In case you’re presently utilizing Wix and contemplating a transfer to WooCommerce, you will not be fairly positive how you can get began. The excellent news is that migrating knowledge from Wix to WooCommerce isn’t as difficult as you may assume! You’ve got three viable choices for shifting your on-line retailer that we’ll discover in a second.
However first, let’s check out what Wix and WooCommerce are, and examine WooCommerce vs. Wix on elements like scalability, ease of use, and pricing.
What’s Wix?
Wix is a proprietary web site constructing platform that provides each a free, restricted plan, alongside a number of premium plans. It bundles all of its web site performance on one platform, together with internet hosting and any ecommerce instruments wanted to run ecommerce web sites. Whereas many web site house owners select Wix for its ease of use, that does come at a value – when it comes to price in addition to customizability and management.
What’s WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is an open-source, free plugin that provides ecommerce performance to WordPress. It’s run by Automattic particularly for WordPress, and the whole lot it is advisable function an internet retailer, together with product listings, cost assortment, and delivery choices. There’s additionally a library of free and premium extensions that may add extra performance to your retailer.
WordPress and WooCommerce work collectively to offer unparalleled ecommerce options and supreme flexibility and customizability, whereas nonetheless being usable for freshmen and builders alike.
WooCommerce vs. Wix
So how precisely do these two platforms stack up? Let’s check out some key elements.
Management and possession
WordPress is an open-source platform, which implies that the software program is obtainable to the general public, and anybody can use, modify, and examine its code freely. What precisely does this imply for retailer house owners?
Along with elevated safety and performance as a result of variety of builders engaged on it, you even have full management over how you employ it. The code isn’t “locked down,” like that of proprietary instruments like Wix.
You’ve got full flexibility and management over the design and performance of your web site, and might use it nevertheless you see match. You gained’t have to fret about proprietary platforms taking down your ecommerce web site with no discover in the event that they resolve you’ve violated their phrases. And, with WordPress, you’ll be able to entry and modify the complete supply code of your web site, whereas this isn’t attainable with Wix.
With WooCommerce, it’s also possible to select any host that you simply’d like, based mostly on issues like safety, options, bandwidth, and pace. In case you construct your retailer with Wix, you’re confined to solely utilizing their internet hosting instruments, which may restrict your progress.
Flexibility and customization
Whereas Wix touts itself as a platform with out limits, it nonetheless doesn’t examine to the flexibleness and customization choices that include WordPress and WooCommerce. Listed here are a number of examples:
Themes/templates
Each WordPress and Wix provide designs that work as a place to begin on your web site. WordPress calls them “themes” and Wix calls them “templates.” And whereas each provide an excellent variety of decisions, there are various extra choices accessible with WordPress. Choose from free choices within the WordPress repository, free and premium themes immediately from WooCommerce, or any variety of themes made by third-party builders.
And if you happen to ever need to change WordPress themes, you’ll be able to simply accomplish that. Merely select a brand new theme, preview it in your web site, after which activate it. Normally, particularly if you happen to’re utilizing the Block Editor, there might be only a few adjustments you’ll have to make throughout your web site.
Nevertheless, with Wix, you merely can’t change templates on an present web site. You would need to switch the location to a brand new occasion, then change your Premium plan to that new web site. And there are fairly a number of parts you’ll be able to’t switch from one web site to a different, together with your on-line retailer.
This makes it fairly troublesome and time-consuming to change templates.
Plugins/add-ons
Once more, each WordPress and Wix provide instruments that you should use so as to add performance to your on-line retailer. Wix calls these “apps.” WordPress calls them “plugins,” whereas WooCommerce-specific instruments are “extensions.”
Wix does have an app market with an honest variety of choices, from dropshipping and advertising apps to type and social media instruments.
However with WordPress and WooCommerce, the alternatives are just about limitless. The WordPress repository, which is completely made up of instruments which can be free and vetted by WordPress, has over 60,000 plugins. You’ll be able to seek for the right answer, and decide based mostly on evaluations from actual customers, screenshots, and descriptions.
The WooCommerce extension retailer has lots of of extra free and premium choices, every one particular to the world of promoting on-line. Discover options for advertising, funds, delivery, buyer administration, and extra. And, lastly, you’ll be able to all the time obtain and set up a premium or free WordPress plugin from third-party builders.
Retailer performance
Each Wix and WooCommerce embody all of the performance wanted to start out and run an internet retailer. Design your web site, checklist your merchandise, gather funds, ship or ship your objects just about, and comply with up with clients.
However once more, as a result of open-source nature of WordPress, WooCommerce lets you create something you’d like, with out limits. If there isn’t an answer already constructed into WooCommerce, there’s virtually actually a plugin or extension accessible to satisfy your wants. And if there nonetheless isn’t an answer, then you’ll be able to rent a developer to create one thing for you, because the software program code is available to view and modify.
With the web site builder from Wix, you don’t have that very same functionality. And also you’ll run into different constraints, too. For instance, you’ll be able to solely embody as much as 15 images for every product. So when you’ve got a number of totally different variations that clients can select from, you might not be capable of embody images for all of them.
There are additionally limitations on the subject of the best way you promote your merchandise. For instance, wholesale promoting isn’t presently attainable with Wix, with out an inefficient and restricted workaround. However with WooCommerce, you’ll be able to have a full-fledged wholesale retailer, with customized wholesale roles, role-based pricing, delivery and cost guidelines particular to wholesale clients, and extra.
Running a blog
Running a blog is a crucial a part of any web site, particularly an internet retailer. And with WooCommerce, you’ll be able to make the most of the highly effective running a blog options of WordPress. You see, WordPress was initially created particularly for running a blog. And whereas it’s expanded far past that now, running a blog remains to be at its core.
If you create a weblog submit with Wix, you might have entry to a really restricted drag-and-drop editor. For instance, you’ll be able to solely add 13 forms of parts, together with photos, movies, tables, and buttons.
However once you create a weblog submit with WordPress, you might have entry to the complete block editor (extra on this under). Select from dozens of parts, from primary paragraphs, photos, and movies to columns, newest posts, tables, and social media feeds. You need to use this to actually create distinctive content material that can interact potential clients.
Ease of use
Each Wix and WordPress make the most of a drag and drop editor to create pages and posts. Each allow retailer house owners to construct their whole web site visually, while not having to know any code in any respect. Each additionally provide particular person parts – paragraphs, photos, movies, and many others. – and prebuilt segments like lists of current posts and picture galleries. In WordPress, these are known as “blocks” and “block patterns,” whereas Wix calls them “parts” and “sections.”
However one of many greatest ways in which the block editor included with WordPress shines is in its flexibility. Whereas there are many blocks and block patterns included by default, it’s also possible to set up WordPress plugins that add much more options and capabilities to the block editor.
For instance, the Jetpack plugin provides numerous extra blocks, like picture hotspots, social media feeds, and calendars. There are additionally block-specific plugins that embody parts like maps, pricing sections, accordions, data bins, and extra – primarily, something you’ll be able to think about.
Each WooCommerce and Wix are thought-about comparatively straightforward to make use of on the subject of constructing a retailer and creating and managing merchandise. Nevertheless, the flexibleness and customizability that include WooCommerce push it excessive. Study extra in regards to the WordPress block editor.
Transport capabilities
In case you promote bodily merchandise, delivery is a vital a part of working your on-line retailer. With Wix, you might have a number of delivery choices accessible to you:
- Free delivery
- Flat fee delivery
- Weight-based delivery
- Value-based delivery
- Product-based delivery
- Calculate USPS real-time charges
Whereas WooCommerce additionally contains all of those choices, most by default and others utilizing extensions, it’s also possible to:
- Arrange desk fee delivery, which helps you to create intricate, customized guidelines for delivery, based mostly on the whole lot from location and value to weight, merchandise depend or any mixture of those.
- Calculate real-time charges from extra carriers, together with UPS and FedEx.
- Set conditional delivery charges based mostly on elements like consumer position and product class.
- Get discounted delivery labels from USPS and DHL.
As with many different areas that we’ve already checked out, WooCommerce merely affords you extra choices and suppleness than Wix.
Scalability and world promoting
As you develop, you need the ecommerce platform you select to develop with you. And since Wix is a web site builder on a proprietary platform, you’re, sadly, restricted on the subject of scalability. You’re tied right down to their internet hosting instruments, and restricted on the subject of the adjustments you can also make to web site efficiency, SEO, and code optimization. You’re additionally restricted on the subject of the performance and design decisions you can also make throughout your on-line retailer.
However you’ll by no means outgrow WordPress and WooCommerce. You’ll be able to select any host you’d like, based mostly on elements like efficiency, safety, and bandwidth. And you can also make any performance alternative that you can think of – if there’s not a WordPress plugin for what you want, you’ll be able to work with a developer to create it. To not point out the truth that WordPress and WooCommerce have been constructed for scalability, serving to shops with tens of hundreds of merchandise and hundreds of thousands of consumers discover success. Study extra on this article about WooCommerce scalability.
As you develop, you might also need to promote globally, although some shops can even need to accomplish that from the start. There are a selection of things to contemplate right here, together with languages, currencies, and delivery choices.
When you can show costs in a number of currencies with Wix, you can not truly cost for them in a number of currencies. This will make issues rather more troublesome for patrons in a number of nations. However with WooCommerce, there are a number of instruments that make it straightforward so that you can settle for any variety of currencies in your web site, and permit guests to change between them.
Help and neighborhood
Wix presents a wide range of help choices, relying on the plan you’ve bought. Additionally they embody documentation that helps you construct and run your retailer.
WordPress and WooCommerce have a neighborhood help discussion board the place you will get solutions to your whole questions. For premium WooCommerce extensions, stay chat help can also be accessible. Each WordPress and WooCommerce even have in depth, detailed documentation, and a curated video tutorial library.
And the neighborhood that comes with WordPress and WooCommerce is totally unequalled. Because of the open-source nature of the software program, there’s a spirit of helpfulness that merely doesn’t exist with proprietary platforms like Wix. There’s an enormous group of retailer house owners and builders on the market who need to assist one another succeed.
How do you harness the facility of this neighborhood? Be a part of the WooCommerce Slack channel, attend a meetup in your space, or try the official WooCommerce Fb group.
Pricing
With regards to WooCommerce vs. Wix pricing, WooCommerce clearly stands out. WordPress and WooCommerce are utterly free for all core performance – the whole lot it is advisable arrange, design, and run nearly all of on-line shops. All you’ll want is a internet hosting supplier and area title to retailer your web site knowledge and make it viewable on-line.
Whereas Wix presents a free plan, it’s not a viable possibility for ecommerce shops, as you’ll be able to’t use your personal area title, your web site will show Wix branding all through, and you can not settle for on-line funds. Ecommerce plans begin at $27 per 30 days, however prohibit the quantity of space for storing you might have and the variety of movies you’ll be able to host in your web site.
You’ll even have extra restricted options. For instance, with the Enterprise Fundamental plan, you’ll be able to’t make the most of automated gross sales tax, gather and share buyer evaluations, provide subscriptions, or gather funds in a number of currencies. If you need entry to all ecommerce options, you’ll want the Enterprise VIP plan, which is $59 per 30 days.
We’ve talked fairly a bit about WooCommerce extensions right here, which open up the performance and design potentialities even additional on your on-line retailer. Whereas many of those are premium instruments, they’re very fairly priced and assist you to piece collectively particular options moderately than pay for ones you don’t want.
The add-ons accessible with Wix range broadly on the subject of pricing. Some can be found without cost, others as month-to-month subscriptions. For instance, the Google Advertisements & Google Procuring app prices $39.99 per 30 days with Wix. The same WooCommerce extension, Google Listings and Advertisements, is obtainable without cost.
All in all, WooCommerce is a way more cost-effective answer, whether or not you’re simply beginning out or working an enterprise-level enterprise.
migrate from Wix to WooCommerce
If you have already got an present web site on Wix and are able to migrate to WooCommerce, this part’s for you! There are a number of totally different paths you’ll be able to take right here, and the proper alternative will rely in your particular wants and expertise degree. Regardless, you’ll first have to:
- Select your personal internet hosting plan. Your internet hosting supplier will home your web site information and make it attainable for folks to see your web site on-line.
- Set up WordPress and WooCommerce. Hottest hosts embody one-click WordPress installations. WooCommerce additionally comes with an easy-to-use setup wizard that can stroll you thru the method of beginning your retailer.
Now, let’s have a look at a number of methods emigrate from Wix to WooCommerce.
Be aware: Since Wix is a proprietary system, there’s not a method to export your web site as an entire and import it to a different platform like WordPress. So this course of will concentrate on migrating knowledge, equivalent to weblog submit content material and pictures, moderately than the design of your web site.
1. Manually migrate your on-line retailer
Wish to sort out the migration by yourself? No drawback! Listed here are the steps you need to take:
Export your Wix weblog content material
The very first thing you need to do is export your weblog content material from Wix, which you’ll do utilizing your web site’s RSS feed. In case you haven’t already, you’ll want so as to add an RSS feed button to your present web site. Navigate to a web page within the Wix Editor and click on the + button on the left-hand facet. Choose Weblog → RSS Button, choose the one you’d like, and add it to the web page. Save your adjustments.
Now, open your RSS feed by going to https://instance.com/blog-feed.xml, changing “instance.com” together with your web site’s URL. It will present you a web page of code. Proper-click, select Save As, and obtain the file to your pc.
Import your weblog content material into WordPress
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Instruments → Import. Then, select Set up Now beneath the RSS possibility.
Subsequent, select Run Importer. On the web page that follows, add the file that you simply saved out of your Wix web site and click on Add file and import. Now, you’ll be able to go to Posts → All Posts and look at all the weblog posts you imported.
Nevertheless, this import didn’t embody any of the weblog submit’s photos. To maneuver your photos, you’ll want to make use of a plugin known as Auto Add Pictures. Go forward and set up and activate this device in your WordPress web site.
To put in any plugin from the WordPress repository, just like the one above, you’ll go to Plugins → Add New. Then, you’ll be able to seek for the plugin by title, click on Set up now after which Activate.
Now, return to Posts → All Posts and open the Display Choices dropdown on the prime of the dashboard. Change the “Variety of objects per web page” area to “999” and click on Apply.
It will present 999 weblog posts per web page. In case you have greater than 999 posts in your web site, you’ll nonetheless have to take the subsequent step on a number of pages.
Now, verify the clean checkbox subsequent to the Title area to pick out all of the posts on the web page.
Select Edit from the Bulk actions dropdown and click on Apply. Now, merely click on the blue Replace button and all the photos might be introduced in from Wix for these posts.
Export your Wix merchandise
Now, it’s time to maneuver your merchandise. In your Wix dashboard, go to the Merchandise tab. Click on the checkbox on the prime left to pick out your whole merchandise. Click on Extra Actions → Export.
It will obtain a .CSV file to your pc that you would be able to now import into your WooCommerce web site.
Import your merchandise into WooCommerce
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Instruments → Import and select Run Importer beneath the WooCommerce Merchandise (CSV) possibility.
Add the product .CSV file you downloaded earlier, then click on Proceed.
Subsequent, on the Column Mapping display screen, WooCommerce will match the columns out of your .CSV file to WooCommerce product fields. It’s possible you’ll want to attach a few of these by yourself, which you are able to do with the dropdowns on the proper facet of the web page.
Now, click on Run the Importer and await the method to complete. On this case, you’ll now have to manually add your product photos to every particular person product.
What about pages? Sadly, Wix doesn’t provide a method to export web page content material in any respect, so that you’ll have to recreate these in WordPress from scratch.
2. Rent a developer emigrate your ecommerce retailer
In case you don’t need to sort out the steps above by yourself, you’ll be able to all the time rent a developer to handle the whole lot for you. They can’t solely migrate your Wix retailer to WooCommerce, they will additionally design your web site as an entire and get you began on the proper foot. It is a nice possibility if you wish to focus extra in your merchandise and advertising than your retailer setup.
The WooExpert Market is a good place to search out the proper developer on your wants. You’ll be able to view an inventory of companies completely vetted by WooCommerce, then filter them based mostly on language, price range, location, and extra.
3. Simplify the method with the Cart2Cart device
The Cart2Cart extension takes care of nearly all of the migration be just right for you, with out requiring you to rent a developer. And if you happen to’re unsure if it’s going to work on your scenario, you’ll be able to check the device at completely no price.
Right here’s an inventory of only a few issues that you would be able to migrate with Cart2Cart:
- Product names, SKUs, descriptions, costs, variations, and pictures.
- Stock administration info like amount and availability.
- website positioning knowledge like meta descriptions and titles.
- Buyer and order info like title, cost methodology, order date, and extra.
- Coupon codes.
- Weblog posts and pictures.
You’ll be able to see a full checklist of migration knowledge right here. There are additionally extra providers you’ll be able to make the most of, like preserving order IDs and organising 301 redirects.
Pricing varies relying in your particular retailer, and relies on the variety of merchandise, orders, and clients you might have, in addition to any add-ons you resolve to buy. You need to use the useful device on the backside of this web page to get an estimate.
You’ll be able to full the complete migration from Wix to WooCommerce in three easy steps:
- Select your Supply (Wix) and Goal (WooCommerce) platforms.
- Choose the info you need to switch.
- Run an elective, free demo migration or proceed with the complete migration.
Then, simply await the method to complete. Not pleased with the outcomes? You gained’t need to pay something!
What do I do after migrating my knowledge?
Now that you simply’ve moved your web site and product knowledge from Wix to WooCommerce, you’ll have to construct and design the remainder of your on-line retailer. This useful article about beginning an internet enterprise supplies all the main points it is advisable create your pages, design your ecommerce web site, add any extensions you’d like, and extra.
As soon as your web site is strictly the place you’d prefer it to be, simply level your area title from Wix to WordPress. It will enable guests to see your new web site once they kind your URL into their browser. Whereas the method of doing this can rely in your area title supplier and host, Bluehost has a tutorial right here that’s an excellent instance of the method.
Steadily requested questions on WooCommerce vs. Wix
In case you nonetheless have questions on shifting from Wix to WordPress and WooCommerce, or the comparisons of Wix vs. WooCommerce, we need to assist! Discover solutions to regularly requested questions under.
Can you employ WooCommerce with Wix?
No, WooCommerce and Wix should not suitable with each other. WooCommerce is a plugin that provides ecommerce performance to a WordPress web site, whereas Wix is a proprietary web site builder platform.
How do I import a product from Wix to WooCommerce?
You’ve got a number of choices to maneuver merchandise from Wix to WooCommerce. The primary is to export a .CSV checklist of your merchandise from Wix, then import that .CSV file into your WooCommerce retailer. The import device included with WooCommerce will work to map the fields for every product (e.g. value, title, description, and many others.). This methodology is totally free, however does require some work in your finish.
Your second possibility is to rent a developer emigrate merchandise for you. Whereas that is the costliest alternative, it’s additionally essentially the most hands-off, and lets you concentrate on different features of working what you are promoting.
Lastly, you should use the Cart2Cart extension emigrate your knowledge from Wix to WooCommerce. Whereas this can be a premium device, it’s extra reasonably priced than hiring a developer, and requires little or no work in your finish.
Is it higher to make use of Wix or WordPress?
With regards to WooCommerce vs. Wix, the platform you select on your on-line retailer will rely in your particular wants. However for almost all of shops, WordPress and WooCommerce are a greater possibility. They provide extra flexibility, scalability, and management than Wix. They usually’re extra reasonably priced and supply entry to an unequalled neighborhood of builders and retailer house owners.
Migrate from Wix to WordPress and WooCommerce
In case you’ve determined to maneuver your on-line retailer to WooCommerce, welcome! We’re right here to assist with something that you simply want. An ideal place to get began is with our documentation, which may present solutions to any questions you’ll have.
Wish to see what others are doing with WooCommerce? Try ecommerce shops that cowl all totally different industries, all of that are utilizing WooCommerce to develop their enterprise.
