What eCommerce Platform am I Recommending Most These Days?
This post was inspired by some questions I’ve received lately from past clients and subscribers to my weekly eCommerce newsletter. A lot of these are folks who’ve been around for a while, even some from way back in the day when I ran a design agency where I was the creative director and project manager on hundreds of website projects. We’ve built relationships over the years and they’ve stuck with me as we’ve all grown and our businesses (and the world!) have changed.
The questions I often get are things like:
“When we worked together a few years ago you had originally recommended X and I guess it works okay. Do you still think it’s a good fit?”
“I read that you thought that X was better at {{insert feature here}} than Y but I thought it used to be the other way around. What gives?”
“Are you no longer recommending XYZ? I think I read this on your blog somewhere?!”
“If your recommendations change, how can I feel confident making a decision about what to go with now? What if something happens and you no longer recommend it?! I can’t decide what to do! Help!”
That last one is more from newer clients than old ones, but still - a totally valid question! And, look, I get it and I agree with how confusing it can all be! The world of technology changes super fast and what’s in one day can quickly be out the next. For you, the small business owner just trying to find your way online, it can sometimes cause things like analysis paralysis, decision fatigue, and even a fair case of buyer’s remorse. These are all also totally valid feelings.
Oddly, the exact thing that drives a lot of clients nuts is probably what I love most about my job. I love trying out all the new technology and learning new ways to continue to improve things for you. So, think of me like your little technology guinea pig; I’ve tried it all so you don’t have to :)
In this post, I’m going to give you a rundown of what website platforms I’ve used and recommended over the years. (I built my first full-fledged eCommerce website way back in the early 2000s so it’s quite the history!) Then, I’m pulling back the curtain and letting you in on some of the behind-the-scenes factors for why my recommendations change from time to time. Finally, I’m revealing which platform I am without a doubt, definitively giving my stamp of approval to most these days. Let’s go!!
The History
(A Very Rough, Somewhat Incomplete Timeline of What Platforms I’ve Used & Recommended Over The Years, In Order of Preference)
2002 - WordPress
2011 - (1) Wix (2) Weebly (3) Squarespace 5
2012 - (1)Squarespace 6 (2) Wix
2015 - Squarespace 7
2017 - (1) Squarespace 7 (Distant 2nd) Shopify
2018 - (1) Squarespace 7 (Distant 2nd) Shopify (Distant 3rd) Webflow
2020 - (1) Squarespace 7.0 / 7.1 (2) Shopify (3) BigCommerce
2021 - (1) Squarespace 7.1 (Distant 2nd) Shopify
As you can see, I’ve dabbled in them all. Some platforms, like WordPress, stuck around for a long time but have been outdated since the late aughts as far as I’m concerned. Other platforms, like Webflow, seemed kinda cool when I first tried them out but didn’t have much staying power, and for one reason or another and I quickly ruled them out as viable options. Squarespace has had my heart the most over the past 10-ish years although there have been others (namely Shopify and BigCommerce) that I have used and recommended recently.
Why My Recommendations Change
Changing economic conditions - 2020 was HUGE for eCommerce and has shifted things perhaps forever. So many factors here as you can imagine including what small businesses need in order to be competitive online and what price point makes they can afford.
Change is Good - I always want to recommend the best and that can fluctuate over time. If you check out my super rough timeline, I may have recommended WordPress to you in 2008. Sorry about that but it was a good call at the time! Change is good and I never want to feel stuck in a lane just because it’s “what’s always been done.” It’s a lot of work to stay up to date on all the latest technology and trends but it’s worth it to make sure I’m not just recommending something because it used to be the best choice.
It’s my prerogative - lol this last point is rather selfish, I’ll admit. But 40-year old me is willing to niche down into what I like to do in a way younger me would have been afraid to. It’s my prerogative to only take on certain projects or prefer working on one platform over another. I try to be as objective as possible and offer as much info as I can so you can decide for yourself what is best, but I obviously have my own opinions. While this means that my solutions are not going to be the best for everyone - a fact that I’m perfectly ok with - it’s worth noting that there's definitely a platform that I personally enjoy working on more than others.
What I’m Recommending Most These Days
DRUMROLL. These days, I am recommending Squarespace the most. Hands down. It’s true, we’ve had our ups and downs but this is the eCommerce platform I end up recommending for the majority of business owners I talk with. Here are the 3 biggest reasons why Squarespace is what I recommend for eCommerce in 2021:
I realized that the grass isn't always greener - remember, I work on website stuff all day every day so sometimes various platforms look exciting because they are new or different. But tried-and-true wins out over shiny and new! I’ve had some projects that I’ve built on *other* platforms that I’ve actually ended up regretting for various reasons and wished I would have just stuck with Squarespace. Luckily, you can learn from my mistakes!
I honed in on who my audience is to tailor my suggestions for them - large or even mid-market brands have way different needs from a website platform than small businesses and startups (the latter being my core audience). I put out a quiz for a while about whether you should use Squarespace or Shopify and after tons of responses, I started seeing some very significant trends in what people need and are looking for and Squarespace is clearly the best fit for the majority of them. (Depending on which metric I look at, between 80-98% of respondents are the best fit for Squarespace over Shopify based on their business needs - that’s huge!)
Squarespace has been rolling out eCommerce & platform improvements like crazy - basically eliminating the pain points that pros like me were feeling (they do listen and respond to what we ask for!). I want to always recommend the best and for a while, Squarespace was honestly lagging a bit on the eCommerce front. I can confidently say this is no longer the case! Some specific updates Squarespace has made that are my most favorite:
Improved management of product variations in the updated product composer
Increase in product limits per store page from 200 -> 10,000
Addition of nested navigation (subcategories) in the shop
Addition of Afterpay as a payment option
Updated member profile management
Squarespace Scheduling as an eCommerce tool
There are other, more fundamental aspects that I also think are better but the items above are commerce-specific. For more on what I love about Squarespace check out here and here!
Answering the big questions:
“If your recommendations change, how can I feel confident making a decision about what to go with now? What if something happens and you no longer recommend it?! Help!”
The honest answer here is that even though it seems like a MAJOR decision at the time that your website is more than the platform it’s built on. So you pick what’s the best today and be willing to change if it’s no longer working in time. I know that can be hard to hear when it seems like such a huge investment but technology changes fast and your business needs will be different in just a couple of years anyway. Squarespace is the frontrunner for me these days and if/when that changes, you’ll be the first to know!
“Do you still also use and recommend Shopify?”
Short answer: yes! Shopify is a great eCommerce platform and I always believe in choosing the best tool for the job. Sometimes that will be Shopify, sometimes it will be Squarespace, sometimes it will be something else completely! Here’s what I’ve experienced lately with Shopify though: clients moving there from Squarespace are quickly realizing that in terms of design freedom, ability to customize anything they want and not end up with a thousand paid plugins that the grass wasn’t greener in Shopify land. Shopify is very customizable - IF you know how to code and you have the budget for it.
The thing about advanced customizations on Squarespace is that a pro like me can help you get all those set up in the beginning but then you’ll be able to manage your site on your own from there. On Shopify, you may find yourself needing tech support for even simple things like creating landing pages or updating plugins; this is something that I’ve found discouraging to small business owners who would prefer to manage day-to-day updates on their own. There are certain types of shops and industries that 100% need to be on Shopify. They just need to understand all that comes with that, especially if they are moving from an environment like Squarespace where they’re used to a different level of freedom.
