Volusion Vs. Shopify: Should I Switch Platforms?

If you’re in the eCommerce world, you may have heard the recent news that software provider Volusion filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The news comes after a data breach compromised the credit card information of more than 200,000 customers of stores running on the platform.

Though Volusion released a statement earlier this month advising its merchants that their services would continue, if you use the provider, you may be wondering: should I migrate to another platform? Here, we’ll compare the features of Volusion and Shopify to help you better gauge whether it’s the right time for your company to make a switch.

Volusion Vs.Shopify

Before we talk about how the platforms stack up, it might be helpful to have a general understanding of how they’re similar.

First off, both are eCommerce platforms that help companies sell products online. They’re both self-hosted, meaning you don’t have to download any software to use them. Rather, they run via an in-browser content management system (CMS) that can be accessed from any device.

Both Volusion and Shopify charge users a monthly fee, and the pricing tiers are comparable (both start at $29/month and offer a range of features scaling up to $299/month). The value proposition of both platforms is essentially the same: they allow merchants to build an online store without custom coding, give you a place to store product information, and offer a framework through which to conduct business online.

In terms of similarities between the platforms, that’s pretty much where things end. If you’re comparing Shopify vs. Volusion on the basis of features and functionality, the TL;DR version is that Shopify is the hands-down winner. Why? Our team has identified six key factors that make switching from Shopify to Volusion the best choice for your eCommerce platform.

6 Advantages of Migrating from Volusion to Shopify

1. Versatility of Themes

Volusion offers more than a dozen free and paid themes to help you customize the look and feel of your site. If your main goal is to get your online store up and running quickly, one of those themes may be perfectly sufficient.

Shopify, however, offers more than 100 themes to choose from. When browsing these themes, they can be filtered by industry, catalog size, and layout style to help you find exactly the type of theme you’re looking for. That’s not to mention the thousands of themes that are available from third-party sellers.

If getting the design of your site just right matters to you--and it should, because online store design plays a big role in conversions--then Shopify has the upper hand.

2. Unparalleled Integrations

No matter which eCommerce platform you use, there are going to be some limits on your site’s out-of-the-box functionality. That’s where apps come in. Apps enable additional functionality and third-party integrations that can help make your online store more user friendly and your operations more efficient.

At the time of this post, Volusion offers just over 20 partner integrations that will connect your online store to other services like Mailchimp and Privy. Shopify, on the other hand, offers thousands of integrations and additional features via its app marketplace. While custom development work can help you achieve any feature you can dream of, the Shopify app store will get you pretty darn close to any functionality you’re looking for quickly and easily without any additional coding.

3. No Sales Limits

For merchants of a certain size, Volusion will automatically be eliminated from consideration because of the limits it places on sales volume. Outgrowing the platform is a valid concern for merchants who are looking to scale.

Volusion places a limit on the value of gross merchandise volume you can process in a year, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 depending on your pricing tier. If you go over this limit, you’ll be charged a fee. We feel that’s pretty counter-intuitive to growth.

Shopify has no such limits, which is one big reason we believe it’s the platform of choice for retailers with their sights set on growth. It’s a truly scalable solution that can take you from your first sale all the way up to your first million and beyond.

4. Enables Easy International Selling

Opening up online sales beyond your country of residence can be like opening a can of worms. There are the challenges associated with processing international payments, the complications of setting prices, and accepting payments in different currencies, just to name a few of the headaches. Still, it’s a bridge you’ll have to cross if your goal is to become a global brand.Shopify offers a robust set of solutions for selling overseas, including Shopify Payments (which is enabled in 16 countries) and a laundry list of supported third-party payment gateways that will help you do business in almost any corner of the globe. An optional currency selector allows customers to easily shop in their native currency with no legwork on your end.

Volusion’s answer to Shopify Payments, which is called Volusion Payments, is only available in the U.S.

5. Offers Point-Of-Sale Capabilities

It’s never been more important to have what’s known as an omni-channel shopping experience--one that melds all the different methods and platforms modern customers use to shop into one seamless interaction. Though we’re all about digital commerce, we’d be remiss to pretend brick-and-mortar sales weren’t still part of the equation.

If you sell in a physical location, or want the option to do so for things like pop-ups and special events, you’ll need point-of-sale (POS) features that let you easily ring up transactions face to face. Shopify has an entire branch dedicated to POS features, including hardware to process credit cards and inventory management tools.

Volusion, unfortunately, does not offer any POS features. It’s also worthwhile to note the Volusion isn’t equipped out of the box to sell virtual products like ebooks, courses, and downloads.

6. Incredibly Customer Centric

Even the most user-friendly eCommerce experience has its share of growing pains. Shopify consistently blows us away with their merchant-centric approach to doing business. 24/7 customer support, active discussion forums, dedicated Shopify Experts and an extensive educational library are just a few of the many resources the platform offers (and continues to develop) to help its merchants succeed.

If you’re an eCommerce merchant looking for a platform that will not only make it easier to run your business today, but that will grow with you over time, Shopify is a safe bet. We’ve migrated more than a million products to the platform and stand behind its impressive agility, speed, and customization capabilities.

Don't Believe Us? Hear it From a Client:

Parkfield is helping American Blanket Company migrate to Shopify and here's why they are making the shift:

We chose to migrate from Volusion to Shopify for a number of reasons. Volusion was cumbersome and limited product description page management, especially when it came to inventory/child sky management. On top of that, we received customer complaints about a frustrating checkout process.

- Kimberly McGee, Sr. Director, Sales & Marketing

Make A Seamless Switch From Volusion to Shopify

A full platform migration is no small feat. With our Shopify migration services, we tackle the transition of everything from your product library to your customer database to your site design, helping you get up and running on Shopify with fewer hassles and minimal downtime. To talk in further detail about your project, schedule your complimentary consultation with our migration experts today.