What is Shopify? And How to Start Using It For Ecommerce

ECommerce has revolutionized the way of doing business. It offers the customers comfort once unavailable, leading to a vast customer base. They let customers deal online with devices on hand conveniently. Moreover, eCommerce portals have made themselves so cutting-edge that they lead to reduced time, development effort, physical server cost, staff costs, and other benefits.

So, today, we will discuss what is shopify and how you can set up your eCommerce store. Shopify is so popular that I’m damn sure you may have come across it, but you may not have leveraged it due to a lack of clarity.

If you are here to know what Shopify is? And how you can make the most of it, then read this blog till the end.

So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

WHAT IS SHOPIFY?

Shopify is a subscription-based eCommerce platform allowing businesses of all sizes to sell physical and digital products. You can create a Shopify store or sell through an existing website. You can also make sales through social media, guest blog posts, emails, and in-person with a Shopify buy button. If you’re planning to build a custom online store and need expert assistance, several Shopify developers can help you tailor your eCommerce platform to your business needs.

HOW MUCH DOES SHOPIFY COST?

• Shopify Lite: $9/month, contains Shopify buy button, not an online store builder
• Basic Shopify: $29/month, contains buy button, in-person selling, and online store with two staff accounts, up to 4 inventory locations (in-person stores, warehouses, etc.)
• Shopify: $79/month, contains all selling channels, 5 staff accounts, up to 5 inventory locations, discounted credit card rates, and discounted transaction fees.
• Advanced Shopify: $299/month, contains all selling channels, 15 staff accounts, up to inventory locations, discounted credit card and transaction fees, duties and import collections, and custom international product pricing/variants.
• Shopify Plus: You need to ask about the pricing

Since we have learned what is shopify, it’s time to learn the pros and cons of shopify.

WHAT ARE THE PROS & CONS OF SHOPIFY?

 Here’s a brief list of the pros and cons of Shopify.

SHOPIFY PROS

• Easy To Use: According to Simpalm, Web design agency in Chicago, “This is the most significant reason merchants like Shopify. Shopify is made for the average user, not professional developers. It’s easy to add products, create discounts, and process orders. Web design is user-friendly and even effortless with Shopify’s drag-and-drop editing tool.
  
  
• Low Startup Cost: Shopify’s fairly low monthly fees make setup affordable. The basic plan starts at $29/month, and the mid-level plan is priced at $79/month. If you don’t require a whole online store, pay only $9/month for a buy button you can employ anywhere online.

• Beautiful Themes: Subscribing merchants can choose from different free, mobile-responsive themes. Premium (paid) themes are also available for merchants who like more options.

• Good For Dropshipping: Shopify is the platform for many drop shippers. Shopify’s dropshipping integrations make dropshipping from your Shopify admin much smoother.

• Lots Of Support Options: You can expect technical support anytime through phone, live chat, and email. Self-help options are also available. Shopify’s support after regular business hours is also one of the biggest reasons people love Shopify.

SHOPIFY CONS

• Costly Add-Ons: While Shopify delivers almost every basic feature, the software needs more advanced features. You will get these features as add-ons, also known as apps, which are not free. Adding three apps alone could double the monthly fees.

• Transaction Fees: Although most shopping carts have lowered their transaction fees, Shopify has kept its fee from 0.5% to 2.0% (depending on your pricing plan). You can waive these fees when you accept payments through Shopify Payments. However, Shopify Payments has its fair share of complaints, and there may be better payment processors for everyone.

• Strained Customer Support: While Shopify has always been counted for responsive customer support in the past, lately, customer reviews voice mixed reports on the support team. Some users are impressed by the support they received, while others complain that Shopify support agents could not help them resolve their issues.

How to Create a Shopify Store

Here are a few steps that you need to follow in order to create a Shopify store.

1. Plan things beforehand

You need to do a few things before setting up your Shopify account. You should know the business concept, name, things to offer, logo, and even product photographs.

To set up a working store, you should have most of the above in place, then do some research. Before you get started, you’ll require high-quality, optimized product images.

2. Sign up for a Shopify account

First of all, if you have not signed up yet, then do it right away. To sign up, you need to enter your email address and password. Once you have signed up, you can start setting up your store.

After that, you must fill out more information about yourself and what you want to sell.

Some of the data you submit will be used by Shopify to customize things like taxes and currencies.

3. Include Products

Now, your next step is to add goods to your store. To do so, go to the Products tab, select Add Products, and add your product information. You need to add information about your items after listing them. A product image, a product title, a price, and a product description are all included. All of this helps consumers to know more about your offerings.

You can use different labels to arrange your merchandise. Product availability, product type, vendor, tags, and collections are some available labels. These tags help you group your items and make shopping easier for your clients.

4. Create Pages for Your Website

The next step is to add pages to your website once you’ve added items. Ensure you start with the most important, such as Contact, About Us, FAQs, and Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Your Contact page lets clients contact you if they have questions, while your About us page lets you develop a more personal relationship with them. Your FAQ page should address the most FAQs by your clients.

A Privacy Policy page is needed, especially if you want to utilize Google AdWords. After entering your address and email, you may generate a privacy policy using Shopify’s free policy generator.

5. Customize Your Store Using a Theme

Now, it’s time to shape your store’s view and customize its style.

To do so, Navigate to the Online Store tab and select Themes from the drop-down menu.

You must first select a theme before you can begin customizing. Themes are design templates for your store. They act as a starting point that helps you further customize your store. Shopify offers themes for different sectors and company kinds, both free and premium. 

Use creativity with some features and rearrange some pieces as you see fit. You can further change your homepage after you’ve chosen a theme. You may also change the colours and fonts in your store to match your brand and navigation menus. It is so you can comprehend how your homepage fits your unique company objectives.

6. Personalize Your Checkout Page

Customize your checkout page to complete setting up your Shopify store. You may modify the graphics, layout, and background colour, among other things. To do so, navigate to the Theme Settings tab and select Checkout.

We recommend that you don’t use complicated scripts initially. It will be easier to reach out via email marketing as a result of this. You can let consumers leave tips or compel them to check out using their email addresses.

7. Arrange for shipping

Shipping is another facet of your eCommerce business that has to be considered, as there are numerous variables and aspects of setting it up. Product weight, shipment locations, packing expenses, marginal profitability, and carrier rates are all factors that you should consider.

Navigate to the Settings tab and select Shipment from the drop-down menu to set up shipping. You may set up and change your shipping options on this page. You might provide the measurements on this page if you offer customized packaging to your consumers. You can select a third-party delivery firm with whom you wish to collaborate if you want to.

Shopify lets you set up free delivery for your business, which may interest you.

8. Set Up Your Taxes

You must pay taxes to the government on every sale you make, just like any other profit-making firm.

Shopify makes this process simple for you by automating tax computations. It achieves this by utilizing a global sales tax rate. Regardless, you should conduct some study or hire a tax specialist to be sure you’re charging and paying the correct amount of taxes. You can also confirm with your local tax agency to be sure.

You can alter these settings if your location has certain tax obligations. Edit the rates or override the default rate by going to Settings, Taxes, and then Edit Rates.

9. Establish Payment Gateways

Now, in the final stage of creating a fully operating Shopify store. You need to set up your payment gateway to take payments on your store. You must add some information about yourself and your company at this stage. These contain your name, address, Social Security number’s last four digits, banking information, and other details. Navigate to Settings > Payments to do so.

Because Shopify presents most of the main payment methods, setting up your payment gateway is easy. You can receive payments at no extra cost using Shopify Payments, Shopify’s payment system. However, if your business falls under a high-risk category, you might need a specialized payment processor for Shopify in risky industries.

Moreover, with over 100 other options, Shopify allows all major payment methods, including PayPal, Amazon Pay, Square, and even Bitcoin. Shopify continuously increases its payment alternatives, particularly for local vendors, to support company owners in improving conversion rates.

Shopify Payments users will not be levied additional fees ranging from 0.5% to 2% transactions for all other payment methods.

10. Get ready for the launch.

These next two stages ensure that your Shopify store runs easily and successfully.

To start, you must create a custom domain. A domain is just the URL of your website. You may link your Shopify store to an existing domain if you have one. If you don’t already have one, you can buy one through Shopify.

A standard “.com” domain costs roughly $14 per year. It will immediately link to your store after you purchase it. It isn’t required, but your store will have to operate on a Shopify subdomain without it.

11. Launch Your Shopify store

After successfully setting up your Shopify store, your store is ready to be launched and made public.

Now, Navigate to Settings and choose Preferences from the drop-down menu. You’ll find a button to delete your password page at the bottom of the page. Once you’ve completed this, you’re ready to go.

Conclusion

After reading this blog, you may have understood what is shopify. Shopify is the go-to platform for starting an online store. It’s simple to use, has a wide range of features and integrations, and is extremely scalable. If you’re looking to start selling online, Shopify is the way to go. Thanks for reading! We hope this article has helped you better understand what Shopify is and how it can help you launch your ecommerce business. Are you ready to get started with Shopify? Click here to sign up for a free 14-day trial.