When it comes to choosing the appropriate e-commerce online shop builder, it’s not really an easy choice because you are left wondering about the one that is right for you and your business. To further compound the problem, a lot of online shop builders with a great reputation recommend different types of tools and it all becomes confusing.
Well, no need to worry because this article will simplify that decision for you by telling you about Shopify in this Shopify review. It does not matter whether you are just starting a new online business, or bringing an existing business to the online world, Shopify is without a doubt one of the easiest e-commerce builders to help you create your online shop.
Shopify can help you save time which will then allow you to focus on other important aspects of your business. One important thing that we believe Shopify has done brilliantly is inviting other vendors (such as theme designers or online tools providers) to incorporate their services and products into Shopify, thus, making Shopify a 1-stop-shop for all the tools needed to create a successful online shop. More details to follow as we move on.
SHOPIFY ECOMMERCE SOFTWARE IS IDEAL FOR…
Shopify is ideal for you if you want to launch an online shop, or if you already have a physical store, but want to continue to grow your business by selling your products online.
Shopify caters for a broad range of industries, such as art & photography, clothing & fashion, jewelry & accessories, electronics, food & beverages, home & garden, furniture & household, sports & recreations, toys & games, etc.
Basically, if you are into the sales of any kind of gadgets or widgets or physical products, then Shopify can help make this an easier process for you.
Trying to deal with technology which is a major factor in running a successful business is not easy because sometimes, you might just feel ‘choked up’ but this is where Shopify can come in if you allow it. It helps you to manage the technology side of your business while you can focus on the other parts (such as marketing, product development, customer relationships building, administration, etc.).
Basically, Shopify simplifies your already hectic life.
IS SHOPIFY EASY TO USE?
Well, the answer to the above question is yes! All you need to do is simply learn the basics which require just a few hours and from there, you just sit back and enjoy the ride! (And if you happen to need help, there is a 24/7 online or phone support from them).
To make things more interesting, you don’t even need to need to know anything about some codes in order for you to set up your online store! Awesome right?
Shopify provides you with the tools to:
- · Insert product images, descriptions / details
- · Manage your inventory
- · Organize your products into categories (easier for your prospective customers to find what they need)
- · Discount code engine
- · Create web pages and blogs
- · Track customer and order details
- · Accept payments from 70 different payment processors in different currencies
- · Set up customer accounts (so your customers can login into their private accounts to manage their personal information such as address, credit card information, so it’s easier for them to buy next time)
- · Sort your customers by location, money spent, etc., so that you can have a better understanding of where your customers are from and their spending behaviors, which will then enable you to employ a winning marketing strategy
- · Manage multiple staff login – so if you have staff helping you, you can grant them different permission levels to help you manage your online shop
The general concept about Shopify is that the major part of the work is carried out by them while you get to focus on other parts of your business.
TEMPLATE DESIGN OPTIONS
With Shopify, you get more than 100 premium themes with which you design your online shop and give it a sense of visual appeal. Apart from the fact that it attracts customers, such a dedication to the outlook of your shop will only build trust and credibility with your customers. So, here, appearance is ‘everything’.
At Shopify, they are aware of that which is why they offer quite a number of professional themes to help you built trust, and sell products.
Some of the themes are free, and some have to be paid for in order to have access to them. The paid themes range from $80 to $180. The first thought that might come to your mind on seeing the price might be what, really, this is too much. But before you decide against using it because of the price, let me tell you this, the payment is for one time and one time only which means no need to renew payment. So consider it an investment in your online shop with which you are guaranteed to get incredible returns. This is because your shop gets a professional outlook which will attract customers and boost sales.
After all, it’s not like you must start with the paid themes since there are free themes that you can start with. And as you see it work and sales grow, then you can upgrade to a premium theme.
ABANDONED CHECKOUT RECOVERY
Did you know that for an average e-commerce store, 2 out of 3 of your potential customers actually place products into the checkout cart, then forget to complete the purchase process as they get distracted by emails, people, random things? This is actually true according to statistics and if this happens to you, you will be losing a lot of potential profits.
With an advanced shopping cart, you get to know who these people are, follow up on them to remind them to purchase the products that they initially added to the shopping cart.
Shopify also offers an abandoned checkout cart recovery service to you as part of their Professional and Unlimited plans.
With this tool, you get to automatically track and send an email to these potential customers to follow up and remind them to complete their purchases.
The tool works by keeping a record of the email addresses that were inputted during the checkout processes, and then such address will automatically get an email after a pre-determined number of hours. Each of the emails will contain links that are specific to each of them which will lead them straight back to the shopping cart with their products already added to the cart, for them to complete the purchase with relative ease.
This entire process is automatic, and statistically, you will see a meaningful increase in your sales without having to lift your finger or move an inch.
You know, it’s like they were potential customers who had set their mind to make a purchase but then got distracted; so this reminds them to complete their purchase which they do and for you, a quick and easy deal closed.
SHOPIFY APP STORE
Shopify offers you an extensive number of Apps (over 1,100) so you can add more functions to your online shop, and keep a lot of business tasks automated.
The tools are not just sales & marketing tools, they also include additional tools that help you manage administrative tasks such as inventory management, fulfillment, shipping, customer service, bookkeeping, etc.
While Shopify already includes basic functions for a lot of these areas, if you need more, these Apps can help you.
Now, these apps do have monthly fees, but if you feel the need for them and you try them out, you will be getting good value for your money and also saving your time.
MOBILE E-COMMERCE
An e-commerce shop builder is not complete if it lacks mobile features – and Shopify is brilliant in this aspect.
Shopify includes free, built-in mobile e-commerce shopping cart features so your prospective customers can browse and purchase from your store directly using their mobile phones. I think it is safe to say that this will definitely drive sales higher.
The mobile e-commerce settings are set up in a way that it works great with mobile phones such as iPhones, Androids or other smartphones.
Apart from the fact that Shopify presents your online shop professionally on a mobile phone, it also allows you to manage your store on a mobile phone. In case you want to, you can check your sales statistics, customer data and manage your sales orders on your mobile phone.
This way, even if you are not in the office, you carry your business with you wherever you go and also stay in touch with your customers.
SUPPORT
Shopify has one of the best support team in the industry. You can reach them 24/7 through the phone, online live chat, or email.
When you’re running a business, you really don’t want to troubleshoot technology yourself. This is why having a 24/7 support team to support you is so important, and you get this from Shopify.
HOSTING AND BACKUP OPTIONS
As part of your monthly plan, Shopify will host your online shop for you while at the same time providing you with an unlimited amount of bandwidth. So in theory, say you were to get up to 10 million visitors per month, you won’t have to pay extra on top off your monthly plan.
Shopify ensures the regular security upgrades for their servers are carried out while also taking care of all the necessary technical details to ensure your website is always up and running, and doesn’t get hacked.
PRICING
In reality, if you’re looking for a free plan, Shopify won’t be able to provide that.
But if you are looking for a guaranteed, robust, flexible online shop builder that can actually help you grow your sales and manage a lot of administrative business tasks for you, then I think Shopify might just be what you need.
If you’re going to build a business, the major factor to consider is value – does the price of having the online infrastructure and 24/7 live support justify your investment in Shopify?
Based on what has been made available and discussed above, it’s obvious that using Shopify can help you attend to and take care of a lot of administrative and technology-related tasks so that you can completely focus on building your business.
In terms of pricing, Shopify’s plans can range from $9 per month for their Lite Plan, all the way to $179 per month for their Unlimited Plan.
All Shopify plans allow you to sell through all sorts of channels such as Facebook Store/ Facebook Buy Button / Pinterest Buy Button / Twitter Buy Button / Point of Sale (making offline sales).
This consequently boosts your branding presence in a way you could only imagine thus making it easier for your customers to purchase (e.g. they can purchase directly on Facebook, and don’t have to visit your website).
You get more features and tools as you move higher up in their plans, and the credit card rate also reduces (which makes sense as you subscribe to a higher monthly plan).
Shopify’s credit card rate is pretty similar to what PayPal charges you in transaction fees (PayPal starts at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction as well, but then reduces as you begin to make more sales).
The “In Person” fee which ranges from 2.7% down to 2.2% relates to using Shopify’s Point of Sales (POS) system which enables you to power your offline store, or even host pop-up stores in order to process sales away from your computer.
Shopify Conclusion
Overall, it is safe to say that Shopify is a very strong e-commerce online shop builder. To be more specific, Shopify has got two things that are impressive:
1. Premium store front themes – this is to make your online shop look professional, which is a key ingredient in attracting more visitors and keeping them on your website in order to increase sales
2. Shopify Apps – to add more / extend functionality to your online shop as you grow your business
Shopify understands that their core strength is allowing you to build and manage a website with a secure shopping cart, rather than do everything for you. They also know that the different business tools needed for successful marketing and sales cannot be built by them for you.
This flexibility and the ability for Shopify to grow with your online business is one of the unique aspects that we’ve grown to appreciate, and I hope you do as well. You can simply start off with fewer features and tools, and then add more as you go on and your online shop expands.
Shopify offers you a risk-free 14 days trial to see for yourself if they fit your needs. So there is no financial risk to you to try them out.
