Basic vs. Advanced Ecommerce Plan From Squarespace

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There are so many moving parts to starting a Squarespace e-commerce site that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Before you try to become a Squarespace SEO expert or set up email marketing though, you need to pick a plan. 

Squarespace has two options for commerce users: a Basic and Advanced package. We’re going to break down the differences between each so that you can make the best decision for your e-commerce website. 

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What Does the Advanced Squarespace Plan Have That the Basic Plan Doesn’t? 

The Advanced Plan costs $22 dollars more per month (on a monthly subscription) than the Basic Plan. With a 45 % difference in fees, it’s important to understand whether it’s worth the price. Is it worth paying less or will your commerce site suffer for it? 

Here are the key commerce features that the Basic Squarespace plan does not include: 

• Abandoned Cart Recovery: If a customer leaves the checkout process before they’ve completed their order, this feature gives you the option to have an automated email sent to that customer. It’s an opportunity to include a coupon code and tempt people back to your site to complete their purchase.  

• Sell Subscriptions: If you’re trying to sell subscriptions, this is a big deal. You can’t run your business without this feature. However, if selling a subscription isn’t a concern, you probably don’t need it. 

• Advanced Shipping: This Squarespace Advanced feature offers the option of “real-time shipping”. It’s a tool that calculates the shipping costs for an order in real time, taking not just the FedEx, UPS, and USPS rates into account but the weight, and dimensions of the parcel too. It is however only available to US-based businesses. 

• Advanced Discounts: This allows you to have full control over your store’s promotions. You can have discounts that only apply to qualifying orders or are limited in use. 

• Commerce API’s: As its title suggests, this feature allows users to create their own commerce API’s for their Squarespace site. It’s a tool that can make managing a site, especially a busy one, much smoother. 

Most of what the Advanced Squarespace plan offers that the Basic package does not are helpful automations and even more access to the commerce controls of your site. 

Are You Missing Out with the Basic Squarespace Plan? 

The short answer is yes. The commerce features that the Advance Squarespace plan include are all essential parts of a great e-commerce experience. However, a newer business might not need all of this. 

Many of the features are most valuable to robust sellers and if that’s not you yet, stick to the Basic plan. Squarespace makes it easy to upgrade later. 

If you’ve signed up for an annual subscription and decide halfway that you’d like to upgrade, you’ll get a prorated refund and be charged for the rest of the year. You won’t need to start a new contract or worry about being charged for a new subscription. 

Understanding Squarespace Pricing Options 

With both the Basic and Advanced Squarespace commerce plans you can save 25% by signing up for an annual subscription. If you’re serious about your e-commerce site, this is definitely a worthwhile commitment. 

Building a business takes time. To get things up and running properly, you’re likely going to need at least a year. Making that jump to an annual subscription may seem like a big commitment but it’s a realistic one and, best of all, will save you money. 

If you have a Squarespace Circle member set up your site, you can get an extra 20% off the plans. But even without discounts, a Basic, monthly subscription will cost you $33 and still get you a fully operational e-commerce store with a ton of features.  

Still Unsure? 

 For anyone on the fence about which to choose, we’d always suggest picking the Basic Squarespace commerce plan. It’s the perfect place to start and as we said, you can always upgrade later. 

So You’ve Signed Up for a Squarespace Commerce Plan … 

Ok, you’ve picked your Squarespace plan but now you actually have to build your e-commerce site. Launch Happy is here to help. 

We have experts on hand ready to answer all your Squarespace questions and help build the perfect site for your business. 

We also have free guides available and a weekly newsletter covering Squarespace SEO tips. If you prefer watching videos, you might find our tutorials useful. We’ve tried to do a deep dive into every step of building a Squarespace site so that you don’t have to.