GoDaddy Commerce Online Store Review: Is it Right for Your eCommerce Store?
GoDaddy offers a compelling blend of features, but is it the right online storefront for you?
While you can attach an eCommerce store to an existing website with other services, GoDaddy lets you combine the site and store into one.
This consolidated approach is a lifesaver for business owners too tired or busy to jump between different platforms. But it’s not for everyone.
We’ll explore GoDaddy’s robust features, how they compare to the competition, and whether you should use them to operate your storefront.
What is GoDaddy Commerce?
GoDaddy Commerce is an eCommerce platform provided by GoDaddy, a popular company known for domain registration and web hosting services.
(You’ve likely seen their viral Superbowl ads in recent years.)
This platform enables users to create and manage online stores with ease, offering a suite of tools and features designed to help businesses sell products and services online.
You don’t have to know a single line of code – just answer a few questions in their questionnaire and the GoDaddy website builder will do the rest.
This feature is an extension of GoDaddy’s overall business model as a user-friendly site builder.
You’ll be able to easily sell more products with time-saving tools such as weight-based shipping calculation, abandoned cart recovery, and secure credit card transactions.
One of their most appealing features is their low online transaction fee of 2.3% and $0.30 cents, which usually range between 2.4% to 2.9%.
What features come with GoDaddy online stores?
GoDaddy eCommerce is a consolidated option for new business owners or experienced business owners tired of managing multiple platforms.
Below are a few of their most time-saving and user-friendly features.
You’ll enjoy fast setup
Setting up your services online can be intimidating due to multiple steps such as web design and payment processing.
GoDaddy provides fast, easy website creation so you can have your online store up and running in just a few minutes.
Their Artificial Design Intelligence assists with setup by taking the answers to your questions and applying them to your site’s design.
There are plenty of personalization options
Personalization options allow you to customize the look and feel of your store to match your brand. You can try GoDaddy’s free plan yourself to get a feel for their drag-and-drop editor.
You get fundamental marketing tools
If you’re concerned about having to hop between platforms to market your store, GoDaddy has marketing tools already available. They offer several staples such as:
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- SEO tools
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- Email marketing campaigns
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- Coupon codes
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- Marketing planner for social media
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- Social media ads for Facebook and Instagram
Their advanced analytics also lets you track customer behavior, sales data, and more.
Everything is mobile friendly
You don’t need to go out of your way to optimize your online store for mobile devices. GoDaddy’s mobile responsive design ensures your eCommerce site looks great on any device.
They provide dependable security features
When an estimated 87% of small businesses have customer data that could be stolen in a cyberattack, you can’t overlook security features.
GoDaddy’s security provides secure hosting and integrated payment processing that is PCI compliant.
How much do their online stores cost?
Their Commerce plan is $25.99/mo when billed annually and $29.99/mo when billed monthly. Both payment methods come with full functionality to upload, sell, and advertise your products or services.
The Commerce plan comes with the standard GoDaddy features: building a website, obtaining a custom domain, and a website SSL certificate.
If you’re not ready to commit yet, you can use their Free plan to upload your products, design your store, and set up pricing. This will also help you get comfortable with using the platform.
However, you can’t sell products with their Free, Basic, Standard, or Premium plans – only their Commerce option or Managed WordPress Ecommerce Hosting.
What’s the difference between GoDaddy Commerce and Managed WordPress Ecommerce Hosting?
GoDaddy offers both “Commerce” and “Managed WordPress eCommerce Hosting” plans. While both include selling online through GoDaddy, there are a few key differences.
Their Managed WordPress Ecommerce Hosting plan uses Woocommerce, a customizable open-source eCommerce platform.
GoDaddy will install it into your WordPress to provide you online store features such as staging environments, product listings, and store listings. You’ll then get access to a library of Woocommerce extensions for marketing, shipping, and much more.
You’ll save hundreds – maybe thousands – of dollars with their comprehensive Woocommerce resources instead of buying them all individually.
This plan is best for business owners who need more control over their store’s functionality, but still want GoDaddy’s security and expertise.
To compare, their Commerce option already has several key eCommerce features built-in so you can get started immediately.
What are the benefits of GoDaddy Commerce?
GoDaddy Commerce’s main appeal still comes from its fast website builder. While some eCommerce storefronts plug into existing sites, you can enjoy multiple benefits in one place.
You can get started within minutes
Their all-in-one package has everything you need to get started selling online. Once you sign up with their Commerce plan, you’ll enjoy:
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- User-friendly site-building
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- Web hosting
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- Domains
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- Secure payments
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- Branded content
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- Fraud protection
Drag-and-drop editor is great for beginners
You don’t need to learn how to code to put together your eCommerce storefront. GoDaddy’s user-friendly dashboard comes with drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to manage and customize your store.
Their customizable templates allow you to create a unique look for your store. They categorize each one by their dominant feature, such as easy booking features or a minimalist color scheme.
For example, their Hello MCM theme comes with a Facebook review feature to showcase recent customer testimonials.
Another solid example is their Croinna theme, which overlaps nicely with an Instagram account with a focus on landscape images.
Lots of built-in marketing and inventory management features
GoDaddy’s built-in reporting tools help you keep track of sales, inventory, customers, and more. They also provide powerful marketing features such as automated email campaigns.
Their automated email features save you time sending out emails to customers in different stages of their buying journey. You can also automate the following:
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- Points of contact
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- Customer shipment updates
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- Booking confirmation
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- Order cancellation
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- Cart abandonment
Customer support to help you 24/7
GoDaddy provides comprehensive customer service and support to help you get the most out of your store. They’re available 24/7 by phone or through their site’s chat feature.
Checkout is a breeze for customers
Did you know 17% of shoppers will abandon their purchase if the checkout experience is complicated or slow? GoDaddy’s intuitive checkout process makes it easy for customers to complete their purchases.
You can also test out the checkout process yourself and edit it to ensure a smooth buying process. You can add pickup instructions or order completion buffer times.
What are the downsides of GoDaddy commerce?
GoDaddy is a well-known brand for simplifying the process of building websites and managing online stores. However, they still might not meet every challenge you have (and may even cause new problems).
Design customization isn’t as flexible as other options
Do you want to tweak every last color, picture, and typeface? GoDaddy’s limited design customization options may be less appealing to you than other eCommerce platforms.
While GoDaddy provides plenty of appealing templates, they still have fewer options than other platforms. For example, compare GoDaddy to Wix. GoDaddy offers over one hundred templates, while Wix offers over eight hundred.
Going even further, the WordPress + WooCommerce ecosystem has thousands of themes available and is completely open-source, allowing you to adjust your site to pixel-perfection (if you’re into that sort of thing).
Coding features may be limited (for the storefront)
Do you already have some coding knowledge and want to apply it to your storefront? While GoDaddy has an HTML editor for custom code, you’ll have a limited ability to embed code such as sliders, galleries, or other interactive features.
Fee and payment structure can be confusing
What you see isn’t always what you get with GoDaddy. Their fees and payment structure are a little confusing at first and require some digging before you can budget properly.
A common pain point for both business owners and customers are fees. GoDaddy’s non-standard fee structure can be a little confusing at first.
On the plus side, they don’t charge transaction fees. Their fees are also generally lower than other storefronts at 2.3% per transaction with $0.30 cents.
However, you still have to pay the fees of any payment gateway you’re using. These costs could quickly become a lot higher than you initially expect.
Their pricing can be confusing since you’ll owe different amounts depending on whether you pay monthly or annually.
Their business email address also expires after one year, which means you’ll have to purchase another to keep features such as archiving or HIPAA compliance.
GoDaddy lacks payment options
Unfortunately, GoDaddy has limited payment options. It only supports PayPal, Stripe, and Apple Pay.
While these payment gateways are popular, you’ll still miss out on customers who prefer Google Pay or American Express.
Little technical support
If you need to ask a lot of questions on a rolling basis, you may be disappointed. GoDaddy does not provide a customer service number for inquiries or technical support.
GoDaddy provides support through email and a live chat support option on their site.
No outside marketplace options
While you can list your products or services on other marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay, GoDaddy doesn’t offer a marketplace option.
FAQs
Do you still have questions about GoDaddy’s eCommerce capabilities? We’ll answer them below.
What is the GoDaddy online store?
GoDaddy is a website builder that helps businesses quickly and easily create an online storefront.
They offer a range of tools to help users customize their store, including dropshipping and inventory management.
Is it better to use GoDaddy or WordPress?
Both GoDaddy and WordPress are comprehensive online storefronts. You’ll need to assess your skill level, business size, and budget to decide which storefront is best for your business.
GoDaddy is an appealing choice for beginners since it has the storefront and website all in one place. They also come with user-friendly features such as a drag-and-drop site editor.
WordPress is better suited for business owners who have some coding knowledge. WordPress offers a wide range of design and feature customizations.
If you want the best of both worlds, consider GoDaddy’s Managed WordPress Ecommerce Hosting plan.
Are GoDaddy online stores easy to use?
Yes. GoDaddy is designed for users of all skill levels, making it easy to set up, customize and manage your store. They provide helpful tutorials and customer support when you need extra assistance.
What kind of payment methods does GoDaddy offer?
GoDaddy offers a range of secure payment options, including credit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay. It also offers support for recurring payments.
Do GoDaddy online stores offer shipping services?
Yes. GoDaddy provides integrated shipping services so you can easily manage orders and track shipments in real time. It also supports drop shipping to help you manage your inventory more efficiently.
Is GoDaddy secure?
Yes. GoDaddy is a PCI-compliant platform, using the latest encryption and security protocols to keep your customers’ data safe. It also provides fraud protection tools to help protect against fraudulent transactions.
GoDaddy Commerce is ideal for beginning shop owners
Setting up an online store doesn’t have to involve an expensive degree or years of coding knowledge. GoDaddy’s eCommerce website builder equips beginning shop owners with high security and customization at an affordable cost.
GoDaddy’s main appeal lies in its consolidated design, so you can build a website that’s ready to sell products and services. Notably, you can also add GoDaddy to an existing WordPress site with their Managed WordPress Ecommerce Hosting plan.
If you prefer to have a finer level of control over your store’s functional or design features, GoDaddy may be less appealing. This platform also doesn’t have the most straightforward pricing, which can be confusing for new business owners.
Overall, GoDaddy is a prime choice for small business owners who want to save time while still putting their best foot forward.
Once you’ve got your eCommerce website up-and-running, that’s when the real work begins.
Looking to develop and grow a successful eCommerce business?
See how SkuVault’s inventory management software makes it easy to track stock, prevent mis-ships or overselling, and saves time that could be invested in growing your business.
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