Shopify vs Wix: Choosing the Best Website Builder for Artists and Makers
Building a website isn't as hard as most people think it's going to be. Modern website hosting sites make it super accessible for regular people to create their own website. It's something you can setup and manage on your own, you don't need to hire an expensive website designer or developer. If you've been avoiding it because of you think it's going to be too hard or too expensive, stop putting it off. You can do it, I believe in you!
In today's digital age, having a website is essential for artists and makers looking to showcase their work, connect with a wider audience, and grow their business. But with so many website builders available, it can be tough to know which one is right for you. In this post, we'll explore the benefits of having a website and delve into the differences between two popular platforms: Shopify and Wix.
Why Do Artists Need a Website?
A website is more than just an online portfolio. It's a powerful tool that can:
Demonstrate Professionalism: A well-designed website gives you credibility and shows potential buyers that you're serious about your art.
Reach a Broader Audience: A website allows you to connect with art lovers and collectors worldwide, expanding your reach beyond local markets and events.
Display Your Portfolio: Showcase your artwork in a beautiful online gallery, making it easy for people to browse and purchase your creations. Make sure to use high quality photos that have a consistent look and feel.
Sell Online: Integrate e-commerce functionality to sell your art directly from your website, giving you another revenue stream.
Manage Inventory and Sales: Many website builders offer integrated point-of-sale (POS) systems and inventory management tools, streamlining your online and in-person sales.
Build an Email List: Capture email addresses of interested visitors to build a following and promote your work, shows, and events.
Share Your Story: Connect with your audience on a personal level by sharing your artistic journey, inspirations, and process.
Offer Workshops or Classes: Promote and sell tickets to online or in-person workshops or classes.
Shopify vs Wix: A Comparison for Artists
Both Shopify and Wix are popular website builders, but they cater to different needs. I'll embed a short video tutorial for getting started on each of these platforms at the bottom of this page. Here's a breakdown of the different features and options:
Shopify:
E-commerce Focus: Shopify is built for e-commerce. It offers a wide range of features specifically designed for online stores, including:
Secure payment processing
Abandoned cart recovery
Discount codes and promotions
Shipping integrations and shipping discounts
Powerful inventory management
Multi-currency selling
Dropshipping integrations
Point of Sale (POS): Shopify offers a robust POS system that integrates seamlessly with your online store, making it easy to sell at art markets and track inventory across all channels. This includes hardware like card readers and barcode scanners.
Creative Control: While Shopify offers a variety of design templates (called themes), customization options can be somewhat limited compared to Wix. You might need some coding knowledge or hire a developer for extensive design changes. However, Shopify has a large app store with add-ons to enhance design and functionality.
Wix:
Ease of Use: Wix is known for its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, making it easy to create a website even with no coding experience.
Design Flexibility: Wix offers a vast library of templates and design elements, giving you more creative control over the look and feel of your website. You can customize almost every aspect of your site without needing to code.
AI Tools: Wix has AI some really useful AI integrations. You can use these to help you create content, write descriptions, or polish your about me section. Shopify has some AI tools too but the AI on Wix is better.
E-commerce Functionality: Wix also offers e-commerce features, but they are generally not as advanced as Shopify's. Wix is a good option if you plan to sell a smaller number of products or if e-commerce is not your primary focus.
Limited POS: Wix does offer a POS solution, but it's not as comprehensive as Shopify's and may not be suitable for artists who do a high volume of in-person sales.
App Market: Wix also has an app market, but it is smaller than Shopify's with fewer specialized e-commerce and marketing apps.
Here's a table summarizing the key differences:
Feature | Shopify | Wix |
Primary Focus | E-commerce | Website building |
Ease of Use | Slightly steeper learning curve | Very user-friendly |
Design Flexibility | More limited | Highly customizable |
E-commerce Features | Advanced | Basic to intermediate |
POS System | Robust and integrated | Limited |
App Market | Extensive | Smaller selection |
Pricing | Starts at $29/month | Free plan available, paid plans start at $17/month |
Which platform is right for you?
Choose Shopify if:
E-commerce is your primary focus.
You need a robust POS system for in-person sales.
You need advanced features like multi-currency selling or drop shipping.
You're comfortable with a slight learning curve or willing to invest in professional design help.
Choose Wix if:
You prioritize design flexibility and ease of use.
You're primarily looking for a website to showcase your portfolio.
You only need basic e-commerce functionality.
Ultimately, it comes down to your personal preference and what goals you are trying to achieve with your website. This website, Utah Art Market Guide, is built using Wix, but my ceramics website, https://shawnwoodceramics.com/, is on Shopify.
Tips for Creating Your Website
Take Your Time to Learn: Both Shopify and Wix offer free trials, so you can experiment with both platforms before making a decision. Whichever platform you decide on, spend some time paying around with the tools, features, and design. Both Shopify and Wix have options to require a password to view your site. This means that you can take as much time as you need getting it right before you make it visible to the world but you can still have friends preview the site (with the password) and give you feedback.
AI is Your Friend: AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini are very valuable tools in creating your website. You can use it to write content and descriptions. I will often write what I want to write then ask AI to edit it for me. This helps to create better readability and consistency. AI is also useful for brainstorming ideas or asking for feedback on things. AI can serve as a creative consultant, a technical advisor, a proofreader, or anything you want it to be.
Template Selection: Both Wix and Shopify offer multiple templates to choose from. Choose a theme that speaks to your personal style of art but generally a more minimal design template is best for artists. In Shopify, if you change your mind later, you can easily switch themes without having to start from scratch on your entire website. Wix unfortunately does give you the same ability to easily switch templates.
Mobile Optimization: Both platforms have features that allow you to view your site in both desktop and mobile view. Make sure it looks good and doesn't feel too crowded in both. Most visitors to your site will be on mobile devices. When building your site though, you really need to do that on a computer. Tablets and phones just don't offer all of the required user functions to design and build a website, although Shopify and Wix both do have mobile apps which will allow you to make some basic changes on the go.
Less is More: In my opinion, most of the standard templates on Wix and Shopify are too busy for someone selling art. Just like art, websites are often best when created with an elegant simplicity. Many of the standard features for cross-selling, booking pages, blog posts, or testimonials/reviews are more designed for ecommerce retail stores selling lots of mass produced items. I think that removing some of these design and layout elements can make a site feel more curated and personal which can help you connect with people more as an individual maker and feel less like a retail store. Think of how a real life art gallery looks and feels and how that contrasts to an in-person retail store.
Ease of Navigation: Make sure your website is organized in a way that is easy to navigate. Pretend you are a complete stranger who knows nothing about your products, then click around on your site and see if the navigation still makes sense. Better yet, have someone else browse your site and give you feedback on the navigation flow. If you have 50 different products don't list them all on the same page, put them into collections so that people can browse your site in more manageable chunks. Remember, you can list one item in multiple categories so there can be some overlap if needed. Sort things in a way that make sense for browsing but also aesthetically. If you have a couple distinct styles of work, or a couple specific color themes, try to group those things together.
Good Quality Photos: Admittedly, this is one I've always struggled with myself. It's hard enough to try to be an artist and website creator simultaneously without also trying to be a professional photographer. I've found that consistency, using natural or soft lighting from the side and turning off overhead lights, and some basic photo editing skills have been the things most beneficial to creating photos that I'm happy with. Make sure all your photos are in focus and crop them so that they all have consistent sizes and proportions. If you have a large catalogue of items it might be worthwhile to hire a professional or semi-professional photographer to photograph and edit all of your work.
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