Shopify vs X

Nov 6, 2026

The best ecommerce platform for a fashion brand in the Netherlands (2026)

Karina Paviotti

Founder, Design by Karina

Updated on Nov 6, 2026

6 min read

VYOLA's Shopify store on a laptop, designed by Design by Karina

For most independent fashion brands selling in the Netherlands and Belgium, Shopify is the best ecommerce platform in 2026. That's my honest answer. It handles sizes and colors as variants, takes iDEAL through Shopify Payments, has returns built in and doesn't ask you to run a server. WooCommerce fits a brand that already has a developer and wants full control. Lightspeed fits a brand whose shops already run on Lightspeed's till. Wix and Squarespace fit a brand with a handful of pieces that mostly needs a good-looking site.

In short

For most independent fashion brands in the Netherlands and Belgium, I'd go with Shopify, because sizes, colors, iDEAL and returns are all there and you don't run a server.
The others have their place too: WooCommerce with a developer on hand, Lightspeed if your shops already use its till, Wix or Squarespace for a handful of pieces.
Shopify's Basic plan is €21 a month billed yearly or €28 monthly, and an iDEAL payment costs €0.29 through Shopify Payments.

Starting or moving a fashion store?

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Design by Karina is a strategy-first boutique Shopify agency in Rotterdam for premium fashion and beauty brands, and we design and build Shopify stores for brands across the Netherlands and Belgium. We build every store on Shopify, so you know where we stand. That's also why I'll tell you below where another platform is the better choice.

What does a fashion webshop need from its platform?

When someone buys clothes online, they rarely doubt the product. They doubt the fit, because they can't try it on. So the platform has to make size, color and returns easy for them, and easy for you too, because you're the one setting it all up again every season.

Need	Why it matters for fashion
Variants	Every piece comes in sizes and colors, each with its own stock
Size chart on the product page	The question "will it fit?" has to be answered next to the button
Filters by size, color and fit	Buyers shop by what's available in their size
Returns	Returns are part of buying clothes online, so they have to be simple
iDEAL and local payment	Dutch buyers expect iDEAL at checkout
Mobile	Fashion is often browsed on a phone, between other things
Email marketing	Drops, restocks and "back in your size" emails bring people back for a second order
A store you can run yourself	New collections every season, without calling a developer

Which ecommerce platform is best for clothing stores?

Shopify

If you're looking at Shopify for a clothing brand, this is what you get. It's a hosted platform, which means Shopify runs the servers, the security and the updates, so you don't have to think about them. Sizes and colors are variants with their own stock, and filters by size and color work on your collection pages, so people can find what's available for them.

With Shopify Payments, iDEAL, cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay all work at checkout, and Shopify doesn't add its extra fee per order. You still pay the normal cost per payment, like €0.29 for an iDEAL payment. Customers can request a return themselves, from their order status page, so it doesn't all have to go through your inbox. And Klaviyo and Judge.me connect for your email and reviews.

Good to know: Basic starts at €28 a month, or €21 a month billed yearly. With an outside payment provider, Shopify adds 2%, 1% or 0.6% per order, depending on your plan. Paid apps add a monthly cost on top. The full breakdown is in What does Shopify cost?

WooCommerce

A free plugin for WordPress. You choose and pay for the hosting, and you or your developer keep WordPress, the plugins and the security up to date. With the right plugins it can do almost anything, including iDEAL through Mollie.

Good to know: all that freedom comes with upkeep, because each plugin is one more thing to update and one more thing that can break. It fits a brand with a developer on hand. More in Shopify vs WooCommerce: which one is right for your brand?

Lightspeed

A platform with Dutch roots, known for its till system for physical shops, with an online store on the same stock.

Good to know: it's a natural fit if your shops already run on Lightspeed's till. If you sell mostly online, there are fewer apps and themes to build on than with Shopify. Look at the variant limits too, because every size and color counts as one. On Lightspeed's Dutch pricing page (checked November 5, 2026), Essential is €68 a month with 250 variants and one language, and Advanced is €120 with 5,000 variants and three languages.

Wix and Squarespace

Website builders with a store built in. They're quick to set up and good-looking out of the box.

Good to know: they suit a brand with a handful of pieces. Once you have many sizes, collections and email flows, you'll likely outgrow them, so it helps to know that before you start.

How do these platforms compare for a fashion brand?

	Shopify	WooCommerce	Lightspeed	Wix / Squarespace
Who runs the servers	Shopify	You or your host	Lightspeed	The builder
Sizes and colors as variants	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, simpler
iDEAL	Through Shopify Payments	Through a plugin, like Mollie	Yes	Through Wix Payments or Squarespace Payments
Customers can request a return themselves	Built in	Through a plugin	Built in, with a customer account	Wix through an app, Squarespace not built in
Upkeep for you	Low	High	Low	Low
Best for	Most independent fashion brands	Brands with a developer	Brands with Lightspeed shops	A handful of pieces

Good to know in the Netherlands

iDEAL. Every platform here can take it, and the cost differs. On Shopify Payments it's €0.29 per payment on Basic, Grow and Advanced, and on Wix Payments it's 2.5% + €0.30, so €2.30 on an €80 dress. iDEAL is moving to Wero step by step, and I explain that in Shopify, iDEAL and Wero.
Bancontact. If you sell to Belgium, your customers there will look for it. On Shopify it needs Shopify Payments and a store that accepts euros.
Withdrawal button. Since June 2026 a webshop that sells to consumers needs a clear button or link to cancel an order. Ask how your platform handles this, because the rule is yours to meet, whichever platform you use. On Shopify, the return and cancellation rules help you set it up.
KVK and BTW. Your KVK number, BTW number and contact details have to be on your site on any platform. Squarespace even reminds Dutch sellers to show their KVK number when they turn on iDEAL.

Shopify or WooCommerce for a fashion brand?

Choose Shopify if you'd rather spend your time on collections than on updates. Choose WooCommerce if you have a developer, already run WordPress and want to own every line of code. If you're on WooCommerce now and the upkeep is wearing you down, see which migration tools are out there if you'd like to try it yourself.

How do you show sizes on a Shopify product page?

Put the size chart next to the size selector, not in a footer link, because nobody wants to leave the page to look up their size. Show measurements in centimeters, say how the piece fits ("fits tight, take one size up"), and put your returns policy one line below the button, so they know what happens if it doesn't fit after all.

We did this on VYOLA, a Belgian atelier for made-to-measure body jewelry. A body chain has to fit, and you can't try it on first. So the product page shows a size chart in centimeters, a field for your own measurements and a fit guarantee, all next to "add to cart". There's more on this in our article on size charts.

Does the platform matter more than the design?

No. The platform is the easy part, because it only decides what's possible. Whether someone who's still doubting goes ahead and orders depends on what they find on the page. Two fashion brands on Shopify can sell very differently, just because one answers the fit question on the page and the other doesn't. That's why we start with the doubts your buyers have, then the design, then the build.

Tell us about your brand and your collection. Thirty minutes, free, with Karina. If Shopify isn't right for you, we'll say so.

Questions

What is the best ecommerce platform for a fashion brand?

For most independent fashion brands in the Netherlands and Belgium, Shopify. It handles sizes and colors, iDEAL and returns, and you don't run servers. WooCommerce fits brands with a developer, and Lightspeed fits brands with physical shops on its till.

Is Shopify good for clothing?

Yes. Sizes and colors are variants with their own stock, filters work by size and color, and customers can request returns themselves, so you can run a full collection without a developer.

Does Shopify support iDEAL?

Yes, through Shopify Payments. An iDEAL payment costs €0.29 on Basic, Grow and Advanced, and Shopify doesn't add its extra fee. With an outside payment provider, Shopify adds 2%, 1% or 0.6% per order depending on the plan, on top of what that provider charges.

What does Shopify cost for a fashion brand?

Basic starts at €28 a month, or €21 a month billed yearly, plus any paid apps. If you'd like us to design and build the store, The Launch starts from €4,500 and The Atelier from €6,900.

Does WooCommerce cost less than Shopify?

The plugin is free, but hosting, paid plugins and upkeep are not. If you don't have a developer, you also pay with your own time on updates, which is easy to forget, and it's still a cost.

Can I start on Wix and move later?

Yes, but moving means rebuilding the store. If you plan to grow past a handful of pieces, starting on Shopify saves you a second build. Building twice is the one thing we'll always talk you out of, even when it's the version that pays us more.

Is Shopify better than Wix or Squarespace for a clothing brand?

For a full collection, I think so, because you get more room for sizes, filters, returns and email flows. For a handful of pieces and a good-looking site, Wix or Squarespace can be enough. On Wix, also look at the payment cost, because iDEAL through Wix Payments is 2.5% + €0.30 per payment, and that adds up on higher prices.

Which platform fits a clothing store with a physical shop?

If your shop already runs on Lightspeed's till, Lightspeed is the natural choice, as long as its variant limits suit your collection. Shopify has its own till too, and I wrote about that in Shopify POS for brands.

Which Shopify plan do I need for a clothing store?

I'd start on Basic and move up when you have a clear reason to. Basic is €21 a month billed yearly and Grow is €59, and Grow takes the card rate down from 1.9% to 1.8%, so the difference won't pay for itself at the start. Everything else is in What does Shopify cost?

Does Shopify support Bancontact?

Yes, through Shopify Payments, for customers in Belgium who pay in euros, on online orders. You do have to turn off any payment gateway that conflicts with it first.

Does my fashion webshop need a withdrawal button?

If you sell to consumers, yes. Since June 2026 they need to be able to cancel through a clear button or link, and you send a confirmation afterwards. KVK explains what it has to do, and Shopify has its own guide on how to set it up there.

What is the best Shopify agency in Rotterdam for a fashion brand?

Ask me and you're asking someone with an interest, because we're a Shopify agency in Rotterdam ourselves. So look at the stores an agency has built for brands like yours. We put Shopify agencies in the Netherlands for fashion and beauty on one list, us included, to make that easier.

How much does a Shopify agency cost in the Netherlands?

That depends on what you need, from adapting a theme to a store designed around your brand. I wrote it all out in What does a Shopify agency cost?

Your store, your numbers

Want a straight answer for your own store? Book a free call and we’ll walk through it together.