Introduction to Shopify
If you have been researching the best ecommerce software, chances are you have come across Shopify. This would not be unusual as Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms worldwide.
For those unaware, Shopify is an all in one Ecommerce platform, allowing you to build and grow an online store without any coding expertise.
As of today, there are more than 1000,000 active Shopify stores in the world, generating more $100 billion worth of sales- making it the fastest growing online store builder.
So, what makes Shopify so attractive? Here’s a brief guide to why many small to medium businesses choose the popular ecommerce platform.
Hosted on the cloud
Shopify is not only hosted but totally cloud based, meaning you won’t have to worry about upgrading or maintaining software or web servers. The cloud-based nature of Shopify offers you the flexibility to control your online business from any location on any device worldwide with an internet connection.
Ease of use
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits overall to using Shopify is its ease of use. Shopify offers a simple way to quickly launch an online store. Whilst perhaps beneficial, no coding knowledge or expertise is needed to set up a fully branded, eye-catching and functional website with its user-friendly content management system. If, however you are a tech savvy coding expert then Shopify gives you full control over the CSS and html of your site allowing you to make wholesale changes. Shopify also offers a library of video guides and documentation to get you started, all you need is a product to sell.
Price
A further benefit to Shopify and perhaps why it is so often used by Small to medium businesses is its pricing structure. “Basic Shopify” is the lowest priced Shopify plan that allows you to create a fully functioning online store. The monthly subscription cost for “Basic Shopify” is $29 per calendar month. Whilst the basic package only offers 2 users, you still have all the functionality to customise your store, have an unlimited number of listed products and accept online payment. Making it an incredibly affordable option for small business owners.
For more information on pricing please visit https://www.shopify.co.uk/pricing.
Apps
Want a site that you can continually improve its functionality through addons or plugin? Look no further that Shopify. Shopify offers an app store jam packed with apps that can take your store to the next level. There are over 1,500 to choose from, offering up features like analytics, social feeds, customer reviews and even wishlists.
Here’s a short list of some of the most popular apps:
- Hubspot CRM
- Product Reviews
- Privy- Pop-ups, Email & SMS
- Shopify Chat
- MailChimp Forms
- Facebook Marketing
- Google Shopping
Security
Having an unprotected website is a major security risk to you, your customers and other businesses. Threats can include the spreading of malware, crashing your site or even stealing customer information which in turn will harm your customer retention. However, with Shopify this needn’t be the case. Unlike other platforms you are not responsible for managing the security of your site. Instead, this is handled by Shopify. Protecting you against cyber threats, making your life easier and improving customer satisfaction.
Overview
Whilst every business has different needs when it comes to selecting an ecommerce site it is safe to say Shopify’s simplicity, support and library of additional features should make it a front runner for any organisation looking to sell online.
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