You’re just beginning with your first eCommerce store and you’re aware of the popularity of Shopify. At this planning stage, people often get confused about what to choose between Shopify expert vs DIY.
More often than not, business owners ask the wrong question. Instead of asking what is better between a DIY and a Shopify expert, they should ask and understand the cost of getting the choice wrong.
Shopify is a renowned solution regarding eCommerce website development. Shopify DIY is a bad idea because of the hidden costs, technical and scalability limitations, and potential errors. On the other hand, Shopify experts help your store grow, make it easy to use, keep it safe, and give you expert help and support.
Case studies like Liori, PokeSports, and PrintLab AI are a testament to the success of Shopify experts. Also, when thinking about the cost, you need to consider what services you need, how experienced the expert is, and where they are located.
So, without further ado, let’s explore all that.
Shopify’s Popularity: A Quick Look!
Shopify is one of the most popular tools to build an online store globally. It is flexible, easy-to-use, and can scale with business growth. These features make it powerful for start-ups and established businesses.
There are a lot of reasons for its popularity. Some of them include:
- Easy to use: The simple dashboard makes it easy for anyone to start and manage their online store.
- Scalability: It can adapt to the changing needs during the growth of your business.
- Ecosystem: This tool has several functions on its own. However, you can also add different applications and plugins to add features and functions to your eCommerce site.
Since its launch in 2015, the annual revenue of Shopify has increased significantly. By 2023, its revenue touched over 7 billion USD. Why is Shopify so popular? This is because Shopify gives small businesses more and more helpful tools for marketing and other needs.
Shopify is highly invested when it comes to innovation. According to Statista, Shopify’s R&D spending nearly increased by 4 times between 2018 and 2021 and increased significantly in 2023.
Moreover, Statista states that the tool generated over 5 billion USD in subscription solutions and approximately 2 billion USD for merchant solutions in 2023. This shows a rapid growth in sales for this tool. Although there is an age old debate between Shopify Expert vs DIY, these statistics show that Shopify is the most trusted tool for eCommerce businesses.
Why Shopify DIY is a Bad Idea?
By now, we know why and how popular Shopify is for eCommerce businesses worldwide. Now, the main question arises. Why Shopify DIY is a bad idea for your business? In this section, we will explore the disadvantages of Shopify DIY.
Many people will say that Shopify DIY is the way to go when it comes to the debate of using Shopify expert vs DIY. Don’t fall into the trap! They’ll tell you that it is cheaper than hiring an expert. However, the hidden costs reign supreme.
Let’s break it down for you. Shopify comes with three subscriptions:
- Basic Plan (19 USD Monthly)
- Shopify Plan (49 USD Monthly)
- Advanced Plan (299 USD Monthly)
- Shopify Plus (2000 USD Monthly)
Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? It isn’t! Once you sign up, you have to spend on these:
- Templates and Design Fees: You only get ten free templates. On the contrary, there are 70 paid ones, ranging from 150 to 350 USD. If you integrate templates from third-party apps, the price skyrockets to 500 USD.
- Transaction Fees: Transaction fee is the fee you’ve to give to the platform after you sell your product. Shopify charges 2.9% plus 30 cents per products sold. However, the percentage decreases as you go up the subscription plans.
- Payment Fees: When someone purchases your product, you will be charged payment processing fees. Different payment gateways have different charges.
- Application Fees: Apps can add functionality to your Shopify site. However, most of the useful apps are paid.
- Email Fees: If you subscribe for a plan, you have 2,500 free emails (monthly). However, the additional emails cost about 0.001 USD.
- Marketplace Connect Fees: “Marketplace Connect” is the feature that allows you to integrate your Shopify store with different marketplaces. Although the first fifty orders are free (monthly), additional orders cost 1% transaction fee.
- Shipping Fees: You also have to pay a distinct shipping fee. However, you can avail discounts up to 77% from carries as DHL Express, USPS, and UPS.
- Tax Fees: While the first 100,000 USD (yearly) is free, you have to pay an additional 0.35% for tax-driven transactions.
- VAT: While the value-added taxes vary, you’ve to pay a certain VAT (Value-Added Taxes).
- POS (Point of Sale) Fees: It costs around 89 USD (monthly) depending on the location.
And, guess what? Apart from the costs, there are other disadvantages of Shopify DIY too!
(Source: https://windzoon.com/blog/shopify-development-hire-shopify-expert-or-diy/ )
1. Time Consumption
Suppose you wanted to start your eCommerce store after the huge success of your offline store. You don’t know much about web design, but because Shopify looks cheaper (even though it’s not really), you decide to build your own online store by yourself.
In this case, navigating the customisations and functionalities can be pretty daunting. Along with that, you’ll have a hard time learning how to make the best of Shopify. This demands a significant amount of time to be invested to understand the platform’s functionalities.
So, as a business owner, this can be a major setback. Your primary focus should be on expanding the business rather than sitting back and designing your Shopify site.
2. Technical Barriers
Shopify is easy to use, but if you want to add interesting features or make your store look really good, you’ll need to know coding and design. This is one of the major things to consider when debating about Shopify experts vs DIY.
Without this expertise, you can fail to make an appealing and functional eCommerce store that impresses the audience. That’s because if you don’t know coding or design, you won’t be able to add advanced features or make your store look the way you want. So, it limits your ability to stand out in this competitive arena.
3. Errors
Building a Shopify store on your own can increase the potential errors. These range from glitches to major issues affecting the security and UX.
These mistakes make your store look unprofessional and can even put customer safety at risk, which can hurt your brand’s reputation. This can lead to loss of sales and brand credibility.
4. Scalability Limitations
Every business grows with time. Shopify is a powerful platform to scale your business. However, without professional Shopify help, the scaling can be difficult.
As the business grows, the eCommerce store has to adapt to more product launches, increased traffic and expanded customer support. This is impossible in Shopify DIY and hinders your business’s long-term success.
So, what do you do in that scenario? Professional help is the need of the hour for your business.
The Supremacy of Hiring Shopify Experts
In this debate of Shopify experts vs DIY, the ones that support the DIY approach will tell you that outsourcing can cost you big time.
But, will take the risk of taking the DIY approach and lose on substantial revenue and growth opportunities? Outsourcing your Shopify work might cost more at the start, but it’s better to spend on good quality than settle for something average. Plus, on the longer run, you’ll cover these upfront costs through increased sales. They can also tell you that hiring a Shopify development agency can lead to over-reliance. This can make you feel disconnected from your own store. While it’s true to certain extent, a collaborative engagement with the company can help you feel connected.
However, the advantages of hiring a Shopify expert can overshadow the potential disadvantages. Let’s explore those.
(Source: https://windzoon.com/blog/shopify-development-hire-shopify-expert-or-diy/)
1. Professional Expertise
Shopify experts know all about the platform and how to use it effectively. They have the required skills and expertise to carry out the task. This will make you an eCommerce store with extensive functionalities that stands out.
Also, these experts are updated with the latest eCommerce trends and features. This means that all the new and exciting features are incorporated in your Shopify store. Plus, professionals help you make informed decisions and avoid common mistakes. This saves time and resources in the long run.
2. Advanced Customisation
Outsourcing a Shopify development company in London can be a game-changer for your business. It can give you an added advantage over basic templates, creating something that can reflect your brand.
These experts know how to add interesting features, design great-looking store themes, and make sure your store is secure. They can ensure that the visuals align with the brand goals and identity.
3. Time Efficiency
While you are not designing the eCommerce site by yourself, you will have enough time to focus on other aspects of your business. Shopify developers make it easier and faster to build and manage your online store, so you can launch it quickly. This is super important because things move fast online.
4. Scalability
Like any other business, you will want your business to grow and earn more revenue. During business growth, you have to have a store that grows with it. So, to have that extent of scalability, it is important to hire a Shopify developer.
Having a scalable eCommerce store can eliminate the need to open another store to handle the changes. This saves you a lot of money. It also eliminates the need for constant maintenance, allowing a smoother scaling process.
5. Enhanced UX (User Experience)
UX is an important factor to consider while debating between Shopify experts vs DIY. Why UX (User Experience) is so important? This is because the customer is king in the eCommerce landscape. A happy customer impressed by your store’s UX not only comes back to buy more from you but becomes an advertiser for your store.
These expert developers can help you achieve that level of UX. They optimise your store for load times, mobile-friendliness, and navigation. This leads to increased customer satisfaction and CX.
6. Support and Updates
ECommerce is a dynamic sector with new challenges and constant changes. So, your store must have an access to relevant updates and on-going support.
Hiring a Shopify company in London helps keep your online store modern, fast, and safe. The support from the development team can address the issues that may arise after launch.
By now, you have understood the advantages you can have by outsourcing rather than creating your Shopify store by yourself. You have probably guessed why hiring a Shopify expert is important when it comes to Shopify expert vs DIY.
Let’s now explore some case studies of successful Shopify stores built by Shopify experts.
Case Studies: A Testament of Successful Shopify Stores
When talking about what to choose between Shopify experts vs DIY, it is important to look at the different success stories. So, we will explore some of them in this section.
1. PrintLab AI
It is an innovative technology company specialising in AI-powered printing solutions. It has a user-friendly, appealing, and conversion-driven eCommerce store made by Shopify. The store looks amazing with functionalities and features that help them stand out in the market.
2. Liori
Liori Diamonds is a prominent jewellery retailer known for its beautiful diamond collections. The eCommerce store is strategically developed through Shopify. By the eCommerce design, it produces an online presence that’s engaging and user-friendly.
3. PokeSports
Poke Sports is a resource hub and online community dedicated to the Pokémon franchise. It has an exceptional design with good navigation and an optimised eCommerce website. All of this was developed through Shopify.
The Factors Determining the Cost of Hiring Shopify Experts
Now that we explored all about the Shopify expert’s advantages when it comes to Shopify expert vs DIY debate and case studies, let’s look at the top 3 factors determining the cost of hiring one for your business.
1. Experience Level
The experience level has a lot to do with the hiring costs. The experience comes in three distinct categories:
- Beginner Level: These experts are new to this field and generally charge less. This is because of their lack of skills and expertise to handle difficult projects.
- Intermediate Level: The experts who have spent a few years in this field fall under this category. They usually charge something that balances cost and quality. They can handle moderate things like Shopify app integration and theme customisations.
- Expert Level: These are highly skilled professionals with a strong portfolio. They charge more because they have the skills to do advanced custom work, come up with new ideas, and handle tough projects.
2. Service Requirements
The services you want to choose for your eCommerce store also determine the cost. For instance, if you want:
- Custom Theme: Making your online store’s design match your brand can cost more money.
- Customisation and App Integration: If you add extra apps or special features to your store, it will cost more.
- Website Development: For a complete store creation from scratch with brand-aligned features, functionalities, and designs will cost you more.
3. Geographic Locations
Location of the development company or expert plays an important role in costing. The demand, living standards, and business opportunities for a region vary. However, it’s important to know that the service quality has nothing to do with the region.
- Currency: There are some regions that are more cost-effective than the others. This varies due to differences in currency and low working costs.
- Time Zone: You also have to consider the time zone when hiring a Shopify expert. This factor impacts the project timeline and communication. Closer time zone alignment can be more costly.
- Skilled Talent: Some regions have abundant Shopify experts while other regions lack. This affects availability and pricing of Shopify experts.
Choosing the Appropriate Shopify Expert or A Shopify Development Company in London
It’s time for us to discuss the factors when choosing the appropriate Shopify development company in London for your eCommerce store.
- Experience and Portfolio: You have to look for companies with a strong diverse portfolio. However, expertise in your industry is an added advantage which can lead to your store’s success.
- Expertise in Services: Make sure that the company is skilled in the services needed for your store. T
- Support and Communication: You have to select an agency that communicates well. You can analyse their communication skills when contacting them. Remember to ask if they provide post-launch support or not.
- Pricing: The company should have a clear pricing structure and should match your budget. Also, read the contract carefully before signing for outsourcing.
- Scalability: You have to enquire if the agency can support the scaling process smoothly as your business grows.
Webskitters Ltd.: An Exceptional Shopify Development Service Provider
Choosing between Shopify expert vs DIY is an important decision that impacts your business success. While DIY seems to be cost-effective initially, the hidden costs will overshadow the fact. Plus, you cannot achieve scalability and technical expertise from the DIY approach.
On the other hand, hiring a Shopify company to build your online store can cost more at the beginning. However, outsourcing brings technical expertise, customisation, and long-term business growth to the table.
Are you thinking of sparing the headache of designing the store by yourself? Look no further! Webskitters Ltd. is here for you.
At Webskitters Ltd., we work hard to give you great Shopify solutions that fit your needs. We offer various services including web design, store development, and so on. Webskitters Ltd. makes sure that your new online store is loved by every customer and offers outstanding user experience.
Are you ready to take the leap of success? Contact us now and let’s make something amazing together.
