D2C in Fashion: Why your Tilda store is losing 30% of customers (and why Next.js is the standard of 2026)
When a seller decides to launch their online store, 9 out of 10 take the path of least resistance: “We’ll do it on Tilda / Shopify. It’s fast, cheap, and it’s a designer.”
For a webinar landing page or website, Tilda business cards are great. But for Fashion E-commerce, where visuals and speed sell, designers in 2026 are a “glass ceiling”.
Why do big brands and smart sellers build stores on the Next.js + React stack (the technologies that power Nike, Netflix and... ETERN8)? Let's figure it out without complex code.
1. Speed = Money (3 Second Rule)
In the Fashion segment, you sell with your eyes. You have a lot of heavy photos, video covers, lookbooks.
Tilda:
Loads a huge universal code (“engine”), even if it is not needed on the page. When the mobile Internet is weak (and people buy on the subway!) pictures are loaded slowly.
The client waits 3-4 seconds → freaks out → leaves
Next.js:
Uses technology in which the page does not reload completely. Transitions between products occur instantly (in 0.2–0.8 seconds).
This makes it feel like an "expensive app" rather than a website.
📊 Google Statistics:
Speed up loading of the mobile version on 0.1 seconds increases sales conversion by 8%.
2. Rent vs Ownership (The most important point)
This business argument, not technical.
Tilda / Constructors: You are in a “rented apartment”
- ✗ you pay monthly subscription fee
- ✗ Stopped paying -the site has disappeared
- ✗ The platform has changed the rules or blocked access -you lost your business
- ✗ You can't download the code site and take it to yourself
Next.js (ETERN8 Independence): You are in “your home”
- ✓ We give it to you archive with code. He is yours legally and physically
- ✓ Hosting (Vercel/Netlify) for such sites is often free or costs pennies
- ✓ This digital asset. When selling a business, an investor will value a stand-alone store higher
- ✓ You don't depend from the platform - the code is yours forever
The difference between renting and owning in the digital world is the same as in real estate. You pay once and you own it forever.
3. SEO and Search Engine Love
To receive free traffic from Google and Google, the site must be liked by robots.
Designers generate dirty code that is harder for robots to read. Plus, you are limited in your link structure.
Next.js uses SSR (Server Side Rendering). In simple words: the site provides the search engine with a ready-made, perfectly structured page even before it has loaded for the user. In 2026, this is the “gold standard” for getting into the TOP search results.
Comparison: Why did we choose the difficult path?
We at ETERN8 could rivet websites using website builders in 2 days. But we make Storefronts (trade displays) using code.
| Criterion | Constructor (Tilda / Shopify) | Custom Stack (Next.js from ETERN8) |
|---|---|---|
| Download speed | Medium (platform dependent) | Lightning fast (< 1 sec) |
| Code mastery | No (Rent) | Yes (Property) |
| Design | Template, "block" | Unique, any animations |
| Scalability | Limited number of products | Endlessly |
| Integrations | Only ready-made modules | Any API (DHL/UPS, Odoo/Zoho) |
“But development using code is millions?”
Previously, yes. Studios charged for a store on React/Next.js from $5,099-$25,499, because they wrote everything from scratch.
What we did:
We created our own "Core" (ETERN8 Core). This is a ready-made base for an ideal online store: the cart, catalog, integration with DHL/UPS and Stripe/PayPal have already been written.
We do not write code from scratch for each client, we adapt our powerful core according to your design.
Bottom line: You get the level of Nike technology at a price comparable to a good studio on Tilda.
Conclusion
If you are testing a niche and have 10 products, Tilda is a great option, don’t complicate it.
But if you are building a brand, want to get away from the Amazon Marketplace addiction and plan to scale, don’t build a house on sand. Lay a foundation that can withstand any load.
Ready to see how your store can work?
ETERN8 Independence Launchpad - your store on Next.js in 3 days. With your code, no monthly fee.