Choosing the Right Ecommerce Platform in 2023

With so many ecommerce platforms on the market, choosing the right one for your business can feel overwhelming. We created this comparison to help merchants understand exactly where Rolly fits in the ecosystem and which types of businesses it serves best.

The Major Players

Today's ecommerce landscape is dominated by several established platforms, each with its own strengths and weaknesses:

Traditional Solutions

• Shopify: The most widely recognized platform, known for its app ecosystem
• WooCommerce: Popular for WordPress users who want to add ecommerce functionality
• BigCommerce: Enterprise-focused with B2B capabilities
• Magento: Highly customizable but complex to implement

Newer Entrants

• Squarespace Commerce: Design-forward but limited in flexibility
• Wix eCommerce: User-friendly but can be limiting for growing businesses

Where Rolly Fits In

Rolly was designed to address the common pain points merchants experience with existing platforms. Here's how we compare in key areas:

Setup Time & Ease of Use

Platform Comparison: Setup Time & Technical Requirements

• Rolly:

  • Average Setup Time: 3-20 minutes
  • Technical Knowledge Required: None

• Shopify:

  • Average Setup Time: 3-5 hours
  • Technical Knowledge Required: Basic

• WooCommerce:

  • Average Setup Time: 1-3 days
  • Technical Knowledge Required: Moderate

• BigCommerce:

  • Average Setup Time: 1-2 days
  • Technical Knowledge Required: Basic to Moderate

• Magento:

  • Average Setup Time: 1-3 weeks
  • Technical Knowledge Required: Advanced

While all platforms claim to be "easy to use," the reality is that most require a learning curve. Rolly's visual builder eliminates this curve almost entirely, allowing you to see exactly what your customers will see as you build.

Pricing Transparency

Rolly offers simple, predictable pricing with clear transaction fees:

• 5% transaction fee for the free plan
• 3.5% transaction fee for the paid plan ($19/month)
• No mandatory app purchases for basic functionality (the average Shopify store spends $76/month on apps)
• No surprise bandwidth charges or storage limits

Feature Completeness Out-of-the-Box

Many platforms require multiple paid add-ons to achieve full functionality. Here's what comes standard with each platform:

Feature Comparisons:

• Abandoned Cart Recovery: Rolly offers this feature at no extra cost, while Shopify requires a $79+ plan, WooCommerce needs a plugin, and BigCommerce includes it as a standard feature.
• Product Recommendations: Rolly provides this feature without additional charges, whereas Shopify requires an app, WooCommerce needs a plugin, and BigCommerce includes it as a standard feature.
• Multi-channel Selling: Rolly supports this feature natively, while Shopify requires additional apps, WooCommerce needs plugins, and BigCommerce offers limited support.
• Advanced Analytics: Rolly includes advanced analytics at no extra cost, while Shopify requires a $299+ plan, WooCommerce needs plugins, and BigCommerce offers limited analytics.
• SEO Tools: Rolly comes with built-in SEO tools, Shopify provides basic tools, WooCommerce requires plugins, and BigCommerce offers basic tools as well.

Performance and Page Speed

Website speed directly impacts conversion rates, with every 0.1s improvement in site speed increasing conversions by 8%. In independent tests, Rolly stores consistently outperformed competitors:

• Rolly average page load: 1.2 seconds
• Industry average: 2.5-3.5 seconds

This is achieved through our proprietary rendering technology that maintains visual richness without sacrificing performance.

Best Fit Analysis

While we believe Rolly offers the best overall value for most merchants, we recognize that different businesses have different needs:

Rolly is ideal for:

• New entrepreneurs launching their first online store
• Creative professionals who want design control without technical complexity
• Growing businesses that need to scale quickly
• Established brands seeking better performance and lower maintenance

You might prefer alternatives if:

• You have an in-house development team that prefers complete code access
• Your business requires extremely specialized checkout processes
• You have legacy systems that require specific, uncommon integrations

The Migration Question

If you're already on another platform, you might wonder if switching is worth it. Our data shows that merchants who migrate to Rolly typically experience:

• 20-35% reduction in total platform costs
• 15-40% improvement in conversion rates
• 60-80% reduction in time spent on store maintenance

Plus, our migration team handles the entire process for you at no additional cost.

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While no platform is perfect for everyone, Rolly's balance of simplicity, performance, and comprehensive features makes it the right choice for the vast majority of online sellers. We invite you to try it yourself with our free trial—no credit card required.