CommentSold vs Shopify (SoldLive)

CommentSold is a good choice for stores that are not already on Shopify. But there are 2 things to consider:

1) Facebook's algorithm likes comments happening on FB, and does not like users taken off of FB

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



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 can add 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) to increase your FB reach.

(we have customers that keep their CS mobile shopping app for their existing customers and use SoldLive for their FB/IG lives to get new customers)

When does having both Shopify + CommentSold not make sense?

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

• 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

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.

If you really need a mobile app, the Shopify app store has plenty of options to create mobile apps directly from your Shopify store (ex Tapcart). The mobile app options on Shopify do not take a commission of your sales.