EKM vs ShopWired:
managed store support, turnover and payment costs.
Compare EKM and ShopWired for a UK store by service ownership, turnover rules, add-ons and the cost of accepting payments.
Choose the scope.
Price the retained service.
EKM’s current offer combines the store with an Ecommerce Manager and design assistance. ShopWired provides a hosted store with turnover-based packages and optional services. Shortlist around who will maintain the shop, then request equivalent integration and payment scope. EKM’s official pages show conflicting subscription amounts, so a written quote is necessary before any price comparison.
Seven differences that change the shortlist
| Buying question | EKM | ShopWired |
|---|---|---|
| Service emphasis | Managed store offer with ecommerce and design help | Hosted store; service requirements affect package or additional work |
| Subscription boundary | Signup page states an annual-sales scope; confirm the current quote | Automatic upgrades when rolling 365-day turnover exceeds the package limit |
| Product work | Attributes, filters and inventory tools | Unlimited products in advertised packages |
| Staff and trade extras | Trade discounts listed; confirm access and service scope | Essentials lists extra charges for user accounts, accounting apps and trade accounts |
| Payment costs | EKMPay rates remain separate from no extra platform fee | External gateways have no platform transaction fee; processing still applies |
| Domain and email | Confirm included domain renewal and mailbox scope | Domain registration and email hosting must be arranged separately |
| Evaluation access | 14-day trial | 14-day trial without card details |
Four worked buying briefs
These are hypothetical scenarios with explicit assumptions. They do not establish equal capabilities, measured usability or a negotiated price.
| Buying brief | EKM | ShopWired |
|---|---|---|
| An owner needs ongoing merchandising help | Request a written schedule for design and ecommerce-manager tasks. | Price any setup or ongoing work beyond the hosted store package. |
| Sales are approaching a package boundary | Ask how the quoted annual-sales allowance is measured and revised. | Model website payments over a rolling 365-day period and the next package. |
| A wholesaler needs trade accounts and accounting | Demonstrate a trade discount and reconcile the accounting handover. | Compare Essentials add-on costs with packages including trade and accounting apps. |
| A retailer is moving an established domain and mailbox | Agree migration, domain routing and email responsibilities in the service scope. | Retain a separate registrar and email provider and plan the store DNS change. |
An owner needs ongoing merchandising help
Who does the weekly shop work?
EKM: Request a written schedule for design and ecommerce-manager tasks.
ShopWired: Price any setup or ongoing work beyond the hosted store package.
Give both suppliers the same list: a category update, a promotion and a stock correction. Included support is not an unlimited outsourced retail team.
Sales are approaching a package boundary
What can change the recurring fee?
EKM: Ask how the quoted annual-sales allowance is measured and revised.
ShopWired: Model website payments over a rolling 365-day period and the next package.
A quieter calendar month does not immediately erase sales still inside a rolling annual window. Include expected seasonal receipts.
A wholesaler needs trade accounts and accounting
Which parts need a retained-plan quote?
EKM: Demonstrate a trade discount and reconcile the accounting handover.
ShopWired: Compare Essentials add-on costs with packages including trade and accounting apps.
Use one trade customer with a negotiated price and one retail customer; check that neither sees the wrong price or tax treatment.
A retailer is moving an established domain and mailbox
What must be ready at cutover?
EKM: Agree migration, domain routing and email responsibilities in the service scope.
ShopWired: Retain a separate registrar and email provider and plan the store DNS change.
Ask for catalogue, URL redirect and order-history samples before setting a launch date. Changing storefront DNS should be coordinated with existing email records.
Define what happens after launch
Write a monthly operating brief before comparing subscription amounts. For example, an owner may need a new collection page, a promotional banner, a discount change and help diagnosing an abandoned checkout. Ask who performs each task, what input they need, how requests enter the queue and what work counts as a separate project. EKM’s managed positioning makes this brief particularly important: support availability alone does not establish the quantity or turnaround of production work.
For ShopWired, identify the tasks the merchant or agency will own and price the services needed to close any gap. During an authorised evaluation, ask the intended shop operator to amend a variant, change a delivery rule and correct a product image. Record where assistance is required. Compare the resulting division of work with the managed-service quote, including time the business still spends supplying assets, approving copy and checking the final storefront.
Model sales receipts and checkout costs separately
Prepare a forecast with online receipts, order count and average basket value. Use ShopWired’s preceding-365-day turnover rule to determine the likely package through a seasonal peak, rather than checking a single calendar year-end total. Ask EKM for the measurement and consequences of the annual-sales scope in its quote. Its current pricing and signup pages disagree on the subscription amount; preserve the written offer, date and service inclusions with the buying decision.
Then calculate gateway charges separately using the actual mix of card types, countries, refunds and alternative payment methods. Neither vendor’s absence of an added platform transaction fee makes payment processing free. Keep VAT treatment, domain renewal, mailbox service, trade features and accounting connectors on separate lines. A useful acceptance test follows one sample order from payment authorisation through dispatch, refund and accounting export, and records who corrects a failed handover.
Questions before you choose
Is EKM’s current public price unambiguous?
No. The official cost and signup pages displayed different monthly amounts when checked. Confirm the subscription and annual-sales scope in a current written quote.
Does ShopWired wait for the end of the calendar year to check turnover?
No. Its pricing FAQ describes a daily check of the preceding 365 days, with an automatic package upgrade if the applicable turnover limit is exceeded.
Do zero platform transaction fees remove payment-provider fees?
No. EKM advertises EKMPay processing rates, and ShopWired lists payment-processing charges separately. Quote the intended gateway and payment mix.
Keep the assumptions with the figures
Use the date, billing cycle, units and limits with each example. Check current account terms before purchasing. Unverified prices and model costs stay unpriced.
Download the buying examples as JSON ↓Share the comparison
Use these examples when discussing the shortlist with your team.