- Ease of use: When it comes to launching an ecommerce store, you’re looking for a way to sell an awesome product to your customers without dealing with the technical aspects of running a website. With Shopify you can go from having no store to fully operational within 24 hours (we have done this personally to confirm this). You don’t need to be a developer to complete the task of launching your store, everything is straightforward and if you have any questions there are guides right at your fingertips to help.
- Apps: Since there is a standard base that Shopify runs on, you’re able to download and trial apps to see which ones work best for your store. The best part about this, unlike other platforms, is that when you test out different apps you don’t have to worry about breaking your store. Trial and error as many apps as you need without the worry of things breaking. I love finding an app and having it up and running within 5 minutes and seeing results from it. This also goes back to the ease of use that Shopify gives you.
- Security: When it comes to ecommerce, security is a high priority. There are threats to ecommerce sites, from hackers obtaining unauthorized access to your store to DDOS attacks to keep your store offline. With Shopify you need not worry about these threats. Shopify states “Certified Level 1 PCI compliant to ensure the security of your customer data and Hosted on our secure and expertly maintained Debian Linux servers, guarded by ultra secure OpenBSD firewalls.” You get peace of mind when you host your ecommerce store on Shopify.
- Admin and mobile app: With Shopify all of your sales reports and notifications are found on the admin page of your Shopify backend. All this info is also available on the new Shopify mobile app. This makes managing orders and tracking sales as simple as logging in. With the mobile app you can run your store from any location, if you’re on the beach or out snowboarding you’re only one click away from all the information you need on your store. (We run this website on the Shopify platform and I was able to write this entire blog on my phone from the app).
- Cost: Time is money, you’re in the business to sell products and not become a developer. With 3 base tiers ranging from $29.99 to $299.99 and an enterprise teir called Shopify Plus (pricing based on quote from Shopify), you have many opptions to get started. All packages come with a free trial to see how you like it. With everything that Shopify offers, you’re getting an incredible bang for your buck, and at Ships-a-Lot we highly recommend clients to Shopify.
