Shopify has taken eCommerce by storm. If there is a go-to platform for eCommerce, it’s Shopify, as it approaches a staggering 2 million online stores. Sellers across an enormous range of products are using Shopify with more joining their ranks every day.
Why does it seem like everyone is using Shopify? Let’s dive in and look at the reasons behind Shopify’s astonishing success.
What is Shopify?
If you’re new to eCommerce and to dropshipping in particular, you’ve almost certainly heard of Shopify, but you may be wondering why Shopify seems to be so popular.
Simply put, Shopify is an eCommerce platform that lets online sellers set up an online store and start selling their products. It is popular because it is one of the most prominent eCommerce platforms and contains everything you need to be an effective way to sell products online for all sizes of businesses, plus scalability as your business grows.
How does Shopify work?
Shopify is a one-stop shop for eCommerce merchants who are willing to leverage their online store. It sells as a subscription service, so there’s no need to piece together different web development elements like a domain name, a third-party theme, and hosting.
Overall, Shopify is a website builder, specifically for online stores, and especially those that make sales online and process those payments through a shopping cart, just like you would purchase on Amazon.
Why do people use Shopify?
There are many reasons why people use Spotify, and here are just a few of them:
- It’s easy to set up and use
The main reason to use Shopify is that it is a complete “plug and play” solution. With 100+ mobile-ready storefront templates, both free and paid, you can simply publish your content and products on Shopify and launch your eCommerce store quickly, so your sales can get started right away.
- Speedy & secure
Speed is of the essence in eCommerce transactions, while security is of the utmost importance. Speed helps promote sales and complete transactions, while security ensures your data and the data of your customers are protected. Shopify provides built-in features that enhance both speed and security for your store and your sales.
- Hosted solution
When launching an eCommerce store, hosting a shopping cart demands some level of technical support and time to set it up, which can be frustrating, yet hosting is the backbone of any online store. Because Shopify is a cloud-based service and hosted solution, you don’t need to worry about databases or servers. You can access your store account from anywhere, and at any time. It also supports you in handling a payment gateway, which makes your work easy and seamless.
- Powerful marketing tools
Because Shopify is truly a complete eCommerce platform, it has invaluable marketing tools built right in. The basic version includes SEO features and advanced analytics. It also provides additional levels of highly advanced marketing tools like customizable gift cards, discount coupons, store stats that give buyer insights, targeted email campaigns, and more. And all of these tools are integrated directly into the Shopify platform.
- Straightforward, easy payments
One of the most important factors in eCommerce transactions is simple, easy payments. This can make or break a buyer’s experience and can mean the difference between a one-time purchase and a repeat customer. Integrating a secure and reliable payment gateway is a challenge for any online retailer, and includes issues like accepting several payment methods. Shopify makes this process easy to set up and run by building a payment gateway. It accepts Stripe payments that let buyers purchase without extra fees.
The bottom line
The above are just a few reasons why it seems like everyone is using Shopify for their eCommerce platform, and why Shopify bills itself as “The platform commerce is built on.” While packed with a huge array of features that can be used by businesses from small startups to large online corporations, Shopify’s most important feature is its simplicity in helping you get your online store up and running quickly and efficiently and partnering with you to bring in customers and meet their needs with your products.