What Is Volusion?
First off – a quick overview of the online store software landscape. Like I covered in my choosing an online store platform post, ecommerce platforms exist on a spectrum with a lot of technical considerations that can have as big of an impact on your online business as your store type & location can in the physical retail world.
Even though the technical considerations aren’t as immediately related to your success as sales, service & product – it can be the variable that helps or hinders your day to day and especially long-term growth. That said, just like choosing a specific location; leasing vs. owning; or going mall vs. solo storefront in the physical world – there’s no “top” or “best” choice. There’s only the choice that makes the most sense given your budget, expertise, circumstances and goals.
On the spectrum of ecommerce solutions, Volusion lives on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to start, run & grow your online store while providing your own online “space” that you control and can customize.
Volusion Review in a Nutshell
Volusion is a complete hosted e-commerce platform. What this means is that you don’t need to download anything, or install anything on your own to get your online store going. You just have to sign up through the Volusion website, and you can start working with your store in a matter of minutes.
Feature-wise, Volusion gives you everything you might need to effectively launch your online store and start selling your products.
There’s also a free trial available, so you don’t need to invest anything before you’re sure that Volusion is going to be the right choice for you.
Who’s Volusion Ecommerce Platform best suited for?
Volusion has an interesting offering among the other e-commerce solutions out there, and particularly when it comes to those who are just starting out their e-commerce adventure.
The platform is easy to use and easy to set up (you basically get a working store after you sign up, and you only have to adjust the settings, add your products, and change your design). There’s also a customer service phone number that you can call and get some help from a Volusion expert. They will guide you through the entire process and suggest solutions that are optimized for you.
On the other hand, Volusion is also fit to handle a bigger number of products and cater to a store owner that needs advanced features. All this makes Volusion an interesting choice for an e-commerce platform that can grow alongside your business.
Features in Volusion Ecommerce Platform
Here are some of the main features inside Volusion:
- Website builder module – helps you craft your online store, along with some additional non-commerce pages. Effectively, it lets you build a complete website and not just the e-commerce part.
- There’s 24/7 support, plus dedicated account managers.
- More than 300 quality designs/templates to choose from, and they’re optimized for mobile viewing.
- Detailed product listings.
- Built-in marketing, social media and SEO tools.
- Accept all major credit cards, PayPal, Amazon Payments.
- iOS, Android and smartwatch apps make it possible to manage your store on the go.
- Sell on Facebook, Amazon and eBay.
- Ratings and reviews.
- Deal of the day feature.
- Coupons and discounts.
- Advanced inventory management.
- Easy order processing.
- Secure hosting.
- PCI compliance.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Competitive monthly cost
Cons
- Limited features
- Additional fees
- Limited integrations
- Limited payment gateway integrations
Volusion Ecommerce Platform Pricing
There are 4 main pricing models at Volusion:
The first one – $15 / month – should be more than enough to get you started. You can add up to 100 products, and you’re not limited by the volume of traffic or sales you get.
The downside, however, is that Volusion also forces you to buy an SSL certificate alongside your plan. Those certificates go for about $89 / year. If you want to be accepting credit card payments, you must get the SSL. You can pay for Volusion either monthly or yearly.
