Etsy vs Shopify – Which Should You Choose?

Is Shopify better than Etsy? It mainly depends on your needs which will make the best choice.
Shopify is the perfect platform to create your brand’s website to enhance the shopping experience of the customers. On the other hand; Etsy acts as a creative marketplace to showcase many artisans. Let us now get into the detailed analysis of Etsy vs Shopify for a wise decision.

What is Shopify?

Introduced in 2004, Shopify is an eCommerce website builder offering plenty of tools and functionalities to create your own business website. You can choose any design for the website to display your products and services to enhance the visibility of your brand. Integrate Shopify with different software to extend its features, functionalities, and benefits.

Pros and Cons –

Pros	Cons
Build your own brand as you want to with full brand ownership	No instant traffic or built-in audience base
Brands have ownership of everything related to them including customer data	Brands should be aware of Shopify SEO, social media strategy, marketing, etc. to use Shopify
It is scalable to the limit that you can imagine	Brands have to create an audience base from scratch
Flexible design with customization options	It is a long-term strategy demanding a lot of investments
Cost-effective pricing for different brands	Brands are on their own but with the right strategies, it will be worth it

What is Etsy?

Moving ahead to highlight Etsy vs Shopify, with many online vendors on the storefront, Etsy is one of the most competitive and fierce marketplaces. In general, almost every store has artsy and crafty products to attract the audience base.

If you are an independent and new seller with limited unique stock, Etsy will be the perfect platform. With Etsy, you can be amongst the 1.7 million vendors targeting 33 million buyers worldwide.

Pros and Cons –

Pros	Cons
Built-in audience and traffic for the brands	Highly competitive marketplace
The minimal financial risk with specific brand positioning	Limited control for brand designing
Easy to set up and use	No ownership of the store; Etsy owns everything concerning your store
Instant trust and recognition for the brand	Not price friendly model; charges transaction fees
Gives exposure to a wider audience base	Limited only to vintage and handmade items

Key Differences for Etsy vs Shopify –

1. Ease of Use:

The very first thing to highlight is the ease of use for Shopify and Etsy. Both platforms are super easy to use and can be relied on without any hassles. It is quite convenient to use Shopify to set up your online store; on the other hand, you can simply create an account and start selling on Etsy.

For Shopify Etsy integration, you should have engaging Etsy listings. Then, visit the Shopify store and download the Etsy marketplace integration app. Click on the ‘Connect with Etsy’, put your store name and click Enter. Finally, select ‘Allow Access’ to seamlessly integrate Shopify with Etsy.

2. Flexibility in Designing:

With tons of templates and Shopify themes customization options, you can easily personalize your store. You can create a unique brand identity without any inconvenience.

However, there are certain limitations to design customization with Etsy. As Etsy manages the front layout for your store, you can really stand out with your products.

3. Domain and URL:

Using Shopify, you can have a customized domain name and URL for a distinct store identity. You can also use the unique URL to easily connect Shopify to Etsy. Talking about Etsy, there isn’t any unique domain name making it hard for customers to remember your website address.

4. Selling on Etsy vs Shopify :

Now, let us talk about selling on Etsy vs Shopify as both platforms have something interesting to offer.

As Shopify is one of the most popular website-building platforms, it allows businesses to have their own online store. Moreover, it is preferred by more than 4.4 million stores worldwide. On the other hand, Etsy is an online store that already exists for its audience base of 7.4 million merchants and 95 million customers.

Selling on Shopify is like renting a place to set up a shop to display your products to customers. Talking about Etsy, it is more like selling your products just like in a supermarket where you already have your customers along with your competitors.

Final Thoughts –

Let us take a quick review to choose between Etsy vs Shopify:

• Etsy is the perfect online market for artisan products with its 33 million customer base; whereas the online store from Shopify is suitable for industries of all sizes to create their own identity and attract relevant traffic.
• There isn’t any monthly cost with Etsy; Shopify comes with monthly charges but it is cost-effective as you attract good monthly income.
• There are more versatile functionalities, payment options, and toolkits with Shopify than with Etsy.
• Shopify can easily be customized to allow businesses to make their own brand and grow at their own pace without any complications.
• Shopify offers 24/7 flexible and consistent customer support as compared to Etsy’s less flexible customer support. You can also learn how to link Shopify to Etsy.

Thus, it can be said that if you are planning to expand your business on a larger scale, Shopify will make the best choice. However, if you are just starting with online selling as a new seller, you should put your trust in Etsy before trying Shopify.

Let us know in the comment section. if you need immediate web development services or assistance, you can contact  Los Angeles Shopify agency now . Our friendly and knowledgeable representatives are available to help you with Shopify inquiries .