Shopify Review
Written by Casey Botticello
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Try Shopify for free! Shopify is an all-in-one commerce platform that makes it easy to launch your online business and start selling to your customers!
CASEY BOTTICELLO
Founder, Blogging Guide
Shopify is synonymous with eCommerce. Ask anyone who owns an online store, and if they haven’t yet or aren’t using the Shopify platform, they’ve most likely seriously considered it. Shopify ranks as one of the most recognized and popular online store builders available today and, despite the boom in eCommerce competition, continues to stay at the top, and for good reason. Where bloggers use WordPress and influencers use social media, online store owners use Shopify.
In this review, we look at the Shopify platform in 2022, what makes it such a popular go-to online store solution for eCommerce veterans and beginners alike, and the features, pros, and cons that make Shopify the top choice for millions of online store owners around the world.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is an integrated website builder and eCommerce platform that lets users, or merchants, create their own online stores where they then sell their goods and services directly to customers. As among the most popular eCommerce platforms on the internet – with close to 4 million live sites managed by 1.7 million merchants and over $500 billion in accumulated sales – since 2006, Shopify has continued to grow, dominating the online store space like no one else.
Shopify uses a subscription model to allow people to access software that provides them with the platform and tools to build an eCommerce business from scratch. Shopify is designed so anyone can use it. From beginners with no technical knowledge about building a website and running an online store through to the expert entrepreneur looking to grow their eCommerce empire. Shopify offers a user-friendly interface supported by tools and features that makes it arguably one of the simplest to use.
Shopify gives users a 14-day free trial of the software before offering them a variety of paid plans to pick from, ranging from $29 to $299 per month. Each plan boasts different levels of features and functions, including eCommerce inventory management, free shipping, 24/7 support, and much more.
Users can design and build their online store to match their branding objectives while taking advantage of stacks of integrations, apps, payment processing, blogging features, and even email marketing tools.
Functionality: How Does Shopify Work?
Shopify is geared toward taking online eCommerce businesses from their early beginnings through to becoming big online players. With brands like Gymshark, Bulletproof, and even Kylie Jenner’s cosmetics enterprise on Shopify, it’s no wonder so many have come to rely on the platform’s tools to get their eCommerce businesses up and running.
Shopify caters to anyone. Whether you have an existing brick-and-mortar business and are looking to expand into the online space, or are just starting out in the eCommerce game, Shopify can help you achieve your online business goals. The platform’s core functionality has been designed to make managing your online business as easy as possible.
- Shopify‘s website builder allows merchants to create their entire eCommerce website on the platform and run their whole business from one location. Backed by an array of eCommerce tools, designing a website is easy, with many free and paid-for templates to choose from.
- Managing inventory is often viewed as one of the most challenging aspects of owning an eCommerce business. Shopify’s tools function together, allowing merchants to manage their online store’s inventory as well as the inventory they need for their physical shop too.
- Payment processing is a crucial function of the platform that helps to make Shopify an industry leader. With over 100 third-party payment gateway integrations and a host of other payment options for buyers to enjoy, earning money through your Shopify-backed website is simple and easy.
- App integrations have become vital to eCommerce success, and Shopify allows users access to a massive Shopify app store, all created by trusted Shopify partners. From apps that help users grow, monitor, and manage their businesses to apps for customer engagement, marketing, and much, much more – you’ll find it on Shopify’s app store.
Shopify Features
Shopify has a comprehensive list of features and tools which have been added to the platform’s functionality over the years, setting the bar for eCommerce efficiency and access. While some of the top-shelf features are reserved exclusively for higher-tier subscribers, the platform does offer some impressive features to all of its users.
Themes
Shopify offers users a choice of more than 100 free and paid Shopify themes, which means that you can get started immediately on your store’s website without having to figure out where to begin. The platform’s high-quality themes are mobile-friendly, and users can customize as much as they want using Shopify’s Liquid template engine or by accessing the CSS and HTML coding.
Reporting and analytics
One of the features most often cited as a big Shopify plus is the detailed reporting and analytics the platform allows its users access to. Whether examining sales data, marketing information, or customer details, Shopify takes things to the next level by giving all merchants access to their analytics page, displaying the metrics that matter most, and presenting them in clean, easy-to-read reports. Shopify also offers a host of additional analytics tools which give users detailed insights into their most critical store data. From assessing customer buying patterns to tracking their most recent business activities, analysis on Shopify is a breeze.
Abandoned cart recovery
Cart abandonment is cited as one of the biggest opportunity costs in eCommerce. Shopify’s valuable cart abandonment checkout recovery feature means merchants can set up and customize automatic emails to go out to customers who leave your store without completing the checkout process, bringing them back to wrap up their purchases.
Unlimited products and bandwidth
Merchants can list an unlimited number of products in their stores, with no restrictions or caps stopping them from offering endless ranges and items. With unlimited bandwidth to accommodate so many product details, photos, and videos, merchants won’t be charged for uploading content or for how many visitors pass through the store.
Experts Marketplace
Shopify’s Expert Marketplace is a feature offered by the platform where users can hire third-party developers, designers, and freelancers, along with Shopify experts, to help them in their business. From getting their store set up to troubleshooting anything, the Expert’s Marketplace is a safe, reliable hub of, well, experts where users can outsource the elements they’re not keen to take on.
Pros and Cons of Shopify
Shopify’s convenient functionality and rich feature set drive the popularity and success of the platform. This means that Shopify offers its merchants some crucial advantages over rival eCommerce platforms, which makes using the platform a smart choice.
But as eCommerce continues to innovate and new platforms hit the scene, which of those advantages stand out, and how likely are they to last? Here, we check out some of Shopify’s benefits and potential drawbacks.
Shopify Pros
- Shopify is Cloud-based – Without relying on servers, Shopify’s cloud-based system – in partnership with Google – rarely goes down. Besides saving on the need to pay for server storage, being on the cloud means that big events or high-sales periods will not be interrupted.
- Easy to use and flexible – Shopify’s interface is as simple as it gets. While the vast range of integrations and features may require a little learning, getting your website set up and your products onto the marketplace is quick and super easy. And more experienced store owners have full access to the CSS and HTML code, not to mention the platform’s own Liquid language.
- Quality of Theme Designs – While some platforms do offer a great spread of themes to help get you started, Shopify’s themes are step above. Of the more than 100 available themes, users can access high-quality fonts, designs, color palettes, and stock photography that’ll make their store look incredible.
- Apps & Integration – Shopify’s App Store is something to behold. Over 3 200 apps and plugins are available to merchants and able to integrate with almost every third-party eCommerce service available. This includes Amazon, along with social media channels like Facebook Shop.
- Big on 24/7 support resources – While some eCommerce platforms have become customer support pariahs and others offer limited email-only contact capabilities, Shopify is famous for its focus on providing industry-leading support. Aside from helpful resources like expert Shopify blogs, Shopify Compass (which used to be called Shopify Academy) includes endless information on using the platform and represents another example of how much they care about the user experience. The platform has an army of customer support representatives, available 24/7, waiting to assist users, so you’ll never be left in the dark.
Shopify Cons
- Limited Free Themes – While Shopify’s themes library is comprehensive and offers a stunning array of different theme options, only 9 of them are available as free-to-use. Yes, they do look great, but with paid-for themes costing from $180 to over $300, this can hurt revenues, especially for beginners.
- Transaction fees (when not using Shopify Payments) – Merchants who choose not to use the platform’s default payment gateway – Shopify Payments – will need to pay third-party transaction fees ranging from 0.5% to 2%. Payments made via credit cards and providers like Stripe or PayPal will eventually add up, taking an unexpected bite out of your income.
- Costs can add up – If you want customers to leave reviews about your product, you’ll need to pay for an app integration to do so; if you wish to receive advanced reporting, you’ll have to pay for a more expensive plan; and if you want a better-looking theme, prepare to spend – big. Shopify’s plan subscriptions are competitive, but costs can quickly add up if you’re not careful.
Shopify Pricing and Plans
Shopify offers a range of plans catering to different vendors with different business needs. The platform provides three primary plan options for online store owners, plus other plans catering to social media merchants, those who don’t need an online store, and B2B sellers. Shopify also offers people selling physical products from physical locations Shopify POS as well as an enterprise-level option.
Shopify Basic Plan
The Basic plan is geared toward the bulk of Shopify users. At $29 per month, the plan is pretty affordable, and users receive all the base features plus an online store, access to free Shopify themes, 24/7 support, inventory tracking, and decent reporting.
- Cost: $29 per month*
- Inventory Locations: Up to four
- Staff Accounts: 2
- 3rd-party payment transaction Fees: 2.0%
- Best for: Small businesses new to Shopify or on a tight budget
The ‘Shopify’ Plan
The Shopify Plan is the platform’s standard plan offering and is designed to cater to merchants who are seeing an increase in their sales traffic. With lower rates and increased feature sets, this option is recommended for those looking to upgrade from the Basic plan. Shopify plan users enjoy more detailed analytics and reporting covering sales data, marketing performance, and customer trends.
- Cost: $79 per month*
- Inventory Locations: Up to five
- Staff Accounts: 5
- 3rd-party payment transaction Fees: 1.0%
- Best for: Growing businesses looking to scale on Shopify
Advanced Plan
The Advanced plan is for retailers and businesses who are in need of Shopify’s advanced features to take things to the next level. Recommended for high-volume retailers, the Advanced plan offers businesses access to detailed report building and high-level features like international product pricing and third-party-calculated shipping rates.
- Cost: $299 per month*
- Inventory Locations: Up to eight
- Staff Accounts: 15
- 3rd-party payment transaction Fees: 0.5%
- Best for: Growing businesses with high order volumes who are looking for new growth opportunities from their data.
* The subscription fees listed show the monthly cost of each plan. The platform also offers significant discounts when buying annual subscriptions.
Shopify Starter Plan
($5 per month) With this plan, new and trial period users can create links that go directly to a Shopify checkout page, perfect for those selling from social media platforms. Quick, effective, and easy.
Shopify Plus Plan
($2,000 per month)– The Plus Plan is Shopify’s enterprise-level option, designed for large existing online stores that need to manage high-traffic sales. Big brands like Heinz, Penguin Books, and Fitbit already use Shopify’s major leagues option with great success.
Shopify Lite Plan
($9 per month) Designed for merchants who don’t own or want to own an online store (sellers with an existing website, bloggers, pop-up shops, and market sellers). Lite plan users can set up a ‘Buy Button’ on Shopify that allows them to sell products on a website outside of Shopify.
Conclusion
Shopify is made so anyone can use it. From beginners with zero coding experience just getting started, to large-scale enterprises looking the conquer the market, with Shopify, anyone on earth can build an online store that works.
This all-in-one eCommerce platform is designed with convenience and scalability in mind. Packed with relevant, usable features, boasting an app library that takes care of pretty much everything, and offering plans priced to cater to everyone, it’s no wonder the platform towers above many of its competitors.
Shopify’s rich theme offerings and flexibility in allowing users to integrate third-party resources means that you’re spoiled for choice in how you want to sell online, and the myriad payment gateway options keep on bringing customers back to Shopify-powered sites.
While those extra costs can quickly pile up, and non-Shopify Payments third-party gateways can cause a few headaches, you get what you pay for. And with Shopify’s extensive support options, wide range of feature offerings, and excellent website builder at your disposal – you’ll have no problem offsetting the price tag.
Overall, Shopify justifies its claim as one of the best eCommerce and website builder platforms around and looks likely to keep that title for some time to come.
