ECOMMERCE TOOLS | 9 minute read
Etsy and Shopify offer eCommerce businesses very different experiences. But which one is best for your business? It depends on your goals: is it to establish your brand with a standalone eCommerce store or to participate in a larger marketplace?
Knowing your goals as well as each platform’s strengths will help you best serve your customers, bring in steady revenue (and profits!), and plan for the future.
First, let’s look at who’s using each platform to either to sell or buy.
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Active Sellers |
2.1 million (2018) |
820,000 merchants (2019) |
| Active Buyers |
39.4 million (2018) |
1M (2017) |
| Gross Merchandise Sales |
$3.9 billion |
$14 billion |
| % of Sales From Mobile | 55% | 79% |
| Mobile App? | Yes | Yes |
Both platforms allow you to sell just about anything across dozens of categories. Some items are more popular than others, of course, so knowing what shoppers are looking for can determine which platform makes the most sense.
There’s no definitive list of the best-selling products on Etsy, but looking at what’s commonly identified as popular shows buyers are frequently looking for:
Related blog: Etsy Inventory Management
Image via Etsy
By contrast, Shopify shared a list of the best selling items of 2018, items that fall into a few distinct categories:
Related blog: Shopify Inventory Management
What costs and levels of effort it takes to create and maintain an eCommerce presence can make a big difference when choosing between Etsy and Shopify. Also important is how each platform will you grow your business tomorrow and beyond.
What expenses are there for just creating and maintaining an account?
Image via Shopify
Related blog: Etsy: Bohemian Marketplace Perfect for Makers
How much will I be charged for selling on their platform?
Will the platform allow me to grow to additional overseas territories?
Image via Etsy
Does the platform offer the option to sell to retailers instead of or in addition to customers?
Shop owners should be prepared to make a number of decisions about their storefront on either Etsy or Shopify, including:
Sellers will also need to customize the look and feel of the storefront, as well as how shoppers will find it. All of those issues play into the branding of your store.
Themes are the designs and layouts applied to the eCommerce store. Domains refer to the web address used to navigate to the store.
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Free Themes |
Yes |
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| Paid Themes |
No |
Yes |
| Free Subdomain |
Yes (e.g. name.etsy.com) |
Yes (e.g. name.myshopify.com) |
| Custom Domain |
Yes (e.g. yourshop.com) |
Yes (e.g. yourshop.com) |
What options does each platform offer in terms of creating and reinforcing connections with shoppers?
Because both Etsy and Shopify offer similar options in terms of branding, design, and domains, the same basic best practices apply:
Small business owners must trust the platform they choose to grow with them in order to innovate strategically.
Shopify will begin to focus on mobile shopping, enabling customer interaction, direct-to-consumer brands and more, as reported in early 2019.
Etsy’s plans – shared as a list of updates in its Sellers Handbook – show that it will centralize efforts around third-party integrations, store optimization, improving product listings, and more.
Both companies continue to entice sellers with new paid promotions and other options. They’ve also made updates on their offerings that are in line with eCommerce trends and consumer habits.
Choosing between Etsy and Shopify comes down to evaluating the similarities and differences outlined above, including:
While each platform has made a point of changing their image, Shopify as the reputation of being for businesses while Etsy has long been seen as the option for aspiring artists and crafters.
That may be the biggest factor for eCommerce store owners to consider.
