What Is Shopify?

Allow us to make it clear now, from the very beginning, that starting your own online store is not a remote possibility or idea. If you really do want to become your own boss, run your own online business fulltime, or even begin a sideline around your nine to five, then Shopify exists to make building and running your online store an easily attainable reality.

If you have been entertaining the thought of launching an online store and have begun your research on how to go about the process of starting one, then you might have come across Shopify on your search.

Shopify is a complete ecommerce platform that allows you to build an online store, and from there start, grow, and manage your online business. Shopify’s strong suit is the simplicity and intuitiveness of its program that makes it a wonderfully easy experience for users like you to build and manage an online store.

Today, there are more than 600 thousand existing online shops that are using Shopify as their preferred platform and over $55 billion worth of sales performed by its merchants. Your shop could easily join in on the numbers, and with 80% of internet users shopping online, the best time to join the growing force that is ecommerce is right now.

The more you will know about ecommerce and Shopify, the more you’ll begin to ask yourself what excuses you have to not at least join the14 Day Free Trial period, build your shop, and attempt to make your first sale.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an ecommerce platform that can help you build and run your online store. If you have any online business ideas and ideas of products you might want to sell online to make a profit from, then Shopify will help you build your store simply and professionally.

The great thing about Shopify is that you don’t have to have any specialized knowledge or experience in web development or coding to open your online shop. It is a user-friendly platform for those who have no knowledge of website design and development. Customization is also easy on the online store builder with dozens of free and purchasable themes.

On Shopify, you’ll be able to sell on different platforms, including from mobile devices. You'll also be able to manage products, inventory, payments, and shipping. It is also great support for brick-and-mortar shops who want to begin selling both on and offline.

Shopify is an ecommerce platform for any kind of business, no matter the size and scale. The ecommerce platform has also attracted numerous heavy lifting brands like Budweiser, Tesla Motors, Yeezy Supply, and Harper Collins, to name a few. It is also great at supporting small-time businesses and fresh-faced entrepreneurs who are looking to run a business singlehandedly.

With Shopify, you can take your startup and compete at national and global levels. Never before have small businesses and startups had more chances and opportunities to build businesses quickly and easily with such a wide reach.

What do you need to start selling?

To build your store and to start selling, you need to sign up on Shopify. After you’ve signed up, you’ll be able to start building your shop within the 14 day trial period and choose a Shopify plan for your shop. There is a list below detailing the available Shopify plans for you to go over.

You will also need products or items to sell in your shop. Shopify gives you no limit to the number of products you can sell. As long as what you are selling is legal, you can sell it.

You can sell anything from shapewear, phone accessories, any kind of apparel, coffee, home accessories, and much, much more than what was mentioned. You can even sell your customized creations on Shopify.

What is dropshipping on Shopify?

Dropshipping is a business model wherein you will be able to operate an online retail business without having to purchase and maintain an inventory of the products you sell.

A dropshipping store operates with the help of a dropshipping supplier or the product manufacturer. When someone buys an item on your site, the order will be forwarded to your supplier who will then process these orders made from your shop.

It is then the role of the supplier to pack and ship the item from their warehouse directly to your client’s doorstep.

The merchant’s role is simply to run the shop, display the products, find buyers, and make a profit. You’ll be able to be in control of the profit margin by setting the retail price for all the items that you are displaying in your shop.

Your supplier manages your orders, the inventory of goods, and ships to your buyer directly. You can sell your items under your name and brand, and your buyers will never know that you are dropshipping products that you don’t have on hand. There are no upfront inventory costs, which makes dropshipping a low-risk business for you to venture into on Shopify.

If you want to start dropshipping with Shopify, build your store during the free trial period and install the Oberlo app, which will connect you to trusted dropshipping suppliers.

How much does Shopify cost?

Signing up on Shopify is simple and free. You will be able to test out the platform and build your store and start selling with their 14-day free trial. This open window period should be enough time for you to become familiar with Shopify and build your store, all without having to enter your credit card information. You will be able to build your shop, choose a theme for your website, customize it fully with your logo, images, texts, and add products for your shop.

At the end of the trial period, if you have decided that Shopify is right for you, and you want to carry on using the platform, Shopify will offer you monthly plans to choose from. You will be able to choose a plan based on your budget and the size of your store and business.

Plans are affordable and contracts with Shopify are renewed monthly; however, if you do mean serious business, you can go for an annual plan or a two-year plan, both come with discounts as incentives.

Here is a guide to their plans to give you an idea of what is best for you:

Shopify Lite- $9

Shopify lite features a very attractive price tag, but it’s not exactly made for everyone. It is for those who want to sell products without maintaining an online store. This is perfect for those who want to sell products over Facebook or if you want to add a Buy Button to your preexisting website. It’s also great for people who might want to sell in person, like at the farmer’s market or at pop-up fairs.

Basic Shopify - $29

Basic Shopify includes all that you will need to start and create an online store and it is also the cheapest of Shopify’s main monthly plans. It allows you to sell an unlimited range of products on your store and also includes abandoned cart recovery functions and 24/7 support.

With this plan, you will be able to manage all of your products, orders, and client information from your Shopify admin page. This plan also comes with a blog engine in case you want to include blog posts and articles for your customers in your store.

You’ll also have the benefit of the SSL certificate that will safeguard your customers’ details and information.

Shopify- $79

This plan is $50 more expensive than the Basic Shopify plan but it gives you all the features of the Basic plan with a host of improvements and features for your store, including professional reports and greater insights into your sales. This plan helps you analyze the behavior of your consumers when they visit your store. This plan is also great for generating loyal customers as it also offers gift cards and coupon options for your shop.

Advanced Shopify- $299

The Advanced Shopify plan is $220 more expensive than the Shopify plan. It included all the features of the Shopify Plan and the lowest credit card and transaction ratings. This plan is perfect for those merchants who have a business that is bigger and is expected to grow.

The advantages of the Advanced plan lies in its advanced analytics and custom reports. With the Advanced plan, you also get up to 15 staff accounts for the members of your enterprise to perform basic admin tasks.

Shopify Customer Support

Your Shopify plan entitles you to some of the best free customer support an ecommerce platform could offer. If you ever get stuck in any process of opening and running your online shop, Shopify has made sure to build you a network of support that you can count on.

For any challenge that you encounter as a seller, or as someone who is still in the process of building your store, you can be sure to find customer support services in the form of email, live chat, blogs, video tutorials, online web seminars, and a very active community forum for you to check and consult.

It's Time to Build Your Shop

So, what are you waiting for? Shopify is one of the best platforms for you to build a professional ecommerce website, and it is also the easiest place to do it yourself, you just have to make sure that you do it right. If you have any questions or need help building your online shop, contact Ecommerce Pro today!