Last updated on December 9th, 2025 at 09:42 am
Running an online business is way more than building a simple website to display what you sell. It’s way more than that. It’s more about keeping up with the pace of your business and also with the preferences of your customers and prospects altogether. Most store owners find it easy to start with Wix or Volusion, as the initial cost is quite reasonable. But, if you have been running the store for a while now, you must be aware of the difference between the display or sticker price and the actual ownership cost of running an online store.
On paper, the cost of both these platforms seems lower, but in practice, the hidden costs of keeping it running smoothly, lost sales, developer fees, and wasted time all negatively impact your business. Shopify, on the other hand, is immune to all these inefficiencies. It rather complements your business growth and adapts to your daily operations. Let’s take a look at the hidden costs that ultimately compel business owners to consider another suitable option sooner or later.
Volusion: You Pay More Against the Least Possible Functionality
No doubt Volusion was once among the most desired e-commerce platforms, but unfortunately, it didn’t keep up with the evolution of the e-commerce world and was left far behind the modern buyers. In a competitive business world, these lags amount to lost sales and other direct costs, justifying the move from Volusion to Shopify.
Old-school Technology
As mentioned earlier, Volusion was a great choice at that time, but it didn’t keep up with the fast-paced e-commerce world and missed various changes that today incur additional costs. Its frequent security patches, outdated code, and lack of innovation don’t attract the modern buyer or even the store owner.
Customization Barrier
Once you set up a store, there are numerous modifications you need to make to keep it running smoothly. The default UX doesn’t meet all your operational requirements, and these add-ons in Volusion require hours or even days of complex coding by professional developers, whereas in Shopify, this can be achieved with a mere App or plug-in.
Limited Functionality
Its basic version lacks numerous functionalities that an operational store requires on a day-to-day basis. You are compelled to pay for workarounds or expensive third-party tools to connect with shipping, payments, or marketing platforms that are basic requirements.
Barred Innovation
Unlike Shopify, the updates on this particular platform are no longer available, despite the ever-evolving requirements of this highly competitive world. Its roadmap is stagnant, so as a business owner, you’re spending on a platform that has left innovation and has a bleak future.
All these factors combined turn these inefficiencies into hidden costs that cripple your business’s growth and keep you out of the race. So, a business owner might think he is saving around $ 50 to $ 100 a month in fees, but he’s spending thousands annually in lost time and sales.
Wix: Great for Starting, not Scaling
Wix is undoubtedly quite feasible for startups and small businesses. However, it instantly starts lagging with growth and scaling. If you plan to migrate from Wix to Shopify, see why you must do it instantly.
Performance Bottlenecks
Initially, it may perform well, but the moment you expand your product catalog, the page load speed dramatically slows down. It’s a major drawback, and users don’t like staying on such laggy websites, which means lost sales.
Marketing Limitations
The advanced SEO campaigns and other marketing features, automation, and campaign-level reporting are not as robust as those found in Shopify’s extensive ecosystem. Therefore, you must pay the additional costs of apps and tools to fill the gap.
Unfit for Scalabilitby
As we discussed earlier, this is a quite reasonable platform for small businesses; however, when it comes to scaling, Wix falls short. This becomes problematic, especially in areas such as inventory management, checkout customization, and omnichannel sales.
Shopify: A Wholesome Package for Design, Performance, and Scaling
We have already discussed in detail the lags and inefficiencies of Volusion and Wix. But when it comes to Shopify, its native infrastructure and design help you save on many fronts. The real difference becomes apparent in operational efficiency.
Massive Ecosystem
Payment apps, logistics, and marketing tools are all integrated into one platform. So it means you require minimal additional tools and third-party apps to perform basic business operations.
Ever new Updates
This is likely the most significant advantage of this platform. Shopify has consistently adapted to the evolving e-commerce landscape, never leaving its users behind by introducing essential features that are crucial in today’s modern e-commerce business world.
Scalability
Shopify’s basic version can comfortably suffice for your average day-to-day business operations and scalability. With more growth there comes Shopify Plus, which comfortably caters to the needs of mid-sized and even large businesses.
Huge Community and Support
Shopify has developed a massive community over the years and offers instant support 24/7. It means reduced barriers and immediate solutions to problems. So you spend less time problem-solving and more time making money.
Net Hidden Cost of Sticking with Old Platforms
Migration is a major decision for any business owner, and an average business strategically takes decisions to stick with the same platform for a predefined period of time, irrespective of the fact that they constantly keep losing every month by sticking with these old-school platforms that compel you to pay hefty amounts on third-party apps.
In rough calculations, you may not realize the actual hidden costs until you switch and encounter the instant benefits of an efficient platform like Shopify. So the longer you delay the migration, the higher the opportunity cost.
Conclusion: Overcoming the Illusion of Cheap
Volusion and Wix both project themselves as the most affordable ecommerce platforms, which undoubtedly appears to be true in the short term, and that too only for start-ups and small-scale businesses. However, in the long run, technical costs, developer fees, lost sales, and the need for third-party apps accumulate over time, making these initially inexpensive platforms extremely expensive.
Shopify, on the other hand, may not be the cheapest substitute available upfront, but it reduces many hidden costs that would otherwise linger until your stay. Its clean coding, massive design maneuvers, smooth operability, and enormous ecosystem prepare you well for future growth and keep you equipped with all desired features through native integrations or sophisticated apps and plug-ins that seamlessly sync with your setup.
The hidden cost of sticking with Volusion and Wix isn’t only financial, but also in terms of momentum and overall approach. So, better take a timely decision and keep up with the evolving ecommerce world.
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