7 Things You Need To Know Before Creating An Ecommerce Using Wix

 

Congratulations! Those annoying YouTube ads that cut in at the best moments actually did you some good. They introduced you to Wix. Or maybe you saw an ad on social media or searched for e-commerce platforms yourself. Anyhow, you decided on Wix as your e-commerce platform partner to bring your business online. A smart choice for your business growth, considering the steadily increasing number of people making purchases online, with 4.1 trillion USD worth of sales estimated worldwide in 2024 alone. 

But hold on. Before you start heading into the battle to set up and promote your online business setup, arm yourself with the necessary knowledge. That way, you feel confident in your decision and can make the most of your new e-commerce store. 

So here are some important things you need to know before you sign up for an e-commerce store at Wix.

The Story That Started It All

Wix was created similarly to most great businesses: people looking for an easier way of doing something. Back in 2006, three friends Avishai Abrahami, Nadav Abrahami, and Giora Kaplan came up with a startup idea that they wanted to take online. For which they needed a website. However, from securing a domain to mapping out the entire site and then typing in lines of code to bring it to life, they soon found out just how frustrating that entire process was. And so came the light bulb moment that gave birth to Wix.

A cloud-based web development platform created to simplify the process of building a website.  The site offers easy-to-use customisation options and templates that you can use to build your own website. All without the extensive knowledge, time and resources you would need to build your own. Thus, positioning itself as a solution for those looking to establish their business online without knowing anything about coding a full-fledged website. 

From there, Wix has continued to steadily grow itself throughout the years to 258 million users worldwide holding the third largest market share of 3.8% as of 1st January 2024. (Source: W3tech)

 

 

What You Need To Know About Your Online Wix Store.

If you want to connect with five billion and counting active users online to sell your products, your online presence needs to be strong. And since it might not be possible for you to learn how to set up an online store and manage it on top of your business, website builders like Wix are great tools. 

However, like all tools, you need to know what it can or cannot do for you before using it. This makes it all the more important for you to know the facts before you start your e-commerce journey. So let's talk about some of the essentials to keep in mind when making your online store with Wix.

1. An Exclusive Relation

Let me start off with a free piece of advice. If you want to succeed in the world of business, you need to be careful of who you shake hands with. Which is why, it is important that you know what you want out of your website and how you want it to look so you can make sure Wix has what you need. Especially as Wix sites are non-transferrable (more on that later).

So go ahead and take a look at all the design theme options you have from Wix’s library of over 900 templates. 

 

If you can't find the right template for your brand, you should probably switch to some other platform as this is one thing you should not compromise on. Especially as Wix templates are one and done. What this means is that, once your website is up and running, you can no longer make any changes to the template you selected nor switch to another. So, keep in mind that a poorly designed website rids you of about 38% of your visitors according to Hostinger, and choose wisely.

 

2. Customization Is Almost Your Best Friend 

I have alluded to Wix’s customisation capabilities a few times above. So how do they work? And how can they help you build a stunning website? 

Wix is popular for its easy drag-and-drop customisation method that lets you design your website with no prior knowledge. All it takes is choosing and dragging an element where you want it. 

 

 

Simple right? 

But, unfortunately, it's never as simple as it seems.

Sure, Wix’s drag-and-drop feature sounds pretty sweet once you consider how it will help you set up your e-commerce website in a few short minutes. But the question is: do you really have creative freedom and will this be sustainable in the long run? 

Unfortunately, as great as this feature is, using ready-made elements does restrict your creative vision. Perhaps you have a unique icon in mind that you just can't find among the listed elements. What do you do then? And let's not forget, you can't use too many elements either. WebFX outlines that too many elements can lead to overcrowding which is a huge turnoff for most visitors. Also, if they are large in size, they can slow down your webpage’s speed too. Moreover, Wix’s drag-and-drop design feature works on a grid layout. This might limit you from placing elements exactly where you want especially if you want something to be a bit more uniquely aligned.

So, while Wix’s customizability sounds great on paper, it might end up limiting your creative power in the long run. 

3. Beginners' Luck Only Goes So Far 

Chances are, you have a lot riding on this business venture. So you probably want to make sure it goes well. This is where you might want to consider the type of analytics and SEO strategies you want to run behind the scenes. For instance, if your answer includes Google Analytics, you need to go with a premium plan as the free version does not support the popular platform.

Fortunately, Wix has some great SEO tools. It lets you work on the basics such as site accessibility and page settings while giving you access to an SEO checklist tool to help you get them right. 

 

However, Wix’s SEO capabilities have gotten a mixed response with claims of it falling short when it comes to advanced techniques. And while Wix has come a long way in distancing itself from its bad rep with SEO experts, a comprehensive article by Seobility in 2024 proves it still has some way to go. 
 

4. Drop By The App Market

Did you already know about Wix's library of built-in apps?  If you didn't, consider yourself informed. Its in-built 800+ app market is the perfect place to find easily integrated solutions that give you the freedom to do things the way you want. It’s also great at saving you time looking for third-party apps and the hassle of setting them up while opening yourself to potential risks. 

While a lot of the apps listed on the market are free, you might need a premium plan for some of them. However, all of them, regardless of whether they are free or not, are optimized for mobiles as well so you don't have to worry about taking any extra steps to optimize your website for different platforms.

5. Don't Forget The Money 

Sure, it's thrilling and fulfilling to run a business all on its own but that doesn't mean you forget to collect your money. You earned it. So what are the options you have to set up payment processing in Wix?

Alongside the common options of accepting payments through credit cards and setting up manual payment processes, Wix offers integration with over 70 payment solutions which include Paypal, Stripe, and Skrill depending on their availability in your region. Which is great, as Mckinsey’s 2023 Global Payment report shows that cash usage has declined by 20% globally in the past five years and economies that heavily rely on cash are expected to take long strides towards digital payments by 2027.  

But know this: you will need to have a premium or studio plan before Wix lets you integrate any payment gateways into your store. So make sure this cost is covered in your initial investment.

6. All Things Come At A Cost  

Speaking of money, don't forget the part where you will pay upfront to create your store. So before you swipe your card, it’s best you know the number you can expect to show up in your next account statement. 

Wix offers 4 pricing plans, all of which come with a free domain for a year. Take a look at the table below to see if any of their plans match what you are willing to pay. 

	Light	Core	Business	Business Elite
Price (monthly)	£9	£16	£25	£119
Available roles	2	5	10	100
Storage Space	2 GB	50 GB	100 GB	Unlimited
Marketing suite	Light	Basic	Standard	Advanced
Payment option	X	Yes	Yes	Yes
Track analytics	X	Basic	Standard	Advanced
Setup for E-commerce	X	Basic	Standard	Advanced
Additional features	X	X	X	A platform for developers

In case you missed it, let me draw up the most important point for you. Which is that you will need at least a core plan to run an e-commerce store on Wix so budget yourself accordingly.

7. A Lifetime Commitment 

 

 

I have got something to tell you and it's not going to be easy to hear. Like most businesses, Wix does not like its clients leaving. So to combat that, Wix has made its sites non-transferable. Remember how I said we would go more in-depth about this later? Well, that time has come. 

Wix’s non-transferable sites mean you can't just give them your word (and your money) and then decide you want to take your business elsewhere. Sure, Wix can't really stop you from leaving, but it can keep your stuff. Which means you will lose all your customizations, messages, data and anything else Wix helped you with. So, be absolutely sure before you partner up with Wix because if you decide to leave, you will end up having to start from scratch all over again.