Let’s talk Shopify

Whether you’re thinking of setting up an online store or are an existing merchant selling online, the chances are you’ve heard of Shopify. Shopify is quickly becoming one of the most popular ecommerce platforms on the market. It has a range of payment plans, it is easy to set up and use and is designed specifically for ecommerce. In this article we are going to talk about all things Shopify from what it actually is to what makes it so popular.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is, put simply, an ecommerce solution or ‘platform’ that enables almost anyone, beginner or expert to build and host an online store. Shopify allows merchants to sell online and offline making it a flexible option ideal for ecommerce businesses of all sizes. Shopify is described as the complete platform that does everything a merchant might need in one place.

What does Shopify do?

Setting up an online store might seem simple, but once you get into the nitty gritty, the whole process can take time and cost money. Shopify provides users with the opportunity to easily  create and run an ecommerce business with customisable templates to create a professional looking storefront. It allows you to showcase products the way you want, accept payments through its large range of gateway options and more.

How much does Shopify cost?

One of the most significant elements of Shopify which is one of the reasons it is so popular is its subscription based software that is flexible to suit your needs. There are a number of plans available, each at a different cost coming with different features.

Shopify Lite: This is the most affordable plan, starting at just $9 a month Shopify Lite allows you to turn any website into an online store in seconds. This plan gives you the opportunity to add a buy button to existing websites whether that be WordPress or Tumblr or anything in between. This is great for individuals who have already built a website elsewhere but don;’t want the hassle of migrating to an entirely new platform.

Basic Shopify– The next plan up from Shopify Lite is Basic Shopify. This plan is best for new ecommerce businesses and startups who may make occasional in person sales. At only $29 per month the cost of starting an online business with Shopify is super affordable.

Shopify– In this middle is the ‘Shopify’ payment plan. At $79 it is considerably more expensive than the other plans yet it comes with even more features and benefits. We recommend this payment plan for growing businesses who sell online or in store.

Advanced Shopify– If your business is scaling considerably and requires advanced reporting it may be worth considering the advanced Shopify payment plan. This plan costs $299 a month but comes with additional features that can be really useful.

 Shopify Plus– At the other end of the spectrum is Shopify Plus. This plan starts at $2000 per month and is designed to cater for higher volume businesses.

One of the best parts about Shopify is that it makes scalability stress free as you can easily upgrade or downgrade your payment plan to suit your current needs. If you want to give Shopify a go why not try it free for 14 days- you ‘t even need to enter card details to get started. What’s stopping you?

What is Shopify POS?

We have spoken a lot about Shopify as an ecommerce platform but now we wanted to explore Shopify’s POS system in more depth. Shopify POS stands for Point Of Sale. The application allows you to easily sell products offline in a physical store or location. This makes it simple to sell your products at trade shows, popup stores or any other event with the Shopify POS application. It makes it so easy as you can accept payments using your iPhone, IPad or Android.

Pros of Shopify

• Easy to set up and use
• Range of free features including customisable themes, plugins and even a blog
• Subscription plans to suit each businesses needs
• Tons of apps to choose from
• 24/7 support
• Large range of payment gateways

Cons of Shopify:

• Some themes come at an extra cost
• Shopify takes a transaction fee from each sale made
• Plugins can be difficult to navigate
• Shopify alone won’t guarantee success

How to be successful with Shopify

Despite the fact that Shopify has a wide range of useful features and apps that make it easier to run an online business, there is more to ecommerce than that. Marketing is a crucial element of all business, and online it is becoming increasingly competitive. In order to be successful with Shopify you have to remain competitive. You also need to put time and money into helping your business grow.. To do this it may be worth soughting a Shopify Partner to assist you with your marketing strategy. The right Shopify Partner can help share important Shopify knowledge whilst enhancing your store to achieve better results through social media, paid ads and search engine optimisation. Our Digital Team is an effective digital marketing agency who have worked with a number of Shopify Merchants to increase their visibility, conversions, return on investment and have even expanded their clients into new markets across the globe.

Here are some of the ways a Shopify marketing agency could help your ecommerce business:

• Increase site visibility
• Improve brand awareness
• Engage with the target audience
• Improve rankings on search engine results pages
• Produce effective paid advertising
• Create compelling content
• Increase your return on investment
• Improve conversion rates, leads and sales