Shopify is an eCommerce platform that allows you to build a store online and offline. Shopify allows you to sell both online with your website and in person with the Shopify POS.
Shopify’s pricing starts at $9 a month if you use the Lite plan. However, most first-time store owners start on Shopify’s Basic plan at $29 a month. If you’ve been running a business for quite some time, you may prefer Shopify, Advanced Shopify or Shopify Plus depending on your business needs.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise eCommerce platform for larger businesses or businesses looking to scale. It offers advanced reporting features, higher-priority customer support, the capacity to handle higher order volumes, and more.
Shopify Lite
Shopify Lite is an affordable plan that allows you to sell products on an existing website. If you have a website that isn’t hosted on Shopify, sell with a Buy Button without Shopify’s hosting. You can also use Messenger chats, sell both online and offline, and send invoices on the $9 plan.
Shopify POS
Shopify POS (Point of Sale) is an application that allows you to sell products offline. You can sell products at a physical store, trade shows, pop-up shops, or other events in person using Shopify POS. You can accept payments with your iPhone, iPad, or Android using the POS app.
Why choose Shopify?
There are many advantages to using Shopify, here are a few:
1. Detailed Shopify Admin
In the backend of your online store, you’ll find a whole range of reports and features that help you understand how your Shopify store is performing. You can view the number of orders at a glance. You can find your best-performing product pages.
2. Free Features
If you’re building a new website, you probably need to pay for a theme (the design/look of your website). But on Shopify, a free theme is loaded onto your store automatically that you can start customizing any way you want. This is perfect for beginners who just want to dive in or play around to see what the possibilities are.
3. Shopify is on a Cloud Network
When I switched from WooCommerce to Shopify, my favourite pro was that my website would be on a cloud network instead of a server. Anyone who has ever paid for a server knows very well that they crash at the wrong times, making you lose a lot of money from downtime.
4. Tons of Apps
There’s literally an app for almost everything in the Shopify App Store. You’ll find countdown timers, image background removers, product-sourcing apps like Oberlo (that’s us), and so much more. While there are a lot of paid apps, there are also a bunch of free apps in the store. And adding an app to your website isn’t necessary. But if you’re looking to add products to your store, consider checking out the Oberlo app (the Starter Plan is free and includes up to 500 products on your store).
5. Support
Shopify wants you to succeed on its platform. That’s why they have their own blog where eCommerce experts share their best tactics. That’s why they created Shopify Academy, free eCommerce courses where you can learn at your own pace. And that’s why they have so many customer support reps who will happily answer any questions you have.
How Does Shopify Work?
Shopify is an eCommerce platform that hosts your online store. It helps organize the layout of your store’s appearance through themes (which you’re free to modify or change any way you want). It also offers payment processing, which allows you to accept and receive payment for the products you sell. Shopify owns the popular dropshipping app called Oberlo, which allows you to choose from millions of products that you can start selling the same day, without having to pay for inventory upfront.
Conclusion
Shopify is the best platform for online retailers. Take advantage of the free trial to test it out for yourself to see what all the hype is about. Shopify is all about making commerce better for everyone so it might just be the perfect platform for you.
