Dear Webflow Team,
While I dearly embrace your platform and have for years, your e-commerce pricing approach is heavy lifting and slightly off-putting.
What base am I starting from?
We are currently running a shop in Germany from a provider called Gambio. You install their software on your server and the shop works. It certainly isn’t Webflow but the design is functional, adaptive and the shop works like a charm, various integrations included. The costs are about €15 for the support contract (software as such is free) and about €5 for the server space.
I understand your thoughts about saying: “We’ll get you in the door but if your shop is successful, we want a slice of the pie.” I understand that to a certain point.
We currently run a CMS plan for one of our clients’ sites. That is $16 per month. That $16 is for your awesome development and maintenance work to enable me to build and host that site. I find that very fair. I could turn $10 million in business based on that awesome site and I would still pay $16 or a little more if I needed business hosting.
In that same door comes e-commerce and all of a sudden everyone gets a little anxious because they want a slice of the pie. Yes, the programmers still cost money and your infrastructure and your servers also, but essentially nothing has changed. It’s all time and code. But because the code now measurably generates money, it becomes more valuable code than before. And therefore it wants to be paid differently.
I have no issue at all in having some sort of tier system in pricing. But make it about value you give me, vs. value I generate. Because when I hit that $50K ceiling on the entry level plan, I need to upgrade to the next plan. But not because I need anything else, but because my shop is successful. If I sold luxury cars that would be one transaction. And and that feels slightly off, no?
The payment provider charges me the same transaction fees regardless. One transaction or one million transactions. With some it actually gets less the more you generate.
So give me an option please! Give me a shop for $0 and participate in my success based on a fixed percentage. Or give me a fixed price based on value of features but without any profit ceilings.
To my understanding, Webflow has always been about enabling and empowering people. But your e-commerce pricing goes a different route.
I am very aware that you did not invent that train of e-commerce business thinking. But that doesn’t mean you need to ride it.
Just food for thought.
Best,
Tobias