SHOPIFY VS WORDPRESS FOR THE CANNABIS + HEMP INDUSTRY

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Here in the land of e-commerce, we find ourselves overwhelmed with choosing the “right” app or platform for our online store. Well, we’ve got news for you, it’s not that one platform is necessarily better than the others, it's more about which one is the right fit for your business, your demographic and most importantly your industry.

We’ve narrowed down the pros and cons for Shopify and Woocommerce to give you, the client, a better understanding of what you’re getting into when choosing one or the other for your cannabis, hemp, cbd or cbg brand.

We’re experts on both, so it really depends what route you’d like to take. 

Let’s begin with Shopify

Photo Cred: Shopify.com

Photo Cred: Shopify.com

Photo Cred: Shopify.com

Photo Cred: Shopify.com


Shopify Pros

  1. You wont need a developer to get your business website going since Shopify provides you with: 

    • Web hosting

    • Quick-start store themes

    • Includes numerous out of the box features (such as coupon codes, inventory tracking, SEO, points of sale, an SSL certificate, and abandoned cart campaigns, just to name a few).

  2. Offers a range of plans customized for start-ups to enterprise-level businesses.

  3. Quick time-to-launch. 

  4. You can make it as simple or as custom (we’ll throw in the developer for that) as you’d like. 

Navigate our web portfolio

Shopify Cons

  1. Payment Methods:
    While Shopify itself is currently cannabis-friendly, many of the payment gateways it provides are not (e.g., PayPal and Stripe). Cannabis-related transactions are labelled as “high risk,” especially in the US where recreational marijuana is still illegal in most states. Therefore, there are few options and some negatives involved for processing credit cards online for Shopify cannabis stores:

    • Transaction fees – Shopify takes up to 2.9% plus 30 cents per each credit card transaction unless you use “Shopify Payments” powered by Stripe, which currently won’t process any cannabis-related transactions.

    • Lower Conversion Rates: You will mostly likely have to create redirects at checkout to cannabis-friendly payment processors, which may result in lower conversion rates.

    • Custom Developments: You can integrate tailored options, but this will require custom integration and much needed help from a developer.

    • Drop-shipping App Integration: Over 90% of the drop-shipping companies catered to the industry operate through Stripe when used through Shopify. However, if used in Wordpress through WooCommerce, you’re able to integrate other payment method’s API’s.

  2. Overall Vulnerability:
    Within Shopify you are subject to their rules and regulations regarding products and payment providers as well as their subscription-based pricing, all of which could change at any point in time.

Navigate our web portfolio

WooCommerce Pros

  1. Free to use – no monthly fees (for the basic WooCommerce plugin – extensions are extra).

  2. Cannabis-Specific WordPress Plugins: When comparing Shopify vs WooCommerce for online cannabis sales, WooCommerce features cannabis-specific WordPress plugins, such as ones that integrate proper information on your products such as aromas, flavors, effects, and THC and CBD amounts.

  3. No Additional CC Fees: WooCommerce faces similar challenges regarding payment gateways that will process cannabis transactions; however, there will be no credit card transaction fees collected outside of those charged by the payment gateways used. 

    • Additionally, some cannabis-friendly payment gateways offer WordPress plugins that don’t require a redirect for payment, likely increasing conversion rates and eliminating the need for custom development.

    • We recently heard the news about Square payments:

      “We believe everyone should be able to participate and thrive in the economy,” Square said in a blog post. “Today, we’re thrilled to launch our CBD early-access program, which allows businesses in the U.S. to sell CBD products on Square quickly, easily, and securely.”

  4. You Own Your Content: You will personally own the content you create on the platform.

Some Extension/Plugins Examples:

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  1. Developers Are a Must: Requires more initial web development after selecting a theme.

  2. Paid Plugins: Requires paid plugins for many of the features that are included with Shopify.

  3. Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance: Must be on top of WordPress maintenance – updating version, themes, plugins, etc.

These websites didn’t just build themselves, navigate our web portfolio!

Well, there you have it. Options galore when it comes to choosing your e-commerce for your “high-risk” brand. It really all strictly depends on what resources are most accessible to you and how you’d like to manage your online store. 

If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of business, then we recommend starting off with Shopify and integrating a payment method that will allow you to sell your products hassle free. 

If you have the means to invest in a solution that will be more costly at first, but allow you to find freedom in the way your products are processed, then we recommend shooting for a WordPress site with a WooCommerce integration. 

Whether you’re thinking of choosing one or the other, we’ve got you covered. Our team is experienced in handling both platforms, guiding you through the process and making sure your e-commerce is in line with your brand. 

If you think your e-commerce is in trouble because of the parameters mentioned above, just contact us! We’ll conduct a no-obligation web audit, completely free of charge to you. 

We want your cannabis-derived business to succeed as much as you do!

One love, 

The Stalkers

The Stalker Creatives