Website design and builder firm Wix has enhanced its ecommerce solution by adding a number of tools and capabilities, taking aim at market leader Shopify by giving SMBs an entire raft of tools to set up and run their e-shop without breaking the bank.
“The new Wix ecommerce update provides all of the must-haves and tools for merchants to promote and grow their businesses online,” said Liat Karpel Gurwicz, head of ecommerce marketing for Wix. “Our competitors reserve many of these must-have capabilities for their largest, enterprise-level customers, charging thousands of dollars. So, Wix is really delivering an enterprise-level product for small and mid-sized merchants.”
Citi analyst Nicholas Jones said the Wix announcement was “favorable given the current macroeconomic backdrop and the accelerated trends benefiting ecommerce,” according to Seeking Alpha. Jones added the new services should help Wix compete with Shopify and “fuel continued elevated demand.”
Wix says it powers 170,000 registered users worldwide, compared to 250,000 for Adobe’s Magento and 100,000 for BigCommerce. Shopify said it had north of 1 million merchants on its platform as of October 2019. Shopify has been stepping up its post-click game as well, acquiring robotics provider 6 River Systems last fall and launching a fulfillment network for SMBs a year ago.
Gurwicz said the global COVID-19 pandemic and the associated explosion in online sales drove the company to enhance its ecommerce offering.
“With more and more businesses moving online, we’re committed to providing them with the services they need to thrive,” she said. “Over the past few months, we accelerated bringing our new ecommerce solutions to market.”
Features on Wix’s enhanced ecommerce offering include the ability to create an online store with a customizable branded storefront, cart and checkout; support for subscription commerce; drop shipping integration with Modalyst; multi-language and multi-currency support; integration with warehouse and 3PL services; automated sales tax calculations with Avalara; integrated payment management; integration with social media and marketplaces; streamlined order and fulfillment management; and integration with the U.S. Postal Service, offering volume discounts up to 70%.
The ecommerce solution can also be extended to Wix’s CRM, web development and recently enhanced web design platforms.
Gurwicz said Wix added the USPS integration based on customer requests, while also integrating with a number of shipping and fulfillment software providers including Shippo, ShipStation, ShipBob, Fetchy, Boxtal and Melhor Envio.