Oxxle and Shopify are two different online shop builders that both hold the same shared goal: to help business owners grow online.
When the world of e-commerce was just beginning, there was only WooCommerce, a WordPress plugin that helped you to add online shop functionalities to your website. But as the industry rapidly grew over the years, these SAAS platforms have transformed drastically from simple e-commerce providers to all encapsulating commerce solutions.
Today, Oxxle and Shopify help businesses sell their products everywhere online and can even help to boost offline sales too. Both Oxxle and Shopify have a variety of integrated tools that make starting a business so much easier.
But when it comes to choosing the right shop software for your business you might have a few questions.
Which one should I choose? Which platform will work better for my business? Oxxle or Shopify?
Well, there are a few important considerations. Here’s our breakdown that will help you make an informed decision.
Let’s compare the two.
Shopify
The Canadian based company, Shopify, was the first out of the gate when it came to new e-commerce solutions and have been in the market since 2006, offering a complete online shop platform. This means, unlike WooCommerce that integrates with your website via a plugin, with Shopify, you can build your shop website on using their software.
Shopify’s benefits:
- On Shopify, you can sign up for a 14-day free trial to experience the platform before committing.
- You’ll also have the option to extend the features with apps, but this comes at an additional cost for apps.
- All shops are hosted in a secure cloud base.
- Enjoy quick and friendly support to help you on your journey.
- Shopify has a large community that allows you to access and find Shopify developers easily.
Shopify’s downfalls:
- The 14-day free trial only gives you access to their basic e-commerce features.
- Customisation is a little bit tricky on Shopify but you can use their free templates which unfortunately have pretty standard designs.
- All subscriptions are paid in dollars.
- The platform doesn’t offer email hosting, which means you can’t have an email with your shop name, for example: info@myshop.co.za.
- Sometimes you may find confusing jargon on the site. If you aren’t experienced with e-commerce terms, Shopify can be confusing. For example, calling ‘categories’ ‘collections’.
Oxxle:
Oxxle is a South African based company. Yes, that means SA rates and subscriptions! The platform was built out of the need for a more affordable alternative to e-commerce solutions. It’s a free-to-start software-as-a-service platform that has cleverly integrated three major players in the industry, namely WordPress, WooCommerce and Brizy website builder, all in one easy-to-use shop platform.
Oxxle’s benefits:
- Get access to thousands of pre-made templates and layouts that are fully customisable. This allows you to build a professionally designed shop in less time.
- You can easily connect your own domain, which means you can create email accounts with your shop name.
- Oxxle’s built-in features with pre-installed plugins will save you time and money.
- Your sales can be easily tracked and you can also manage your orders with ease.
- Like Shopify, Oxxle gives you access to a great support team and knowledge base.
- If you have an existing online store, you can simply export and move it to Oxxle.
Oxxle’s downfalls:
- It’s aimed at small to medium-sized shops and businesses.
- You need some knowledge of both WooCommerce and WordPress to understand Oxxle easily.
- You will need a developer if you want to customise your shop beyond what the Brizy builder allows.
Are you still feeling a bit confused? Here are some similarities and differences between Shopify and Oxxle to further help you make your choice.
The similarities:
- Although Oxxle has South African rates, both platforms work on a subscription model and pricing plan.
- Both platforms allow you to connect and sell on your social media platforms.
- Both platforms have large support communities. Although Oxxle is still new, the support extends beyond the South African market because of the backup from WooComerce and Brizy builder.
- Both platforms come with a POS system pre-installed.
The differences:
- Where Shopify is not necessarily fit for smaller businesses, Oxxle was built directly for them.
- Shopify’s inventory records only go back 3 months. Oxxle keeps it for as long as you have your store and even if you should ever want to export your store.
- With Shopify, your staff account is bound to your subscription, whereas Oxxle does not limit the number of users that you add.
- Shopify comes with the option for discount codes, where Oxxle allows sales and coupons through WooCommerce.
The conclusion
If you are a small to medium business that is looking to fast track your shop setup, then Oxxle is the way to go. If you, like many of our clients, are frustrated by the limitations of customising Shopify store, as well as the expensive subscription, then Oxxle is for you.
Remember, with Oxxle you are not bound to any contract. At any point, you can move your store to a stand-alone website.
Ready to get started? Create the website of your dreams and start your journey with Oxxle today.