Shopify vs. Domestic Shopping Mall Builder (Cafe24): Guide to Choosing a Shopping Mall Platform That Brands Are Concerned About
When choosing an online shopping mall platform, many brands have a question: "Can I just use Cafe24, I'mweb, etc., or should I switch to Shopify?"
This article is based on 300cbt’s experience working with numerous brands and practices, and contains an in-depth comparison of Shopify and Cafe24 across 30 items. It will serve as a practical judgment criterion for brand practitioners considering global expansion or considering introducing Shopify.
1. Comparison of major target markets
The biggest difference between Shopify and Cafe24 is their target markets.
Shopify is a platform optimized for the global market. It started out in North America and is now used in over 175 countries around the world. It is designed with English as the primary language, so it can be used smoothly in various regions such as the US, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. It is a solid choice for brands considering global expansion, with global payment, shipping, exchange rates, and multilingual features.
On the other hand, Cafe24's strengths are its stability and convenience in the domestic market. It is based on Korean and provides functions that are perfect for the local business environment, such as domestic PG company integration, tax invoice issuance, and Naver/Kakao channel integration. It is also very easy to integrate with domestic marketplaces (Coupang, 11th Street, Zigzag, etc.), so if you are a brand targeting domestic customers, you have the advantage of being able to launch and operate quickly.
2. Language environment used
One of the most important factors when running an online store is the language environment. The language in which the administrator can operate the site and the language in which the customer can shop have a big impact on the platform selection.
Shopify is a platform that is primarily designed around English. The admin screen, official documentation, and app descriptions are all in English, but recently, translations have been made into various languages, including Korean. Furthermore, Features like Shopify Marketplace allow you to run your store in multiple languages, which is a huge advantage for brands looking to sell to a global audience.
Cafe24, on the other hand, is a Korean-based platform, and everything from the management screen to customer support and documentation is provided in Korean. Therefore, even domestic shopping mall operators and novice entrepreneurs can access it without difficulty. Although it does provide multilingual functions, the basic structure is centered around Korean.
3. Management Screen UI
The space you encounter every day when operating an online shopping mall is the administrator screen (back office). No matter how many functions there are, if you can't easily find and set them up, it will inevitably cause inconvenience in practice.
Shopify provides a very intuitive and minimal UI, as befitting a global SaaS. It is composed of core functions without unnecessary information or complex menus, so even first-time users can quickly get used to it. It is also optimized to the point where almost all management functions can be performed on mobile devices, providing an extremely efficient experience for operators who are familiar with the digital environment.
Cafe24 provides a UI that is designed to meet the eye level of domestic users. Familiar terms and configurations such as bulletin boards, product registration, and promotion settings are well organized, so users who are familiar with existing domestic shopping mall platforms can use it without much discomfort. However, since there are many menus, some beginners may find it complicated. The admin UI is very difficult for overseas professionals to use.
4. Shopping mall opening speed
“I want to start quickly.”
Many brands actually say this: When choosing a platform, how quickly you can open a store is a critical factor that is linked to execution ability.
Shopify is really fast. With basic setup, from account creation → theme selection → product registration → domain connection, you can open a shopping mall in less than an hour. Thanks to the simple initial setup and intuitive interface, which are the advantages of a global SaaS platform, anyone can quickly launch. This speed is especially attractive to startups or teams that are starting test sales.
Cafe24 is also fast. If you use the templates provided for free, you can easily build a basic shopping mall without a separate design. However, since there are many shopping mall components and Korean-style functions such as bulletin boards and members, it may take a little more time to refine it into a complete structure.
5. Customization Flexibility
The stronger the brand identity, the more likely you are to want to implement “the brand’s unique atmosphere” into your shopping mall. In this case, the important thing is how freely customization is possible.
Shopify is a very flexible platform in terms of customization. Its structure is based on its own template language called Liquid, and it allows you to edit HTML, CSS, and JS together, providing a very free working environment for front-end developers. In particular, with the introduction of the 'section-based editor' structure, administrators can also edit many parts by dragging and dropping without code.
the other side, Cafe24 provides the authority to modify the HTML structure, but the overall structure is very complex and traditional. If you are not familiar with template branching or include structures, the barrier to entry is quite high. If you use paid templates through the design center, you can secure a certain level of completion, but if you want more than that, you often need the help of an outsourced developer.
6. Server/Hosting Management
As a shopping mall operator, one of the most averse technical issues is server issues. If the site slows down due to a surge in traffic or the server goes down, you could miss out on sales opportunities. That’s why the stability of hosting and server management is a very important selection criterion.
fortunately, With Shopify Cafe24 is a SaaS (Software as a Service)-based platform. This means that users do not need to build or maintain servers themselves, and the platform automatically manages all infrastructure.
Shopify uses a global CDN-based infrastructure, ensuring stability and scalability without borders. It automatically responds to sudden spikes in shopping mall traffic, and there is no need to worry about server capacity. This is why global DTC brands trust and use it.
Cafe24 also operates as a self-managed SaaS structure. Stable hosting is provided as soon as the site is opened without a separate server contract, and it is sufficiently stable for services centered on domestic traffic.
7. Traffic response
When events, campaigns, influencer exposure, and advertising performances are well-matched, a shopping mall can experience an explosion of traffic in an instant. What if the site slows down or goes down at that time? It can lead to not only simple inconvenience but also loss of sales and damage to the brand image.
Shopify boasts very strong stability in these situations.
A global SaaS platform Shopify can easily handle hundreds of thousands of real-time connections by utilizing CDN-based infrastructure. With millions of stores operating simultaneously around the world, the structure itself is designed to withstand high traffic. In fact, even during extremely high traffic seasons such as Black Friday, Shopify maintains stable performance.
Cafe24 is also SaaS-based, so basic traffic processing is performed automatically, but in terms of traffic elasticity, It may be a bit more unstable compared to Shopify. Especially when there are large events with many customers coming in at the same time or when there is a lot of external link traffic, some themes or features may slow down or experience temporary delays.
8. Design template diversity
The first impression of a shopping mall is ultimately determined by its design. The ease and variety of templates that can be used are also key factors in choosing a platform.
Shopify offers dozens of basic themes (free and paid), In addition to the Shopify Theme Store, you can also purchase and use hundreds of high-quality templates through various marketplaces (ThemeForest, Out of the Sandbox, etc.).
All themes are mobile responsive and feature 'section-based editing', allowing you to adjust most layouts without writing any code.
There are many minimalistic, brand-centric designs that are simple yet have a global feel.
On the other hand, Cafe24 boasts an overwhelming number of templates.
There are over 280,000 design templates registered through the Design Center, most of which are tailored to the Korean shopping mall style, allowing for customized selection by category such as beauty, fashion, and food.
However, quality varies greatly depending on the manufacturer, and in some cases, mobile responsiveness is a separate paid option, so careful review is required before purchasing.
9. Responsive web support
Nowadays, a significant number of customers start their shopping on mobile devices. Especially as the influx of social media increases, the proportion of mobile devices is much higher than that of desktops. Therefore, it is essential to support responsive web that works cleanly on all devices.
All Shopify themes that come with it by default are fully mobile responsive (Responsive Web Design).
Administrators can check and edit desktop, tablet, and mobile screens in real time, and most themes are designed to naturally express brand identity in a mobile environment. It is very convenient for operators because it is the default for perfect PC-mobile compatibility without separate settings.
On the other hand, Cafe24 may not support mobile responsiveness for some free templates or older designs.
In many cases, you'll need to configure separate designs for desktop and mobile, or purchase a paid responsive option, which can result in lower operational efficiency.
Of course, some recently released paid templates have responsive functionality built in, but this is something that must be checked in advance.
10. App Ecosystem
There are many cases where basic shopping mall functions alone are not enough.
You need extended features to enhance operations, such as reviews, points, subscriptions, pop-ups, and marketing automation. The app ecosystem is important at this time.
As a global SaaS platform, Shopify operates an App Store with over 9,000 apps registered.
You can use the app for various purposes such as points/reviews/marketing/customer management/translation/subscription/loyalty immediately by simply installing it, and most of them are no-code installation + UI integrated, so they can be quickly reflected without separate development.
It also integrates well with other apps, making it easy to implement automated integrations, such as connecting data collected from a review app to an email marketing app.
On the other hand, Cafe24 provides most of its features in the form of basic built-in or external integration.
Although the 'App Store' exists, Unlike Shopify, it does not have a structure where developers from all over the world can freely release apps, and the number and variety of apps to choose from are limited.
Adding simple features is not a problem, but for operational automation or advanced stages, you may need to develop it yourself or outsource it to a partner.
11. Marketplace Integration
The days of simply running my own shopping mall are over. Now, securing a wider customer contact point through linking with external channels such as Naver, Coupang, Amazon, and Zigzag is a key strategy. Therefore, how well the platform connects with various marketplaces is a very important factor in practice.
As a global platform, Shopify officially supports integration with major overseas channels such as Amazon, eBay, TikTok Shop, Google Shopping, and Walmart.
In addition, you can easily link products and collect orders by installing apps for each channel, and Meta/Google/TikTok linkage is available. It's almost a one-click process within Shopify. And recently, YouTube Shopping has been integrated, so you can quickly expand your content-based commerce.
Cafe24 is a platform specialized in linking with domestic marketplaces.
It is very easy to integrate with domestic sales channels such as Naver Smart Store, Coupang, 11st, Gmarket, WeMakePrice, and ZigZag, and by utilizing our own integrated tool, Market Plus, you can register products from multiple channels at once and manage orders in an integrated manner.
12. Payment method linking
In order to prevent customers from leaving the payment page, it is most important to provide a convenient and familiar payment method. In particular, in the Korean market, the issue of how flexible domestic PG company linkage is is often discussed in practice.
Shopify has its own payment system We support a variety of payment methods worldwide, centered around Shopify Payments.
Credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, PayPal, etc. are standard, and can also be linked with country-specific payment gateways.
However, in Korea Since Shopify Payments cannot be used, separate contracts and app integrations with external PG companies such as KG Inicis, Nicepay, and Payco are required to operate domestically. This process may require simple technical setup or outsourcing.
On the other hand, Cafe24 is very easy to integrate with domestic PG companies and its own support range is also wide.
When you first sign up, simply select a PG company and you can activate major domestic payment methods such as Inicis/Nice/Kakao Pay/Naver Pay/Toss with just a few clicks.
Above all, since simple payments, cash receipts, and tax invoice issuance are all automatically processed, it can be seen as very suitable for operation in line with the domestic settlement system.
13. Payment Fee Structure
When operating a shopping mall, one of the most sensitive indicators to manage is the payment fee. This cost occurs every time a customer makes a payment, and as sales increase, it directly affects profits and losses. Therefore, when choosing a platform, you must check what payment fees are incurred in addition to the monthly usage fee.
Shopify basically has a monthly subscription + transaction fee structure.
The rate plans are divided into levels such as Basic ($25), Grow ($65), and Advanced ($399), and depending on the rate plan, When using Shopify Payments, card fees range from approximately 2.4% to 2.9%.
but If you use an external PG instead of Shopify Payments, an additional 0.5-2% transaction fee will be charged separately. That is, Please note that in Korea, where Shopify Payments is not available, card fees + transaction fees may be doubled.
Cafe24 basically provides free platform usage fees, and payment fees are determined through a separate contract with the PG company.
The typical credit card fee is around 2.0% to 3.5%, and the fees for simple payment services such as Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, and Toss are higher or require separate negotiation.
14. Settlement cycle
In shopping mall operations, the settlement cycle is directly related to the speed of operating funds. If the actual cash inflow is delayed after sales are made, marketing, inventory, and labor cost execution may become difficult, so it is essential to check in advance.
Shopify has its own payment system In countries that use Shopify Payments, settlement is possible within 2-5 business days, but Korea is not supported, so you must substitute with an external PG or PayPal. In this case, the settlement cycle will follow the standards of the relevant service.
Directly linked with domestic PG companies Platforms like Cafe24 typically settle accounts the next day or within 2-3 days, and since they are linked to accounting processing such as tax invoices and VAT reports, the settlement flow is much more stable and faster. If you operate primarily with domestic sales, you can have a big advantage in the settlement cycle.
15. Global sales function
If you are targeting the global market, your shopping mall must be able to flexibly respond to multiple languages, multiple currencies, exchange rates, and taxes. This is because simply shipping overseas does not make it possible to operate globally.
Shopify has very powerful features for selling globally. With Shopify Marketplace, you can set country-specific language, currency, tax, and shipping policies from a single admin screen, and automatically display customized content based on where your customers are accessing the site. Real-time currency conversion, translation apps, and global channel integration are all standard features.
Cafe24 supports the creation of multilingual shopping malls, but it is a method that requires creating separate stores for each country. Since languages, prices, and policies must be set separately, global operation efficiency may be somewhat reduced. It is okay for domestic brands to enter overseas markets for the first time, but there are limitations for integrated global operation.
16. Delivery system integration
Delivery is the last but most important experience in running a shopping mall. Customer satisfaction and repeat purchase rate depend on how quickly and accurately the product arrives after purchase.
Since Shopify operates globally, it is easy to integrate with global shipping companies such as DHL, UPS, and FedEx, and you can also utilize various fulfillment apps such as ShipStation and Easyship. However, integration with domestic delivery companies requires app installation or customization.
Cafe24, on the other hand, provides basic integration with domestic courier companies such as CJ Korea Express, Post Office, and Lotte Express. It provides a very convenient environment for brands familiar with domestic logistics operations, as it allows easy settings such as invoice printing, automatic reflection of delivery status, and sending of notification messages.
17. Customer Review System
Customer reviews are key content that increases product reliability and reduces hesitation before purchase. In particular, the number and quality of reviews are important factors in increasing conversion rates, so the usability of the review system is very important.
Shopify allows you to install a variety of review apps, such as Judge.me, Yotpo, and Loox, to add review features in the form you want. You can implement various functions through the app, such as photo reviews, rating filters, and automated review requests, and it is also easy to customize the design to fit your brand image.
Cafe24 basically had a built-in bulletin board-style review system, but the service has been discontinued and is currently unavailable. Instead, you can use Cafe24's app store or develop your own review system.
18. Membership/Point System
Many brands operate loyalty and membership programs to retain and encourage repeat customers. Having a system in place to efficiently set up and manage these is critical to long-term operational strategy.
Shopify doesn’t have a point system in its basic features, but apps like Joy Loyalty, Smile.io, and Stamped Loyalty make it easy to implement a variety of programs, including membership levels, point accumulation, birthday benefits, and review rewards. The app integration is also flexible, making it ideal for developing sophisticated customer retention strategies in combination with marketing automation.
Cafe24 has a built-in point accumulation/use system, so it can be operated without a separate app. Points can be operated in a form familiar to domestic shopping malls, such as issuing points according to purchase amount, using them in conjunction with coupons, and setting expiration dates. It has a structure with a low barrier to entry for first-time operators.
19. Discount/Coupon Function
Discounts and coupons are the most direct means of inducing customers to make purchasing decisions. The flexibility with which operators can set discount conditions and modify them to suit the campaign greatly affects sales growth and repeat purchases.
Shopify allows you to easily create various promotions such as flat rate discounts, flat rate discounts, conditional discounts, and automatic discounts through the Discounts menu in the admin. Using the app, you can also create customized discounts based on the number of purchases or customer groups. Its strength is that it can be integrated with Shopify Flow to implement automation.
Cafe24 has a built-in coupon function that meets the standards of domestic operators. You can set various conditions such as discounts by member level, conditional coupons for shopping carts, discounts by product, and limited-time coupons, and it is structured to have excellent immediate execution power as it can be easily sent through text or notification messages.
20. Regular subscription operation
Subscriptions are a model that can turn a one-time inflow into long-term sales. Especially in product groups with many repeat purchases, such as food, beauty, and daily necessities, the subscription function can soon become the core of the business.
Shopify doesn’t have a subscription option in its basic features, but you can implement various features such as recurring payments, shipping cycle settings, and subscription discounts through dedicated apps such as Appstle, Recharge, and Skio. Customers can also change, pause, and cancel their subscriptions themselves, so the customer experience is also excellent.
Cafe24 has a built-in feature for regular subscriptions. You can apply for regular delivery management by registering a product in administrator mode. However, the point payment feature is not provided.
21. B2B Operational Functions
In addition to B2C sales targeting consumers, more and more brands are also operating B2B sales targeting wholesale/corporate customers. This requires different functions from general shopping malls, such as price differentiation, minimum order quantity, and quotation requests.
On Shopify Full-fledged B2B features are supported starting from the Shopify Plus plan. It provides advanced features such as customer-specific contract pricing, order approval, and a B2B-specific dashboard as standard, and also allows for company-level account management. Recently, a structure has been introduced that allows integrated management of B2C and B2B in one account, making it highly scalable to suit the brand growth stage.
Cafe24 also allows you to build a B2B mall. It provides functions such as business member registration, closed shopping mall operation through member registration authentication, and purchase restriction settings based on member level.
22. SEO Optimization
No matter how good a product is, it cannot reach customers if it is not exposed in search results. That is why SEO (search engine optimization) becomes a key strategy for attracting traffic in shopping mall operations. It is necessary to look at how well the platform supports SEO-friendly structures.
Shopify allows structured SEO settings for all content, including products, collections, pages, and blogs, including URLs, meta titles, descriptions, alt tags, automatic sitemap.xml, and robots.txt. It is also a platform that allows fine-tuning to ensure exposure to Google rich results through SEO apps or structured data markup.
Cafe24 also allows input of meta tags, keywords, image alternative text, etc., but URL structure or code-based SEO optimization is limited. Depending on the design or code, duplicate content, slow loading, and other conditions that search engines do not prefer can occur, so the help of an expert is often required.
23. Blog features
Customers who visit shopping malls are not only interested in products, but also in content such as the brand's philosophy and usage tips. This information plays a big role in increasing trust and increasing natural search traffic. Therefore, the blog function is an important content channel for brand management.
Shopify has a built-in blog function, so in addition to product pages, you can organize and operate brand news, user guides, review content, etc. by category. SEO optimization settings are also possible, so it is highly useful as a content marketing channel.
Cafe24 does not provide a blog-type bulletin board. However, you can check the content published by developers through the story area operated by the App Store, and the Naver blog icon can be linked to the bottom of the shopping mall information through design modification.
24. Marketing Integration
The growth of a shopping mall ultimately depends on how well marketing works. Various channels and platforms such as advertising, email, text, and retargeting must be organically connected to simultaneously attract new visitors and repeat visitors.
Shopify has excellent integration with global marketing tools such as Google Ads, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, Klaviyo, and Mailchimp. It is a structure that is advantageous for digital marketing automation as you can easily set up pixels, track conversions, segment customers, and even run automatic email campaigns just by installing the app.
Cafe24 has strong connectivity with domestic marketing channels such as Naver advertisements, KakaoTalk channels, text messages, and notifications. It is possible to easily send notifications or link advertisements, allowing for optimized marketing operations for the domestic market, but direct linkage with global platforms is relatively limited.
25. Setting up advertising pixels
Pixel integration is essential to properly analyze advertising performance. Pixel is a key tool for collecting customer behavior data, tracking conversions, and increasing the precision of retargeting ads. How easily a shopping mall can integrate this is a very important factor for marketers.
Shopify has a very easy structure for pixel integration with global platforms such as Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, and Google Tag Manager (GTM). Just enter the pixel ID in the administrator and it will be installed automatically, and you can easily set up advanced event tracking through the app, making marketing automation and performance analysis easy.
Cafe24 supports Facebook, TikTok, Google, etc. by default, and code can be easily inserted in the administrator without separate installation. However, pixel integration often requires script insertion or external integration work.
26. Email Marketing
Even customers who don’t buy on their first visit can come back with just one email. That’s why email marketing is one of the key strategies for retaining customers and driving repeat purchases. The more you can focus on automation, timing, and content quality, the more powerful your marketing can be.
Shopify is It comes with Shopify email as standard, and easily integrates with various marketing automation apps such as Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and Omnisend. It is suitable for fast-growing brands as it allows you to configure detailed automated campaigns by scenario, such as customer segmentation, shopping cart abandonment emails, and birthday coupon sending.
Cafe24 must use an automation app to use its own SMS/email sending tool. The automation app is relatively simple in terms of functions or target marketing by customer segment, and sophisticated scenario design may require external tool integration.
27. Setting administrative rights
As the number of operating personnel increases, the ability to subdivide administrator authority according to each role becomes more important. This is an essential function to prevent mistakes or information exposure and to increase team-level operational efficiency.
Shopify allows you to set precise access permissions for each user for each item, such as products, orders, marketing, apps, reports, and customers. In particular, The Shopify Plus plan offers unlimited staff accounts and the ability to manage approvals and access logs, making it an ideal environment for large organizations.
Cafe24 also allows you to add an administrator account and set basic role-based permissions, but There are limitations to managing each item in detail like Shopify. Therefore, it is sufficient for a single operator or a small team, but there may be limitations for team operation with clearly separated roles.
28. Data Migration
One of the most important tasks when moving to a new platform or renewing an existing shopping mall is data migration. How to accurately and safely transfer important data such as products, customers, orders, and reviews determines the continuity of operations.
Shopify offers flexibility in data migration via CSV file upload, Admin API, and migration-specific apps (LitExtension, Matrixify, etc.). If you have a developer, you can also customize it yourself. Shopify partners offer a variety of transfer services to choose from.
Since Cafe24 has limited tools for migration, data transfer is usually done through a professional partner. Especially when transferring from other platforms, direct transfer is often difficult due to differences in data structure, and there are frequent cases where manual organization of customer information and order history is required.
29. Technical Support
When unexpected problems occur during the operation of a shopping mall, the speed and accuracy of support you can receive is directly related to the stability of the operation. Especially in an environment where real-time sales take place, the speed and quality of technical support response are important.
Shopify operates a 24/7 English-based global customer support channel, and you can receive quick responses via chat and email. It’s a structure that’s advantageous for teams accustomed to operating in an international environment, as it allows for a variety of problem-solving approaches through Shopify Experts, partners, and the community.
Cafe24 provides a Korean customer service center and phone consultation as standard, and issues can be quickly resolved through direct calls during business hours. This is a great advantage for domestic businesses as they can receive immediate help without language barriers, and can also connect with partners if necessary.
30. Pricing Structure
One of the most realistic considerations when starting a store or switching platforms is the cost structure. It is important to look at the overall operating costs, including not just the monthly fee, but also transaction fees and additional feature costs.
Shopify is based on a monthly subscription plan, and features vary depending on the tiered fee, such as Basic ($25), Grow ($65), and Advanced ($399). In addition, a transaction fee (0.5-2%) is charged depending on the payment method, and the fee may be higher if an external PG is used. Instead, it is a flexible structure that allows free selection of apps and extensions, and takes into account global scale.
Cafe24 provides basic shopping mall creation and operation free of charge, and actual costs are determined by the PG company transaction fees and use of additional services such as design/app purchases. It is a structure suitable for domestic small businesses or startups as it has a low initial entry barrier and can be operated without the burden of fixed monthly fees.
Conclusion: Which platform is right for which brand?
- If global expansion, strengthening branding, and marketing automation are key → Shopify
- If domestic target, quick launch, and low initial cost are important → Cafe24
step, Global operations based on Cafe24 have structural limitations, and overseas payments/translations/SEO, etc. It is less competitive than Shopify. If you are aiming for "scale-up considering overseas expansion", Shopify may be a better choice in the long run.