Are you an ecommerce retailer proprietor trying to swap issues up? Or are you contemplating launching an e-store? If the answer is a powerful, “sure,” you’re in the best place.
The fitting retailer constructing resolution is important for securing your first few gross sales, holding clients retained and joyful, and having fun with a wholesome backside line. So, for those who’re new to the ecommerce sport, you’ll know the way daunting choosing the right retailer builder is.
That’s why we’re going to simplify issues for you by evaluating two of the preferred on-line store builders available on the market: Lightspeed and Shopify.
There’s quite a bit to cowl, so seize a espresso and let’s get going.
Lightspeed vs Shopify: Who’s Lightspeed?
Utilized by big-named manufacturers like Goop, Sony, and Nobu, Lightspeed is a cloud-based all-in-one POS resolution for retail companies, golf, and restaurant shops. In addition they present custom-made ecommerce options (learn our Lightspeed Ecommerce assessment).
They’ve been round for about 15 years and supply loads of options for on-line retailers, akin to stock administration, analytics, fee processing, and buy order administration instruments.
Lightspeed retail (and its different branches) empowers customers to handle each their on-line and in-store operations and use POS {hardware} (receipt printers, barcode scanners) to deal with in-store funds.
Lightspeed vs Shopify: Who’s Shopify?
Shopify is just about an ecommerce family title and desires little introduction. In spite of everything, 1,000,000 folks use it all over the world to run their ecommerce shops.
Prospects get every little thing they should run, handle, and develop their on-line retailer underneath one roof, together with analytics. There are 150+ templates so that you can select from, their all-important POS (level of sale) app, and a well-populated app retailer. There’s additionally a useful on-line neighborhood and loads of assist for anybody who comes unstuck.
Lightspeed vs Shopify: Execs and Cons
Right here’s our tackle Lightspeed and Shopify’s professionals and cons so to evaluate the 2 at a look.
Lightspeed’s Execs 👍
- It helps each in-store and on-line gross sales.
- You get entry to sturdy stock administration instruments.
- There is a beneficiant free trial on supply.
- Lightspeed supplies enterprise options explicitly catered to retail, eating places, and golf programs, with tailor-made analytics.
- Lightspeed comes with its personal loyalty program options.
Lightspeed’s Cons 👎
- It is on the expensive facet.
- There are fewer integrations than Shopify has to supply
- Lightspeed’s neighborhood isn’t as energetic as Shopify’s
Shopify’s Execs 👍
- It boasts award-winning buyer assist.
- There are 150+ templates to select from. All of that are modern-looking and well-designed in order that even absolute freshmen can use them.
- It’s straightforward emigrate to the next plan as what you are promoting wants develop.
- When it comes to ease of use, Shopify is nothing wanting intuitive.
- You get a free SSL certificates.
- It has a handy cell app.
- Integrates with POS methods
- Shopify integrates with tons of third-party providers and plugins.
- There is a free trial accessible.
Shopify’s Cons 👎
- A few of Shopify’s extra refined templates are costly to purchase
- There’s no free possibility apart from the free trial
- Shopify’s design choices in comparison with options like WordPress are comparatively restricted
Lightspeed vs Shopify: Their Options
Each ecommerce options boast a complete host of options, so let’s check out the primary ones.
We’ll begin with Lightspeed’s core performance:
Lightspeed’s Options
Lightspeed divides its options into three classes: retail, restaurant, and golf. We’re zoning-in on its retail components, that are divided into the next eight classes, every of which has its personal set of sub-features. We received’t go into all of them right here, however simply provide you with an summary:
- Stock: Lightspeed makes stock administration easier. You possibly can order inventory out of your POS’s comfort. Plus, it is simple so as to add variants to your product listings and create buy orders.
- Reporting and analytics: This consists of data in your worker’s efficiency, common inventory objects, and different real-time information.
- Mobility and cloud: This consists of cell stock performance, customized branding, and quick worker coaching.
- Multi-store: You are supplied with a centralized place for monitoring purchases and buyer information, creating reward playing cards, and monitoring your stock.
- Built-in funds: These embody cell funds, refunds, compliance, and versatile funds, whether or not clients are in-store or on-line.
- Buyer administration: You get entry to buyer gross sales historical past, CRM instruments, and automatic reductions for normal clients.
- Onboarding and assist: You get pleasure from entry to 24/7 assist through stay chat. There are additionally webinars accessible.
- Omnichannel: You profit from ready-to-go templates that will help you design your on-line retailer. Plus, you possibly can promote on Fb and centralize buyer information from all of your gross sales channels.
- Advertising: Promote merchandise immediately through social media platforms like Fb and tag them on Instagram. Lightspeed additionally comes with built-in running a blog options and permits you to optimize your website for website positioning.
Shopify’s Options
Shopify divides its options barely in a different way into storefront options and POS options. We’re overlaying POS additional down on this assessment, so we’re simply taking a look at its storefront options right here. Shopify’s performance is break up into 9 classes, every with its personal set of sub-categories. Once more, we do not have time to discover all these options in-depth, however listed below are the highlights:
Storefront: This consists of 70+ professionally designed themes, a web-based web site builder, and your personal area title.
Purchasing cart: Your Shopify retailer can settle for all main bank cards and integrates with a whole bunch of fee gateways (together with PayPal). You additionally get a free SSL certificates and the power to set versatile delivery charges.
Retailer administration: You possibly can combine with dropshipping add-ons, set buyer profiles and segments based on buyer preferences and shopping historical past, course of refunds, and automate stock updates.
Advertising & website positioning: This consists of website positioning optimization, the power to promote on Fb, and you may ship focused reductions to loyal clients. Shopify additionally permits you to arrange a weblog.
Merchandise: This covers stock administration, product group, and the very fact you possibly can create limitless product listings and promote digital merchandise.
Website hosting: You get limitless bandwidth, computerized updates to Shopify’s software program, and Degree 1 PCI compliant safety
Analytics: This consists of Google analytics, product experiences, and entry to gross sales and buyer information through one centralized dashboard
Cell app: With only a click on, you possibly can fulfill orders, handle your stock out of your cell’s comfort, and entry Shopify’s cell dashboard. The Shopify app is out there for each Android and iOS (iPhone) customers.
24/7 assist: This consists of entry to an internet Assist Middle, movies, webinars, and Shopify’s buyer assist staff.
Lightspeed vs Shopify: Retailer Customization
Your retailer is an extension of your model, so that you’ll need it to replicate your model’s aesthetics. As such, you may need to know the way customizable Shopify and Lightspeed’s shops are and the design options they provide. Let’s have a look…
Lightspeed
As we have already hinted at, Lightspeed focuses extra on its POS methods, so it is unsurprising there is not a lot discuss its on-line retailer builder on its web site. That stated, there are 51 themes to select from, a few of that are free. Nonetheless, its paid-for templates will set you again round $26.50 a month. The theme you plump for is effectively price contemplating as a result of its premium choices current an ongoing expense that wants factoring into your finances.
Lightspeed’s themes are organized by presets, akin to default, restaurant, or gold. You possibly can additional slender down your selection by filtering for must-have options. Your web site’s performance hinges in your chosen theme; you possibly can’t add extra options to your template additional down the street.
For instance, solely particular themes include testimonial blocks or present a second product picture while you hover it. On your web site to boast these sorts of options, make sure the template you choose facilitates them from the get-go.
All in all, the design of Lightspeed’s themes is slick, trendy, and there is a respectable array to select from. Nonetheless, customization is minimal, so that you’ll want to consider your selection of them very fastidiously.
Shopify
Shopify additionally supplies a number of customizable themes tailor-made to fulfill the wants of varied industries. Nonetheless, the dangerous information is that solely 9 of those are free. That stated, every theme comes with a minimum of two or three variants to offer you some extra choices, they usually’re all extremely professional-looking.
In case you discover the array of free themes too restrictive, there are an extra 64 premium templates accessible (for a most one-off fee of $180). You may as well purchase themes from third-party suppliers, so your selection is significantly prolonged
Or, when you’ve got an actual imaginative and prescient of what you need your on-line retailer to appear to be and the coding smarts to convey it to life, you possibly can develop your personal theme. Shopify’s code is straightforward to entry, and there are many on-line assist supplies that will help you with this.
Briefly, Shopify gives way more in the best way of design customization than Lightspeed however not as a lot as opponents like Squarespace. Shopify usually empowers you to customise all of the fundamentals to make sure model consistency and professionalism.
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Lightspeed vs Shopify: Integrations
Whether or not you need to lengthen your on-line retailer’s performance or combine your retailer builder together with your present tech stack, listed below are the native integrations these platforms have to supply…
Lightspeed
Lightspeed integrates with 45 apps throughout a wide range of classes, together with analytics instruments like Retail Toolkit and RetailNext and customer support apps like ServiceReign.
You may as well combine with loads of loyalty reward applications, ecommerce instruments, and accounting software program. That stated, moreover Mailchimp, Lightspeed doesn’t associate with many common third-party advertising and marketing apps. Their focus right here is on retail, with apps for worker scheduling, leases, and superior stock administration.
Shopify
As compared, Shopify integrates with near-on each sort of instrument you could possibly need. Its app market is in depth as a result of most respected SaaS need to have the ability to combine with Shopify. They’re one of many largest on-line retailer platforms available on the market, and as such, partnering with them is a shrewd enterprise resolution.
In complete, there are an astounding + 4,100 apps that combine with Shopify throughout classes, together with accounting, customer support, branding, pop-ups, further themes, advertising and marketing automation, stock planners, types, on-site notifications, and rather more.
Lightspeed vs Shopify: Pricing
Earlier than we dive into the nitty-gritty of this part, it is price factoring in not solely how a lot you need to spend in your ecommerce platform now but additionally how a lot you are prepared to pay sooner or later. Be sure you bear that in thoughts as we discover how a lot Lightspeed and Shopify will set you again:
Let’s begin with Lightspeed’s pricing plans first:
Lightspeed divides its worth plans into three classes: Retail, Golf, and Eating places. Right here we deal with the retail applications, of which there are 5.
The costs beneath are primarily based on annual billing and are calculated on a per-store foundation:
- Primary: $69/mo – This features a free terminal and retail POS
- Starter: $99/mo- This has all of the Primary plan options plus ecommerce retailer performance
- Commonplace: $119/mo – This consists of every little thing within the Starter plan plus accounting options
- Superior: $169/mo- This consists of every little thing within the Commonplace package deal plus buyer loyalty options akin to reductions
- Professional: $229/mo – This consists of every little thing within the Superior plan plus analytics.
There’s additionally an Enterprise plan geared toward bigger companies. Nonetheless, you may have to contact Lightspeed’s gross sales staff immediately as they will quote you on a bespoke plan that fits your wants.
Lightspeed additionally gives potential clients a free 14-day trial, with limitless entry to all options and no bank card wanted.
Now onto Shopify’s pricing plans:
Shopify has 4 worth plans: Shopify Lite, Primary Shopify, Shopify, and Superior Shopify:
Shopify Lite: For $9/mo, you possibly can add an internet retailer to an present web site. You may as well embed a purchase button onto your web site, Fb, or Messenger accounts.
Nonetheless, if you wish to construct an entire ecommerce retailer, you may want one of many following packages:
Primary Shopify: At $29 a month, you possibly can record and promote limitless merchandise. You will additionally get entry to Shopify’s on-line retailer builder, buyer reductions and coupons, Shopify apps, advertising and marketing instruments, delivery choices, and you may connect with 4 bodily retailer places.
Shopify: For $79/mo, you get every little thing within the Primary plan and decreased transaction charges {and professional} experiences. Plus, you possibly can create and promote reward playing cards, entry as much as 72% delivery reductions, and join with as much as 5 bodily places.
Superior Shopify: For $299/mo, you get every little thing listed above. Plus, a a lot decrease transaction price of 0.5%, and you may create as much as 15 workers accounts. You additionally get a complicated report builder, as much as 74% delivery reductions, and you may join with as much as eight bodily places.
Lightspeed vs Shopify: Their Level of Sale Options
As promised, we’re exploring the POS choices Lightspeed and Shopify have to supply. Each suppliers have their very own POS methods and {hardware}, so let’s evaluate…
Lightspeed’s POS
In keeping with what we’ve already mentioned, Lightspeed gives POS options for retail and restaurant companies. Essentially the most interesting ingredient of Lightspeed’s POS is that it could actually tailor its system to go well with particular enterprise sorts. This implies you possibly can count on a extra bespoke technical setup.
Lightspeed focuses closely on its Level of Sale options and boasts a strong and sturdy product. So, let’s contact on a few of the key options this POS setup has to supply:
- You possibly can take contactless credit score, debit, and reward card funds.
- You possibly can shield what you are promoting from fraud and error with Lightspeed’s absolutely built-in system.
- You possibly can ship paperless receipts straight to your buyer’s electronic mail addresses.
- You possibly can shield your information with PCI compliant fee processing.
- You possibly can handle your ecommerce stock from the identical software program used to gas your level of sale system.
- You possibly can shortly switch merchandise between places.
- You possibly can generate multi-store experiences.
- You possibly can arrange centralized buying and grasp orders.
{Hardware} and Costs
Lightspeed has all of the POS {hardware} it’s good to run what you are promoting. The pricing, nevertheless, is difficult to find out. In case you’re curious in regards to the product’s prices beneath, you’ll have to go over to their web site to request a quote. This may occasionally appear tiresome, nevertheless it additionally means you’ll get an opportunity to speak by means of your necessities and tailor-made wants, so it is swings and roundabouts.
iPad {hardware} package: This comes with a LAN receipt printer, a money drawer, a Bluetooth scanner, the Lightspeed iPad stand, and receipt paper.
Desktop {hardware} package: This package features a USB receipt printer, money drawer, and a USB scanner. Because the title suggests, it isn’t as cell because the iPad {hardware} package and must be linked as much as an iMac.
You may as well buy particular person {hardware} akin to Bluetooth and USB barcode scanners, Zebra label printers, and/or money drawers.
Shopify POS
Not like Lightspeed, Shopify is at the start an ecommerce platform. However that doesn’t imply its POS system and {hardware} don’t pack a punch. Shopify’s POS permits you to unify in-store and on-line gross sales.
Like Lightspeed, the Shopify POS Lite app is included in each pricing plan. This comes with a spread of nifty options that will help you handle each your on-line and offline promoting efforts. To unlock its true potential, nevertheless, you’ll need to improve to Shopify POS Professional.
Shopify POS Options
With its POS system design, Shopify has endeavored to create one seamless on-line and offline expertise. Prospects can browse in-store and purchase on-line with electronic mail carts that remind them of their favourite in-store merchandise. In addition they have the selection of shopping for on-line and picking-up in-store, shopping for in-store, or having the merchandise shipped to their door. Shopify’s POS system effectively manages all this.
Shopify additionally gives cell card readers that transfer with you, so you possibly can take funds on the go or anyplace in-store. You may as well set customized workers permissions by means of a single again workplace and entry unified reporting, superior stock options, like producing buy orders and transferring inventory primarily based on stock forecasts.
This is what you possibly can count on from the Lite model of Shopify’s POS app:
- In-person bank card charges ranging from 1.5%
- Cell POS and {hardware} equipment
- Order and product administration
- Buyer profiles
Whereas the Professional model unlocks:
- Limitless retailer workers accounts
- Sensible stock administration
- Employees roles and permissions
- In-store analytics
- Omnichannel promoting options
- Limitless registers
- A two-year guarantee on Shopify POS {hardware}
{Hardware} and Pricing
Shopify POS Lite is included together with your Shopify plan, however many brick and mortar shops may select to improve. The Professional model is included with Shopify Plus plans. In any other case, it prices an extra $89 a month per location on high of your Shopify plan.
Shopify’s POS {hardware} choices embody:
iPad stands: These work with the POS app so to entry every little thing you want, whether or not you are on the go or on the til. (Costs begin from $149)
The complete retail package: This can be a full retail setup, together with a barcode scanner, receipt printer, and money drawer. It comes with every little thing you require to just accept money or card funds and preserve your cash safe (priced $879).
Faucet, Chip, and Swipe Reader: With this accent, you possibly can settle for funds (Costs begin from $49, permitting faucet and chip card studying).
Lightspeed vs Shopify: Which is Greatest?
Now that we’ve familiarized ourselves with each Lightspeed and Shopify, it’s time to decide. Which on-line retailer builder is best suited to you and gives one of the best worth for cash?
Finally, it is simpler for us to suggest Shopify as an all-round resolution. Shopify is without doubt one of the main ecommerce platforms and gives every little thing it’s good to construct a feature-rich and profitable on-line retailer. This doesn’t come at the price of POS both. Shopify’s options for bodily shops are in depth, and it is {hardware}, sturdy.
Then again, Lightspeed is a reliable supplier that, though a worthy contender, simply can’t supply fairly as a lot as Shopify. Their pricing is extra elusive, as you possibly can’t be completely positive what every plan unlocks. Whereas they don’t cost any additional for his or her full POS app, their applications appear costlier for what they provide. That is very true for those who’re wanting primarily for an internet retailer builder.
In case your focus is on making a thriving ecommerce enterprise, persist with Shopify. However take into account Lightspeed for those who’re a brick and mortar enterprise increasing into on-line gross sales and may gain advantage from Lightspeed’s extra tailor-made options for retail shops, eating places, or {golfing} enterprises.
Don’t fear for those who’re not sure – each Lightspeed and Shopify include a free 14-day trial. Why not give them a whirl to see what fits you finest?
Have you ever tried both of those ecommerce platforms earlier than? Or are you contemplating a competitor like WooCommerce? Both approach, tell us within the feedback beneath.
