Many people have asked us which e-commerce platform is ideal for a small business that is just starting out with an online retailer. The simple answer is Shopify-, but read on for a more comprehensive Shopify review.
You don’t have to bother about self-hosting or server optimization to handle loads of traffic because Shopify has all of the tools you need to establish an online eCommerce store at the moment. In that sense, it’s the ideal out-of-the-box solution, with price levels that cater to both small start-up retailers and retailers that generate millions of dollars in revenue.
You can sell almost anything to anybody, anywhere with Shopify. It’s simple and this is why the platform supports over 1 million Online eCommerce stores and handles billions in sales if you examine it.
Gone are the times when you had to learn how to build an e-Commerce website from the ground up. In just a few minutes, you can have a virtual storefront up and running with Shopify. It provides you with a variety of marketing tools to help you start your store out on the right foot, you can also check the best e-commerce platforms for 2023.
What Is Shopify and How Does It Work?
Instead of putting all the parts together manually, Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform that provides everything that you need from start to finish to set up quickly and begin offering your product(s) to the world.
Shopify Features
Although Shopify has a robust app store where you can add a variety of features and functionalities to your store, the good news is that much of what you’ll need to get started is already integrated into the platform. With the proviso that some services are only accessible with higher-level plans.
Here’s an overview of everything you’ll discover out of the box. Before you buy, do some research on each plan.
Shopify Interface: The primary dashboard is uncluttered, well-organized, straightforward, and simple to use.
Products: It’s simple to add products. It merely takes a few keystrokes and clicks. The user interface is detailed enough to be useful and thorough without being overbearing. Within the primary “create a product” panel, adding item variations is a straightforward process.
When adding products, you can alter prices, SKUs, and inventories for each version, or later when configuring different model weights for shipping and adding variant-specific images. A bulk editor is also available, allowing you to handle data for several product variants. You can also assign the products to different collections categories from the same page, and can also add a tag to it.
Multi-Channel Selling: Shopify subscription plans all have the ability to sell on Instagram, Messenger, Facebook, and Amazon with the Buy button. On higher plans, you can additionally use Shopify’s internal POS system or a third-party POS. Although the availability of these channels depends on your region.
Sell globally: Shopify offers international shipping and payment in more than 50 languages.
Shopify Checkout: Customers have the option of using guest checkout or creating accounts to make future transactions go more smoothly. If you utilize Shopify Shipping, you can get DHL, UPS, USPS, or Canada Post carrier-calculated shipping rates for all plans in the US and Canada.
Inventory Management: With Shopify’s stock management and service category organizing tools, you may list an endless variety of products and keep track of them. You can list size, color, and materials variants, but if you want to add endless variations, you may have to obtain a free extension.
To aid migration from your prior ecommerce platform or to make large modifications to your catalog, use Shopify’s bulk import/export function.
Marketing: Use clients’ accounts to learn much about your consumers and organize them according to characteristics like location, buying habits, and demographics. Abandon cart recovery solutions alert you when a customer leaves things in their cart but does not complete their purchase, so you may send us an email to motivate them to finish it.
Shopify Chat allows us to interact with internet users via live chat, and Shopify’s coupon and discount capabilities are among the best in the industry. Create discount deals and discounts for certain products or categories, including BOGO, and limit them to specific groups, a certain multitude of applications, or an average order total.
Reports and Analytics: Shopify Email allows you to create, send, and track email marketing campaigns. You can examine product statistics, export findings, and traffic updates using built-in analytics, or you may integrate with Google Analytics.
SEO Tools: Shopify includes SEO capabilities such as configurable H1s and the option to write titles, descriptions, and commodity tags. With each store, a sitemap.xml is automatically created.
Dropshipping: Starting a profitable dropshipping company is simple with Shopify. Oberlo, a dropshipping app, acquired by Shopify, makes it easy to start dropshipping in a matter of clicks.
Flexible Shipment Rates: You can choose between free shipping, a fixed amount, a graded rate, a location-based, or a weight-based rate fee to calculate the cost of shipments.
Mobile Store Management: The Shopify App is always being updated with new features.
Point of Sale: For in-person selling, Shopify also has a point of sale (POS) system. A new retail kit, which comprises a tap-and-chip card reader as well as an iPad retail display, was recently added to the equation. More on Shopify POS can be found in our review.
Auto-Upgrades: Keep your website up-to-date with Shopify’s latest technologies without having to do anything.
99.98% Uptime: With such a track record, you can rest assured that your website will remain operational during peak seasons.
Web Design for Shopify
The web design of Shopify is just stunning. There are over 100 themes to choose from, and all of them are mobile-friendly. Eight of them are Shopify-created and supported free choices, while the others cost between $140-$180 and are backed by third-party programmers.
Shopify themes are one of the best I’ve seen in terms of both shape and structure. They’re polished, stylish, and simple to use for your clients. Most of the parts of the theme could be edited using the simple-to-use theme customizer, but Shopify also comes with the option to edit your code, if programming is your thing. You’ll also need to brush up on Shopify’s proprietary template language, Fluid, in addition to HTML and CSS.
Customer Service & Technical Support for Shopify
The quality of Shopify’s customer assistance largely depends on who you ask. Shopify’s “gurus,” according to several merchants, provide knowledgeable and pleasant help. On the other hand, I’ve seen irate comments accusing Shopify’s customer service staff of reading from a screenplay.
These clients claim that the representatives they encountered lacked the authority to assist them. I’ve had good interactions with Shopify. When I contacted them with a simple question, I obtained a prompt and informative response.
Of course, you may obtain detailed information you want of your own store and in a variety of methods. Here’s a quick rundown of
Shopify’s vast (and I mean vast) resources for troubleshooting and developing your eCommerce business:
• Phone: Clients in North America, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia have their own phone support.
• Email: All users have access to email assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Live Chat: In my opinion, this method has worked well, although you’ll need to be patient during peak times. Live chat is also available 24 hours, 7 days a week.
• Forums: Depending on the requirements, there are several different community forums present.
• Help Centre: Get instant access to the main knowledge database and documents, as well as telephone, email, and live chat support.
• Academy: There are free training programs accessible with videos and full transcripts.
• Encyclopaedia: A glossary of eCommerce words and concepts with explanations and summaries.
• Multi-chapter PDF manuals on a variety of topics.
• Developer Docs: API information and other technical tools for programmers.
• Webinars: Register for live webcasts.
• Shopify Masters Podcast: Conversations with outstanding shopkeepers are featured on the Shopify Masters Podcast.
• Shopify’s blog, as you might expect, is well-maintained and informative.
• Changelog: Keep track of new and upgraded functionality for your store in this section.
• Free Tools: Accessible via the main page, these include content generators, calculator, and other free material.
• Shopify technicians are ready for hiring, ranging from programmers to designers to marketing.
• Social Media: For help and guidance, follow Shopify on Twitter.
• YouTube: The Shopify Support Page channel provides a plethora of tutorial videos.
Pricing on Shopify
Shopify pricing is divided into five levels, although the majority of the marketing you’ll see focuses on three plans. You can sign up for a 14-day trial version with no credit card necessary. Free trial accounts will be automatically canceled after 14 days; to reactivate them, you must buy a subscription.
You’ll see a Shopify transaction cost in addition to the usual card service charges imposed by your payment processors as we go over Shopify’s subscription tiers.
The great news is that you’ll have Shopify Payments as your payment processor, so you won’t have to pay those costs. Of course, not everybody wants to utilize Shopify Payments, and not all will be accepted.
The following is a list of Shopify’s pricing tiers in their entirety:
Lite version of Shopify
The Shopify Lite Plan is $9 per month and excludes an online store. Shopify charges a 2.0 percent Shopify service charge if you use Shopify Payments. The credit card rate is 2.9 percent + $0.30 for online sales and 2.7 percent for in-person transactions if you are using Shopify Payments (which is basically Stripe).
Shopify’s Basic Plan
The Basic Shopify Plan, which incorporates an online ecommerce store, costs $29 per month. The credit card rate for online sales is 2.9 percent + $0.30 and 2.7 percent for an in-transaction if you use Shopify Payments; if you use another payment method, Shopify pays a 2.0 percent Shopify transaction fee.
Shopify Advanced Plan
The Shopify Plan will set you back $79 each month. The credit card rate for online purchases is 2.6 percent + $0.30 and 2.5 percent for in-person transactions if you are using Shopify Payments; if you are using other payment methods, Shopify charges 1.0% of the sale amount.
Shopify Pro Plan
The Advanced Shopify Plan is available for $299 per month. The credit card rate is 2.4 percent + $0.30 for online purchases and 2.4 percent for in-person purchases if you use Shopify Payments; if you use other payment methods, Shopify levies a 0.5 percent Shopify service charge.
Shopify Plus is a service provided by Shopify
Shopify Plus is designed for larger enterprises. You’ll need to approach Shopify for better discounts if you anticipate selling more than a million dollars annually.
Costs Not Included
In addition to the fees levied by your gateway’s payment processor, Shopify adds transaction fees. Depending on the plan you choose, these costs range from 2% to 0.5 percent of each sale. The only method to completely eliminate Shopify’s trading costs is to use Shopify Payments as your payment method.
Payment Processing
Over 100 payment gateways are supported by Shopify, like Adyen, authorize.Net, Fiserv, and Google Pay. Always double-check the gateway’s accessibility in your region, as well as if customers are directed to the gateway’s site to finish checkout. Shopify distinguishes between “direct” and “exterior” gateways.
Shopify Payments (which works in partnership with Stripe), the company’s own payment system, is also available. Merchants in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Scotland, Holland, Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, Asia, and Southeast Asia can currently use this Stripe-powered gateway. The following are some of Shopify Payments’ most important features; however, feature availability varies by country.
No additional Shopify transaction costs: Shopify’s additional fee of 0.5-2.0 percent is no longer collected. However, you must still pay regular credit card transaction costs!
Stripe and other comparable payment processors typically charge 2.9 percent + $0.30 for online payments. As you progress up the membership ladder with Shopify Payments, those rates decrease.
Fraud Security: Shopify Payments’ enhanced fraud and chargeback prevention tools are available.
Shopify Pay: An accelerated checkout solution that allows merchants to preserve their checkout content across various Shopify sites, making recurring purchases on your site and any other Shopify site much easier.
A list of Shopify’s primary advantages and disadvantages
A detailed list of benefits and negatives would be missing from any Shopify review. So, if you choose to use Shopify, these are the advantages and disadvantages you may expect.
Shopify Pros and Cons
Pros
- Built-in payment processors: You won’t have to worry about utilizing a third-party payment platform if you use Shopify. It’s completely pre-configured for you and prepared to go once you’ve placed your goods and hit the publish option
- You can process all main credit cards Apple Pay, Paypal, Google Wallet, Mobile Wallets, amazon pay, or even cryptocurrencies with their payment processor. This means you’ll have one less thing to worry about in your store and your consumers will have more faith in you.
- Scalability: With Shopify, you will not have to abandon ship once your business starts to gain traction and sales. It’ll keep your store running smoothly even if you’re generating millions in sales each day.
- Ample documentation and guidance: Shopify does an outstanding job of offering its merchants a wealth of how-to instructions, and theme information, as well as an active Shopify Community support board with over 7,000 users where you’ll get all of your Shopify problems solved.
- Effective Inventory System: Using Shopify, businesses can keep track of the number of products on hand as they sell, alter stock count, and review inventory histories to get a better handle on their stock.
Cons
- For a higher charge, you receive access to a limited breadth of store analytics with Shopify’s novice plan. You’ll have to pay for a more expensive package to get access to in-depth data that can help you improve your sales strategy.
- Transaction costs for third-party payment: With Shopify’s Shopify Payments interface, you can accept payments quickly and easily. If you opt to collect payments through some kind of 3rd person, Shopify may charge you a fee, which starts at 0.5 %. This has the potential to cut into your profit margins.
- Limited blogging tools: While Shopify is an excellent platform for selling your products, it is still constrained as a blogging site because it only provides the most basic blogging capabilities. This is a significant disadvantage to consider if content marketing is your principal source of revenue and traffic.
Bottom Line
You may finally put an end to your hunt for an incredibly simple, dependable, and stylish ecommerce platform for your store.
But, before you jump, I recommend that you give Shopify a try. Sign up for the free trial, call customer service with any concerns, and then see what extra services you might require. There’s nothing to lose.
FAQs
Is Shopify the Most Ecommerce-Friendly Platform?
If you're wanting to establish your own e-commerce website, Shopify is a terrific place to start. It's appropriate for companies of all sizes and caters to a variety of sectors. Your needs, considering your finances, will determine whether it is the best option for you. There are many more e-commerce systems available, such as Magento, Bigcommerce, and WooCommerce, so do some study on them before making a final decision.
What really is the Best E-commerce platform for a Small Firm?
Shopify is perfect for small enterprises with limited resources, particularly in terms of time and money. Small business owners can easily set up their online store using Shopify and then have it up and running as quickly as possible. There's no need to study or understand any coding ahead of time, and with so many layout options to select from, small company owners can construct, create, and promote their online retailer entirely on their own. You may also choose from a variety of price options to fit any budget, making it an appealing option for individuals who are just getting started and would like to cut expenditures.
What's the Difference Between a Content Management System (CMS) and an E-commerce Platform (like Shopify)?
A content management system (CMS) is a program that allows you to create and manage interactive web pages on a portal, such as a blog or a company website. An e-commerce platform, on the other hand, is used to offer products and accept payments via the Internet. There seem to be extensions (woo commerce) that enable site owners to control e-commerce activities from within a content management system like WordPress.
Why would you choose Shopify or any other paid e-commerce platform over a free one?
While there are other free e-commerce platforms available, Shopify is designed for ease of use and is excellent for company owners with little or no e-commerce training or understanding. If you're thinking about using a free e-commerce website, consider the following costs: – The name of the website. - Web hosting services. - SSL security certificate - PCI certification and testing - Software and security upgrades on a regular basis.