If you are trying to make a name for yourself on the Internet to create an online store, surely one of the options you are considering is Shopify. But do you know what Shopify is? What are its features, how does it work and what advantages does it offer you?
let's make you one collection of all the data that you have to take into account about Shopify so that you can make your decision in the most appropriate way possible.
What is Shopify
The first thing is to know what Shopify is. And in this case we must frame it within the eCommerce platforms. It can be used by both companies and individuals who want to create their own online store to sell the products they have (whether handmade or not).
It is one of the best known and currently has a lot of income and, above all, visibility, which is what may interest the most.
Shopify was born in 2004. Its founders were Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lago. But what you may not know is that it was born after a failure. They were trying to open an online store called Snowdevil (focused on snowboarding). However, since they could not find anything that covered their needs (at the e-commerce level) they decided that, before creating their store, they had to make a CMS that would satisfy all their needs. And that's where Shopify came from.
Obviously, they did not create it at first as an eCommerce platform, but it was the basis of his online store. And seeing that other people could have the same problem, they decided, two years later, to launch it on the market. We are talking about 2006.
During those years its growth was more or less scarce. They knew each other, they offered their platform, but that was where it all stopped. Until, in 2009, they decided to launch an API and the app store. And that was quite a boom, making its growth enormous.
In fact, according to 2020 data, more than two million sellers use Shopify, more than 25000 of them in Spain. What's more, 2020 was one of the best years for the company since there was a practically worldwide increase in businesses that wanted to use its platform.
What features does Shopify have?
Now that you know what Shopify is and that we are talking about a booming platform that grows much more every year, would you like to know what it offers you? pay attention because Among the many features it has, the most noteworthy are the following:
- Multiple templates to design your store. You don't really need to be a designer, you can design it by choosing from the more than 70 templates it has so that, in a matter of an afternoon, you can set up your store and it's ready to dazzle users.
- You don't have to worry about limits. You can upload all the products you want.
- You can configure different prices by quantity, by shipping costs, generate discount codes or coupons...
- It has the possibility of creating reports to analyze the users who visit and buy in the store.
- It has functions for abandoned carts, returns...
- It has tools and resources for eCommerce owners. For example, to choose the name of the store, put a logo, use images from image banks...
- You don't need to have inventory. You can use dropshipping (through Oberlo) to decide what products to sell without even having to deal with owning, packing or shipping the product being sold.
Is Shopify free?
This is the "patch". You have an eCommerce platform but, unlike others that are free, Shopify is paid. It is also true that everything that it offers you you do not have in other CMS.
First you have a free 3 day trial so you can see how it works and you can decide if it is what you need or not. You also have the option to try 3 months for 1 euro per month (in some plans). If it is, they offer you three plans for you to sign up for:
- Basic. For 27 euros per month that the online store gives you, unlimited products, 2 accounts to manage it, 24/7 customer service, sales channels, 4 branches with inventory, manual order creation, discount codes and much more.
- Shopify. For 79 euros per month, which is perfect for companies that are growing, or for physical stores. It offers you something more advanced than the previous plan, for example eCommerce automations, better rate of surcharges for using credit cards when buying...
- Advanced. For 289 euros per month, specialized in companies in international expansion and with a high volume of sales.
However, this is not only what you have to pay, there is more. And it is that when using the Shopify payment manager you will also have to pay a commission for each payment you receive. And if what you want is to customize the checkout, geolocation, multi-channel, automation functions... that also goes separately.
Advantages for your 'future' eCommerce
If you're already considering taking a deeper look at Shopify, know that there are multiple advantages for which it can be a good choice. Among them, we highlight:
- It is fast and comfortable to create your online store with hardly any knowledge.
- You can sell all the products you want.
- You do not have to worry about hosting or domain, since they are included.
- The tax issue is automatic, since Shopify handles it and you don't have to worry about it.
- You have customer service.
- You have tools and training to help you launch your business and make it prosper.
Now, not always everything is good. There are some aspects to take into account such as positioning. Shopify fails in this sense when optimizing content, when establishing canonicals or to modify the robots.txt file, important parts for search engines (more specifically with Google).
Still, if you think it's what you need right now, just go to the Shopify official page to sign up with your email. From that moment you will be able to create your account and be active on the platform, at least during the free days, then you will have to choose a plan and you will be able to operate normally.
And that's all we can tell you about what Shopify is. We know that there is much more, but we prefer that you discover it because, if already with the information that we have given you, you think that it may be what you are looking for, when you know what else it offers you, you will surely end up opting for it.