Which is the Best E-commerce Platform for Your Business in 2023
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If you’re looking for the best shopping cart platform for your e-commerce business, you may consider SamCart or ThriveCart. In this article, we’ll explore the similarities and differences between these two popular platforms to help you determine which shopping cart is right for your business. We will also discuss both platforms’ company histories and trajectories, where to find the best deals, and answer some frequently asked questions about dedicated shopping carts. So, whether you’re a small business owner or a seasoned e-commerce pro, read on to discover which platform best fits your online store – SamCart or ThriveCart.
Key Takeaways
- Thrive, and Sam carts are reliable and effective but have different advantages depending on your business needs.
- A modular approach to business building, using separate platforms for landing pages, email autoresponders, and shopping carts, allows for more flexibility and freedom in making changes and switching platforms.
- When choosing a dedicated shopping cart, consider factors such as recurring charges, checkout page customization, and bump offers/upsells/down sells, and weigh the pros and cons of each platform before making a decision.
Why Use Dedicated Shopping Carts
Using an all-in-one platform that manages everything from landing pages to checkout pages to product delivery and email systems may seem easier. However, we have found that using a dedicated shopping cart that only handles sales conversions provides more freedom and flexibility in the long run.
When using an all-in-one system, if there is a glitch in one component, the entire system may need to be replaced. This can be a major headache for business owners, especially if they migrate all their products and delivery pages to a new platform. By using a dedicated shopping cart, we can easily switch out the shopping cart component without affecting the rest of our business.
We have personally used both Sam Cart and Thrive Cart for our businesses, and we have found that having a modular approach to building our business provides the most freedom and flexibility moving forward.
Dedicated shopping carts allow for more customization and control over recurring memberships and charges. Thrive Cart, for example, creates ongoing agreements with payment processors like Stripe or PayPal, which allows us to manage recurring charges directly with the processors we own. On the other hand, Sam Cart manages regular monthly payments internally, meaning that if we switch to a new shopping cart, we will lose all of those ongoing contracts.
Both Sam Cart and Thrive Cart are bulletproof and have successfully processed millions of dollars in transactions. They both offer beautiful and simple checkout pages that are quick to build, and they can easily handle more complex features like bumps and upsells.
In summary, a dedicated shopping cart provides more freedom and flexibility in the long run and allows for more customization and control over recurring charges. Sam Cart and Thrive Cart offer reliable and efficient solutions for businesses looking to boost their sales conversions.
Pros and Cons of All-in-One Funnel Builders
Regarding all-in-one funnel builders like ClickFunnels or GoHighLevel, there are pros and cons to consider. As someone who has tried these platforms before, I’ve found some benefits to having everything in one place but also some drawbacks that can be deal-breakers for some businesses.
One of the biggest pros of an all-in-one funnel builder is the convenience of having everything in one place. You don’t have to worry about integrating different platforms or dealing with multiple logins and dashboards. This can save time and headaches, especially for businesses starting or needing more technical expertise.
Another benefit of all-in-one funnel builders is that they often come with many pre-built templates and features that make it easier to create high-converting funnels. This can be especially helpful for businesses that have a limited amount of design or marketing experience.
However, there are also some cons to consider. One of the biggest drawbacks of all-in-one funnel builders is that if one component of the platform fails or has issues, it can affect your entire funnel. This can be especially problematic if you have a lot of traffic and sales coming through your funnel, as any downtime or glitches can cost you a lot of money.
Another area for improvement with all-in-one funnel builders is that they can be more expensive than using separate platforms for each funnel component. While you may save time and effort by having everything in one place, you may pay more in the long run, especially if you have a lot of traffic or sales.
Here’s a basic table outlining some potential pros and cons of All-in-One Funnel Builders:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Convenience – All-in-one funnel builders provide an easy-to-use platform for designing, deploying, and managing sales funnels. | Limited Customization – While these tools are highly streamlined, they may not offer the same level of customization as building your funnels manually or with specialized tools. |
| Integration – These tools often integrate with other platforms and services, such as email marketing software, CRM tools, and social media platforms, making it easier to manage all aspects of a campaign in one place. | Potential Overhead Cost – Some all-in-one funnel builders can be expensive, especially for small businesses or individual users. They often come with monthly or annual subscription fees. |
| Data Analysis – Most all-in-one funnel builders provide built-in analytics, allowing users to track the success of their funnels and optimize as needed. | Learning Curve – Like any new tool, there can be a learning curve associated with understanding how to effectively use all-in-one funnel builders. |
| Automation – Many all-in-one tools provide automated features that can help save time, such as email sequences, follow-ups, and more. | Potential Dependency – If the service goes down or the company goes out of business, it could disrupt your sales funnels. |
| Templates and Examples – To aid in design and implementation, these tools typically offer pre-built templates or examples. | Generic Designs – The use of templates can lead to funnels that look similar to others in your industry, potentially reducing differentiation. |
Please note that the above pros and cons might vary depending on the specific all-in-one funnel builder you choose and your business needs and resources. Consider conducting a comprehensive review or consulting a professional before making any decisions.
Whether you choose an all-in-one funnel builder or separate platforms for each funnel component will depend on your business’s specific needs and goals. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons carefully and choose the option that makes the most sense for your unique situation.
Why Your Business Should Embrace a Modular Approach to Business Building
- Freedom and Flexibility: A modular approach to business building affords your company more control and freedom, allowing flexibility and independence from any system.
- Singular Focus Tools: Opting for dedicated tools, like shopping carts that focus solely on converting sales, can enhance efficiency and avoid complications that can arise from all-in-one systems.
- Risk Reduction: A glitch in an all-in-one system could disrupt the entire business operation. With a modular approach, you can switch out the malfunctioning component, reducing the risk of extensive downtime.
- Agility and Responsiveness: If one tool, like a landing page builder or an email autoresponder, starts underperforming or causing issues, you can switch to a different platform quickly without affecting other parts of your business operation.
- Strategic Usage of Tools: With a modular approach, you can use different tools based on their strengths. For example, using Thrive Cart for recurring memberships and Sam Cart for regular payments can optimize your shopping cart functionality.
- Tailored Checkout Pages: Platforms like Thrive Cart and Sam Cart allow you to design checkout pages that best fit your needs. They also offer various templates and the ability to run bump offers and upsells.
- Consistency: With a modular approach, you can maintain a consistent look and feel across your platforms by reusing templates, leading to brand continuity and recognition.
- Preservation of Existing Systems: By adopting a modular approach, you can make changes without disrupting your product delivery pages and other systems, thus preserving existing business processes and customer experience.
- Recommendation: As demonstrated, a modular approach to business building provides many advantages and allows businesses to adapt quickly and easily to challenges. It’s a strategy worth considering for your operations.
Similarities Between Thrive Cart and Sam Cart
Regarding the basic functionality of a shopping cart, both Thrive Cart and Sam Cart offer the same features. Both platforms allow you to set up and manage your products, create beautiful landing pages, and process payments seamlessly. They both also have a built-in learning management system that can deliver and fulfill orders when people purchase.
In terms of design, both platforms offer a variety of templates to choose from, and they are both very user-friendly. They allow you to customize your checkout pages with brand colors, logos, and images. You can also add bump offers to both platforms, which can help increase your average order value.
Both Thrive Cart and Sam Cart also offer excellent customer support. They have a knowledge base, email support, and live chat to help you with any issues.
Overall, the similarities between Thrive Cart and Sam Cart are significant. They both offer a reliable and easy-to-use shopping cart solution for businesses of all sizes. Whether you choose Thrive Cart or Sam Cart, you can be confident that you will get a top-notch shopping cart platform to help you grow your business.
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Advantages of Thrive Cart for Recurring Charges:
One of the key advantages of using Thrive Cart is its superior model for handling and processing recurring charges. Thrive Cart creates either a Stripe ongoing agreement or a PayPal ongoing agreement at Stripe or PayPal, allowing you to manage regular payments directly with the processors you own.
This is in contrast to Sam Cart, which manages monthly recurring payments internally. If you decide to move to a new shopping cart while using Sam Cart, you will lose all those ongoing contracts for where all the money comes from. This can be a significant drawback, especially if you have many customers on your membership program paying you every month.
Thrive Cart gives you more freedom and flexibility to manage your recurring charges. This is particularly beneficial for businesses that rely heavily on recurring revenue, such as subscription-based services or membership programs.
In addition, Thrive Cart’s modular approach to building your business allows you to easily switch out your shopping cart if you encounter any problems or want to explore other options. This means you can focus on growing your business without worrying about being locked into a particular platform.
Thrive Cart’s superior model for handling recurring charges and its modular approach to building your business makes it a great choice for businesses that value flexibility and freedom.
Comparing Checkout Pages
| Feature | Thrive Cart | Sam Cart |
|---|---|---|
| Templates | The interface can feel a bit clunky compared to Sam Cart. | Robust functionality can handle millions of dollars in transactions without issues. |
| User Interface | Interface can feel a bit clunky compared to Sam Cart. | Offers a cleaner, more intuitive dashboard and user interface. |
| Upsells and Downsells | Easily handles upsells and downsells. | Also easily handles upsells and downsells. |
| Cost Structure | Fixed one-time fee. | Fewer templates offer customization potential for bump offers, which could help increase the average order value. |
| Functionality | The monthly subscription model. | Offers a wider selection of templates and a cleaner user interface but with the same level of reliability. |
| Overall | Offers great checkout pages that are simple, effective, and reliable. More customization potential for bump offers. | The same level of functionality can also handle large volumes of transactions without problems. |
Remember, choosing between the two would depend on your business needs, budget, and personal preference.
Dealing with Bump Offers
| Feature | Thrive Cart | Sam Cart |
|---|---|---|
| Bump Offers | More limited, allowing only one upsell and one down-sell, but you can customize the offer and price for each. | Allows multiple bump offers on the same page, which can help increase the average order value. |
| Upsells and Downsells | More limited, allowing only one upsell and one downsell, but you can customize the offer and price for each. | Allows multiple upsells and downsells with customization for each offer and price. |
| Checkout Process Customization | Provides the ability to add order bumps to your checkout page. | Allows addition of order bumps and small offers on the checkout page, increasing the average order value. |
| Flexibility and Customization | Offers flexibility in terms of what you can offer and how you can customize your offers. | Provides flexibility in terms of the range of offers and the level of customization possible. |
| Reliability | A reliable platform that can help grow your business. | Allows the addition of order bumps and small offers on the checkout page, increasing the average order value. |
| Suitability | Suitable for anyone looking to build a successful online business, whether a startup or an established entrepreneur. | Suitable for anyone looking to expand their successful online business, whether a beginner or an experienced entrepreneur. |
Company Histories and Trajectories
Thrive, and Sam Cart are shopping cart platforms with different company histories and trajectories. Sam Cart has raised 95 million dollars from outside investors, mainly from Silicon Valley. The company has done two VC rounds and is focused on becoming a unicorn brand.
On the other hand, Thrive Cart has yet to take on as much funding as Sam Cart. The company has grown organically and has a fixed price, one-time fee. Thrive Cart focuses on providing a modular approach to building businesses, giving users more freedom and flexibility moving forward.
While Sam Cart has a larger team and more resources, Thrive Cart has a smaller team and is more focused on providing excellent customer support. Both companies have a good track record of processing transactions without fail and providing excellent features for their users.
In terms of the future trajectory of both companies, it is difficult to predict. However, both companies have a loyal user base and are likely to continue growing and providing excellent service to their customers.
Investments in Sam Cart and Thrive Cart
Both Sam Cart and Thrive Cart have taken on funding from outside investors. Sam Cart has raised 95 million dollars from venture capitalists, while Thrive Cart has also received funding, but the exact amount is not disclosed.
Sam Cart’s investors include Silicon Valley venture capital firms such as General Catalyst, Elephant, and Founders Fund. These firms are known for investing in technology startups with high growth potential. Sam Cart’s funding rounds show that investors are confident in the company’s ability to scale and become a leader in the e-commerce industry.
On the other hand, Sam Cart’s funding is less publicized than Thrive Cart’s. However, the company’s website mentions receiving funding from “a group of private investors.” Thrive Cart’s approach to funding is more low-key, focusing more on building a sustainable business rather than seeking rapid growth.
Both companies have used their funding to improve their products and services. Sam Cart has been able to expand its team and develop new features, such as the ability to sell subscriptions and memberships. Thrive Cart has added new features, such as one-click upsells, downsells, and integrations with popular payment gateways.
Both Sam Cart and Thrive Cart have received funding from outside investors. Sam Cart’s funding rounds have been more publicized, and they have raised significant money from venture capitalists. On the other hand, Thrive Cart has taken a more low-key approach to funding and seems to focus more on building a sustainable business. Both companies have used their grant to improve their products and services, adding new features and integrations to better serve their customers.
Affiliate Program Management
Both ThriveCart and SamCart have robust centers for managing affiliate platforms, allowing for the easy creation and management of affiliates for your products and services.
ThriveCart:
- It has an entire affiliate management suite built into its shopping cart software.
- Offers an intuitive, beginner-friendly reporting dashboard.
- It provides a wealth of data users can easily navigate and interpret for better marketing decisions.
- In the affiliate center, users have control over a range of elements:
- Affiliates Overview
- Payout settings
- Product options
- Rules
- These tabs can be further explored for more detailed control over your affiliates.
SamCart:
- Features a powerful affiliate program platform that outperforms most other shopping carts.
- The platform is designed to help sell products and manage as many affiliates as needed for increased sales and revenue.
- The software offers a clean, easy-to-read dashboard with abundant data for analysis.
- It provides all the necessary tools to discover helpful insights and inform decisions, ultimately aiding in the achievement of affiliate success.
ThriveCart vs. SamCart app integrations:
ThriveCart:
- Integrates with over 30 different apps
- Includes email marketing tools like ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, and Mailchimp
- Integrates with payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net
- Integrates with popular membership site platforms like MemberPress and Teachable
- Integrates with webinar platforms like WebinarJam and GoToWebinar
SamCart:
- Integrates with over 30 different apps
- Includes email marketing tools like AWeber, ConvertKit, and Infusionsoft
- Integrates with payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Braintree
- Integrates with popular membership site platforms like Kajabi and Thinkific
- Integrates with webinar platforms like Zoom and WebinarJam
Prices of SamCart and ThriveCart
Here is a comparison table with the prices of both companies on the date of publication of this post:
| Feature | SamCart Pricing | ThriveCart Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Plan | $49/month | $495 one-time fee |
| Pro Plan | $99/month | $690 one-time fee |
| Premium Plan | $199/month | $1,495 one-time fee |
| Sales Volume | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Products | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Transaction Fee | 0% | 0% |
| Affiliate Center | Included | Included |
(source: SamCart Pricing and ThriveCart Pricing)
F.A.Q. on Dedicated Shopping Carts
Choosing the right shopping cart for your business can be overwhelming. Here are some frequently asked questions about dedicated shopping carts that may help you decide.
What is a dedicated shopping cart?
A dedicated shopping cart is a standalone platform solely focused on managing your online sales and checkout process. It is only a some-in-one platform that works your entire sales funnel, from landing pages to email marketing.
Why should I use a dedicated shopping cart?
A dedicated shopping cart allows more flexibility and control over your sales process. If one component of an all-in-one platform fails or becomes too expensive, you may migrate your entire business to a new one. With a dedicated shopping cart, you can easily switch out the shopping cart component without affecting the rest of your sales funnel.
What are the advantages of using a dedicated shopping cart?
One major advantage of using a dedicated shopping cart is that it is designed to manage sales and checkout processes. It is typically more reliable and secure than an all-in-one platform. Dedicated shopping carts often have more advanced features for managing recurring charges and memberships.
What are some popular dedicated shopping carts?
Some popular dedicated shopping carts include Thrive Cart, Sam Cart, and PayKickstart. Each platform has unique features and pricing plans, so it is important to research and compare them to determine the best fit for your business.
Can I use a dedicated shopping cart with my existing website?
Most dedicated shopping carts can be integrated with your existing website. They typically provide embed codes or plugins that allow you to add checkout pages and buy buttons to your website.
Are there any downsides to using a dedicated shopping cart?
One potential downside is that you may need multiple platforms to manage your entire sales funnel, including landing pages and email marketing. This can add complexity to your business and require more time and resources. Some dedicated shopping carts may have a steeper learning curve than all-in-one platforms.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Thrive and Sam carts are excellent shopping carts with unique features and advantages. While Sam Cart offers more templates and a cleaner user interface, Thrive Cart has a superior model for managing recurring charges.
Deciding which shopping cart is right for your business ultimately depends on your specific needs and preferences. Sam Cart may be your better choice if you value style and aesthetics and want more customization options for bump offers. On the other hand, if you prioritize flexibility and want more control over recurring charges, Thrive cart may be the way to go.
It’s also important to consider the company histories of both shopping carts. While Sam’s Cart has received significant funding from venture capitalists, Thrive’s Cart has remained independent and self-funded. This may be a factor to consider for some business owners.
Both shopping carts are reliable and have been proven to handle millions of dollars in transactions. It’s up to you to evaluate your business needs and decide which one is the best fit. We hope this article has provided helpful insights and information to assist you in making an informed decision.
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