sized businesses host their online shops on OpenCart because of its forever-free affordability that suits those who simply need a small and reliable e-commerce site.
However, OpenCart can quickly bog down when the time comes to expand your company. The platform is simply not meant to handle huge inventories or too many plug-ins. This can lead to slow loading websites that can cause your bounce rates to soar or worse — frustrate customers until they abandon their transaction.
The need to rely on a developer to make changes to your website is also a knock against OpenCart. Small businesses might not have the budget to hire an in-house developer, which means relying on third-party agencies who may be slow to respond and work on your timeline.
In contrast, Wix is a much more flexible and scalable solution due to its cloud-based nature. The platform is designed to start small and give you room to expand when you need to. Wix gives you the ability to add or remove features according to your needs.
The code-free design also makes Wix much more SME-friendly. Employees can edit the website whenever they want without having to hire or rely on a developer.
Social Media and Marketing Integration
These days, having a website is a basic need for all businesses — but in order to truly reach more customers and make a sale, you’ll need to be able to integrate your social media and omnichannel marketing efforts with your website.
OpenCart lets you hyperlink your social media accounts and display organic content on your site, but Wix comes with more robust full integration features.
Wix comes with a series of built-in social media and marketing integration features that are designed to work from your Wix dashboard. This means you can post to your social media accounts and even run social media ads from your Wix dashboard. There is also an integrated email marketing feature that allows you to draft and schedule emails to engage your customers.
Wix vs OpenCart at a Glance
Category |
OpenCart |
Wix |
|
Cost |
Free download with paid add-ons | Free with ads, $17/ month for the Basic Plan |
|
Content Management |
PHP environment, requires basic coding | Cloud-based, intutitive |
|
Ease Of Set-up |
Requires downloading and a MySQL database | On browser, Drag-and-Drop |
|
Scalability |
Slows down with heavy inventory or too many plug-ins | Easy to pivot with built-in functions, expandable storage with plan upgrades |
|
Social Media and Marketing Integration |
Not applicable | Built-in with SEO Optimization and Content Creation Wizard |
|
Web Development / Coding Experience |
Basic | None needed |
Which Website Builder Should You Choose?
OpenCart and Wix are crowd favorites when it comes to e-commerce website builders for their ease of use, affordability, and wide array of features. Both platforms are more than capable of building a professional-looking website, but which one is more suitable for SMEs?
If you’re someone with web development experience, OpenCart is a great tool to fully customize your online shop. As a free, open-source platform, it leverages on plug-ins and apps to make your website work perfectly. At the same time, you need to think carefully about the extensions you’re planning to use, because trial and error can not only be expensive, it also has the potential to break different parts of your site should they be incompatible. OpenCart is great if you have a person dedicated to handling your e-commerce site, but if you’re a lean team with individuals juggling multiple roles, you might need an option that is easier to use.
If your business requires a more “set-and-forget” approach, Wix is a better choice. With its easy to understand interface and browser-accessibility, it makes e-commerce management easy and intuitive. This gives you the ability to assign an employee to manage your Wix website instead of relying on a developer.
On the flip side, Wix templates can be pretty limited, and the last thing you want is for your website to look like another online shop. If you need help developing your e-commerce shop, why not check out FirstCom Solutions’ website building services?
FirstCom Solutions is an official Wix reseller — which means we assist you with technical and content support to make sure that you’re using your Wix website to its full potential. With our years of experience in web development, design, and digital marketing solutions, FirstCom Solutions makes sure that your e-commerce website delivers the sales you need to thrive, expand, and be the best in your industry.
Contact us for a consultation today!
