5 Reasons Why the World Loves Shopify—and You Will Too!
Are you a small to large business looking to put your products on the market—but not sure how or where? Did you know that you can build your online store from scratch using the Shopify e-commerce platform? Online shopping has fast become one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, which means it’s a great time to be an eCommerce start-up.
While traditional stores still dominate the market, eCommerce is fast changing the business landscape—with retailers showcasing their products online rather than in brick-and-mortar stores. An industry poised for growth—Statista predicts that global retail eCommerce revenue will amount to $4.88 trillion by 2021.
Why consumers prefer to shop online
A customer can make a purchase anytime and anywhere. They can compare reviews and have the instant gratification of buying something just at a tap of a screen. Safe and easy payment options are available, and delivery is always on time and sometimes even free. Because of the zero overheads that physical stores demand, sellers can offer cheaper prices and discounts, making it a great landscape for bargain hunters.
For many, the allure of digital retail has become too lucrative to resist, presenting a need to develop online shops that reflect a perfect blend between aesthetics and functionality. If you’re in the camp of entrepreneurs who are looking to create and manage your online shop, we recommend using Shopify to power your store.
So, what is Shopify and how does it work?
Shopify started over ten years ago when the founder wanted to sell snowboards. Realising it was incredibly challenging to sell online without an easy-to-use eCommerce platform, Shopify was born. Today, Shopify is a cloud-based, all-inclusive online selling platform that allows you to start, grow, and manage your business.
Shopify is the leading eCommerce platform, boasting a slew of advantages that make it an ideal choice for small start-ups to large businesses. For one monthly rate, you can create and develop an online store from which you can promote, sell, and ship your products. Here’s why retailers of all sizes are using this platform to sell their products and services—and they’re making a fortune!
1. You get to choose from over 160 themes and layouts
Did you know that it only takes 0.05 seconds for a visitor to decide whether they like your site? With nearly 700 million websites in the world and with an average visit of fewer than 30 seconds—your visuals are critical to your success.
Shopify understands this and has developed over 160 themes and layouts (free and paid) that will help you create a professional and visually appealing eCommerce store. You can even customise your site to fit your brand identity by editing code.
2. A treasure trove of apps and essential marketing tools
As an all-inclusive selling platform, Shopify has the marketing edge too. By design, Shopify comes with all the basic (and even many advanced) tools and apps that most eCommerce businesses need to buy to get started. Boasting amazing customisation abilities that can easily integrate with apps, Shopify is optimised for online selling—with baked-in support for social media marketing, analytics, conversion tracking, and SEO.
Besides the above, Shopify’s app store is a treasure trove of functionality that you can add to your shop—offering more marketing tools such as custom gift cards, discount coupons, store statistics, targeted email marketing, accounting software, reviews, and loyalty programmes and more. With over 1,500 apps to choose from—whatever you want to do, it’s likely there’ll be an app for it.
3. Low start-up costs
The number one rule for start-ups in any industry is to keep costs low—but a good eCommerce site can cost a king’s ransom. Enter Shopify: For a low monthly cost—you get everything you need to power a fast and reliable eCommerce site. In comparison with other eCommerce and shopping cart solutions, you get the best for your buck with Shopify. And if you want to leave Shopify, you can sell it using the platforms’ internal system.
The basic Shopify system is affordable for even new start-ups with limited capital—especially when compared to the cost of professional web design, paying for hosting, and buying software and the other tools required to sell online.
For a low start-up cost, Shopify governs your site’s servers, pays for hosting, maintains software, manages the payment gateway while you get to sell in multiple places, including web, mobile, social media, online marketplaces, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up shops.
4. A massive support ecosystem
One of the main things that make Shopify a choice for many is the superior customer support it offers. Shopify wants you to succeed on their platform, and by choosing their platform, you can access technical support every hour of the day through phone, live chat, or email. They also have their blog where eCommerce experts share their best tactics, and there are many forums, guides and videos on their website that show you how to get started and how to troubleshoot.
5. Security is untouchable
Some world’s biggest brands trust Shopify to protect their sites—including Tesla Motors and General Motors. When Shopify powers your eCommerce site, they handle security compliance, security upgrades, and hacker protection. Shopify takes care of all your security issues, so you can concentrate on selling your products and making money.
Ready to create your online store?
Shopify is one of the most recommended eCommerce platforms on the market today. It has features that help people build their own flexible, scalable online selling store with hundreds of remarkable built-in tools and stacks of apps. Store owners can sell products directly on their website and across many marketplaces and social channels.
If you’re considering Shopify, take the first step to get started and purchase one of our affordable packages or request a custom quote. You will only need to submit contact information and answer a few questions about your business. Whether you sell online, on social media, in-store, or out of the trunk of your cousins’ car—we have you covered.