What is Shopify

What is Shopify? A Comprehensive Guide to This eCommerce Platform

Table of Contents

Have you ever thought about starting your own business, becoming your own boss? Maybe you have a great product idea or want to turn your hobby into something more. But figuring out how to sell online can be a puzzle. That's where Shopify comes in: it's an ecommerce platform designed to help people build their own online stores and make selling a whole lot easier. Shopify has become really popular; millions of businesses worldwide use it, which speaks volumes.

 

It doesn't matter if you're a seasoned business pro or just starting out; you might be wondering about Shopify. This is completely understandable, as starting an online business might seem like a big undertaking, but Shopify can make the process much more manageable. Plus, you can always find a Shopify expert to help if you get stuck.

Need expert Shopify Consulting?  Need to quickly setup your Shopify Store? Whether you need help setting up your online store or integrating Shopify with your physical store(s), Just click the button and we'll get right back to you.

 

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What Makes Shopify Work?

Shopify's secret sauce is its simplicity and its power. It takes care of the complex technical stuff, so you can concentrate on what really matters: your products, customers, and growth. From building your website and adding products to handling payment processing and Shopify shipping, this platform has got you covered.

This e-commerce platform also allows for tons of flexibility and customization. Think of Shopify like a canvas where you get to paint it with your brand's colors, adding unique touches to stand out in a crowded market. And there's more. You've also got the Shopify App Store, packed with thousands of extensions to add more features and make your store do exactly what you want. Browse apps in the Shopify App Store to see what's possible.

 

What's Included With Shopify

A huge draw to Shopify is that they have a plan for every stage of your businesses growth. Whether you're testing the waters, or a rapidly growing empire ready for global domination, they've got options for you. Plans range from a low monthly fee to thousands per month for enterprise-level businesses.

But before we dive into the various Shopify pricing plans, let's see what's included in every package – no matter your budget. Each Shopify plan provides the essential ingredients you need to whip up a fully-fledged online store:

  • Online Store Builder: Create a stunning website even if you've never touched code. Their user-friendly interface is basically drag and drop: super intuitive.
  • Customizable Themes: Pick a template that matches your brand and make it your own with fonts, colors, and layout adjustments. They have a large variety of paid and free online store themes available.
  • Selling on Multiple Channels: From your website to social media and popular marketplaces, you can sell where your customers hang out. Keep things organized because your inventory and customer info stay synced across all platforms, including social media channels.
  • Shop Pay: Shopify's one-click checkout is a customer’s dream, making buying a breeze and boosting your sales.
  • Custom Domain: Ditch the generic web addresses. Get yourself a slick, branded domain name and make a memorable first impression.
  • Built-In Marketing Tools: Level up your marketing game with Shopify's features for social media integration, email marketing, and more. The goal here is to help you get discovered.
  • Centralized Business Management: All the info you need about orders, customers, payments, and more, neatly laid out in one easy-to-use dashboard. Say goodbye to chaotic spreadsheets.

 

Taking a Look at Shopify Pricing Plans

As you explore Shopify pricing, remember you have various options based on where you are with your business. The options range from simple solutions for social selling to fully-fledged plans with all the bells and whistles for bigger brands. Shopify Plans range in price and included features.

Shopify Starter: Your First Step in the World of Shopify

The Shopify Starter plan is perfect if you're just dipping your toes into selling. Maybe you're a creator with a loyal following and want to start selling online. At just $5 (prices may vary, so always check before subscribing) a month, this is the cheapest way to sell with Shopify, designed specifically for selling on social media and through messaging apps. It's a great way to start free with the free trial.

Shopify Basic: Growing Businesses

The Basic Shopify plan is the stepping stone to a full online store. It's ideal if you want a website where people can browse your products and easily buy them. Starting at $39 a month, you're getting everything mentioned before, from customizable themes to selling on different platforms. Plus, you have tools to run professional-looking email campaigns, making this a great Shopify plan for small businesses.

Shopify Standard: Features Galore

For serious entrepreneurs who mean business, there's the Shopify plan. At $99 a month, this gives you more staff accounts, lower transaction fees, and access to advanced reports to dig deeper into your data. Plus, this Shopify plan comes with more advanced tools, including gift cards. Shopify plans like this are great for when you start to scale.

Customizable Checkout

Starting at this level, you can customize your checkout process, including the 'look and feel' as well as the sequence.  As you move up through the various shopify editions, you gain access to more flexibility.  This is critical to improving your conversion rates.

Shopify Advanced: Powerful Tools and Even Lower Transaction Fees

Ready to go full throttle? The Advanced Shopify plan is for larger businesses handling large sales volumes. Starting at $399 a month and up, you're getting all the features, super low transaction fees, and advanced report building. You can also accept payments from a wider variety payment providers.  You can try any of these plans risk-free by using the free trial.

 

Shopify Plus: Enterprise Powerhouse

For established brands with huge sales, consider Shopify Plus. You get priority support and a ton of features to handle a huge online presence. While it's the priciest option, starting at $2,000 per month and up, this plan scales with your brand to tackle whatever the world throws at you. Shopify Plus allows you to build custom solutions.  It also offers many payment gateway options to provide your customers additional payment methods and to get you the lowest transaction fees.

Sales Channels

All of the plans offer various Sales Channels, but as you move up the subscription tier, you have additional sales channel natively available.  For instance, perhaps you want to also sell on etsy or Wal-Mart.  Each of those is a separate sales channel, and you can connect to all of them, with the right subscription levels.

Retail Plans: Selling Online and in Your Brick-and-Mortar Store

What is Shopify if you're not just selling online? They offer Shopify Retail plans specifically for retail stores wanting an easy way to track sales and inventory. With Shopify POS (point-of-sale), you have access to a whole ecosystem for your physical store. These plans come in various flavors too, from Basic Shopify POS at $29 per month to POS Pro, starting at $89 per month for each location. Accept credit cards in person or online with the various Shopify Payments options.

Shopify Capital

Shopify capital is made available to those retailers who qualify.  What is Shopify Capital.  It is a sort of 'in-house' bank you can use to finance inventory, and automatically repay the loan as you make sales.

Choosing the Best E-Commerce Builder

Even after answering the question, “what is Shopify?”, you might still be weighing your options. To figure out if Shopify is the perfect fit for you, it helps to see what other e-commerce builders are on the market. NerdWallet has a great list of the best e-commerce website builders to give you a comprehensive overview. When you start with Shopify, you can always switch to a different plan later on.

FAQs About What Is Shopify

What Exactly Is Shopify Used For?

Shopify is primarily but not exclusively used to set up and manage online stores. It offers tools to build your website, add products, process payments, track orders, and handle shipping. Shopify offers so much to help you with your e-commerce business.

Is Shopify the Same as Amazon?

No, they're different. Think of Amazon as a gigantic online marketplace where you sell alongside other sellers. With Shopify, you have your own online store, allowing you more control over branding and customer experience. Amazon also has its own fulfillment network should you want to use it for order fulfillment.  You can integrate your Shopify e-commerce store with Amazon using either the built-in data feed or a commercial one from the app store.

How Much Does Shopify Cost Each Month?

Shopify offers various plans starting at $5 per month and going up to $2,000 or more for large companies. Each plan provides different features, so you can pick the one that works for you. There are also free trials to test out the platform.

Can I Actually Earn Money with Shopify?

Of course. While it's not a guaranteed money-maker, it’s designed to make selling easier and to allow you to reach a broader audience. Your success hinges on a good product or service, clever marketing, and dedication, but many businesses make money on this platform. For example, during the first quarter of 2023 alone, merchants generated almost $50 billion in sales with Shopify. That should be pretty encouraging to anyone considering this platform.

Conclusion

So, what is Shopify? It's an incredibly powerful tool for anyone wanting to take their business online. From its beginner-friendly interface to the wide range of features available, it empowers people at all levels – from hobbyists trying a side hustle to well-established brands scaling up their operation. Regardless if you choose Shopify, exploring how it works and what it offers will definitely give you food for thought. After all, taking the first step is what launching your own business is all about.

 

Shopify Consulting Services Request

 

We are a full-service Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing and Sales Agency. We also implement high-performance Shopify stores (we're a partner).  In addition, we work to integrate your SAP System with Hubspot and Salesforce, where we have a deep delivery capability based on years of experiecne. Please our book a meeting service to get started.

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Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP

About the Author: Lonnie Ayers is a Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing consultant, with additional certifications in Hubspot Content Optimization, Hubspot Contextual Marketing, and is a Hubspot Certified Partner. Specialized in demand generation and sales execution, especially in the SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Partner space, he has unique insight into the tough challenges Service Providers face with generating leads and closing sales using the latest digital tools. With 15 years of SAP Program Management experience, and dozens of complex sales engagements under his belt, he helps partners develop and communicate their unique sales proposition. Frequently sought as a public speaker in various events, he is available for both inhouse engagements and remote coaching.
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He also recently released a book "How to Dominate Any Market - Turbocharging Your Digital Marketing and Sales Results", which is available on Amazon.

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