Decoding the Numbers: WooCommerce vs Shopify

When it comes to the world of eCommerce, two giants stand out: WooCommerce and Shopify. These two platforms have revolutionized the way businesses operate online, enabling non-technical individuals to create stunning, high-converting online stores from scratch. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the data, exploring market shares and essential statistics related to WooCommerce and Shopify. This comparison will help you make an informed choice when selecting your preferred eCommerce platform.

WooCommerce Market Share

About WooCommerce

Before we dive into statistics, let’s get acquainted with WooCommerce. It’s a renowned eCommerce plugin designed for the WordPress platform, which boasts a staggering 64.3% of the CMS market share globally. In fact, WordPress powers over 35 million websites worldwide, with WooCommerce being adopted by more than 10% of these sites. This synergy with WordPress is a testament to WooCommerce’s strength as a standalone eCommerce platform.

Key WooCommerce Statistics in 2023

• Top 1 Million Sites: Among the top 1 million eCommerce sites, WooCommerce’s market share rises to an impressive 26%, establishing it as a top choice for high-traffic eCommerce websites.
• Market Dominance: WooCommerce holds a substantial market share of 25% among eCommerce platforms, powering over 3.5 million websites worldwide.
• Rapid Downloads: WooCommerce achieved 500,000 downloads in just 16 months from its launch and reached 1 million downloads within an additional 137 days.
• Impressive Downloads: As of now, the WooCommerce plugin has been downloaded a remarkable 211 million times, attesting to its widespread use.
• Download Milestone: In November 2014, WooCommerce crossed the significant milestone of 5 million total downloads.
• Widespread Usage: More than 6.5 million websites incorporate various WooCommerce elements, underlining its versatility and wide adoption.
• WordPress Integration: Over 10% of all WordPress sites utilize WooCommerce, making it a preferred choice for WordPress users.
• GMV Estimate: Conservative estimates place the Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) generated by WooCommerce stores at $11.8 billion in 2019.
• Multilingual Support: The WooCommerce plugin is available in a staggering 66 languages, catering to a diverse global audience.
• Community Involvement: A thriving community of more than 1,100 contributors has actively participated in WooCommerce’s development on the GitHub repository, resulting in over 350 releases and an impressive 50,000 total commits.
• Record Sales: In 2020, Matt Mullenweg revealed that the total sales from WooCommerce stores surpassed $20 billion, indicating its substantial contribution to eCommerce.
• Inception Date: The initial version of the WooCommerce plugin was introduced on September 27, 2011, featuring nine extensions and six themes.
• Rich Plugin Ecosystem: With over 6,000 WooCommerce plugins available on the WordPress plugin directory, customization possibilities are virtually limitless.
• Abundant Themes: The WordPress theme directory features more than 1,500 WooCommerce themes, offering extensive design options.
• WordPress Sub-platform Dominance: WooCommerce reigns as the most popular WordPress sub-platform, commanding a substantial 20.3% market share, surpassing competitors like Elementor (17.8%) and WP Bakery (14.1%).
• Theme Variety: ThemeForest offers a vast selection of over 1,300 WooCommerce themes, ensuring a tailored look for every store.
• Extensions Galore: The WooCommerce Extensions Store boasts an array of over 700 free and paid extensions, enhancing the platform’s functionality.

Shopify Market Share

About Shopify

Unlike WooCommerce, Shopify stands as a standalone website-building platform focused primarily on creating online stores. With 28% of the total eCommerce platform market share, Shopify leads the way in the world of eCommerce. Additionally, it holds the title of the second-largest CMS platform by market share, surpassing competitors like Wix and Squarespace.

Key Shopify Statistics in 2023

• Global Presence: Shopify powers over 3.9 million live websites, establishing a strong global presence.
• Explosive Growth: From its humble beginnings in 2012 with around 41,000 users, Shopify has seen exponential growth, boasting nearly 4 million Shopify sellers by 2022.
• Market Dominance: Among the top 1 million websites worldwide (not limited to eCommerce sites), 20,000 are built on Shopify, comprising over 2% of this expansive market.
• Impressive GMV: In 2021, Shopify merchants generated an astounding $175.4 billion in Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV).
• Historical Impact: Nearly 6 million websites have either currently or historically utilized Shopify’s services.
• Conversion Prowess: The average conversion rate for Shopify stores stands at 1.4%, while the top 10% of stores achieve an impressive average conversion rate of 4.7%.
• Pandemic Surge: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Shopify stores tripled. According to Genius AI, between March 2020 and January 2022, more than 2.5 million new sites went live, marking a remarkable increase of 201.53%.
• International Reach: Shopify stores are found in over 175 countries across the globe, attesting to its international appeal.
• Regional Leaders: The United States leads the pack with 2.5 million Shopify stores, followed by the United Kingdom with 166 thousand stores.
• New Store Success: By the end of 2021, more than half of Shopify’s GMV came from stores launched in 2019 or later, reflecting the platform’s sustained growth.
• App Ecosystem: Shopify offers a rich ecosystem with over 7,700 apps available on the Shopify App Store, enhancing store functionality and customization.
• Global Brands: Shopify hosts some of the world’s most prominent brands, including  Louis Vuitton, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, Nestlé, Moet Hennessy (LMVH), Tesla, Red Bull, Kraft Heinz, and Fitbit.

Data source for Shopify:  Littledata, BuiltWith, Genius AI, Shopify App Store, Shopify , Insider Monkey
Data source for Woocommerce: WordPress, WooCommerce, BuiltWith, ThemeForest, W3Techs, WooCommerce/WooSesh, GitHub, CodeCanyon

WooCommerce vs Shopify: What’s the Best Ecommerce Platform?

Both WooCommerce and Shopify offer robust solutions for eCommerce businesses, collectively powering more than half of all eCommerce websites globally. When choosing between these two giants, the decision often comes down to personal preference.

Shopify boasts a wider array of apps and plugins tailored for eCommerce, although WooCommerce benefits from the vast WordPress plugin ecosystem, offering over 50,000 plugins and countless integrations. While Shopify is slightly less technical, both platforms are user-friendly and require no coding knowledge.

It’s worth noting that WooCommerce is free to use, making it an attractive option for new and small businesses. In contrast, Shopify requires a paid subscription.

Bottom Line

The eCommerce realm is undeniably thriving, with WooCommerce and Shopify standing tall as industry frontrunners. The decision between these two giants hinges on your unique business requisites and personal inclinations. But remember, in this ever-evolving eCommerce landscape, harnessing the right tools is crucial for success.

With over 211 million downloads and an extensive plugin ecosystem, WooCommerce offers boundless customization options to suit your brand’s identity and growth aspirations.

On the other hand, Shopify’s remarkable $175.4 billion GMV in 2021, combined with its global presence in over 175 countries, showcases its potential to fuel your online business’s expansion.

So, whether you’re inclined towards WooCommerce’s WordPress integration or Shopify’s international reach, one thing is clear: eCommerce is the future. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to thrive in this dynamic marketplace.

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