If you’ve been following along with me on Instagram or reading my blog, then you already know how much I love designing websites on Showit.
Between its easy drag-and-drop features, great SEO capabilities, and mobile-friendly design options, what’s not to love?! I’m proud to say I’ve been a Showit designer for four years (here’s the proof) and even won their Designer of the Year award back in 2019.
I frequently find myself singing their praises when I’m at networking events or on discovery calls with potential clients, but as much as I love Showit, I can’t say it’s the perfect fit for every single business owner.
That may seem like a record scratch moment, but hear me out.
Most of the clients I work with fit into the “creative entrepreneur” umbrella. You know, the amazing service providers who are obsessed with building beautiful client experiences and creating stunning work their clients love. This usually includes photographers, wedding professionals, interior designers, and so many more.
For most clients, Showit is a perfect match. It gives them all of the website page customization options and blogging features they need to grow their business. However, there are a few instances when Showit won’t have everything they need, and that’s what inspired me to begin learning and growing in my Shopify design skills.
Without further ado, here are some of the main reasons why I decided to start designing on Shopify for select clients.
Showit’s eCommerce options don’t fit everyone
While Showit easily integrates with eCommerce options — like Shopify Lite, PayPal, and Powr — it’s not the greatest option for business owners who want to run a largely online shop-based business.
This usually happens when clients don’t need to share much information on their website but need stronger digital shopping capabilities. It can also happen when brick-and-mortar stores want to run an online shop. In that way, their website becomes a companion to their physical store and they can take advantage of having everything in one convenient place.
Lastly, it makes a lot of sense for physical product-only businesses to work with a product-focused website platform like Shopify.
However, if you want to sell digital products or only offer a select few products, using a Shopify integration with your Showit website may be a good solution. Here’s a simple video tutorial to show you how this can be done. In the end, it’s best to talk to a website designer to assess your options before you jump in headfirst.
Much like Showit, Shopify gives you all kinds of customization options. You can start building from a premade eCommerce template or work with a website designer (like me!) to create a design completely from scratch.
I’m committed to creating the best user experience
Designing for better user experiences is my jam. I love creating websites that keep my client’s ideal user journey in mind. This is now true when I design in Showit and Shopify.
Although Shopify and WooCommerce integrate with Showit, I’ve noticed they’re not the most streamlined option if you have a large product assortment.
Think of it this way. If you plan to create an online shop with dozens of physical products, it’s going to require a LOT of extra work to create what you need inside Showit. Instead, I’d recommend using Shopify which already has many of the built-in features you need.
Also, if you want to use Shopify with Showit, you’ll have to manually place “buy now” coded buttons on your product pages. This works if you have a small collection of products and don’t mind doing this once, but if you plan to frequently update your products or need advanced sorting capabilities, you’ll want to move forward with just Shopify. Otherwise, it can get messy and overwhelming quickly!
Some clients need more than a simple check-out process
One of the biggest benefits of using Shopify Lite on your Showit site is that you get to take advantage of their fast check-out process. However, if you want to add wishlists, registries, gift cards, custom gifts, subscription boxes, or other special features, you’ll want to go ahead with Shopify.
You won’t get the full breadth of Shopify’s capabilities if you’re using the Lite version with Showit or any other website platform. Depending on the size and type of business you run, you may not need these capabilities though. It’s important to decide what features you need and which ones are simple “nice-to-haves” before you compare platforms.
Many creatives love to use Shopify
Since I love serving creative entrepreneurs, it made sense for me to learn more about designing on Shopify. As creatives grow in their businesses, they often think about how they can make money beyond their time-intensive services. This can include creating online courses, digital downloads, merch, and other things.
With this in mind, Shopify seemed to be a compatible and complementary platform since my clients usually come to me when their business is evolving. Why wouldn’t I want to expand my skill set to serve them better?
Before 2020, I had experience with adding Shopify integrations into multiple Showit websites, so working directly in Shopify became a natural next step for me. I’ve been liking it so far! It presents many new challenges, but that just means I’m learning more every day.
One of the main things I’ve discovered along the way is how much easier it is to customize Showit templates. Shopify has more bells and whistles, but that can also come with more overwhelm when you dive into the coding and CSS changes.
With Showit, you don’t need to touch the code at all to get the look and feel you want.If you don’t want to deal with that, it’s better to go with Showit or hire a Shopify designer who can handle everything for you.
How to determine if Showit or Shopify is right for you
As you’ve read this article, it may be apparent whether Showit or Shopify is the best fit.
I’ll always love how simple and user-friendly it is to build websites in Showit, but if you’re considering building an online shop, I’d be happy to schedule a free call with you to discuss your options.
You don’t have to make your decision alone!
