As the world takes a digital turn, food entrepreneurship has expanded beyond the traditional brick-and-mortar setting to a host of in-home productions. Home chefs and cottage bakers have found avenues to sell their culinary delights to customers near and far. However, before getting started, there are various legal considerations to be taken into account, one of which includes securing the necessary licensing. In this article, we proceed to investigate different e-commerce platforms that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Shopify. These platforms enable home-based food businesses to showcase their goods, offering various unique features and capabilities. We will highlight their strengths and compare them in terms of providing valuable solutions for your food business.
AirMart
Our e-commerce platform AirMart was crafted to cater to food sellers like home chefs and cottage bakers who sell home-cooked meals. We offer complimentary basic shops with options of local delivery, shipping, and food subscriptions. Customize your shop with a unique domain name and set your shop up swiftly and effortlessly without needing any coding knowledge. Start taking pre-orders in less than a day and join the thousands of food vendors who find AirMart an ideal space to sell their edible creations.
Pros
– Complimentary basic shop without any setup expenses
– Swift and effortless shop setup without the requirement of coding expertise
– Access to local delivery, shipping, and food subscription options
– Seamless accommodation of various business models
– Free migration support to existing e-commerce platforms
– Integrated SEO utilities to increase online visibility
– Suitable for businesses of all kinds and product types
– Provides sellers with a personalized URL for their shop
Cons
– Transaction fees apply
– Access to advanced features only with a paid subscription
Wix
Wix is a Shopify competitor perfect for dropshipping businesses. Easily set up your dropshipping business using Wix’s website builder, source products from the Modalyst marketplace, manage and track orders all from your Wix dashboard. Moreover, with Wix, sell your products on multiple channels, including Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, eBay, and more. Wix also offers automated marketing tools on all its e-commerce plans, such as automated emails and chat messages for site visitors, task creation for team members, and live site chat.
Pros
– Site chat available on all e-commerce plans
– 24/7 customer care
– Payment Card Industry (PCI) certified
Cons
– Advanced shipping features require midrange plan or higher
– Cannot switch to a different template without starting over
– No free e-commerce plan
In conclusion, the world of e-commerce platforms offers vast potentials for home-based food businesses. Be it Airmart or Wix, each platform brings forth unique strengths tailored to fit different business models. As a home-based food business, you can explore these platforms, weigh the pros and cons as per your specific requirements and kickstart your endeavor into the e-commerce space. Take heed of the necessary licenses and regulations related to food businesses and set up your virtual shop in no time!