For eCommerce business owners, the website platform you use for your online store is crucial. Let’s face it, if your site goes down, runs slowly or doesn’t move your customers along the full buying journey, you’re going to lose out on sales, aren’t you?
There are lots of platforms offering eCommerce functionality, including WordPress, Wix, Weebly and Squarespace. But, we think there’s really only one platform you should consider when building and operating an online store.
A dedicated eCommerce platform that allows you to set up and run your online shop, Shopify does it all. It handles everything product-based businesses need, such as processing payments, updating inventory and taking orders. Plus, it makes it easy to set up an amazingly professional and fully responsive online shop front to attract more customers.
In our eyes, Shopify is the full package. It’s easy to use, looks amazing and, as it’s built specifically for eCommerce, it’s the natural choice for any online product-based business. If you’re looking to set up an eCommerce site or you need to upgrade your existing online store, we think Shopify is your best bet – here’s why.
11 reasons we love Shopify
Easy to use
Shopify is great for store owners who want to be able to tweak their site and not rely on a developer for everything. Ideal for DIY set up, Shopify features a drag and drop builder that makes it simple to change up your page and add new items for sale. For a dynamic eCommerce store, this is a big plus and one of the many reasons we love this platform so much.
Manage your store on your mobile
There are not many website builders that make it so easy to make changes to your site on the go. Shopify features a single dashboard that allows you to manage orders, shipping and payments, anywhere you go. The Shopify mobile app gives you the power to manage your business from your phone, giving you the freedom to work on your site wherever you are.
All inclusive fee
Unlike some of the other platforms, your monthly Shopify subscription fee includes the cost of hosting, maintenance and an SSL certificate. This saves you the hassle of having to arrange and pay for separate hosting, basically making Shopify a set and forget platform. You can choose to pay for premium themes, plugins and apps but otherwise, you only have to worry about fulfilling orders and updating products.
Unlimited products and collections
One of the best features of Shopify is the ability to sell unlimited products and create an unlimited number of collections, even on the basic Shopify plan. This gives you the freedom to add to your store, expand in new directions or take on new markets without worrying about growing too big for your site. This is another big plus in our book!
Ability to scale
Shopify has several plans giving you the ability to scale. The Basic Shopify plan, at US$29 per month, is an affordable and practical plan for new stores, with the option to upgrade to the regular Shopify plan for US$79 p/month to unlock more features. There’s also an Advanced Shopify plan for serious eCommerce stores looking to take on the world.
Choice of themes
Shopify’s theme store includes over 70 free and premium professionally designed ecommerce website templates. Vetted by Shopify, each theme is device responsive and designed to put your products front and centre. You can start by customising one of the 9 free themes (with more options within each) and upgrade to a premium paid theme later to unlock more features.
All the apps
The Shopify app store has pretty much any app you could want to supercharge your eCommerce store. All created by Shopify and trusted partners, these apps facilitate payments, bookkeeping, email marketing, appointments, loyalty programs, chatbots and more. A mix of free and paid solutions, this is where you can find the tools to make your store stand out from the rest.
Inbuilt seamless user experience
Shopify has everything covered to help guide your customer from ‘just browsing’ mode to checkout. For instance, Shopify Checkout is constantly optimised to ensure the best possible experience, giving your customers the ability to purchase from you with just one click. Never underestimate the power of convenience when it comes to eCommerce!
Good SEO features
There are built-in features such as automated title tag and sitemap generation in Shopify to help with your site’s search engine optimisation (SEO). You also have the ability to tweak meta descriptions, URLs and alt text for images to target specific keywords. The Shopify app store also features tools to analyse SEO, reduce the size of images and boost site speed.
Cross-channel selling
One of the really cool features of Shopify is the ability to run your business from a single place. In addition to your online store, you can extend your reach by promoting your products on Facebook, Instagram, Google, Amazon and Etsy, all from within Shopify itself. Shopify also gives you the ability to embed buy buttons into other sites you may own, such as an existing blog.
Comprehensive support
Luckily, all these amazing features are really well supported by Shopify. Their website includes lots of guidance to help you get the most from the platform. From guides to blogs and online courses, Shopify has your back every step of the way. There’s even an online forum to answer questions and a podcast you can listen to on the go for the latest in help and support.
Shopify in action
As a Shopify Partner, we’ve built several amazing Shopify stores for eCommerce clients over the last couple of years. Each has a different look and feel which highlights the versatility of the platform, while still including all the must haves for any good eCommerce website.
From online women’s fashion to kids’ lunchboxes, we’ve developed Shopify stores that have increased visibility, traffic and conversions for our clients. Take some time to check out some of our favourites below:
