Shopify - Is it the right choice for your business?

Shopify is a great platform for businesses looking to create an online store. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, take a look at our blogs about Shopify. After reading this blog, you will have a good idea of what Shopify is, and whether or not it is right for your business

Shopify is a Canadian eCommerce company that provides a web-based platform for businesses to create an online store. It is also the name of its proprietary eCommerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Shopify offers online retailers a suite of services including payment gateways, marketing, shipping, and customer engagement tools, simplify the process of running an online store.

Shopify’s first point of difference is the ease with which you can set up an online store, thanks to its wide range of free and paid-for apps that makes it easy to customize your site, which is ideal for small businesses that may not have the time or experience to customize their site. Shopify has a huge selection of features and add-ons that are useful for store owners, such as ease of setup, multiple payment options, mobile-friendly design, and SEO capabilities.

Who uses Shopify?

Shopify is used by businesses of all types and sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises. Shopify offers a wide range of features and benefits that make it an ideal platform for businesses looking to sell online.

According to Shopify News, the platform is now used by over 600,000 businesses worldwide in over 175+ countries.

The platform is based on drag & drop technology so anyone can create a store themselves, there is no need for a developer unless the business requires customization of the website.

An eCommerce store owner needs to have an understanding of the different features offered by Shopify in order to truly take their online store to next level.

Shopify has the power and scalability of an enterprise eCommerce platform with the extensibility, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendliness of modern software. In the contemporary world, Shopify is becoming the preferred eCommerce platform of choice for so many businesses.

Shopify is a great eCommerce platform for small businesses because it offers features that are usually found in more expensive solutions. Some of the best features offered by Shopify include:

A simplified checkout process

The checkout process on Shopify is very simple and easy to use. Around 26% of eCommerce stores in Pakistan are built using Shopify. As far as the billing is concerned, payment gateways such as Skrill and PayPal do not work in Pakistan. Shopify store owners in Pakistan have the option of using Foree as a payment gateway and integrating a system through local banks. Additionally, Shopify store owners in Pakistan can now integrate bSecure’s private plugin for a seamless and secure checkout experience.

A customizable Plug & Play System

Shopify is a user-friendly, easy-to-use, and free online eCommerce platform. Shopify is perfect for small business owners who are just starting out and don't have the time or money to learn complicated technical details. You can easily create your own website on the Shopify platform without having to worry about developing a website from scratch. Many of the features that you want in an eCommerce site are available directly through Shopify's platform. There are hundreds of themes you can use to customize the look and feel of your store. The process for setting up an online store on Shopify is pretty simple. Plus, there is 24/7 support available if you have any questions or technical issues.

Encourages Content Marketing & Publishing Blogs:

Apart from being an eCommerce platform, Shopify is a content management system that supports blogs for marketing. With Shopify, users can easily create and manage blogs on their e-commerce stores. [According to Oberlo], 54.7 consumers go through a minimum of four reviews before purchasing a product. Shopify supports features such as product reviews, customer testimonials, and social media integration which compliments the blogs and helps in improving the website's SEO.  Additionally, blogs can also be used to drive traffic to your website and help to build your brand. These features make Shopify an ideal platform for businesses to establish trust amongst customers.

Advanced Analytics Reporting

Shopify’s advanced analytics reporting feature is available for Shopify Plus and Advanced users. This feature provides detailed insights into business performance, including sales data and customer behaviour. With this information, businesses can make more informed decisions about where to allocate resources and how to improve their operations. In addition to that, Shopify also offers custom reporting where you can make use of the many filters and editing features to analyse a particular set of data that needs your attention.

Discounts and gift cards

Shopify also has built-in features of discounts and gift cards. This feature is great for businesses who want to offer their customers a little extra incentive to purchase from them. Discounts can be applied to items in the Shopify store, or to the total order value. Gift cards can be used as store credit, or they can be sent to friends and family. Discounts and gift cards can be used to encourage customer loyalty, drive traffic to the website, and boost sales during slow periods. bSecure’s payment gateway plugin for Shopify Stores offers additional features on Shopify such as Bin discounts. Read more about Bin code discounts.

Shopify POS

One of the most popular Shopify features is their Point of Sale (POS) system. The Shopify POS system is designed to be easy to use and helps businesses streamline the process of selling products in-store. The POS system can be used to track inventory, process payments, and create custom receipts. In addition, Shopify's POS system is highly customizable, so you can create a sales experience that is unique to your brand.

Shopify Email

MailChimp, Aweber, ConstantContact, GetResponse, and CampaignMonitor are just some of the many email marketing tools available that integrate with Shopify. Using these tools, you can enable your business to send out bulk emails to your customers. But, did you know that Shopify also offers bulk emailing capabilities? That's right! You can now use Shopify in conjunction with one of the aforementioned email marketing tools and a whole range of other features including customizable templates, automated email campaigns, and detailed tracking reports. Overall, Shopify Email is an extremely valuable tool for any business that wants to engage with their customers on a more personal level and drive sales.

Integration with Help Desk Apps

One of the key features of Shopify is its integration with help desk apps. Shopify easily integrates with Zendesk, Freshdesk, HelpDesk, LiveAgent, etc. This feature is highly beneficial for businesses as it allows them to provide excellent customer service and support. By integrating Shopify with a help desk app, businesses can easily manage their customer inquiries and issues in one place. This helps streamline the support process and ensure that all customers get the help they need. This feature also allows businesses to track and resolve issues more efficiently.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Shopify is the ultimate eCommerce platform designed for stores of all sizes. Shopify offers users a customizable platform, an easy-to-use checkout process, and a wide range of other useful features that may be appealing to growing businesses! It is a versatile platform that can be customized to meet the unique needs of any business. Moreover, Shopify’s simple drag-and-drop interface and 24/7 customer support offer further convenience to eCommerce store owners. Hence, Shopify is an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes who are looking for a comprehensive eCommerce solution.

We hope that this article on Shopify has been helpful. In the next blog we will be sharing a detailed comparison of Shopify with other eCommerce platforms and an overview of which Shopify plans to use for your business.

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