For decades, sellers had only a few approaches to making sales.
You could try to go to the buyers, which involved going door to door. This was cumbersome and came off too pitchy to be truly effective. The traditional approach sees the buyers come to the seller at a brick-and-mortar location.
But the chance to have an ecommerce business changes the game for merchants, regardless of their scale or their industry.
A startup offering custom-made tie-dye t-shirts? An enterprise company selling cutting-edge business software? No matter what you do, how successful you are, the digital world offers you a new avenue to connect with customers.
It’s somewhat of a hybrid between the two traditional forms of commerce. The internet sees buyers and sellers meet, with an ecommerce platform being the meeting place of choice. These platforms use design to provide all the things buyers (and sellers) need.
One of the top names in the field of ecommerce solutions is Squarespace. When it comes to Squarespace ecommerce, users have an all-in-one platform at their fingertips.
What does this platform offer? How can it be useful? What are the pros and cons – plus, why is it one of the top names in all of ecommerce today?
What Does a Good Ecommerce Platform Offer to Sellers?
We know what buyers look for: they want great prices, top-quality products, and the best user experience possible.
Within a year, customer experience is poised to replace price and product selection as the biggest differentiating factor among competing brands. That says a lot about what shoppers look for, because of that, we know what buyers look for – a way to give them this.
The right ecommerce website builder will offer users everything they need to keep their customers happy. This means design features that lean towards customization, flexibility, and versatility. Merchants need to be able to organize stores in a way that exudes the values of the brand and shows off the product catalog in an easy-to-shop manner.
There is also the need for security, fast load-times, and reliable payment processing to accommodate digital transactions. Remember, just because digital selling simplifies many aspects of business, it doesn’t mean the fundamentals don’t matter.
An ecommerce business is still a business, so giving customers a way to pay for the things they want, how they want, is of the utmost importance.
Now let’s examine the specifics of Squarespace ecommerce and see what it offers as far as themes, pricing, and features.
What is Squarespace Ecommerce and What Does it Offer?
When you visit Squarespace’s website, you’re immediately greeted by one of their biggest accolades. The company has won awards for its commitment to providing the best ecommerce platform possible.
The total number of customers using Squarespace ecommerce is over 1.8 million. The platform is one of the most popular of its kind and offers plenty in the way of features. Let’s start out discussing the Squarespace template options and design features.
Squarespace Template Selections and Design Options
When you look at the template section of the Squarespace website, you’re immediately greeted by a nice header that poses a simple (but paradoxically complex) question: what’s the purpose of your website?
The next thing available is a list of categories, which lets users sort through the ton of template options to find the right fit for their site. Running an ecommerce business requires a person to pick the perfect site template. It doesn’t have to be left as is, but the right starting point will save a lot of time.
Users can pick from common categories like art and design, entertainment and media, and even professional services.
No matter what kind of site you’re trying to build, there are plenty of good starting points. We call them starting points because the layouts are customizable. Want this module there instead? A little extra space near the top? A little more flare in terms of color, fonts, and page configurations?
Squarespace ecommerce makes it easy to organize layouts using drag-and-drop functionality. Not a coder? No problem – you don’t need to be to design, redesign, and maintain complete control of your online store.
Squarespace Features and Functionality
We know that design matters a lot when it comes to online shopping. What else to customers value in a digital store? For starters, they value the ability to shop on it with ease.
The internet has made it so people can shop anywhere and everywhere. A study revealed over 50% of people shopped at work – some even shop while driving or exercising, as ill-advised as that may be.
The point is, users want a shopping experience that is already set up with the qualities they look for. One of these qualities, obviously, is speed. If a person is looking to buy your product in between sets at the gym, it pays to have an ecommerce site that loads fast.
Squarespace boasts quick load times, so your buyer’s journey isn’t interrupted. The design is also quick on mobile because the templates are optimized for this platform as well – it’s smart on the designers’ part, as they know where users will be doing their shopping in most cases.
The platform is also designed to be secure when processing peoples’ sensitive payment information. You don’t want people thinking twice about entering their payment information onto your site. Squarespace helps them feel secure with a payment processor that embodies professionalism.
Squarespace Pricing – Is This the Differentiating Factor?
While many factors will contribute to a platform’s success (or lack thereof), the price is usually at the top of the list. Online merchants want great features and design freedom, sure, but the price is a critical factor as well.
This is especially true in an age where so many ecommerce solutions are out there. Should those looking at Squarespace as one of their options abandon the search because of the pricing? Or does this solution offer a good deal?
When we see the first pricing option (not counting a free trial) is known as Squarespace Personal. This plan is priced at $12/month if you purchase an annual subscription. If you want to pay month-by-month, the total goes up to $16/month.
With this, you get unlimited bandwidth and storage for your mobile-optimized site complete with a custom domain name. There’s also metrics, SSL security features, and 24/7 support. This version can be used by two contributors.
The next step up is the Squarespace Business option. The pricing structure is $18/month if billed annually, or $26 if paid monthly. This option has all the perks of the Personal tier along with support for unlimited contributors. It also comes with a pro email from Google plus $100 in ad credits, along with a fully-integrated ecommerce toolkit to sell unlimited products – and accept unlimited donations.
The business option also comes with a mobile information bar, customization options with CSS/JavaScript, and more. Consider the option of adding popups to promote special offers, or advertise limited-team deals – it may seem like a small touch, but it’s a big plus toward ecommerce marketing. This version may be more expensive, but it is a reliable option geared toward selling.
The big difference here is that the basic version doesn’t support ecommerce – which can be a deal breaker if you’re looking to use your site to sell products directly, rather than just as a promotional tool for your physical business.
For online stores, the basic version is $26/month, or $30/month if billed monthly. This gives you everything you need including inventory management, label printing, on-domain checkout, advanced shipping options, and gift cards.
The advanced option is $40/per month and $46/month if billed each month. This one gives you the option for subscription purchases, cart recovery, and more flexible discounts.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Squarespace Ecommerce?
If you’re looking to sell products online, you could benefit from Squarespace. It’s a popular way to do business in the digital space and is used by countless individuals and businesses across the world. While we aren’t undercutting the perks it offers, it is also important to mention the drawbacks.
No ecommerce platform is perfect. They all have their flaws and shortcomings – Squarespace is no different. We can recap the perks first. Squarespace is a highly customizable product that is advertised as an all-in-one solution. From ecommerce marketing and store setup through fulfillment, it can handle anything you need.
The fact that it is so quick and secure act as major bonuses. Users need a place they can feel secure entering in their payment information. They also want a site that loads fast, so they don’t waste any time finding what they want.
Now let’s cover the cons – what are the drawbacks of using such a popular platform? For one, you’re dealing with a lot of competitive pricing options from similar platforms. There are plenty of great platforms to choose from, and many of them fall right in line with Squarespace’s pricing and features.
But when we’re talking about pricing options, it’s worth mentioning that the personal option isn’t even worth considering if you’re looking to jump right into ecommerce. Sure, you could always add these capabilities to your site via plugins, but if you know you want a store, the personal option is out.
There are some issues with the platform’s marketing tools. Users know that when they create their ecommerce website, visitors won’t just rush in. There are ways to bring more traffic by using the proper tools and techniques.
But when it comes to Squarespace’s SEO tools and related options, they sometimes require workarounds. For example, you can integrate with popular options like Google Analytics or Facebook’s marketing tools. However, these options are found in the advanced settings tab, when some platforms may have them in their own section.
While some may call these cons minor, they matter when it comes to the long-term efficiency of your online store and helping you get the most for your money.
Why is Squarespace Ecommerce Such a Popular Choice?
Squarespace is the type of platform that offers great things to buyers and sellers alike. Whether you’re a merchant who wants to set up a store or a buyer who wants the perfect product quickly, you can get a lot out of a platform like this.
Squarespace is popular because of its versatility, and because the stores it offers are high quality. Users who choose this product are setting themselves on track to success.
Of course, the success or failure of an online store ultimately depends on a lot. It’s about your products, your brand, and your diligence.
But there’s no denying that when you have a good ecommerce website, it makes things easier for you and your customers.
What do you think of Squarespace ecommerce?
Share with us in the comments below!
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