There is no doubt that whenever it comes to making an eCommerce website, Joomla is the best CMS out there. Thanks to all the fantastic features and reliability, Joomla is one of the most preferred eCommerce solutions out there. However, you cannot make an eCommerce website by using Joomla itself. Along with the CMS, you will need an eCommerce Joomla Extension.
There is quite a lot of eCommerce Joomla Extensions available out there. However, J2Store and Hikashop are two of the most preferred options available out there. So the question is, Which Is the Best eCommerce Joomla Extension?
Well, I am going to answer this question in this article. So here we go:
J2Store Vs. Hikashop - Which Is the Best eCommerce Joomla Extension
J2Store
J2Store is one of the most popular eCommerce Joomla extensions available out there. It is a native shopping cart and eCommerce extension which allows you to create online stores pretty easily.
As well as setting up an online store is pretty fast as you can create your online store in just 10 minutes. Also, the best part is that, with the help of J2Store, you can start for free.
Moreover, this Joomla extension is pretty simple to use. And it seems like j2Store has its main focus on simplicity only. You can easily integrate the extension with Joomla. Plus, you will be able to use your default Joomla articles as your products. In short, you have to add products, set a price, and publish.
Also, the best part is that this Joomla extension meets all your basic needs to run an online store successfully. Along with that, you will be getting a lot of options to customize your eCommerce website. And you can use features like advance pricing, customer group pricing, related products, upsells, and so on.
However, to help you to know about the extension in a better way, let me share some of the top features:
Top Features of J2Store
Configurable Products
With the help of this Joomla extension, you will be able to chain your product options. As a result, your customers can choose one option and get subsequent and dependant options based on their first selection.
For example, if you are selling pizzas online, then the customer will select the type of pizza they would want to have. After that, they will choose the extra toppings for it. This way, you will be able to help your customers with their choices.
Organize your products
Product organization is one of the main factors for an online store. This does not only help your customers to browse your website in a better way. But it also helps you to categorize your website in a user-friendly way. And with the help of J2Store, you can add product filters, SKU, brand name, and other things. So your customers will be able to find products in a better way.
Sell digital products
Not everyone is going to sell a physical store. But many of them are also going to sell digital products, and if you are one of them, then J2Store can be the perfect plugin for you. With the help of this Joomla extension, you can sell PDFs, images, videos, magazines, software, and so on. And as a result, your customers will be able to buy digital products and download them from your online store.
Subscriptions and Memberships
One of the best features that you are getting with J2Store is Subscriptions and membership. So if you have an online store that sells subscriptions, then this is the best Joomla eCommerce extension that you can use. With this one, you can sell subscriptions and membership through your Joomla website.
Partial payments / Deposits
Another interesting feature that this plugin has is partial payments and deposits. As a result, you will be able to let your customers place a deposit for your products and services. And they can pay the remaining payment later. Also, the extension will allow you to let your customers choose payment plans with different percentages and intervals.
Templates
An eCommerce template is also pretty necessary for running any online store. And with the help of the J2Store extension, you will get access to 20+ eCommerce themes. All of these themes are responsive and will allow you to create a beautiful storefront website in no time. Choose the template that you wish to use and import it.
Multi-lingual support
In the end, there is Multi-Lingual support. As a result, you will be able to create a multilingual online store. You will be able to develop your product content in multiple languages. Also, you can translate the cart and checkout pages. And as of now, the extension is capable of translating in 35+ languages.
How much does J2Store Cost?
You can download the J2Store Joomla extension free of cost. However, there are two other premium plans also available.
These plans are the Professional and Developer. And for the Professional plan, you have to spend $49.00 for six months. And the developer plan costs you $99.00 for a year.
While both of the plans come with core and pro features like coupons, vouchers, notification email templates, invoice templates, and so on, the only difference is that the Professional plan can be used on 5 sites while the developer plan can be used on unlimited online stores.
Hikashop
Hikashop is also one of the most popular eCommerce extension for Joomla that you can use. It allows you to manage your shop’s content pretty easily. As well as it offers you some of the advanced features like advance price management and so on.
Also, you will be getting a lot of customization options which will help you to heavily personalize your online store using an easy to use interface.
Moreover, you will also be able to manage custom fields for users, their addresses, and products. Even if you want to use an affiliate program on your website, you will get an option for that as well. What’s more? You will be getting multilingual support, know statistics, and so on.
The extension is also built for Joomla 1.5, 2.5, and 3.x with simplicity and flexibility. Along with that, you will also get access to a wide range of marketing tools and powerful statistics.
And all of this information are available on your HikaShop dashboard only. So it will be easy for you to manage your store in a fast and simple way.
Top Features of Hikashop
International Sales
Hikashop provides you a fantastic interface for handling languages, currencies, zones, and advanced texts. So you can have an online store running anywhere in the world. Also, your product price will automatically get converted to different currencies. So it will be easy for you to get sales from all around the globe.
Powerful Statistics
The best part of the Hikashop is that it offers you robust statistics. As a result, you will easily be able to know which products are performing great on your website, which products are getting most views and other details. As a result, you will easily be able to create a better marketing strategy. Also, all of the features are available on the dashboard itself. So there is no need to use any third-party tool for statistics.
Responsive Layout
The Hikashop also comes with a responsive layout. As a result, it will work smoothly across devices. And your online store will fit all the screen sizes out there.
Marketing Tools
You will also be able to increase your sales. Thanks to the affiliate program support, coupons, discounts, and email marketing integration. As a result, you will get access to every tool that will help you to scale your business in a better way.
Easy To Configure
The Joomla extension is also easy to configure. It comes with a user-friendly interface. Along with that, all of the elements are pretty easy to configure. So you can create your website in a few minutes only. Along with that, you will also be getting a lot of advanced customization options. Like you can personalize your store, views, checkout, information fields, and so on.
Multi-Vendor
If you have a website which deals with multiple vendors, then this is the best Joomla eCommerce extension that you can use. As you will be able to create a multi-vendor website and manage in one shop, several sales from different people.
How much does Hikashop Cost?
You can download Hikashop free of cost. However, there are two other premium plans also available HikaShop Essential and HikaShop Business. And both of them offers you all of the essential eCommerce features. The Hikashop Essential costs you € 49,95 and the Hikashop Business costs you € 99,90.
Conclusion:
Both of the J2Store and Hikashop comes with amazing features. And it is up to you which extension you should choose depending on the features you need. However, in terms of features, J2store is superior to the Hikashop. But it depends on what kind of store you are planning to make what features it will have.
