Don’t know whether to buy a premade Shopify store or build it yourself? Well, this decision can lay the groundwork for everything that comes after– your time, estimated budget, and more. If you are weighing premade Shopify store vs custom Shopify store, we’re here to help.
In this blog, we will give you a detailed comparison between the two approaches in terms of cost and time, conversion rate, risk, etc.
After reading this article, you will better understand the pros and cons of purchasing an existing Shopify store vs building your own store and choose the solution that fits you best.
Let’s dive right in!
Contents
1. Overview of Premade Shopify Store vs Custom Shopify Store
So, what are prebuilt stores? As its name already suggests, it is a functional Shopify store that comes with a pre-built store design, page setups, product displays, etc.
Meanwhile, a custom Shopify store is a store with empty configurations. With a custom store, you will have to customize your theme, add products and set up your pages manually.
Compared to a custom Shopify theme, a prebuilt Shopify theme gives you a ready-to-launch shop that you can start selling with no hassles.
That’s why the prebuilt Shopify store service is becoming a go-to solution for those who want to launch an online business with Shopify quickly and conveniently.
2. Buying Pre-Built Shopify Store vs Build Yourself : An Analysis
Are you in a hurry? If so, have a look at our quick comparison of getting a pre-made Shopify store vs building it on your own:
Premade Shopify store | Custom Shopify store | |
Time, effort, and expertise | Within 1-2 days with credible providers like eComStart | Might take weeks or months since there is a learning curve to overcome |
Conversion rates | Optimized with UI-UX and conversion rate best practices in mind. | Most self-custom Shopify stores suffer from poor conversion rates |
Cost efficiency | Premade stores can cost $17 or more, depending on your needs. | Custom stores are free at first. But the real cost can be much higher than buying a prebuilt store. |
Customization | Prebuilt stores come with pre-configured layouts, apps, etc., which can be customizable. | You have complete control over customization options with a custom store. |
Risk and investment | Thanks to its low cost and fast launch time, launching a shop with a prebuilt store is low risk. | You will risk wasting tons of time and budget if things don’t go according to plan. |
2.1. Time, Effort & ExpertiseÂ
Verdict: Premade Shopify store wins in the sense that it allows you to save loads of time and effort.
With a prebuilt Shopify store, you can bring your idea to life in literal days. For instance, when you purchase a prebuilt Shopify store from eComStart, we will deliver you a ready-to-launch shop within 1-2 days.
By contrast, building a Shopify store from scratch will cut deeply into your time budget. Despite its ease of use, Shopify’s diverse features and theme editing interface do come with a learning curve. This means building your own custom store will take weeks or even months.
For instance, to add a feature that a Shopify theme doesn’t offer out of the box, you will need to tweak the code or install a third-party app (which also comes with a learning curve for its own sake). This means you have to possess technical expertise to customize a functional web store with Shopify manually.
2.2. Conversion Rates
Verdict: The prebuilt Shopify store overshadows the custom Shopify store in this area as well. The bitter truth with custom Shopify stores is that most of them are not optimized properly for conversions.
Indeed, there are tons of eCommerce ‘freshers’ who claimed that they were really struggling to convert visitors into sales.
Unlike custom Shopify stores, prebuilt Shopify stores are often optimized with UI-UX and conversion rate best practices in mind. For instance, with eComStart’s trending Shopify stores for sale, you will get a whole package of sale-driven apps, responsive design, and even SEO optimization.
Take this prebuilt store; we not only add a language switcher to localize the store for international shoppers but also add a lead capture pop-up to help you grow your email subscribers.
2.3. Cost EfficiencyÂ
Verdict: Again, the prebuilt Shopify store defeats the custom store in the cost aspect as well. Yes, custom stores are free at first. But as you scale, the increasing costs will add up very quickly and eat into your profit margin.
You might think that the cost to purchase a prebuilt Shopify store would be a few hundred dollars. But that’s not true. This cost actually varies depending on your requirements and expectations.
That’s why you will be surprised to know that at eComStart, the cost of a prebuilt Shopify store for $17, which is much more budget-friendly than $200 to $300 charged by other providers.
Regarding the cost of custom Shopify store, don’t let its free tag fool you into thinking you are getting a store at zero fees. From our experience, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a custom Shopify store can be much higher.
To build a functional and visually appealing store, you may need a premium template ($100 to $460 per one-time purchase) and paid apps ($10 to $300+ per month). And if you need to add an extra feature or custom design, you will have to cash out for outsourcing cost, which costs at least $80/hour.
To sum up, the total cost of ownership (TCO) with a self-custom Shopify store can reach $1000+ for an initial setup and $2000+ for monthly expenses.
💡 Relevant reading: How much to pay someone to set up a Shopify store?
2.4. CustomizationÂ
Verdict: Regarding the customization aspect of a prebuilt Shopify store or custom built Shopify store, the custom store comes out as the winner this time (but it is a close one).
Obviously, with a custom store, you can have complete control over your store design and customize it to your liking. However, to fully customize your Shopify store, you might need to tweak Shopify’s Liquid code*, which can potentially affect your theme code and take lots of time.
*Shopify Liquid is a template language used by Shopify to enable merchants to deeply modify their store’s appearance.
While the premade Shopify store comes pre-configured with pre-designed layouts and pre-installed apps, you can still customize your store, adjust your product displays, etc., after receiving your ready-to-launch shop.
2.5. Risk & InvestmentÂ
Verdict: Still can’t decide whether to buy pre made Shopify store or build from scratch? Well, with its low risk and high return on investment (ROI), prebuilt store wins again.
With a prebuilt store, you will only need to invest from $17 to have a functional store delivered to you in 1-2 days. This means you can test out your dropshipping products and audience with an optimized store before committing your time or money to it.
By contrast, building a store from scratch would require weeks of effort and hundreds of dollars, which unfortunately don’t necessarily translate into success. In other words, if your store doesn’t make a huge hit as you dream, you will waste tons of your valuable time and resources.
3. Conclusion
So, is buying prebuilt store better? Well, it depends. At the end of the day, it all boils down to your expertise and time budget.
If you have hands-on experience in building a full-fledged Shopify eCommerce website, self-custom Shopify stores might be a more suitable choice.
By contrast, if you’re a newbie just getting started, a prebuilt Shopify store should be your go-to choice thanks to its cost and time efficiency.
If you’re weighing between premade Shopify store vs custom Shopify store, the eComStart team hopes you can choose the method that better aligns with your demand and budget.
Remember to check out eComStart.io to get free access to the latest eCommerce resources to launch, scale, and optimize your online business for success.
4. Frequently asked questions
