It’s no secret that eCommerce is big business. In fact, over 80-percent of the websites we build incorporate some form of eCommerce.

Brick-and-mortar businesses rely on eCommerce to boost their bottom line, while many successful companies are run entirely from a website these days. Combined, Metal Potato clients have billed out millions of pounds and dollars in eCommerce transactions through WordPress-based sites. And there’s a reason for that.

Our crack team of web design experts deal exclusively in WordPress. Since 2011, we’ve made it our mission to absolutely master the world’s most popular Content Management System (CMS). Hundreds of websites later, we’re confident in claiming that title.

This year, a study from W3Techs revealed that WordPress powers 30-percent of the web. That’s a vast number, far outpacing rival CMS systems Joomla (3.1-percent), Drupal (2.2-percent), and Magento (1.2-percent). Those systems are all legacy CMS systems that at one time rivalled WordPress in popularity, but have long since fallen behind. However, hidden in fifth place among the world’s most often used CMS systems is a relative newcomer—Shopify.

As of February of 2018, Shopify powered 1.0-percent of the worldwide web, claiming a 2-percent marketshare among CMS systems. That’s a drop in the bucket to WordPress, which garners a 60-percent marketshare. But it’s noteworthy for one reason: Shopify is almost exclusively the most common eCommerce system that our clients cite when the conversation of a self-built website arises.

It seems to be the go-to for businesses who are taking their first steps into eCommerce, a diving board over the pool of online sales.

Typically, the conversation goes something like this, “Hey. I built my own website a year ago, and it’s going okay, but I want an expert redesign it and grow my sales.”

“Okay,” we say, “What eCommerce system are you currently using?”

“Shopify. Can I keep that?”

The answer, usually, is no. Occasionally, that response comes with some blowback. But here’s the nitty gritty behind our decision to work exclusively with WordPress-based WooCommerce—money. Your money.

Shopify is a great tool for beginners. WooCommerce, a constantly updated eCommerce plugin for WordPress-based websites, is for pros. And when it comes to our websites, we want to give our clients access to the best, pro-level tools available in the industry.

If you’ve taken the first steps into eCommerce by building your own Shopify site, we congratulate you. That’s no small feat, and it’s one worth celebrating. But if you’re interested in taking the next steps—in using the tools that pros use—we’re happy to make that journey a reality for you today.

Have doubts about that call? The market shares say it all.