Are you selling products online on Etsy and have been thinking about switching to Shopify? Here’s everything you need to know to make the right decision!
Whether you’re thinking about switching platforms, or you’re just starting your business and deciding which platform you’re going to use, let’s see some interesting points that may help you decide.
Pros of Using Etsy
Both platforms can play an important role for any business, but Etsy is most recommended for entrepreneurs that are just starting their stores for different reasons:
The customers are built-in. Etsy has an active buyer community, which is really important for a new store. If you have your own website, you will have to invest time and money in marketing to drive traffic to your store.
You don’t need any e-commerce or design skills. Etsy is easy to use, you just need to create an account and start uploading information about your products which will be displayed on Etsy’s predefined template.
Marketplace: Etsy allows sellers to connect and organize locally. You’re not alone but a part of a community.
Those are some of the advantages of starting your business on an Etsy store, but as your brand and company become stronger, you may find that Etsy can’t meet the needs of a growing business. Why? Here are some of the main reasons.
Cons of Using Etsy
When using Etsy, a lot of your traffic gets lost. You may be spending time and money to get traffic from social media or other related pages, but when someone finally gets to your Etsy store they can easily go away to another one that sells related products to yours. On the other hand, if you have your own website, you are 100% in control of what your clients will see. The visits on your website are way more deliberated, while on Etsy is really easy to be distracted and lose the prospect in a second.
On Etsy, you can’t really personalize your page. Etsy uses the same template for every store, so you basically have to stand out by using AWESOME images and having good prices, there’s nothing else you can do. If you have your own website, with an e-commerce platform like Shopify, the game changes completely! On your website you can represent your brand and style with your own design, you can add different pages with lots of information about your company, you can use social media, have a blog, and more… the options are endless!
Your business depends on the marketplace. What if Etsy changes its sales algorithm or increases its sales fees? You may lose all of your traffic and sales. You may have new costs that you weren’t contemplating. Your business can change in a minute and it’s not up to you, you’re relying on someone else’s rules.
So when is it a good moment to make the change? That’s totally up to you, but whenever you start feeling your Etsy shop is not representing your brand and style properly, or if you’re not attracting the right prospects to your store, maybe it might be time to move one step forward and develop your own e-commerce store.
Remember that opening your own website doesn’t mean you have to abandon your Etsy store at all, you can maintain both of them for a while until you’re done with the transition (and even beyond that!).
Product Personalization
Last but not least, if you sell (or are planning to sell) personalized products, you will need an online product designer like Customily, and for that, having an e-commerce platform like Shopify is the key!
Customily is a software for product personalization that lets your clients design their own products, on your own shopping cart, while seeing a live preview of what they are designing!
If you’re using Shopify, you can have Customily on your store just by clicking here. AND, it doesn't compromise your customer’s shopping process at all: it just adds a dynamic preview of where your regular product photograph used to be, removing shopping friction and customers' uncertainty.
If you're using Etsy, the live preview will happen post-purchase, but you can have all the same personalization tools as Shopify. Click here to learn more about the Etsy plan.
That’s not all, with Customily’s web-to-print tools after your client completed the customization and placed the order, you can get a high-quality file ready for print or engraving. Your orders will appear on your Order panel and there will also be a link to download the file for manufacturing processes. You can also automate fulfillment with print-on-demand providers if you're using one.
Have you made your decision yet? If you are ready to move from Etsy to Shopify, here you have the step-by-step guide that will help you get through it quickly.
If you’re interested in knowing more about Customily, don’t hesitate to contact us here!
📌 UPDATE JULY 2023: Now you can get Customily 2.0 for Etsy too! Read everything about our new update here and TRY IT FOR FREE now!
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Customily Product Personalizer is the best solution to sell personalized products, both in the e-commerce and the print-on-demand market. With the widest range of personalization tools, free clipart designs, realistic live previews that increase conversions, and printing files that help you automate your printing business; Customily is the ally you need to boost your profit margins in a high-competitive market.
Visit our website to learn more about us.
Or try it for FREE on Shopify.