X-Cart vs. Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: Which Is the Best Fit for Your Automotive Website?

In this age of online shopping, an eCommerce website has become a must-have for auto parts retail businesses. And, since the performance of your web store is primarily determined by the software you use, the shopping cart solution can literally make or break your online sales.

This is why choosing the right eCommerce platform for your automotive website is not a decision to make off the top of your head. In addition to high maintenance costs, low website performance, lack of customization options, and other issues that online businesses risk facing with improper eCommerce software, there comes another challenge. Despite a wide range of popular website builders available on the market, few of them are tailored to the automotive industry’s needs.

In this article, we’ll dive into the main features, automotive-specific tools, and technical capabilities of the three eCommerce platforms – Shopify vs. Shopify Plus, and X-Cart – to help you know the difference and aid you in your search for the ideal solution for your auto parts online store.  

What Is X-Cart?

X-Cart is a highly scalable, API-driven eCommerce platform designed explicitly for auto parts online businesses, providing a comprehensive suite of automotive-specific features and tools.

What automotive businesses get with X-Cart Automotive:  

• automated product data feed due to direct integrations with the leading auto parts data networks, such as SEMA, ASAP, and AutoSync
• automated catalog management, including scheduled parts data import and regular updates;
• limitless number of SKUs;
• transparent website navigation with smart search and filtering options (including native Year/Make/Model search and VIN lookup);
• ready-made integrations with automotive warehouse distributors: Turn 14 Distribution, Keystone Automotive Operations, Wheel Pros, ATD, and more to come!;
• powerful web hosting;
• automotive website design optimized for mobile experiences;
• integrations with over 120 payment gateways, such as PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Pay, and more (X-Cart does not apply any transaction fees)
• X-Cart Storefront API for the custom look and feel of your online store;
• integrations with Avalara, Mailchimp, Auctane, and other key eCommerce players

Technical support: X-Cart provides personalized 24/7 customer support via email and phone to guide you through each stage of building, setting up, and maintaining your online store. Plus, we provide additional onboarding training for our automotive clients, offering four hours of onboarding calls with a customer success manager and a technical support engineer absolutely for free.

At X-Cart, we also provide professional services, such as an in-house developer team, SEO assistance, and custom website design creation.

It should be noted, however, that complicated systems, such as X-Cart Automotive, may have a longer time-to-market than SaaS-based website builders, but a shorter time-to-value compensates for this.

What Is a Shopify Store?

Shopify is a popular SaaS-based, fully-hosted eCommerce platform that promises faster time-to-market for retail newbies who are just starting to sell online. It has three core pricing tiers to choose from: Basic, Shopify for small businesses, and Advanced Shopify. Due to its low learning curve and user-friendly interface, most small businesses and start-ups find Shopify very attractive.

What online sellers get with Shopify:

• faster time-to-market
• ease of use and set-up
• up to 100,000 SKUs
• mobile-friendly design themes
• Shopify POS Pro for selling in-person (available at additional cost)
• access to the Shopify app store with free and paid third-party plugins

Technical support: Shopify offers support to its customers through email, phone, or live chat for all plans.

Unfortunately, there is also a “fly in the ointment” – transaction fees applied by Shopify for third-party payment gateways based on the retailer’s sales volume. In addition, limited software capabilities, lack of customization options, and a restricted number of SKUs might become a blocker for growing your automotive business in the long run.

This is why some online businesses that use Shopify but need more extended functionality, which means customizing their online stores, choose to upgrade to Shopify Plus.

What Is Shopify Plus?

Shopify Plus is the version of Shopify for enterprise-level businesses that positions itself as a solution for merchants and brands who have high levels of annual revenue. With the Shopify Plus plan, online retailers get more features and integrations with shipping software providers, SEO and marketing tools, and automotive-specific solutions, along with the ability to design a mobile-responsive website and access to Shopify’s dedicated support.

What Shopify Plus offers to automotive businesses:

• API integrations with third-party software solutions
• up to 8 million SKUs
• mobile-friendly automotive design templates
• customized checkout
• the low-code Shopify Flow app for automating inventory tasks
• access to the Shopify Plus Partner program for third-party developer, design, and marketing services (available at additional cost)

Technical support: Shopify Plus has 24/7 support and access to personalized and dedicated experts through the Launch Manager feature.

While Shopify Plus is a good option for many businesses, it may not be the greatest solution for online retailers selling in specific niches, such as the automotive aftermarket. The high costs of introducing custom features and maintaining third-party add-ons make Shopify Plus a pretty expensive choice in the long run, not to mention payment processing fees if you use third-party payment providers.

Choosing an Automotive-Centric eCommerce Platform

Your eCommerce platform should understand the needs of the automotive industry, provide excellent technical support, allow for adding new functionality, ensure stable website performance, and ultimately – sell your products! The question is how to choose the one that would meet your expectations without breaking the bank.

While vetting the options, some business owners mostly rely on word of mouth and a recognizable brand name of an eCommerce solution. However, there’s a hitch!

Such website builders are developed to suit all business types and niches. Unfortunately, platforms built with a cookie-cutter approach might not suit automotive eCommerce, as they don’t offer ready-made solutions for the automotive industry’s requirements, causing businesses to balance between their budgets and company goals.

Based on X-Cart’s customer data and feedback, we’ve determined the four pillars of a growth-oriented automotive website builder for key features:

• Agility backed by API-driven technology   
• Native automotive functionality 
• Automotive website design
• SEO and marketing capabilities

We’ve put together the most critical tools and features that make different eCommerce websites builders an ideal fit for your automotive business to help you find out whether Shopify, Shopify Plus, and X-Cart provide the required functionality.

X-Cart vs. Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: Key Differences in Features

1. eCommerce Agility and Customization Options

With a headless eCommerce solution, you can adjust your automotive online store to ever-changing customer expectations and the latest automotive trends, adding the required functionality with less time, money, and effort.

X-Cart: Thanks to adaptable API-driven architecture, X-Cart Automotive allows for combining ready-made integrations with endless customization opportunities, providing online store owners with the tools that answer their unique business specifics and meet the needs of automotive eCommerce.

X-Cart offers businesses robust APIs backed by a professional developer team, which means most of the automotive integrations are built and supported by our software engineers.

Shopify and Shopify Plus: While Shopify lacks versatility when it comes to adding new features and tools to your store, Shopify Plus offers a variety of customization options, including integrations via APIs.

It’s worth noting, however, that Shopify does not have an in-house developer team, so you will need to hire a third-party developer agency. This is why an eCommerce platform with additional development services may be a better option if you require specific features or want complete control over the look and functionality of your store.

2. Native Automotive Functionality

Prebuilt automotive tools ensure better online store performance and are easier (and more affordable!) to update and maintain compared to third-party add-ons. For example, an online shop with an integrated Year/Make/Model search may experience lower website performance and thus limited sales potential compared to an online store with a native YMM search.

X-Cart has built-in Year/Make/Model search and VIN lookup that seamlessly integrate with the website’s design for better website speed, faceted navigation, and accurate real-time product search for auto parts buyers.

Direct partnerships with the key automotive aftermarket industry players, such as SEMA Data, ASAP network, AutoSync, and DCI allow for automated auto parts data feed, making your eCommerce catalogs easier to update and manage, improving fitment accuracy for your customers, reducing the number of abandoned carts, and minimizing returns.

X-Cart provides ready-made integrations with warehouse distributors specializing in various part niches, from wheels and tires to powersports, performance parts, and other automotive components and accessories. 

For example, integration with Turn 14 Distribution enables store owners to directly connect to their T14 accounts to access the extensive auto parts database, upload product data, keep the orders and inventory synchronized, and automatically send new orders from X-Cart to Turn 14 Distribution for fulfillment.

Shopify and Shopify Plus provide third-party integrations with automotive tools to streamline product data and catalog management, automate order fulfillment, and simplify auto parts search. For example, they offer the YMM plugin via Metizsoft Solutions and Partly Group Limited and have integrations with SEMA Data, Turn 14 Distribution, and other automotive software solutions.

The potential issue with third-party automotive plugins may arise while maintaining your whole digital ecosystem, synchronizing it, and ensuring it works smoothly. Turning to third-party agencies for support each time the tool needs updating or adjusting can be daunting, not to mention additional maintenance costs. 

3. Automotive Website Design for Retail Stores

A compelling website is critical for gaining consumer trust from the very moment a customer lands on your storefront. To stand out from the crowd and deliver ultimate user experiences to your car parts buyers, you must pay extra attention to website design creation.

X-Cart offers ready-made themes that are built explicitly for automotive businesses and are optimized for mobile customers.

We can also develop a custom storefront design in line with your brand guidelines with the recently introduced Frontapp, a demo storefront created using the X-Cart Storefront API and the Next.js framework.

X-Cart Frontapp supports various features, such as Cloud Search and filters, Year/Make/Model Search, specialized widgets for automotive products, and has a built-in checkout system. It can be a starting point for designing your unique storefront, freeing developers of coding fundamental components from scratch.

Shopify offers a variety of free and paid design themes to be used immediately. While some themes allow basic customization with HTML and CSS knowledge, Shopify has limited design flexibility overall. This means that using these themes means sharing them with other online stores, which may impact your brand’s uniqueness.

Shopify Plus users can access the merchant success program, which allows for custom design creation by third-party agencies, but this can come with additional costs.

For larger businesses in the automotive sector, standing out from the crowd is crucial for brand recognition. 

Customizing designs and themes is one way to achieve this, which is why limited design flexibility or reliance on third-party design agencies for advanced functionality might not be something you expect from a feature-complete eCommerce platform.

4. SEO Flexibility and Marketing Tools for Business Needs

According to Statista, over nine in ten shoppers (91%!) search for car parts online retailers through search engines. This underscores the importance of having a solid online presence and ranking high on Google Search Page Results to attract potential customers to your online store.

X-Cart: X-Cart provides SEO assistance, where we’ll review your website structure, recommend improvements, analyze your audience behavior and your competition in the search, and develop an efficient SEO strategy to help you get more organic traffic and improve your Google search rankings.

Along with the native marketing features, such as coupons, discounts, abandoned carts’ reminders, and cross-sell and up-sell opportunities, X-Cart offers plenty of SEO and marketing tools available at the X-Cart App Store to help boost business and sales. Integrations such as Google Analytics and Mailchimp are all available for free.

Shopify vs. Shopify Plus: While the SEO basics are the same between Shopify and Shopify Plus, some brands on Shopify Plus will likely face more complex challenges due to more extensive catalog data to manage and optimize. This is where Shopify Plus users can turn to third-party SEO agencies for support.

Shopify and Shopify Plus also offer various ways to improve marketing and help online sellers convert customers, from signing someone up for a newsletter and sending emails to advertising and traffic-generating tools.

X-Cart vs. Shopify vs. Shopify Plus Store: It’s Up to You

Just like you win the race with the right car, you can significantly boost your online visibility and sales growth with the proper automotive eCommerce solution in your corner.

The advantage of using an automotive-centric platform is that it matches your business requirements, ranging from expanding into new areas and optimizing order fulfillment to increasing customer experience and scalability by integrating additional automotive-specific tools. And we are glad to offer you such a solution. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key differences between a standard Shopify plan and Shopify Plus for an automotive parts business?

Basic Shopify plans (like Basic or Advanced Shopify) are fantastic for getting a new eCommerce business off the ground quickly. It’s user-friendly and has the core features you need.

However, as your automotive eCommerce store grows, you might run into limitations. Shopify Plus is the solution designed for enterprise businesses. The key differences really come down to scalability and customization. Shopify Plus offers advanced features like the ability to handle a much larger catalog, greater checkout customization using custom scripts and checkout extensibility, and access to exclusive tools like Shopify Flow for automating tasks. It’s built for high-volume merchants who might even need to manage multiple Shopify stores.

My automotive parts store is growing fast. How do I decide when to upgrade from the Shopify Advanced plan to Shopify Plus?

The right time often comes down to four things: volume, customization, support, and expansion.

• Volume: Are you pushing the limits of your advanced Shopify plan? If your sales volume is high and you’re experiencing performance lags, it’s time to consider the higher price tag of Shopify Plus for its robust infrastructure.
• Customization: Do you need more control over your checkout pages or want to run complex custom scripts for things like shipping rules or wholesale pricing for wholesale customers? The checkout customization in Shopify Plus is far superior.
• Support: As a Shopify Plus merchant, you get priority support, often including a dedicated merchant success manager or dedicated account manager to help you strategize and grow.
• Expansion: Are you planning to launch expansion stores for multiple brands or regions? Shopify Plus makes it much easier to manage multiple stores from a single Shopify account.

What’s the real story with transaction fees? How do X-Cart and Shopify Payments compare?

With any Shopify plan, if you use their native Shopify Payments, the fees are straightforward. However, if you choose to use a third-party payment gateway (and there are many good reasons to), Shopify charges additional transaction fees on top of what the payment processor charges. These fees can eat into your margins, especially as you scale.

X-Cart takes a different approach. It integrates with over 120 payment gateways (like PayPal, Stripe, etc.) and does not charge any extra transaction fees. You only pay the standard rate from your chosen payment provider. For a high-volume automotive store, this can lead to significant savings over time.

Can a basic Shopify store handle the specific needs of an automotive business, like Year/Make/Model search?

While a basic Shopify store is a powerful tool, it doesn’t come with automotive-specific features like Year/Make/Model (YMM) search built in. To get this crucial eCommerce functionality, you’ll need to rely on third-party apps from the Shopify app store.

This is a major difference when you look at an automotive-centric platform like X-Cart, which has native YMM and VIN lookup search built right in. Native features tend to be faster, more reliable, and better integrated into the website’s design and performance, which is vital for providing a good user experience and keeping your fitment data accurate.

What are my options for customization and professional services on these platforms?

Your business needs for customization will definitely guide your choice here.

• Shopify offers custom themes, but deep customization is limited without significant coding knowledge or hiring help.
• Shopify Plus opens the door to much more advanced customization (like custom workflows with Shopify Flow) but relies on you hiring a third-party developer from their Partner program for the implementation.
• X-Cart is an API-driven platform built for customization. It allows for deep changes and offers professional services with an in-house developer team. This means the people who built the platform can also build your custom integrations or unique storefront, which is a huge advantage for creating a seamless eCommerce website.

My online sales strategy involves managing a huge catalog from distributors like Turn 14. How do these platforms handle that?

On both Shopify vs. Shopify Plus, you can integrate with warehouse distributors, but these are typically paid, third-party custom apps or integrations. You’ll need to manage these connections and the potential costs associated with them.

X-Cart, on the other hand, is built for this. It has free, direct, and ready-made integrations with major automotive warehouse distributors like Turn 14 Distribution, Keystone Automotive Operations (KAO), and many more. This allows for automated product data feeds and synchronized inventory management, making it much easier to manage large, complex catalogs without the hassle of third-party plugins.