Volusion has been around since 1999 and represents one of the major eCommerce shopping carts. It serves over 40,000 stores and provides an all-in-one platform that is designed to accommodate any size business. The program has stayed on top by continuing to adapt to market changes and provide practical solutions to the challenges associated with running an online business. Read our Volusion review below.
OverviewVolusion was designed to deliver a one-stop solution to running an online store. You can run every aspect of your business from the Volusion dashboard.
If you have been shopping around for the perfect platform, you may have noticed that other options offer a particular focus. Some competitors specialize in marketing tools or design. Volusion’s niche is providing a versatile solution that will help you hit the ground running.
Technical Specifications and Limitations
While Volusion claims to be perfect for any size business, beware of bandwidth limitations and extra fees. Larger enterprises that handle a high volume or orders may end up paying for bandwidth overages. Also, the platform doesn’t come with an SSL certificate. You will have to purchase one to allow credit card purchases. Extra fees quickly start adding up if you aren’t careful.
Scalability
Volusion is designed to grow with your business. It makes getting started quick and easy for new business owners, yet is capable of supporting global brands. For example, Intel and 3M use Volusion to power their sites. Whether you want to stay small or expand, Volusion can keep up with new demands.
Risk-Free Trial
You can try Volusion free for up to 14 days. There is no need for a credit card and no hidden fees. This should give you enough time to try setting up a storefront and getting a feel for the program. Once you sign up for an annual plan, there is a cancelation fee if you change your mind. Be prepared to pay $99 to end your account.
Volusion’s Reputation
Over the years, Volusion has built a reputation as a stable platform. It includes all the tools you will need to get started and continue to grow. If anything prevents them from having a better customer rating, it is their pricing methods. They could be more upfront about extra fees. If you aren’t aware of potential charges that you can incur, your monthly statement may come as a surprise. This has a tendency to make Volusion seem less than credible.
Certifications and Community Involvement
Volusion has earned both national and regional recognition, including:
In addition, Volusion encourages it hundreds of employees to participate in community service. Workers receive two paid days off for volunteer activities. The company also donated free services to non-profit organizations.
Why Choose Volusion?
In reality, there is no perfect program. Every eCommerce shopping platform is going to come with pros and cons. You should try Volusion if you want to work with an established company. They have spent over 16 years updating and perfecting their platform. You can feel confident that you have access to the latest tools and features. It provides a quick and easy way to launch your online store and start earning revenue.
Key FeaturesThe expert reviews of Volusion also tend to be a mixed bag. Some critics are huge fans and place Volusion solidly at the top of their list of best eCommerce solutions. They have a lot of positive things to say about the quality of customer service. You will actually get to talk to a real human being who hasn’t been trained to read simply from a script.
For some, the software offers more than enough functionality and flexibility. While Volusion took a while to catch up and add a blogging feature, this oversight has been corrected. Others find that the themes look dated and can be difficult to customize without coding. Of course, this common critique of practically every website design software program. Ultimately, this is a matter of personal preference, and a more important issue is ease of use and the overall user experience. In this area, Volusion gets high praise.
Perhaps the biggest complaint against Volusion is the cost. While the monthly subscription fee is right on par with competitors, hidden fees can quickly add up. This can put Volusion beyond the budget of some startups. However, some businesses might be more than happy to pay more for excellent customer service.
It seems that every customer has a unique experience when it comes to Volusion. Overall ratings jump back and forth between 4 and ten stars, bringing the average to about 7 out of 10. Those who like the program tend to compliment broader features and not get too caught up in the details. Popular Volusion pros include:
Those who actually love the program are quick to point out that Volusion provides an all-around solution that can be used to run small businesses or large retail sites. Beginners also seem pleased with the design tools and find it relatively easy to build a site without little to no prior experience or coding knowledge.
If you take a look users reviews, it is hard to find a common thread when it comes to flaws in the platform. Complaints seem to cover a broad range of topics, which could be an indication that these problems are necessarily reoccurring and inherent flaws with Volusion.
Perhaps the one issue that seems to appear a little more consistently has to do with marketing and SEO tools. Consumers would like to see a more automated SEO features like those available through SEO Yoast. With Volusion, you are responsible for individually entering alt tags, keyword, and another search engine friendly information.
It seems that Volusion may have some issues when it comes to smoothly rolling out updates. While some customers praise Volusion’s reliability, there are also quite a few who are unhappy with glitches and downtime. This may be something to keep in mind considering downtime can mean lost profits.
Design & CustomizationVolusion offers 16 free templates. While some critics describe the choices as dated, they do provide clean and classic storefronts. You can always upgrade to a premium template, but expect to pay around $895 for most of them. Also, keep in mind that only a portion of the templates is responsive. You don’t want to make the mistake of investing in a template only to find out that it comes with limitations.
Free Vs. Premium
The experts at Volusion suggest that free themes are best for those who have in-house designers. If you have someone who knows how to make changes, then the free themes can be adjusted using HTML. However, if you are new to website design, you may have to pay for a premium theme to customize your site.
Custom Design Options
You can also skip the whole design process and use the Volusion experts to create your site. Custom design prices start at $3,500 and can reach $6,000 for the most advanced option.
Website Builder Interface
Like most available platforms, Volusion provides the different way to build your site and make changes. You can use HTML, CSS or use their file editor. Unfortunately, there isn’t a WYSIWYG editor that allows you to drag and drop elements. While the interface is easy to navigate, you may have trouble making specific changes if you aren’t familiar with the code. The software has been designed so that you can quickly set up your store and then focus on other areas of your business.
Mobile Site Building
As you are browsing through potential themes, you will notice that a lot of them are not responsive. This means that you will have to build a separate mobile site. For those short on time, creating a second site can feel overwhelming, especially if you aren’t familiar with design in the first place.
Content Management
Volusion makes adding products and managing content easy. There are three main sections where you can enter product information: basic, image management and advanced info. These categories will help you stay organized, manage photo galleries and publish relevant product information.
Social Integration
Use social media to market your business with built-in tools. Every Volusion package comes with a social sharing app that will make it easy to integrate your Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and other accounts. You can also visit the app store and download any other add-ons that you might like.
Features & Tools `
| Feature | Overview |
| Online Store Setup | Getting started with Volusion is relatively easy. The one drawback is that the program doesn’t offer a setup wizard or checklist to walk you through the steps. You will be largely on your own to make sure that all your bases are covered. This can eat up time if you aren’t careful. |
| Bandwidth and Storage | While Volusion offers unlimited storage, there are limitations when it comes to bandwidth. The Mini plan comes with just 1GB of bandwidth. You will be charged $7 for every GB over your limit. Even the most inclusive Premium plan is capped at 35GB of bandwidth. If you are planning on building an extensive site that includes a blog and plenty of products, you may want to keep an eye on your bandwidth usage |
| Shopping Cart Plugins and Add-ons` | Volusion comes with an app marketplace to help you expand the functionality of your store. It features third-party providers and over 80 available apps. |
| Order Management | A built-in search feature allows you to locate and track orders. |
| Inventory Management | The main navigation bar includes an inventory tab. You can visit this location to add products, search your inventory and view performance statistics. Product information is split into three main categories, which will help you stay organized and navigate right to the information you need. |
| Shipment Tracking | Volusion allows you to drop ship merchandise and track packages. You can even generate and print labels with the push of a button |
| CRM Features | The customer relations management system allows you to communicate easily with clients. You can view order history, send emails and track support queries. Volusion allows you to quickly address and customer concerns for a better shopping experience. |
| Templates and Themes | Choose from 16 free themes that offer a polish and professional look. Although you don’t have dozens of options, the available templates are modern and stylish. You can also shop the premium themes that start $50 and go all the way up to $895. The decision comes down to your budget and how comfortable you are with coding. |
| Integration and Add-ons | Volusion is designed to provide you with a well-rounded package. You won’t need to worry too much about add-ons to perform basic functions. However, if you are looking for a particular program, you can easily visit the app store and easily integrate almost any program you want. |
| Mobile eCommerce | Be careful when choosing or purchasing a theme. Not all of them are responsive and mobile friendly. This is one area where Volusion appears to be behind the times. You may end up having to design a separate mobile friendly site, which can use up time and money.With the right template, you can even manage your store from a mobile app. Just be sure to choose an option that includes all the features you are looking for. |
| Web Hosting | Volusion offers both web hosting and domain registration services. You can migrate an existing site, use a registered domain or purchase a new domain for $11.99. |
| App Store | Visit the Volusion app store to browse through free and paid apps. There are plenty to choose from and different ways to filter your searches. App prices vary pretty widely and can be setup as a one-time fee or monthly subscription. |
| Blogging | One significant disadvantage of Volusion is that it doesn’t come with a blogging feature. You can use a WordPress plugin and build your blog, but this can eat up your bandwidth pretty quickly. A blog is an active marketing tool and the great way to communicate with your customers so that this missing feature can be a problem. |
| SEO and Marketing | Enjoy built-in SEO tools that allow you to optimize pages. Create search engine friendly URLs, include multiple snippets and meta tags. You can also sign up for a Volusion custom SEO package. They offer different packages that will improve your search engine performance |
| Newsletters | The CRM system allows you to communicate easily with customers. You can also send regular newsletters using free and paid apps. This is an excellent way to advertise new products or sales. |
| Security Features | Volusion is PCI Certified so that your customers can use their credit cards with confidence. All plans also come with a free IP firewall and regular backups. You can even block unruly customers and prevent them from using your site. For the ultimate protection, purchase a Volusion SSL certificate |
| PCI Certification | For the past six years, Volusion has been named to VISA’s list of PCI Certified providers |
| Content Creation | Volusion does not offer a traditional WYSIWYG editor for content creation. They have created their editor which can be difficult to use. If you are familiar with WordPress, you will find lots of shortcomings when it comes to the Volusion editor. Add and changing text is simple, but including links and images and get complicated. The easiest way to make changes is by using code. Unfortunately, not everyone has that level of coding knowledge |
| Gift Certificates | Customers can easily purchase gift certificates, and you can quickly generate discounts and coupon codes |
| Payment Options | Volusion is compatible with over 30 payment gateways. You can also setup a Volusion Merchant account and process credit cards online or over the phone. While the actual program doesn’t charge transaction fees, you will pay a fee for the use of third party processors. For example, PayPal charges 2.9% per transaction, and Volusion Merchant charges 2.1%. If you opt for Merchant Account, keep in mind that you must be a US citizen to qualify. |
| Tax and Shipping Calculators | Tax and shipping costs are automatically calculated according to location |
| Reports | The Volusion dashboard includes all sorts of data on website performance, orders, revenue and other vital areas. You can keep track of your business and quickly view and generate valuable reports |
| Site Statistics | Tracking your site performance is an excellent way to make improvements. You can use Google Analytics to gain insights into your customer’s behavior or upgrade to Volusion’s site analytics services. Either way, you will be able to see visitors per day, location, time on site, bounce rates and much more. |
Plans & Pricing At first glance, Volusion seems competitively priced. The Mini plan costs just $15 per month. This puts it well within the range of other major players. Unfortunately, the starter plan comes with its fair share of limitations. For example, you will only receive online support and you are limited to 100 products.
For $35 per month, you can opt for the Plus plan. This is still a reasonable price if you don’t factor in all the hidden fees. The biggest complaint against Volusion is that they aren’t upfront with their pricing.
Before we get into additional fees, here are the basic pricing packages:
Mini – $15/month (All plans are billed monthly)
Plus – $35/month
Pro – $75/month
Premium – $135/month
You probably noticed two important things when looking through the pricing plans:
1). The Mini plan is bare bones. It is just a slight step above the free trial. Many of the features that we have come to expect from shopping cart platforms just aren’t available at the $15 rate. Even if you don’t need to add a lot of products, you won’t get phone support, newsletters or reviews with the cheapest option. In fact, you have to upgrade to the Pro plan for CRM features and the customer loyalty plan.
2). Even the Premium plan has a cap on bandwidth. Most programs offer at least one completely unlimited option.
Hidden Fees
The other problem with the Volusion pricing model is the hidden fees. Here are just a few ways you can increase your monthly bill:
Perhaps worst of all, these fees aren’t clearly advertised on the Volusion website. It can feel like you are being nickeled and dimed.
Trial Period
If you want to give Volusion a try, you can enroll in the 14-day free trial. You don’t need a credit card to join. This is a good way to test out the software. It also gives you time to clarify the potential fees of each pricing plan.
Is the Mini Plan Enough?
Sure. The Mini-Plan offers enough features for you to design a professional storefront and launch your products. As your customer base grows, you may want to consider upgrading. The more advanced packages provide more ways to interact with your customers and manage your business. These tools will come in handy and be worth the extra money as you expand.
Customer Support The amount of customer support you are eligible to receive depends on the package you purchase. The Plus Plan, which represents the most competitively priced option, offers both online chat and phone support. Technical and customer support is available 24/7 and based out of Austin, Texas.
Tutorials and Knowledge Base
Volusion offers an extensive library of videos and guides that will help you get started and handle more complicated tasks. While the program doesn’t come with a built-in guide, there are plenty of valuable resources to assist you along the way.
Contacting Support
The easiest way to contact support is through the live chat feature. You can also call an 800 number or create a support ticket. If you call or email, the response time depends on the plan you purchased. That being said, the live chat representatives are quick to respond and highly knowledgeable.
Customer Service Rating
In the customer service arena, Volusion ranks above the rest. They have won awards for their service and seem to support their employees, which is good news for you. Happy employees tend to do better work. Whether you chat, email or call, you can expect to connect with a friendly and helpful representative who will make your needs feel like a priority even if you are enrolled in the Mini Plan.
They have built a reputation for quickly providing accurate answers. You will never feel like you are dealing with someone who is just reading from a script.
If anything, Volusion could use more support forums. With so many thousands of customers, it is surprising that there aren’t community feed conversations on the web. This is something that Volusion should support and encourage, particularly as it could mean less work for their support team.
Ease of Use This is another area where Volusion falls short. Most programs strive to be as user-friendly as possible. The more people that can use their software, the more customers they can acquire. Volusion has not gone out of its way to create a product that is accessible to novices and experts alike.
Bottom Line: If you don’t know any coding, you won’t be able to customize your site easily even with premium themes.
As mentioned above, Volusion does offer an editor, but it isn’t the standard WYSIWYG editor that allows for drag and drop design. It is a Volusion particular feature that comes with limitations. While a beginner can certainly setup a store, they will find it difficult to make changes to the theme. Volusion is best suited to those with coding experience.
Editing Help
If you do find yourself in a design predicament, your best bet is to look for a relevant tutorial. Many available videos can provide you with tips. You can also click on the in-editor help button to search topics. This search feature is surprisingly useful and will direct you to relevant articles.
User Interface
Despite the coding design issue, the admin interface is genuinely attractive and easy to navigate. Everything is logically organized and easy to locate. As far as managing orders and inventory, the platform is very user-friendly.
The other advantage is that you can retain control of your website. It is all yours.
Customer Experience
In addition to your admin experience, you need to consider your customer’s shopping experience. To provide a well-rounded shopping experience, you will probably need to invest in the Pro Plan. This will allow you to communicate efficiently with customers and offer them a store without obvious limitations. The less expensive packages don’t include all the customer relations bells and whistles that you will want down the line. Of course, you can always start small and upgrade plans as you go.
Conclusion Volusion is a stable eCommerce platform. There is no doubt about that. The real decision comes down to how much experience you have with coding and how much money you want to spend per month. The truth is that there is more beginner friendly options that are also available at a more affordable price.
This is particularly the case consider that Volusion markets itself as an all-in-one option. It doesn’t offer a distinctive difference from the rest of the competition. As you compare available eCommerce platforms, you will notice that some focus on design or marketing features. Not Volusion. It is a standard eCommerce hosted software program for general store owners.
If coding isn’t one of your strengths, keep looking and find a program with a traditional WYSIWYG editor.
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