Shopify is the subscription-based self-serve Ecommerce platform currently turning the market on its head in terms of the capabilities and reach of smaller online retailers. Founded in 2006 to cater largely for hobby retailers (e.g. individuals who sell part-time through platforms such as Amazon Marketplace, eBay, or Etsy), the platform has grown to be the system of choice for a growing number of established and high-performing retailers in both the B2B and B2C markets.
In this article, we’ll look at what makes Shopify the best choice for your Ecommerce business.
Easy-To-Use
Building and maintaining an Ecommerce website is notoriously arcane, which traditionally set a frustrating barrier for SMEs in terms of what they could achieve. Large or high-functioning Ecommerce websites were prohibitively expensive for smaller businesses because of their complexity and the technical knowledge required to create them. Shopify changed this equation because of its extremely user-friendly interface. Users do not need to possess any technical coding skills to get started on the platform: Shopify comes with a ‘drag and drop’ page-building tool and intuitive built-in features that make every step of the web creation and management process easy for beginners. For example, Shopify provides a straightforward process for adding and managing products, customising your shopfront, and accepting a range of online payments safely and securely. You can also track your orders, manage inventory levels, and gain insights into your sales with Shopify’s native analytics tools.
Scalable
As your Ecommerce business starts to grow, Shopify has the capacity to quickly scale with you, avoiding the risk of your website crashing due to high visitor numbers. With flexible subscription plans for retailers at all stages of development and size, you can easily manage increases in demand without paying for features and capacities that you don’t need. Shopify’s App Marketplace gives you access to hundreds of additional optional features and tools to help you grow and diversify your business.
Secure And Reliable
Security is a top concern for Ecommerce SMEs, who often don’t have the technological clout of the larger retailers. By creating your Ecommerce website with Shopify, you gain access to secure and reliable hosting and payment processing with market-leading security features, ensuring that your customers' data is kept safe. The Shopify security team roll out frequent software updates to keep you one step ahead of the cybercriminals and complies with the highest UK and international security standards for the industry, giving your customers peace of mind when purchasing from your shop.
Multichannel Sales
To support your core Ecommerce website, Shopify also enables you to sell across multiple channels such as Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and other social marketplace platforms, with a comprehensive overview of your sales and stock levels through your Shopify customer portal.
Affordability
A fully tooled Ecommerce website can easily run into tens of thousands of pounds to produce, which makes the affordability of Shopify a crucial plus point for smaller retailers looking for an economical but high-performance online sales solution. With affordable pricing plans that are suitable for businesses of all sizes, and a basic tier starting from just £19 per month, you can get started with online retail at an affordable price without sacrificing features and functionality. Shopify also provides various payment gateway integrations and transaction fee options, making it an ideal choice for new businesses looking to give the widest choice of engagement to their customers.
Mobile Friendly
The 2020s are a mobile-first retail environment, with most online sales being made through a tablet or smartphone, rather than a desktop computer. This makes it essential for any Ecommerce business to have a mobile-friendly and responsive website that looks good on any screen size. Shopify understands this and offers an intrinsically mobile-optimised Ecommerce platform, with responsive designs that automatically scale to the screen being used by visitors, without requiring any additional coding.
Marketing Integration
Shopify comes with a range of powerful inbuilt marketing tools, including customisable email templates, contact forms, social media integrations, and automated abandoned cart emails, helping businesses promote their site to new and existing customers. In addition, Shopify integrates seamlessly with leading third-party marketing platforms such as HubSpot, Salesforce, and MailChimp, giving users access to even more marketing features, and congregating all your sales and customer data within your CRM.
Next Steps
To find out more about Shopify and why it could be the perfect web platform you’ve been looking for your Ecommerce business, please contact us today, or download our free Ecommerce guide on how to increase your sales and customer base for your Ecommerce business.
Image Source: Canva
