E-commerce explained: Medusa vs Shopify.

E-commerce explained: Medusa vs Shopify.

E-commerce Platform

E-commerce basically refers to transactions done via the internet, which means that every time individuals and companies are buying or selling products and services online they’re engaging in e-commerce.

However, an e-commerce platform is a software application businesses or online stores deploy to handle their merchants buying and selling needs. It provides a range of features to help manage the whole e-commerce process, including product catalog, cart or order processing, payment processing, shipping, and customer support. The various types of e-commerce platforms include:

  1. Hosted e-commerce platforms

  2. Open-source e-commerce platforms

  3. Cloud-based e-commerce platforms

  4. Self-hosted e-commerce platforms

    The various e-commerce platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, therefore, businesses should choose a platform based on their specific needs, budget, and technical expertise.

This article will be based on Medusa(open source e-commerce platform) and Shopify(hosted e-commerce platform)

Medusa

Medusa is an open-source e-commerce platform built using Node.js with the main aim of ensuring that developers have a great experience while building an e-commerce platform. It allows developers to modify and implement custom features without the need for hacks and workarounds.

Medusa is built with customization and extendability in mind to provide a better developer experience as it allows businesses to create their own custom e-commerce platform by choosing and integrating different modules such as product catalog, checkout, payment processing, customer support and shipping allowing businesses to build brand-tailored e-commerce experiences.

Businesses are gaining interest in Medusa due to how easy it is to customize and maintain the platform as it is ideal for businesses that require a high degree of customization and flexibility in their e-commerce platform. Here are some pros and cons of using the medusa e-commerce platform:

Medusa Pros:

  1. Medusa is an affordable option for businesses. It is free and businesses do not have to pay license fees or subscription charges.

  2. It allows businesses to create their unique e-commerce platform to meet their specific needs.

  3. Medusa is an open-source e-commerce platform; hence, it is easy to use and remodel. As a developer, you can improve the codebase to suit the e-store needs.

  4. Provision of support and assistance is made easy as medusa has a large and active community of developers and users contributing to the platform.

  5. The front-end and back-end of its websites are separated, making it easy to integrate commerce features into your existing website or blog.

  6. it is super fast, as the front end isn't linked to the backend; each system is unencumbered by the other

Medusa Cons:

  1. It requires technical know-how from users in developing their own websites. Coding knowledge is vital if you want to make the most of this tool.

  2. Currently, compared to the likes of Wix, WordPress, and Shopify, medusa offers only a few plugins.

  3. Medusa platform's "themes" are incredibly simplistic. So, you don't get much help creating a good-looking store.

Shopify

Shopify is both a hosted and cloud-based e-commerce platform. It is hosted on Shopify's servers, which means that the technical aspects of running an online store, such as hosting, security, and software updates, are fully managed by Shopify.

At the same time, Shopify is cloud-based, which means that users can access and manage their online store from anywhere with an internet connection, using a web browser or the Shopify mobile app.

Overall, Shopify's combination of hosted and cloud-based architecture provides users with a fully managed solution for running an online store, with the flexibility and scalability of a cloud-based platform. This makes Shopify an attractive option for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.

Shopify offers a range of features designed to help businesses grow and scale their online stores. These include tools for marketing and SEO, analytics and reporting, inventory management, order fulfillment, and more. One of the key benefits of Shopify is its ease of use, which makes it ideal for small businesses and entrepreneurs who are new to eCommerce. Here are some pros and cons of using Shopify:

Pros of using Shopify :

There must be some good reasons for Shopify gaining popularity these days. Below we have a list of some of the advantages of Shopify:

  1. Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface and easy-to-use tools. Not all of us were born into this new age of technology but Shopify takes care of that.

  2. Shopify has inbuilt payment services like Amazon, Apple Pay, and PayPal. It also allows you to accept payments from a credit card.

  3. It boosts sales with inbuilt features. Shopify has a feature called abandoned cart recovery that can help you with a cart with products in it that have been forgotten. This feature sends an email to the customer at certain intervals to remind them. The interval can be customized.

  4. Shopify provides a variety of themes that can potentially increase visits to your page.

  5. Shopify integrates with many third-party applications, allowing you to add additional functionality to your store

Cons of using Shopify:

  1. Shopify has a lot of free features but if you want a properly functioning website, it comes with a price. In other words, Shopify can be expensive.

  2. Customization to specific needs are restricted because, Shopify is a hosted solution, and users have limited access to the server

  3. Users may find that it's not as flexible as other e-commerce platforms, particularly when it comes to making major changes to the code.

  4. Shopify payments is limited to some countries.

Medusa vs Shopify:

  1. EASE OF USE:

    For the layperson, Shopify is by far the easier platform to use. Once you’ve made an account, you can build your e-store using your chosen theme. In contrast, it can’t be said that Medusa is difficult to use by comparison, but it requires more technical expertise.

  2. PRICING:

    Medusa has an open-source framework, thereby making it entirely free to use! Whereas, Shopify offers a monthly pricing range starting from $29 for a basic plan.

  3. CUSTOMER SUPPORT:

    Shopify offers a 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and email. It is often heralded for its incredible customer support.

    In the contrary, Medusa doesn’t offer official customer support except you negotiate this with the team; however, there’s an extra undisclosed fee for this.

  4. CUSTOMIZATION:

    Medusa offers greater flexibility in terms of design and functionality, making it more customizable than Shopify.

Conclusion

In summary, Shopify is a more user-friendly and accessible platform, while Medusa offers greater flexibility and customization options for businesses with more technical expertise. Ultimately, the choice between the two platforms will depend on the specific needs and resources of your business.

Medusa is ideal for businesses that require a high degree of customization and flexibility in their e-commerce platform, while on the other hand, the key benefits of Shopify is its ease of use, which makes it ideal for small businesses and entrepreneurs who are new to eCommerce.