What is Shopify? A Guide to the Best E-commerce Platform

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an ecommerce platform started in 2004 which provides ecommerce platforms and solutions and software-as-a-service (SaaS) in which business requires monthly or yearly subscriptions to be accessed. Shopify is a hosted solution that recommends developing flexible yet scalable online stores.

Shopifyng's expertise and leadership in e-commerce is based on the business owner's experiences using the platform. With the help of Shopify to make a business successful, grow, and profitable, create the right features and products to shape the future of commerce.

How does Shopify work?

Shopify works by centralizing your product data and customer and operational tasks in one system that connects to sales channels smoothly. It also makes it easy and fast to explore and expand the business online with new products in line and sales channels.

Shopify is completely cloud-based and hosted as well as secure, which makes it easily accessible from any device with an internet connection. Shopify development gives you the flexibility to run a business from anywhere.

Here are steps on how Shopify works from initial set-up to managing sales:-

Sign up for free (14-day trial)

You can sign up and test Shopify's services for two weeks. It is a risk-free platform, and it doesn't even ask for your credit card upfront.

Connect to Sales Channels

The account setup gives you a chance to connect your initial sales channels, which helps change and expand the business at any time. Connect accounts through social media accounts and make sales for profit.

Enter your Product Data

Enter all the details that are important for Shopify store development services, for example, pricing and images of products. It will help wholesalers to network and dropship vendors to find items to sell.

Set Up your Payments

Activate Shopify payments with one click, start accepting payments, and connect payment processors to your dashboard. Shopify supports 100+ external payment processors.

Track your Orders

Shopify users can keep track of orders whether they have been placed on a seller's website or third-party website. With the help of a dashboard, you can see reports, analytics, and other information.

Benefits of Shopify

Here are some reasons why Shopify will help your business to succeed and grow in the e-commerce industry:-

Mobile-Friendly Platform

Shopify’s platform is fully mobile-responsive, which means you can rest easy knowing your e-commerce store will render perfectly on mobile devices and tablets in addition to desktops and laptops.

Not only that, you can also easily manage your Shopify store from your phone using the iOS or Android Shopify app.

Easy-to-use eCommerce Platform

Shopify is built for vendors as it is simple to add products, create discounts, and process orders. The reason merchants need to have a business account on Shopify is that it is easy to use, the web design is user-friendly. Shopify provides hosting, which is the technical infrastructure required to launch a new web store.

Support a wide range of Businesses

It's a well-known fact that Shopify development supports various types of eCommerce business. Its users can sell physical products and e-products as well as drop shipped products on Shopify. The Shopify sellers use the software to market for a wide range of products like:-

• Home goods
• Clothing
• Cosmetics
• eBooks
• Digital products

Low Startup Costs

Shopify, with a 14-day free trial period, makes users believe that the platform is worth paying the monthly subscription fees as they are affordable and practical for business growth and profits. The basic plan for subscription starts from $29 per month, the next is $79 per month, and the last is with all packaging retailing for $299 per month. If you want to buy a domain name without any brand tag, it costs an additional $14 per annum.

Shopify's Marketplace

Shopify development, expands sales into international markets with the latest growing technologies. Some apps like My Deal and Rakuten Ichiba help in the integration of sales in the market and reach customer needs. Some free Shopify apps might improve your store's function without costing a dime.

Safe and Reliable

Security is essential with regard to customers' sensitive data and is a top priority for every merchant in the e-commerce industry. Data should be reliably accessible at the same time. Shopify has a highly significant infrastructure that prevents server time-outs even with increased access numbers.

Easy to Setup and Use

Shopify is user-friendly, making it easy for businesses to set up and manage their online stores without needing extensive technical expertise. Shopify offers a wide range of customizable templates and themes, allowing businesses to create a unique and branded online presence.

Scalability

Shopify is a scalable platform for business growth and effective for profits as well as goodwill of the business. With the establishment of an online store, Shopify can provide sufficient tools and resources you need for your business to take it to the next level.

Shopify Vs. Amazon

Shopify

Shopify is a subscription with ecommerce platforms and solutions that allows businesses to build their goodwill and online storefront. It is user-friendly and has user-friendly themes. There are related features like store management, third-party integration, and analytics to boost the site's functionality and ranking. It is an ideal e-commerce platform for entrepreneurs looking into brand promotion through website builder.

Amazon

Amazon is an online marketplace with more than 200 million consumers. Amazon FBA program lets merchants sell goods to Amazon fulfillment centers where products are stored, packed, and shipped to the ordered location. Amazon is suitable for those merchants who want to take advantage of the thriving Amazon marketplace.

Conclusion

Shopify is the best platform for ease of use and smooth networking and connections to sales channels. The drawbacks of Shopify are overshadowed by customization and essential SEO tools, which provide extensive selling opportunities to businesses. Shopify and its development services are an attractive solution for online merchants who are looking to scale and control in-house services intuitively. Shopify is best for a business's simplicity, sales reach, growth potential, and price.

If medium sized businesses require fast growth you should think of better optimizing the logistics which are an essential part for business on Shopify. Outsourcing the store management and shipping process which makes senses.