CommentSold vs Shopify (SoldLive)

CommentSold
is a good choice for stores that are not already on Shopify. But there are 3 things to consider:

1) Facebook's algorithm likes comments happening on FB, and will penalize lives that are taking users off of Facebook

2) Your new shoppers are forced to register to shop with you

3) Cost. Giving up 3-5% of your business to CommenSold in perpetuity gets very expensive when you're building a real business.



Facebook's algorithm

The Teal Antler Boutique tried 12 lives with CS and compared the viewership to 12 lives on SoldLive:

The 12 lives in the green box were done with SoldLive and got 2-3X more FB views than the lives circled in the red box. More details on this case study are here.

CS shoppers need to register

With SoldLive, shoppers just comment to buy. They get taken straight to your Shopify checkout page where they can easily checkout as a guest.

Or they can log into their account on your Shopify store to take advantage of Shopify loyalty apps if you're using one.

Making new shoppers register before purchasing adds friction to the buying process.



When does CS make sense?

The big advantage of CommentSold over Shopify + SoldLive is that you get your own mobile app that shoppers can download. Mobile apps allow you to send push notifications for free whenever you go live or have a sale. It's also the right choice if you want to host your live sales on your owned channel instead of on Facebook or Instagram.

If a mobile app is vital to your business, we don't recommend abandoning your CS mobile app (especially on Android where you'll lose your subscribers if you end the app!)

But we do recommend going live directly on Facebook (or with SoldLive) occasionally to increase your FB reach.

Former CS customers have told us they switched to SoldLive because:

• They were seeing their FB lives get less and less viewers over time
• Their new shoppers don't need to register
• SoldLive is built completely on top of Shopify, and the inventory is synced in real-time
• The Shopify checkout happens within FB or IG Messenger
• Their shoppers can just comment a number (without the word 'sold')
• All the loyalty programs, payment methods, and shipping options within the Shopify ecosystem are available since SoldLive uses the Shopify checkout
• They don't need to manage a 2nd storefront or mobile app
• Returns in-store are easily trackable since it's integrated with the Shopify POS
• They don't want to manage a mobile app
• They wanted more options with apps, themes, etc in the Shopify ecosystem
• They don't want to give 3-5% of their business to CommentSold

Having both Shopify and CommentSold together means you're paying for 2 checkout systems, 2 webstores, 2 inventory management systems, 2 point-of-sales, etc.

Even the largest DTC brands with hundreds of employees don't try to manage 2 different platforms at the same time. As a small business owner, you have to make a choice - CommentSold vs Shopify