As online shopping is emerging as a leading consumer solution, the competition in eCommerce platforms is increasing. One of the most popular and efficient eCommerce platforms is Shopify, which many users trust and swear by.
Shopify claims to have helped about 2 million businesses sell $200 billion in 170 countries with their Shopify eCommerce sites. This article explains the various pricing options, best features, eCommerce features, marketing tools, and overall design of Shopify, along with some pros and cons.
Shopify is a dedicated platform contributing to eCommerce businesses across the globe. Using your Shopify site, you can sell different types of products- both physical and digital. In addition, users can download digital products from the Shopify site right after the transaction.
Although some less expensive eCommerce site builders are in the market, Shopify manages to top the list in terms of their beginner-friendly interface, enterprise-standard tools, back-office support, and scalability. Also, the 24×7 support is an added benefit.
Here is an overview of their advantages and disadvantages-
| Shopify Pros | Shopify Cons |
| Fast web hosting with high-speed loading time | Added expenses might appear |
| Large selection of themes ideal for eCommerce sites | Customization opportunities are limited |
| Beginner-friendly interface | Less numbers of built-in tools, mostly reliant on third-party apps |
| Availability of analytics tool | Transaction fees are high |
| Search Engine Optimization enabled | |
| Provides security over sensitive data | |
| 24×7 Customer support |
What is Shopify?
Shopify provides Shopify is a compact eCommerce solution covering different business models and sizes. Over the years, Shopify has been one of the leading eCommerce website builders, especially helping beginners to grow on this platform.
There is no need to be an expert in technicalities, coding, or designing to sell successfully on Shopify. The multi-tiered plans are ideal for anyone with any budget limitation.
Shopify offers over 70 themes (64 are premium) for your eCommerce site that is optimized and have an extensive range of payment getaways. In addition, the built-in SEO feature is great for landing on search engine result pages with authority.
Although the platform limits your customization process, its templates are already loaded with different eCommerce features and give you access to an extensive range of third-party applications. And it has built-in SEO features that help you optimize your website for search.
Shopify offers great backend support with the help of a Storefront Renderer model that provides your site with high speed and ultimate fast loading time.
On the backend, Shopify has a Storefront Renderer infrastructure that accelerates site speed, making your website load x2.97 faster than the average.
Shopify Features: Review
Based on the following factors, here is a detailed review of the Shopify features-
Shopify Pricing- Is it Cost-effective?
Shopify has several plans you can choose from depending on your needs and budget. Shopify offers three primary plans: Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify.
Apart from these three core plans, Shopify offers two more: Shopify Starter and Shopify Plus. The first enables you to sell using social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp lessening your worries about creating a functional store on the platform.
The latter is for bigger businesses looking to grow their market value. Shopify Plus completely depends on professional assistance to set up a store and market the products.
These plans have similar features like abandoned cart recovery, multichannel integration, unlimited product listing, and discount code generation. However, the difference in cost between these platforms is huge, as each serves different business types and sizes.
Here is an overview of the plans and their pricings-
|
Shopify Starter |
$5 per month |
You get integrated social media platform with eCommerce sites.
You are charged a 5% transaction fee with Shopify Payments. |
|
Basic Shopify |
$29 per month |
Designed for eCommerce stores.
You are charged a 2% transaction fee if you don’t use Shopify Payments |
|
Shopify |
$79 per month |
Designed for mid to large size businesses.
Offers gift card creation feature. Without Shopify Payments you are charged a 1% transaction fee |
|
Advanced Shopify |
$299 per month |
Ideal for mid-size businesses who want to grow.
Advanced analytics and shipping rates calculation available. Without Shopify Payment, the transaction fee is 0.5% |
|
Shopify Plus |
custom pricing |
Ideal for large enterprise-model businesses.
Pricing depends on how much you quote. |
The best part is that Shopify offers a 14-day trial for those exploring new platforms for launching their business. Registering with your personal details is optional; once you see satisfactory outcomes, you can upgrade to paid plans.
Transaction Fees
Shopify offers their users an in-house payment gateway called Shopify Payments. It is very equivalent to popular payment gateways like PayPal. The idea is to streamline your business by providing an in-house payment service that requires no third party and accepts the major payment methods.
Shopify Themes and Design
Shopify offers you three themes to build an eCommerce site on their platform- free themes, premium, and customizable themes. The theme library comprises 64 premium themes from $140 to $180 per theme and ten free themes.
Each Spotify theme is mobile device responsive which means they will automatically adjust to your mobile or tablet screens irrespective of their resolutions. Most buyers prefer using a mobile device to browse through an eCommerce platform or order something online. You may lose customers if your theme doesn’t load well on such a device.
Some of the features Shopify templates offer are-
- Content Customization
- Free Updates
- Mobile-responsive designs
- Social Media sharing
- Theme-specific color scheme and styles
- Free access to Stock photos by Burst
- Easy navigation and Drop-down menu
- SEO-enabled
Shopify Ease of Use: It is meant for beginners?
The accessibility and ease of use make a website builder appealing to people of every level of expertise.
If an eCommerce site builder doesn’t provide a straightforward interface, then building a website without professional help can be difficult.
Shopify makes it easier for beginners. Shopify’s interface is easy to comprehend, is simple, and there is no hassle creating an online store, even if you have zero experience.
Shopify eCommerce Features
Shopify offers robust eCommerce features for the price you pay for the plans. The best of Shopify’s eCommerce tools and features include-
- Applications
Apps can help your eCommerce store expand and provide expertise to the store without hiring professionals. Shopify offers tons of applications, each for a specific feature. Make sure to check the reviews before installing one.
- Drop Shipping
Shopify enables you to opt for a dropshipping solution. However, dropshipping is not a built-in feature. Shopify approves dropshipping services, such as DSers, Spocket, and Printful.
- Shipping
With Shopify, you can manage your shipping options, like shipping addresses, shipping costs, and printing labels. Shipping is one of the most challenging duties in an eCommerce business, but it is made easier with Shopify. Shopify partners with USPS, DHL Express, UPS, and Canada Post, as a courier service. There are also different apps for additional support and options.
- Product management
Shopify offers a range of product management tools like inventory management that is used to keep an eye on your orders, update products, and track stock levels. You can also enable automation so that Shopify can mark an item sold or out of stock.
- Payment options
Shopify supports major payment gateways like PayPal, AmazonPay, Stripe, and over 100+ such payment providers. However, they charge you for transactions unless you use Shopify Payments, an in-house payment gateway powered by Shopify. This platform also allows you to do multiple currency transactions.
- Abandoned cart recovery
Shopify’s main plans offer abandoned cart recovery features that come with the plan as a built-in feature. This feature is essential for any eCommerce store. It reminds the customers if they have left something in the cart and forgot. It can substantially increase your sales.
- Multichannel integration
means you can sell the products directly to Amazon or eBay marketplaces along with social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
- Tax Calculation
Shopify automatically includes default tax rates depending on your location. They also offer periodic updates on the tax rate, keeping it in line with government regulations. However, it is liable to errors that need to be rectified manually.
- POS
With every Shopify plan, you get POS support that enables you to receive payments physically or digitally.
Shopify SEO Tools and Marketing Features
SEO gives your online store exposure in search engines, which results in more organic traffic and successful sales. Although Shopify SEO support doesn’t offer much attention to keywords, it takes care of SEO-friendly coding and editing.
Marketing features like blogging, email marketing, and social media integration are in-built into Shopify, which makes it easier for beginners without professional intervention.
Shopify Security
Shopify is dedicated to protecting your site from any threats, malware attacks, or internet fraud.
This platform is backed with a robust safety mechanism covering payment details and privacy settings. In addition, your site is secure with Shopify with two-factor authentication, so there are no phoney login attempts.
Regarding security, Shopify plans also provide SSL security and encryption technology for the seller to customer data, including payment details.
Shopify Customer Support
Shopify gets a 3.8/5 in the customer help and support department. No matter your chosen plan, you are entitled to 24×7 help and support via various channels. You get an exclusive support agent dedicated to your account if you are a Shopify Plus customer. The various customer support features include
- 24×7 phone support
- 24×7 live chat support
- Email support
- Help Center
- Community forum
- Advanced specialist support
- Social media support,
- Video tutorials
Conclusion
The ideal eCommerce website builder must excel in its collection of themes and templates, easy accessibility, chances to customize, and extensive SEO and Marketing tools. Shopify has all of these and more. Therefore, it is true that Shopify can help your business thrive with multiple resources and tools.
