Shopify vs Square

July 02, 2023 | Author: Sandeep Sharma
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Shopify
Simple, Beautiful, and Flexible End-to-End E-Commerce Solution. Simply choose a stylish ecommerce website design, easily customize your online store, add products, and you're pretty much ready to accept payments. Whether you already have products, are looking to sell digital goods or are interested in drop shipping — Shopify has a complete solution for you.
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Square
Accept credit cards on your iPhone, Android or iPad. Send invoices free with Square Invoices. Signing up for Square is fast and free, and there are no commitments or long-term contracts like with alternative services.
Shopify and Square are both popular e-commerce platforms that offer tools and services to help businesses sell products online, but they have different strengths and target audiences.

Shopify is a comprehensive e-commerce platform designed for businesses of all sizes. It provides a wide range of features, including website building, customizable themes, inventory management, payment processing, and marketing tools. Shopify offers a scalable solution with advanced options for customization and integration with various third-party apps. It caters to businesses that want a complete e-commerce solution and are looking to build and grow their online presence.

Square, on the other hand, is a versatile platform that combines POS capabilities with online selling tools. It offers a suite of services, including payment processing, point-of-sale hardware, invoicing, and online store integration. Square is known for its user-friendly interface, affordable pricing, and seamless integration with its own hardware devices. It is particularly popular among small businesses and brick-and-mortar stores that want a simple, all-in-one solution for accepting payments in-person and online.

See also: Top 10 Retail software
Shopify vs Square in our news:

2021. Square acquires buy-now, pay-later company Afterpay for $29 billion



Square has reached an agreement to acquire Afterpay, an Australian buy-now, pay-later service, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $29 billion. This acquisition stands as one of the largest in Australian history. Square has announced its intention to incorporate Afterpay into both Cash App and Seller. Cash App facilitates payments and money transfers for customers, while Seller caters to retailers. Following the integration, Cash App users will have the ability to manage their Afterpay payments directly within the app, and Seller merchants will be able to offer Afterpay as a payment option to their customers.


2021. Google partners with Shopify on online shopping expansion



Google has recently announced a strategic partnership with Shopify, enabling over 1.7 million merchants on the e-commerce platform to effectively reach consumers through various Google services, including Google Search. This integration empowers merchants to effortlessly sign up and have their products featured across Google's extensive network, encompassing over 1 billion daily "shopping journeys" on platforms such as Search, Maps, Images, Lens, and YouTube. The collaboration comes as a response to Amazon's heightened investment in its advertising business, posing a potential challenge to Google's core ads business. In light of these developments, Google has made a series of updates to Google Shopping, ensuring its competitiveness in the evolving e-commerce landscape.


2021. Shopify expands its payment option, Shop Pay, to its merchants on Facebook and Instagram



Shopify and Facebook have joined forces to extend the availability of their payment option, Shop Pay, to all Shopify merchants selling on both Facebook and Instagram. This marks the first time that Shop Pay will be accessible beyond Shopify's own platform, signifying a significant expansion of the e-commerce platform's payment technology. Initially, Shop Pay will be introduced to Shopify merchants using Instagram's checkout feature in the United States, followed by its rollout on Facebook in the subsequent weeks. Prior to this launch, Facebook's platform has been widely favored among Shopify merchants as a prominent sales and marketing channel.


2020. Square acquires inventory management company Stitch Labs



The financial services, merchant services aggregator, and mobile payment company Square has acquired Stitch Labs, a company that specializes in inventory management software. Square, which is widely used by over 33.5 million small businesses for various purposes like accepting credit card payments, tracking sales and inventory, and obtaining financing, aims to enhance its Seller ecosystem by incorporating Stitch Labs' expertise. Currently, Square's functionality falls short of providing a complete inventory and order management system or fully meeting the needs of advanced Stitch Labs users. However, there is potential for Square to expand its software capabilities in the future with the assistance of the Stitch Labs team. In the meantime, we have compiled a list of the best alternatives to Stitch Labs that are currently available on the market.


2018. Square acquired website builder Weebly



Square, renowned for its payment software, has announced its acquisition of Weebly for a sum of $365 million. Weebly specializes in providing user-friendly website-building tools primarily tailored for small businesses and e-commerce companies. The company has successfully secured $35.7 million in funding. Square's objective in acquiring Weebly is to establish a unified solution that caters to entrepreneurs seeking to establish a robust online and offline business presence. This strategic move will also facilitate Square's global expansion, given that 40 percent of Weebly's 625,000 paid subscribers are based outside of the United States.


2018. Shopify now allows to fulfill orders directly from your phone



The Shopify app for iOS and Android has introduced a new feature that enables users to purchase and print shipping labels directly from their mobile devices. With this functionality, you have the convenience of creating and printing labels instantly or saving them for future printing. Additionally, you can efficiently manage your entire shipping workflow from the convenience of your palm. The app provides full access to all the features available in Shopify Shipping, including access to discounted rates with supported carriers such as UPS, DHL Express, USPS, and Canada Post, all within the Shopify app itself. This update empowers you to handle your shipping needs seamlessly and efficiently while on the go.


2017. Shopify adds new shareable discount links



To enhance your holiday shopping experience, Shopify has introduced a convenient new feature that enables you to attract eager deal-seekers to your store. With Shareable Discount Links, you can direct customers to your homepage while automatically applying a discount code to their shopping carts. These links eliminate the hassle of searching for or entering a code, providing customers with an enticing invitation that can be shared via email, Facebook, or other social media platforms.


2017. Shopify Mobile adds Discounts, Product Collections, Live View, and More



During the Black Friday Cyber Monday event last year, a greater number of Shopify merchants accessed their accounts through mobile devices compared to desktop computers. This trend has prompted the developers to prioritize the inclusion of essential features required for your success during the #BFCMWin on your smartphones and tablets. Now, you have the capability to create, customize, and manage discounts directly from your mobile devices. Additionally, one of the noteworthy new additions is the availability of Product Collections, which significantly aids your customers in swiftly finding their desired items. With the Shopify app on mobile, you can effortlessly set up and modify Product Collections. Moreover, the Live View feature on mobile enables you to monitor your store's performance in real-time, proving to be particularly advantageous during high-traffic periods such as the BFCM weekend.


2017. Shopify integrates with UPS



UPS is now available as a fresh choice in Shopify Shipping, enabling Shopify merchants based in the United States to provide an exceptional delivery experience akin to that of large-scale retailers. By utilizing UPS in conjunction with Shopify Shipping, you can take advantage of competitive rates with discounts of up to 52% off the standard rates, perfectly timed for the holiday season. Regardless of the size of your business, you now have the ability to access UPS' shipping options with guaranteed delivery dates at rates that lead the industry. Additionally, UPS extends exclusive discounted rates to Shopify merchants, particularly for heavier packages. During the holiday period, Shopify will cover any peak surcharges on UPS Ground shipments.


2017. Shopify introduced real-time visitors monitoring



Shopify has introduced an exciting feature that empowers store owners to monitor the live activity taking place in their online stores. With Live View, you now have the ability to track the real-time performance of your store conveniently from your mobile device. This innovative feature allows you to stay updated on the number of current visitors on your site and their geographical locations. You can witness the conversion of visitors into customers and celebrate sales as they occur. Additionally, you can monitor key metrics such as daily total visits, orders, and sales. Stay informed about the progress of your purchase funnel as visitors add items to their carts, initiate the checkout process, and successfully complete purchases. Live View also enables you to observe the number of pages being viewed at any given moment.

Author: Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep is a marketing expert with a wealth of knowledge in various domains: customer relationship management, social media management, advertising, search engine optimization, website building, Sandeep has established himself as a multifaceted professional. He honed his skills while working at Salesforce and Hubspot, where he gained invaluable insights into the industry. Now, as the proud owner of a small advertising consulting agency, Sandeep continues to provide innovative and effective strategies to businesses, helping them thrive in the competitive landscape of digital marketing. You can contact Sandeep via email sandeep@liventerprise.com