Volusion

What is Volusion

Volusion is an all-in-one ecommerce platform that allows businesses to create, manage, and grow their online stores. Its core purpose is to provide a complete solution for selling products online, from building a website to processing payments and managing inventory. The platform is designed for entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes who want a hosted shopping cart solution without needing deep technical skills. Founded in 1999 by Kevin Sproles, Volusion is one of the long-standing players in the ecommerce industry. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and provides a comprehensive set of tools to handle every aspect of an online retail business.

Volusion Features

Volusion offers a wide range of features to support online businesses. Here are some of the key functionalities:

• Storefront Builder: Create a professional-looking online store using a variety of responsive themes. You can customize the design, layout, and colors without writing any code.
• Product Management: Add and manage an unlimited number of products. You can include detailed descriptions, multiple images, videos, and create product variants like size and color.
• Inventory Management: Track stock levels automatically to avoid overselling. The system updates inventory as sales are made and allows for low-stock alerts.
• Payment Processing: Securely accept credit card payments through various payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.Net. Volusion does not charge its own transaction fees.
• Shopping Cart: Provides a seamless and secure checkout experience for customers, with features like saved carts and a simple, one-page checkout option.
• Marketing and SEO Tools: Built-in tools to improve your store's visibility in search engines. Manage meta tags, create sitemaps, and run email marketing campaigns with a built-in newsletter feature.
• CRM System: A customer relationship management (CRM) tool is included to manage customer information, track order history, and handle communications.
• 24/7 Support: Access to customer support around the clock via phone, email, and chat to help with any technical issues.

Volusion Pricing Plans

Volusion offers several pricing plans tailored to different business needs. The plans are structured in tiers, typically starting with a basic plan for new businesses and scaling up to advanced plans for large enterprises.

• Personal Plan: Designed for individuals or small startups just beginning their ecommerce journey. It includes essential features for building a store and selling a limited number of products.
• Professional Plan: A good choice for growing businesses. This plan offers more features, such as abandoned cart reports, newsletters, and CRM capabilities, and supports a larger product catalog.
• Business Plan: Aimed at established businesses with higher sales volume. It includes advanced features like API access, integrations with third-party marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, and dedicated support.
• Prime Plan: The top-tier plan for large-scale operations. It offers custom solutions, VIP support, and the highest level of features to manage a complex ecommerce business.

Volusion Free Plan

Volusion does not offer a permanently free plan. However, it provides a 14-day free trial for new users to test the platform. The trial gives you access to most of the features of a paid plan, allowing you to build your store, add products, and explore the dashboard. No credit card is required to sign up for the free trial, so you can try it without commitment.

How to use Volusion

Getting started with Volusion is a straightforward process. Here is a typical workflow to launch your online store:

1. Sign Up: Begin by signing up for the 14-day free trial on the Volusion website.
2. Choose a Theme: Browse the theme library and select a design that fits your brand. You can choose from free and premium themes.
3. Customize Your Store: Use the site builder to customize your chosen theme. Add your logo, change colors, and set up your navigation menu.
4. Add Products: Go to the products section in your dashboard. Add your products one by one or use the bulk import feature. Include product names, descriptions, prices, and high-quality images.
5. Set Up Payments: Configure your payment gateway by navigating to the payment settings. Connect your Stripe, PayPal, or other supported processor account to start accepting payments.
6. Configure Shipping: Set up your shipping rates and rules. You can offer flat rates, free shipping, or real-time calculated rates from carriers.
7. Launch Your Store: Once everything is configured, review your site and publish it to go live.

Pros and Cons of Volusion

Here is a balanced look at the advantages and disadvantages of using Volusion.

Pros:

• No Transaction Fees: Volusion does not charge its own transaction fees on any of its plans, which can save you money as you grow.
• All-in-One Platform: It includes a wide range of built-in features, including CRM and newsletter tools, reducing the need for third-party apps.
• 24/7 Customer Support: Reliable support is available at all times, which is very helpful for resolving urgent issues.
• Strong Data Tools: The platform provides good reporting and analytics to help you make data-driven decisions.

Cons:

• Learning Curve: The interface can be less intuitive than some modern competitors, requiring some time to learn.
• Limited Theme Selection: The number of available themes is smaller compared to platforms like Shopify, and some designs may feel less modern.
• Bandwidth Limits: Plans come with bandwidth limits, and you may need to upgrade if your site receives a lot of traffic.
• Fewer Integrations: While it has key integrations, its app marketplace is not as extensive as some alternatives.

Volusion integrations

Volusion integrates with a variety of third-party applications to extend the functionality of your online store. These integrations help with payments, marketing, shipping, and accounting.

• PayPal Integration: Allows you to accept payments through PayPal, a popular choice for many online shoppers.
• Stripe Integration: Connect your store with Stripe to securely process credit and debit card payments.
• Amazon Marketplace Integration: List and sell your products directly on Amazon from your Volusion dashboard.
• Mailchimp Integration: Sync your customer data with Mailchimp to create and manage email marketing campaigns.
• QuickBooks Integration: Connect your store to QuickBooks to automate your accounting and bookkeeping tasks.

To set up an integration, you typically navigate to the 'Manage Apps' or 'Integrations' section in your Volusion admin panel, find the app you want to connect, and follow the authorization steps.

Volusion Alternatives

If Volusion is not the right fit for you, consider these alternatives:

• Shopify: A very popular and user-friendly platform with a massive app store. It is great for beginners but charges its own transaction fees if you don't use Shopify Payments.
• BigCommerce: A powerful platform with strong built-in features and no transaction fees, similar to Volusion. It is highly scalable and excellent for SEO.
• Wix eCommerce: Known for its flexible drag-and-drop website builder, making it ideal for visually focused brands. Its ecommerce features are solid but may not be as deep as dedicated platforms.
• WooCommerce: A free, open-source plugin for WordPress. It is extremely customizable but requires you to manage your own hosting, security, and updates, making it more technical.

Volusion API

Yes, Volusion provides a robust API that allows developers to create custom solutions and integrations. The API enables you to connect your Volusion store with other software, such as ERP systems, CRMs, or custom-built applications. You can use it to manage products, orders, customers, and more.

To get an API key, you generally need to be on a plan that includes API access (like the Business plan or higher). You can generate the key from the Volusion admin dashboard under the 'Inventory' > 'Import/Export' > 'Volusion API' section. You will need to enable the API and configure the access permissions.

Here is a generic example of an API call using cURL to retrieve a list of products:

curl -u "your_username:your_api_key" -H "Accept: application/json" "https://www.yourvolusionstore.com/net/api/v2/products"

For detailed documentation, developers should visit the Volusion developer portal.

Volusion Affiliate program

Volusion offers an affiliate program that allows you to earn commissions by referring new customers to the platform. The program is managed through the affiliate network CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction).

• Commission Rate: Affiliates typically earn a commission for each new customer who signs up for a paid plan through their referral link. The commission is often a percentage of the customer's first monthly payment or a fixed bounty.
• How to Join: To join the program, you need to sign up for a CJ Affiliate account and then apply to the Volusion affiliate program within the CJ dashboard.
• Getting Paid: Once your application is approved, you will get access to referral links and marketing materials. Commissions are tracked and paid out through the CJ Affiliate platform, usually on a monthly basis, once you meet the minimum payment threshold.