Shopify is one of the best-known online sales software in Spain (and one of those used to create online stores). But, when comparing the different options offered on the market, Have you stopped to think about the pros and cons of Shopify?
That is what we want to talk to you about below in this article so that you can have more information when choosing the best platform for your eCommerce. You want to know more? Then read on.
What is Shopify
The story of Shopify is a clear example of improvement. And it was founded in 2004. At that time, Luke Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scotte Lago They wanted to open an online Snowboard store. His name: Snowdevil.
So they started looking for CMS that met all the needs they had planned for their website. The problem is that they couldn't find any of them and, of course, that was lengthening their launch.
Lütke, who is a computer programmer, decided get to work to make their own CMS based on what they wanted for their store. And two months later they launched the store.
That CMS, called Shopify, was founded in 2004, but it was only really "sold" to others who were looking for a CMS like the one they had created for their website. Thus, when sales increased, they decided to create a platform in 2006 that made them gain more customers. And already in 2009, when they launched an API for the platform, their growth was even greater.
Right now it is one of the CMS that competes shoulder to shoulder with WordPress and its Woocommerce, with Prestashop… But does it only have good things? Are there any drawbacks to consider? We will tell you about it in the next section.
Advantages and disadvantages of Shopify
You should keep in mind that below we are going to analyze the pros and cons of Shopify. But at no time do we want to say that it is good or bad; Each eCommerce is unique and demands a series of needs that Shopify may or may not satisfy.
Now there is no doubt that This platform stands out for its advantages over its drawbacks.
Advantages of Shopify
Among the advantages, one of the most important is not having to know about programming. This makes it a suitable platform for anyone who does not know how to program and is guided only intuitively.
El interactive and simple Shopify design It allows you to build a store in a very short time and without knowledge because everything is very easily explained and applied in just a few steps.
As a plus, in addition to having the basics to build a website, Shopify offers us a series of marketing tools that help us improve SEO and page positioning or the online store you have. And these always have an SSL certificate, that is, it guarantees the veracity of your domain and eCommerce. It also has unlimited storage space, that is, you won't have to worry about uploading more or less images, taking up more or less space, etc. because really that won't make you have to pay more.
Another advantage that Shopify has is the ease of creating a store with multiple languages, since it uses an option to translate the store into different languages for those who want to sell outside of Spain. Related to this, it also allows you to program the store to offer the prices of the products in different currencies so that in each country they can pay you with their own currency (or those that you enable, of course).
enjoy a 24/7 support is also a clear advantage since you will always have staff who can help you solve problems that arise in the stores (either when you create it or when you already have it active).
Another plus point is having its own mobile application, intuitive, simple and very easy to navigate, a plus considering that it is increasingly common to use the mobile phone to browse the Internet, search for stores, etc.
There are more pros of Shopify to take into account, such as having customizable themes (they are not infinite, but there are enough to find the style of store that can fit according to your business); do not limit the number of products to sell (or charge more for them); have analytics and reports that help you control how your business works; or even to have protection against fraud.
Disadvantages of Shopify
As we said, everything has its pros and cons. In this case, one of the most important Shopify disadvantages is that It is not Open Source, that is, its code is hidden and cannot be reviewed or corrected to improve it. This is normal, since it was Lütke who created it and it is his business in itself. If anyone could know the code they could create a website similar to Shopify's and sell it as if it were their own.
Another point to keep in mind is that the store itself is not yours. The platform itself manages your page and at any time they could delete it. So the work you have dedicated to this would go to waste. Related to this, it must be taken into account that the platform offers you limited customization. It is true that you have many options, but you will not have 100% customization to do everything you want.
Does that mean the service is limited? Yes and no. Actually, It has many modules and functionalities. The problem is that these often have an extra payment which goes apart from the plans to have your store.
And speaking of that, you should know that sometimes the plans for your store are somewhat expensive and can have a negative impact.
One point against Shopify has to do with scalable businesses. This CMS is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses. But in the case of large companies it is not the best option because it does not provide as much flexibility as others.
As you can see, there are many pros and cons of Shopify. The final decision is yours, because it will depend on your business. But our recommendation is that you try the different options to finally decide on the best CMS.