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 Shopify Best E-commerce made easy

Shopify Review

Pros

Unlimited products, storage, and monthly data transfer

Easy-to-use dashboard

• 24/7 customer support
Expansive third-party app store


Attractive themes

Cons

Potentially overwhelming for casual users

                                Shopify Specs

Free Version

Transaction Fees

Bandwidth Fees

Point of Sale Support

Drag-and-Drop Site Editor

REST API

SSL Certificate Included

24/7 Phone Support

Live Chat

"If you're looking to sell products or services through your website, Shopify is a platform worth considering. As a leading e-commerce solution, it excels in facilitating both digital and physical sales online. With a wide range of integrations, an array of free and premium themes, and an easy-to-use interface, Shopify stands out in a competitive market. Its impressive suite of tools secures its position as one of the top choices for e-commerce, earning it recognition alongside Wix Stores as an Editors' Choice for online selling platforms."

Plans and Pricing

"Shopify provides three main subscription plans: Basic, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify. The Basic plan, priced at $29 per month, allows you to sell products through social media or a website, whether hosted on Shopify or another platform. It includes a website, blog, SSL certificate, unlimited product listings, storage, and data transfers. The Shopify plan, costing $79 per month, builds on the Basic plan by adding features such as five staff accounts, detailed reporting, international pricing, and abandoned cart recovery. For $299 per month, the Advanced Shopify plan offers 15 staff accounts, an advanced report builder, and automated shipping rate calculations. Additionally, Shopify supports all major credit cards."

Shopify also provides specialized plans tailored to specific needs. The Shopify Starter plan, available for just $5 per month, is designed for selling exclusively through social media platforms. For businesses focused on in-person sales, the Retail plan at $89 per month offers the ideal solution. Larger enterprises can choose the Shopify Plus plan, priced at $2,300 per month, or the Enterprise Commerce tier with customized pricing. These higher-tier options unlock features like wholesale capabilities and B2B solutions to cater to complex business requirements.

Shopify's transaction fees decrease with its higher-tier plans. For the Basic plan, online card transactions are charged at 2.9% plus 30 cents, while the Advanced plan reduces this rate to 2.5% plus 30 cents—both competitive for the industry. Even lower rates apply to in-person and third-party payment processing. Shopify also offers a three-day trial, allowing you to create a store and test transactions before deciding to invest in the platform.

Building a Shopify Store

"Shopify simplifies the process of launching an online store. After signing up with just an email and password, the platform automatically determined our tax rate and currency based on our physical location. It even generated a custom URL using our store name, making it easy to test the platform.

The user-friendly dashboard provides quick access to key information, such as order history, product inventory, and customer details. Shopify supports seamless integration with third-party e-commerce apps, including tools for loyalty programs and recurring billing, to enhance store functionality. Its theme store offers visually appealing and easily customizable templates, while the extensive app marketplace features plug-ins for external sales channels, accounting tools, customer support, and collaborations with other sellers. However, it's worth noting that adding extra features can significantly increase your monthly costs."

On the 'Add a Product' page, we entered key details like the product's name, description, images, pricing, SKU, and bar code. We also configured Shopify to manage inventory tracking and store the total shipping weight. This page allows you to define product variations, such as size, material, style, or color. During our testing, Shopify automatically generated prices and unique SKU codes for each variation, simplifying the process. At the bottom of the page, a preview of how the product would appear in search engine results was displayed, which provided valuable guidance for optimizing search engine visibility (SEO)

Shopify offers over 200 free and premium themes across a range of categories, such as Accessories, Art, Books, Clothing, Electronics, and Food. These visually appealing themes are on par with those offered by services like Wix Stores. Once you select a theme you like, applying it is as simple as clicking 'Publish.' Customization is straightforward, thanks to a drag-and-drop editor, and you can make more detailed adjustments by editing the HTML/CSS directly. Unlike Wix Stores, Shopify makes switching themes seamless and effortless.

An online store goes beyond product listings and checkout pages; customers often need information from a blog or an About page. Shopify supports adding Google Analytics code to track web metrics and enables customer data collection through user accounts, allowing shoppers to check order statuses or join loyalty programs. The platform also includes an email marketing tool for crafting effective campaigns.

When it comes to domains, you can use an existing one or register a new domain through Shopify, which also acts as a registrar. Pricing starts at $11 per year for less common domains (like .online), $14 to $20 for standard options (like .net or .info), and increases significantly for custom domains. Shopify provides comprehensive guidance for configuring DNS records to link your domain to its servers

Customer Payment Options

The most user-friendly shopping cart software is meaningless if customers can't easily find and pay for products. Shopify ensures a smooth experience for both sellers and buyers.

By default, Shopify utilizes its own payment gateway, Shopify Payments, alongside PayPal Express Checkout. If these options don't meet your needs, Shopify integrates with over 70 additional payment gateways. It also supports cryptocurrency-based payment systems, such as BitPay, Coinbase, Dwolla, and GoCoin, as well as traditional methods like checks, money orders, and bank transfers. For added flexibility, you can configure the store to authorize payments initially and manually charge customer credit cards once orders are ready for shipping. Shopify provides clear documentation to help you understand the difference between automatic and manual payment capture.

Another advantage of Shopify is its ability to handle both online and in-person sales from the same platform. Additionally, you can embed a Buy button on an external website, making it a convenient option if you prefer not to use Shopify's full e-commerce tools.

Customer Service

Shopify provides 24/7 customer support through phone and live chat, ensuring help is always available when email assistance isn’t sufficient. The platform also features an active community discussion forum for peer-to-peer support.

For customers in regions like Australia, New Zealand, North America, Singapore, and the UK, Shopify offers dedicated regional phone numbers for convenience. During testing, we were able to connect with a live chat agent even at 1 a.m., and the phone support representative we spoke with provided clear and informative answers about the features included in each plan. This round-the-clock support makes Shopify a reliable choice for businesses of all sizes.

Verdict: Shopify Makes Selling Online Easy

When launching an online store, simplicity is key. You want to ensure your customers can quickly and easily make payments, while also keeping the setup process straightforward for yourself. Shopify delivers on both fronts, offering a seamless way to build and grow your store. Its robust set of features allows for easy expansion and integration with various payment methods, making it our Editors' Choice. However, its extensive options might be a bit daunting for beginners. For those seeking a simpler alternative, Wix—another Editors' Choice winner—may be a better fit, particularly with the Wix Stores add-on.

Conclusion: Shopify is the Ideal Platform for Effortless Online Selling

In conclusion, Shopify stands out as an exceptional choice for anyone looking to build and manage an online store with ease. Its user-friendly interface, combined with a vast range of customizable features, makes it a powerful tool for both beginners and experienced entrepreneurs. The platform’s flexibility allows for seamless growth, with numerous integrations for payments, marketing tools, and more. While its extensive options may feel overwhelming to newcomers, the benefits far outweigh any initial learning curve. For those seeking a comprehensive and scalable e-commerce solution, Shopify remains one of the best platforms available.