GoDaddy has always been at the forefront of being a domain registrar and web hosting service, largely due to its controversial and racy TV ads that GoDaddy ran during various Super Bowls. While GoDaddy certainly helped build its reputation by having sexy girls sell domain names, it is not to say the company is a one horse pony.
GoDaddy has actually been around since 1997 with two decades of operation, however, the services they now offer for ecommerce is far more recent. Yet with a company that has approximately 17 million customers and over 6,000 employees worldwide — they are definitely worth considering for your new online store.
Why GoDaddy Ecommerce?
Long before the launch of GoDaddy Ecommerce, the company was already offering some of the cheapest prices on domain names, not to mention very fast performance on website performance. Those highlights remain present, though GoDaddy now also offers a website builder.
Keeping with their reputation, their web builder GoCentral, is extremely easy to use. Even if you consider yourself dumbfounded when it comes to the most basic computer skills, you will be able to not only understand but use GoCentral.
GoDaddy Ecommerce is also highlighted by its ADI. The Artificial Design Intelligence system enables merchants to create a layout and upload products effortlessly. In a nutshell, the ADI can practically build the website for you.
Fittingly, GoDaddy Ecommerce may very well be the top option for small business owners or other merchants that do not mind limitations to the features of the ecommerce software and instead want the platform to do almost all the work.
If, however, you need more control over the day to day operations of your online store you may want to consider BigCommerce or Shopify, which are far more “hands on”.
Website Builder
There is no doubt about it, GoDaddy Ecommerce has one of the easiest to use, is not easiest web builders of all its competitors. A lot of ecommerce web builders promise an effortless site developer yet GoDaddy actually backs it up.
The ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) is revolutionary. It works like this: GoDaddy asks you a few questions about what you want out of your online store. It includes questions like ‘How many products do you plan to sell?” and “Do you want a website that is flashy and stylish, or simple and practical?”
From there ADI takes over. It practically creates the entire website, and no you don’t get a basic and outdated web page. Instead, GoDaddy Ecommerce has plenty of stylish themes and the entire website looks very, very cool.
If you want to customize the website from there, GoCentral will help you make adjustments. The web builder is designed for those that really don’t want to spend a lot of time or struggle with using a computer, yet want something professional looking.
If you have avoided creating an online store in past out of fear or having to develop and/or manage a website — GoDaddy Ecommerce will change that.
Oddly enough, GoDaddy Ecommerce does not feature pre-built templates for your new website. It is instead replaced by the aforementioned ADI yet it is possible to vary the presentation of your website by selecting one of the 14 themes currently offered.
Management Tools
GoDaddy Ecommerce features a variety of management tools. Among the highlights:
- Sell an unlimited number of products
- Build your store on a mobile device (tablet, smartphone, etc)
- Several professional themes to select from (no templates though)
- SEO tools help you build an online following
- Interact with customers, including those who left an empty cart
- No transaction fees (saves you money)
Features
GoDaddy Ecommerce has a ton of features after you look past its limited ability to do advanced controls in the web builder.
If there are concerns with how your store will process payments or the security of said payments — rest easy. GoDaddy Ecommerce supports many of the biggest payment processors in the world including PayPal, Stripe and Square.
GoDaddy also doesn’t charge any transaction fees. The amount the merchant pays for credit card transactions is directly related to the payment gateway itself. As for shipping, products can be shipped via UPS, Shippoo and DHL.
If customer service is important to you (and what merchant doesn’t value it?), GoDaddy Ecommerce provides a ton of tools. Merchants can establish email notifications, provide coupon codes and send out newsletters.
One thing to note, unlike most ecommerce software providers, GoDaddy Ecommerce only offers one plan. Their Online Store Plan is currently priced at $19.99 which is reasonable. Along with the plan you can try out GoDaddy Ecommerce for free, which is always a good suggestion before you get too deep into any one ecommerce platform.
Customer Service
GoDaddy Ecommerce has comparable customer service to its competitors. No surprise that you can contact GoDaddy through phone, email or chat. Seriously, who doesn’t offer all three in this day and age?
The customer service is available 24/7 which is fantastic. And, the United States is not the only place their customer service is based which includes outreach in everywhere from Canada to Italy to Vietnam.
One last thing to note, if you prefer social media GoDaddy also features a dedicated Twitter account to answer questions and keep customers informed on their latest developments.
Pros
- ADI technology literally makes the website for you
- SEO tools helps build an online audience and other marketing campaigns
- Fast, reputable web performance from long running company
Cons
- No support for selling non-physical, digital items (mp3s, audio books, etc)
- Lacks the more in-depth web builder control of competitors
Conclusion
GoDaddy Ecommerce is the first to create a really easy to use web builder thanks to the ADI. While it may not be suitable for larger merchants due to the lack of customization — it is extremely ideal for small businesses.
It is a fantastic launch point for beginners looking to start selling online. GoDaddy Ecommerce will take very good care of you.