The question, 'Should I go turnkey or build a custom online store?' has been making e-commerce entrepreneurs scratch their heads for a long time. When deciding between turnkey e-commerce solution or custom development, it is important to map out exactly what you want from your online shop.
Considering the following factors will help you make an informed decision between turnkey or custom online store:
Cost to first launch: The cost to launch is significantly cheaper with turnkey e-commerce store builders as compared to a custom online store. That's because turnkey online stores are SaaS-based products built around e-commerce store themes.
Time to first launch: The overall time taken to launch your online store depends on how much of your requirements are met from turnkey or custom solution. It might take days or months to get your store ready depending on how specific you are about design and features.
Maintenance: Both store development methodologies demand time-to-time maintenance to keep the e-commerce website running flawlessly.
Uniqueness: Hundreds of online stores are built on most ecommerce stores offered by turnkey e-commerce store launchers. The only custom online store guarantees true uniqueness in terms of design and features.
Customization: Customization of popular online store builders is really complex since a lot of code and design elements are marked 'unavailable'. On the other hand, customization is extremely easy in custom e-commerce stores.
Scalability: Online shop builders like Shopify don't offer the advantage of scalability to the stores built on them. Expanding catalog, embedding new features, and improving performance is hard. Custom-built online shops, however, are highly scalable and futuristic.
Both turnkey and custom online stores have their share of pros and cons. The golden rule is to understand your business needs and make sure the solution you go with is a good fit.
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Complete list of the online store features for future reference.
