‍Overview

Shopify is a well-known ecommerce website builder that enables entrepreneurs to set up their own online stores. The platform is user-friendly and comes with everything you need to build your own online store, even if you have no design or coding experience.

With its powerful features, Shopify provides an all-in-one solution for entrepreneurs who want to launch their own online stores. It has everything from website building and hosting to payment processing and order management.

Shopify does all this and more. Will it be right for you? This Shopify review will help you decide.

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Who Should Use Shopify?

Anyone who wants to create an online store, whether they’re a first-time entrepreneur or a large enterprise, can use Shopify. And all you need is a unique business idea, some products to sell, an internet connection, and an entrepreneurial spirit!

You can have your online store live in minutes with Shopify’s easy-to-use platform and customizable templates.

Shopify Features At A Glance

Shopify is an ecommerce platform that provides users with everything they need to set up and operate their own Shopify stores. It's easy to use and, more importantly, has plenty of features.

Templates

Shopify's templates are top-notch and good-looking. Currently, the Shopify platform has about 79 themes: 70 paid and nine free. But you can import themes from third-party developers as well.

Moreover, templates on Shopify are grouped by social media features, homepage features (video, testimonials, slideshows), products page features (Related Products, Galleries, Tabs), and layout styles (collage, grid, wide, etc.). Also, you can sort them out by industries like electronics, fashion, furniture, and photography.

The best part is that all Shopify themes come with mobile versions. So you can be sure that your website will look great on any device.

Each theme provides a prebuilt structure, so you don't have to start from scratch. You can customize it by adding content to blanks and changing colors and fonts.

Shopify Tools

Shopify provides plenty of tools to help you create a thriving online store. These tools give you everything you'll need to launch a successful store quickly. If there's a tool you want but can't find in the website builder, you can go to Shopify's app store.

Here are some of the best Shopify tools:

• Shopify POS system, allowing you to accept payments in person at a pop-up location or your physical store.
• Social media and email marketing integration, enabling you to run marketing campaigns directly from your Shopify store.
• Local delivery capabilities
• Pop-up tools
• Abandoned cart recovery capabilities, retargeting customers who have left items in their shopping cart.
• Automated shipping discounts
• On-site chat functionality
• Support for all major credit cards

These tools will help you turn your Shopify store into a well-oiled machine. All you need to do is add the products you want to sell and start promoting your store.

Plugins and Add-ons

One of the best things about Shopify is that you can extend its functionality with plugins and add-ons. These are third-party tools that integrate with Shopify to give you more features.

A plethora of plugins and add-ons are available in Shopify's app store. You can find plugins for accounting, customer support, marketing, shipping, and more.

Shopify SEO

Since SEO or search engine organization plays a significant role in generating organic traffic, it's essential to have a platform that is SEO-friendly. Shopify is just that. It comes with built-in SEO features and allows you to customize your store to make it more visible in search engines.

Here are the SEO functionality and features Shopify provides:

• Facebook Pixel Integration
• Google Analytics Integration
• Heading Control
• HTTP
• Robots.txt
• Extensive Markup Language Sitemap
• SSL Certificate
• Responsive Design
• Canonical Tags
• Meta Description
• Meta Title

With these features, you can be sure that your store is well-optimized and visible to your target audience.

Support

For an online store to be successful, it's essential to have access to a strong support team. The good news is that Shopify offers 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone. The support team is always available to answer your questions and help you resolve any issues you may have.

Shopify also has an extensive knowledge base that's filled with articles and tutorials on how to use the platform. The platform has an educational tool called Shopify Compass. It's a collection of online courses that teach you everything you need to know about Shopify.

Pricing Options

Shopify has five plans available: the Basic Shopify plan, Shopify plan, Advanced Shopify plan, Shopify Lite, and Shopify Plus. The Shopify plans have different features and price points.

Basic Shopify Store Plan

At $29 per month, the Basic Shopify plan provides all the features store owners will need. It comes with two staff members with admin privileges, unlimited hosting storage, unlimited products, a custom domain, a shopping cart, and a free image gallery.

Shopify Online Store Plan

This plan is best for growing businesses selling in-store or online. At $79 per month, you get to enjoy everything included in the Basic Shopify plan plus USPS Priority Mail cubic pricing and professional reports. It allows five admins and has about 88% discounted shipping with DHL, UPS, and USPS Express.

Advanced Shopify Plan

At $299 per month, the Advanced Shopify plan includes everything from the Shopify plan plus customizable pricing per product, third-party calculated shipping rates, and advanced report building.

Shopify Lite

This plan is best for those who want to sell in person or merchants who already have a website. For $9 per month, you can accept credit cards anywhere, add "buy buttons" on your website, create invoices, and more.

Shopify Plus

Starting at $2,000 per month, you get all the enterprise power to manage and run your business. You can deliver localized shopping experiences with multiple languages, currencies, and stores. Also, you never lose a sale with 99.99% uptime and unlimited products and transactions.

Pros

• easy to use
• sell whatever you want
• a wide selection of store designs
• sell products through multiple channels
• Shopify is fully hosted
• 24/7 customer support
• mobile apps for Android and iOS
• more than 2000 apps and plugins available in the Shopify app store
• great inventory keeping
• 14-day free trial
• access to at least 70 themes
• SSL Certificate included
• responsive templates

Cons

• you need to pay extra if you want customers to leave ratings and reviews
• professional reporting is only available on higher-tier plans
• limited customization
• adding custom fields is complicated
• the integrated payment processor only allows you to sell in select countries
• you can't avoid Shopify payments transaction fees
• product images must be uploaded with the same ratio

Is Shopify Worth The Switch?

Shopify is an outstanding platform if you need help establishing your business and building your online store. It's a wonderful platform for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. If you're looking for a platform to support your business goals, Shopify is worth considering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is Shopify suited for beginners?

A. While there's a modest learning curve when building an online store in Shopify, the platform doesn't require coding or technical expertise. New store owners are well supported by Shopify's extensive documentation.

Q. What type of products can I sell on Shopify?

A. You can sell physical or digital products, as well as services, through Shopify. The platform doesn't place any restrictions on the types of products you can sell.

Q. Is there a setup fee?

A. There are no setup fees in Shopify.

Q. Do I need to host my store elsewhere?

A. No. Shopify includes hosting on all plans except Shopify Lite.

Q. Can I cancel my account at any time?

A. Yes, you can cancel whenever you want.

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