Showcase website or online store: which one is right for your business?
It is often the first decision in a web project. Yet the answer is simple once you ask the right question: should your clients be able to buy directly on your website?
Two tools, two missions
The showcase website presents and reassures. It shows your services, your work and your opening hours, and encourages visitors to call you, message you on WhatsApp or drop by.
The e-commerce website sells. It adds a catalog, a cart, a payment step and a dashboard to manage orders. This is what Wikipedia calls e-commerce: buying and selling goods and services over the Internet.
When to choose a showcase website
- You sell a service (practice, agency, craftsperson, clinic, school, restaurant).
- Your sales are closed by phone, on WhatsApp or in store.
- You first want to exist on Google and build trust.
At AMweb, the Showcase Site costs 3,000 MAD for 3 custom pages, delivered in 1 to 2 weeks.
When to choose an online store
- You sell products at fixed prices.
- You get a lot of repetitive questions ("how much is it?", "do you still have size M?").
- You want to sell 24/7, even when your shop is closed.
The AMweb E-commerce Site costs 7,500 MAD: unlimited pages, integrated payment, dashboard and advanced SEO.
The in-between option, very common in Morocco
Many Moroccan businesses start with an online catalog and ordering through WhatsApp, then add online payment as volume grows. It is a good strategy: you test demand without building everything on day one. Either way, your website must be perfectly readable on a phone: that is the principle of responsive web design.
The three-question method
- Can your clients buy without talking to you? If so, think e-commerce.
- Do you have more than 3 pages of content to present? If so, compare both packages.
- Do you need specific tools (CRM, client area, app)? Then look at the Premium Site.
To decide faster, take the test with our package simulator: four questions, one clear recommendation.
