22 Jul 24
3 Common DIY CMS’s – A Quick Comparison Of Shopify, Squarespace & Webflow
Shopify – E-Commerce Web Design Made Easy
Overview Of Shopify
Shopify, a leading e-commerce platform, stands out for its design flexibility and extensive customisation options, allowing businesses to create unique online stores. Non-technical users can choose from a vast array of themes and easily customise them with Shopify’s drag-and-drop builder. For instance, a boutique clothing store can personalise its layout to highlight seasonal collections, while a tech gadget retailer can create a sleek, modern interface to showcase the latest products.
Key Features
Its order management system simplifies tracking and fulfilling orders, while secure payment options facilitate smooth transactions. Shopify’s intuitive mobile commerce capabilities allow businesses to easily manage their store and engage customers on the go.
User Experience & Reviews –
“As a startup, you get great bang for your buck. Do your research on apps and features before committing. Easy to create the website you envision without coding experience.”
“I like that Shopify is by far the platform that makes it easiest for you to manage your products and shop overall, it also gives great analytics details of what your customers look at before they make a purchase.”
Squarespace: The All-in-One Website Builder
Overview Of Squarespace
Squarespace is renowned for being an all-in-one platform that offers everything from hosting, SEO optimisation and drag and drop design templates. Squarespace also provides robust integrated features such as e-commerce capabilities, blogging tools, and SEO management, eliminating the need for third-party applications. The platform’s user-friendly interface and reliable customer support make it accessible for beginners, while its advanced design tools and analytics cater to more experienced users.
Key Features
The key features and functionalities include unlimited storage, easy customer account management, inventory management, abandoned cart recovery, and easy to set up discount codes. These features enable businesses to manage their e-commerce operations efficiently, enhancing the shopping experience for customers and helping to boost sales and retention.
User Experience & Reviews
“I love that I can access templates, edit what I want, create landing pages, have a booking page and online shop all in one place.”
“It’s a good option for someone who has no to little expertise in building a website. For a one-person startup, it’s cost effective.”
Webflow: Design and Develop with Precision
Overview of Webflow
Webflow combines design, development, and content management in one platform, offering the ability to create responsive websites without requiring any coding and add site elements using the drag-and-drop functionality. Webflow provides a wide range of professionally designed templates that are fully customisable, allowing users to create unique web designs without starting from scratch.
Key Features
Webflow introduced enhanced CMS capabilities, new animation and interaction tools, and improved e-commerce features. Webflow’s platform allows for precise control over design elements and seamless integration of design and code, making it ideal for designers who want to push creative boundaries without compromising on functionality.
User Experience & Reviews
“Easy to create, deploy and manage multiple sites and landing pages. Integrates natively or with some light work with a lot of tools, like Sales Force.”
“Webflow is great because it lets you design websites visually, which means you don’t need to know how to code. It’s user-friendly, makes your site look good on any device, and it’s packed with features that help you manage content and add cool animations easily.”