If you’re a web designer working with clients or an entrepreneur building your own online presence, you’ve probably asked yourself this question more than once: Should I build this site on Showit or Shopify?
And honestly, before we even get there, let’s back up a step: do you (or your client) even need e-commerce at all?
Because here’s the thing—Showit and Shopify aren’t interchangeable. They solve different problems. And choosing the wrong one can mean a frustrating experience for you, your client, or your own business.
So let’s break down the three main options: Showit only (no e-commerce), Shopify Buy Buttons on Showit, and a full Shopify store. By the end of this, you’ll know exactly which setup makes sense for your next project or your own website.
Option 1: Showit Only (No E-commerce)
Let’s start with the simplest scenario: you (or your client) don’t need to sell anything.
Maybe you’re a coach, photographer, designer, agency, or blogger. You need a custom-designed website for services, portfolio, or content—not a store.
This is where Showit really shines.
What You Get with Showit Only:
- Total design freedom. You’re not working within the constraints of themes or templates. Every element on the page is exactly where you want it.
- Zero platform limitations. No clunky grids, no pre-set layouts, no “this theme doesn’t support that” moments.
- Complete control. You can design a site that’s as unique as your brand (or your client’s brand) without compromise.
- No checkout flows to manage. No inventory, no payment processing, no abandoned cart emails. Just a beautifully designed website that does exactly what it needs to do.
Perfect For:
Coaches, photographers, designers, agencies, bloggers, consultants, or anyone building a brand around services or content—not selling physical products.
If you or your client don’t need e-commerce, don’t overcomplicate things. A Showit-only site is clean, custom, and powerful.
Option 2: Shopify Buy Buttons on Showit
Now, what if you (or your client) want that same design freedom but also need to sell a few things?
Maybe you’re offering templates, merch, digital downloads, or a small product line. You’re not running a full-blown e-commerce business, but you want the ability to sell without building an entire store.
This is where Shopify Buy Buttons come in.
How It Works:
You embed individual products from Shopify directly into your custom Showit site. You keep the beautiful, on-brand design you want, and you can sell products without committing to a full e-commerce platform.
What You Get:
- Design freedom. You’re still building on Showit, so you maintain full creative control over your site (or your client’s site).
- E-commerce functionality. Shopify handles the payment processing, checkout, and order management.
- Simple setup. You can add products to specific pages without restructuring the entire site.
What You Don’t Get:
With this setup, you don’t get the full shopping experience. There are no dedicated product pages, no customer accounts, and no advanced inventory management tools.
When customers go to checkout, they leave your site design and get redirected to Shopify’s checkout page. It works, and it works well for the right business, but it’s limited.
Perfect For:
Service-based businesses that want to offer a few products on the side. Think: 1-20 items max. This is not for businesses built around selling products—it’s for businesses that happen to sell a few things.
If you’re a designer selling templates, a coach offering a few digital products, or a brand with a small merch line, Buy Buttons on Showit can be a great fit.
Option 3: Full Shopify Store
This is for businesses where e-commerce IS the business.
You (or your client) have a real product catalog (or you’re planning to grow one), and the shopping experience actually matters. You need inventory management, customer accounts, abandoned cart recovery, and all the tools that come with running a real online store.
This is when you build a full Shopify store.
What You Get with a Full Shopify Store:
- Dedicated product pages with image galleries, descriptions, reviews, and variant options (size, color, etc.)
- Collection pages with filtering and sorting so customers can browse by category
- Customer accounts where people can track orders, save addresses, and view purchase history
- Abandoned cart recovery emails to bring back customers who didn’t complete their purchase
- Robust inventory management with SKU tracking, low-stock alerts, and multi-location inventory
- Built-in analytics to track sales, traffic, and customer behavior
- Payment processing with Shopify Payments or 100+ other gateways
- Shipping tools including real-time rate calculations and label printing
- Scalability for growing businesses that plan to add more products over time
What You’re Working With:
You’re working within Shopify themes, which means you lose some of that pixel-perfect design control you’d have on Showit. Making custom edits often requires diving into custom code (or hiring a Shopify developer). It’s more structured, but that structure is what makes it powerful for e-commerce.
Perfect For:
Product-based businesses. Brands selling physical products, large digital product catalogs, or businesses where the shopping experience is a core part of the customer journey.
If you (or your client) are selling products and want room to grow, this is the right call.
So Which One Should You Choose?
Ask yourself (or your client) these questions:
Are you selling products at all?
→ If no: Showit only.
Are you selling a few things as a side offering?
→ If yes: Buy Buttons on Showit.
Is your entire business built around selling products?
→ If yes: Full Shopify store.
Match the platform to what you (or your client) actually need. Not what’s trendy, not what you’re most comfortable with—what makes sense for the business model and goals.
The Bottom Line
Showit and Shopify aren’t competitors. They solve different problems.
Showit gives you total design freedom for custom websites.
Shopify gives you robust e-commerce tools for selling products.
Shopify Buy Buttons on Showit gives you a middle ground for service-based businesses that want to sell a few things.
Choose the right tool for the job. You (or your clients) will thank you for it.
Need Help Building Any of These?
Whether you need a stunning Showit site with no e-commerce, a Showit site with embedded products, or a full Shopify store with custom design and development, we handle it all.
If you’re working on a project right now and you’re not sure which direction makes the most sense, get in touch. We’re happy to talk through it with you and help you figure out the best setup for your site or your client’s site.
