The ultimate Shopify review
So you want to start selling online. There are a lot of choices. One is to become a Shopify merchant. You can become an online store owner in a a few clicks. Keeping costs low and using a trusted digital commerce platform.
The summary
Shopify is a powerful platform that allows you to create a webstore in just a few hours. You can use a lot of free or paid themes and customize them.
Below you find an overview of the answers.
| Pricing | $29, $79, $299 and higher tiers |
| Tech skill | not needed, but can help |
| Themes | yes you can get free or paid themes |
| Apps | (3rd party) apps that add functionality |
| Tech updates | Shopify keeps their platform secure and updated |
| Business license | Not mandatory, but get it |
| Fulfillment | Shopify offers fulfillment |
Interested? Go to Shopify
What is Shopify ecommerce?
Shopify is one of the major ecommerce platforms you can use as a merchant. It’s most used and known for dropshipping, but there are also major brands which use the platform. It’s easy to use and has a lot of add-ons so you can create your own store. The main user will be a small business which want to go online.
Shopify offers an easy to use platform for ecommerce. It’s a no code platform which means that you don’t need any programming skills. You can create a complete webstore with point and click.
Having design skills helps when designing a webstore. Luckily there are a lot of Shopify stores. So you can model your webstore to an existing Shopify store.
Be aware that you don’t copy the store, but use the framework. This means you place your logo, menu, images. text on the same places as the other store. Never copy text as the written word is also protected by copyright!
Why Shopify?
Shopify has a proven model. The platform exists for years and grows fast. Shopify is very stable with almost no downtime. With the add-ons and the rich features it offers a complete webstore solution.
You can use Shopify if:
- You have a low budget
- You don’t have a lot or any tech skills
- You want to use a proven eCommerce platform
- Get responsive support
- You need a webstore fast
- You have a brick and mortar store and want a webstore
You get decent customer support with Shopify. They will help you out with any questions. You can even hire a Shopify expert to help you out.
Another nice feature is that you have a mobile app so you can check on your store.
What does Shopify cost?
Shopify pricing model is affordable. The basic shopify plan starts at a monthly price of $29. You can cancel your account at any time and it will stop end of the month. Cancellation is flawless.
Be aware that the fees for credit cards payments are a bit higher when using the basic package. The fees are lower for the more expensive packages. For starting with eCommerce the basic package is enough.
You get a 14 day trials when starting out. So you can give it a try without any risk. Always give it a try to get a taste of the platform.
When you grow you can switch to the more expensive plans.
The other plans are $79 and $299. So if your business is scaling up those plans become more interesting. And you have 2 other plans called lite and plus.
You can use the lite plan if you got a blog or website and want to use the Shopify ecommerce system. The Shopify system works in the background as your eCommerce backend system. The monthly rate starts at $9.
The plus plan is for enterprises which have a large ecommerce business. The plan starts at $2000 monthly fee. If you sell 200k per month Shopify will save you a lot of developer costs or webstore maintenance.
Pay attention to any fees like a transaction fee or a payment fee. Or any app cost if you use apps. You have to add all the costs.
Do I need any tech skills for Shopify?
Shopify offers a no code design builder. This means you don’t need any programming or coding knowledge to create your own store. If you have some tech skills it can help debugging any issues.
Shopify offers a set of themes which you can use to create a webstore. The con of using a Shopify default theme is that your store looks the same as other stores. If you start a default theme doesn’t have to be an issue. There are already a lot of websites which have the same look and feel. But if you want to have a different style, you have a lot of options.
Shopify offers premium Shopify themes themselves. A Shopify theme isn’t cheap at $180. Shopify have created the themes themselves. The support is also provided by Shopify. So it’s a safe choice.
There are also a lot of 3rd party themes available. Both free and premium. Envato is a well known marketplace that offers a lot of themes. Envato offers a lot more than only themes. Check them out.
I have to warn you for themes which you can buy for cheaper prices. You can find sellers who want to sell you themes for a lot cheaper. At first you think it saves me money, but don’t forget you also pay for support and updates. So if your theme becomes outdated it can be a security risk. Or if you have any tech issues, you have to google around and solve it yourself. So support the creators and buy the theme with support.
What if I need added functionality like customer reviews?
Shopify offers a Shopify app store or marketplace. You can find a lot of apps. If you need an app for customer reviews you can find it here. Or how about an app to integrate facebook or google shopping. The list is long, take a look in the shopify app store at apps.shopify.com/browse
The apps offer shopify integration. You can install the app and it works flawless. Apps can be free, trial or paid.
Is Shopify good for eCommerce?
Shopify is an easy to use platform for ecommerce. Which means you can start a webstore on this platform. Shopify offers all the tools you need for a webstore. This includes email, invoices, shipping, tax and a lot more.
So if you want to start in ecommerce Shopify offers a good toolbox. If you are a business owner without tech skills or tech people you can chose for Shopify. It will save you a lot of time setting up a webstore using for example wooCommerce. Shopify does have rules so make sure you read their usage terms. If you break the rules, you will lose your store.
Do I need to update Shopify?
You don’t have to worry about updates. Shopify makes sure their platform is up to date. So no patching or updates needed. This saves IT resources and costs.
Is Shopify secure?
Shopify had only 1 security issue in 2019. They solved this quick within a month. They learned a lot and the platform has become very secure.
Shopify hosts over 90.000 webstores. All doing ecommerce with payments and client data. So having only one security issues after their start in 2006 is remarkable. It’s a safe bet to chose Shopify.
How do I use eCommerce with Shopify?
Ecommerce is doing business online. Shopify is offering a platform for a webstore. So if you want to go online with your business, Shopify is one of the platforms you can chose. It’s a proven platform which is a safe bet.
It offers it’s platform as a service for merchants. You can sell existing e-commerce products which you can import from dropshipper suppliers. Dropship suppliers can be Aliexpress or Salehoo.
Why is Shopify bad?
Shopify as a platform isn’t bad for business owners. It can save you a lot of time if you don’t have a lot of resources. But the platform is still owned by Shopify. So you don’t own the data yourself. Or issues solving can take long. From a customer perspective Shopify got a worse name due to dropshippers.
When you use any 3rd party platform, you are always dependent on that company. If you experience any issue, you have to contact their support and wait till they solve the issue. This can be frustrating if solving the issue takes longer due to holidays.
Having issues can mean losing customers. A customer will buy a product at the webstore which works. And the customer won’t return or tell others about your non working webstore.
Not owning the data can be an issue. This can be the case if you only use Shopify for everything. For that reason I recommend using a 3rd party email responder. You can store your client data in that email responder or email marketing platform. If you want to switch the ecommerce platform, you still have your email list.
Dropshippers chose Shopify as a platform as it’s easy to use. Dropshipping means selling products which you don’t own. You don’t need an inventory or stock of products. You act like a man in the middle. You earn the margin and the manufacturer or trader will sent the product to the customer.
Some dropshipping businesses don’t deliver the products to their customers. Those got kicked of the platform. But the customers remember the look and feel of the webstore. That is why Shopify monitors active on these kind of businesses. As long as you play by the rules, you are fine.
So remember to have some other design with your webstore. And remove the hosted by Shopify which is in the footer.
Is Shopify good for beginners?
Shopify is a no code platform which means you can start without any tech skills. The platform is drag and drop. There are also a lot of youtube tutorials available explaining the design process. Or you can even hire someone to create store for you.
It has low barriers to business so you can start after you have start an account.
There is low maintenance as Shopify does the tech part for you. That means you don’t have to worry about updating the website. If you chose to invest time in the business part of ecommerce instead of the IT part go for Shopify.
how does shopify work or how do I start a business with Shopify?
After registering for an account, you can create your ecommerce store using themes. You can change theme settings and looks. But this restricts you to the theme framework. So completely make it how you want it to look is difficult without coding. You can still change things using coding.
You need to setup things like the type of shipping and payment processors. You can also setup a privacy and return policy. Luckily Shopify has a privacy policy generator. Make sure you read the information in it and change it if needed.
Can you make money with Shopify?
Shopify offers an easy way to start with ecommerce. You can make money if you know how to use marketing. You need people to visit your store and buy. This is also the hardest part of ecommerce. To stand out of the competition you need a solid marketing plan. You can run a sale, but you can’t do this in the long run. So be sure you invest time and resources in marketing and branding your store.
Is Shopify an online store?
Yes. Shopify is the largest ecommerce platform for business owners to sell online. The platform allows you to transform your business into an online store.
What online business can I start with Shopify?
You can start any type of online business as long as you stick to the terms of service. That means no illegal activities or products.
Do I need a business license to sell on Shopify?
No you don’t need a business to sell on Shopify. We recommend that you do get a business license. As a customer you want to buy from legal businesses. So a business license help
Can you get scammed on Shopify?
This has happened in the past when dropshippers didn’t deliver products. Nowadays it can still happen. Do proper research before you buy any product. Use many sources like google, facebook and instagram to find reviews of the store.
Does Shopify do logistics or fulfillment for merchants?
Shopify offers fulfillment for merchants. If you want to learn more checkout https://www.shopify.com/fulfillment
Can I cancel my account at any time?
Yes you can cancel your account at any time. Shopify will save your store data if you want for a fee for a longer period.
Which payment options does Shopify support?
Shopify can integrate with credit card processors like Stripe. Shopify also offers it’s own shopify payments system. Shopify also integrates with for example dutch payment gateways. So you can use a payment gateway that matches your needs.
In your webstore you can also offer gift cards. There are apps in the Shopify marketplace which can generate gift cards for you.
How can I use social media with Shopify?
You can integrate instagram, facebook, and google shopping with Shopify. If people buy using social media, Shopify will act as a backend. Shopify processes the sale as a shopify order. This makes it easy to sell on many sales channels. You don’t have to process orders by hand. Once set up, you can use ads to get more sales.
