What is Shopify?
Let us make it clear from the outset that starting your own online store isn't a possibility or a remote idea. Whether you truly want to become your own boss, run your own online business full-time, or even start a side hustle, Shopify exists to make building and managing your online store an easily attainable reality.
If you've been thinking about starting an online store and have begun your research on how to get started, you may have stumbled upon Shopify during your research. Today, there are more than 600,000 existing online stores using Shopify as their preferred platform, and its merchants have generated over €55 billion in sales. Your store could easily join the ranks, and with 80% of internet users shopping online, the best time to join the growing e-commerce force is now.
The more you learn about e-commerce and Shopify, the more you'll start to wonder what excuses you have for not signing up for at least the 14-day free trial, building your store, and trying to make your first sale.
WHAT IS SHOPIFY? WHY IS IT POPULAR?
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that can help you create and manage your online store easily and professionally.
The beauty of Shopify is that you don't need any specialized knowledge or experience in web development or coding to open your online store. It's a user-friendly platform for those with no prior knowledge of website design and development. Customization is also easy on the online store builder, with dozens of free and purchasable themes.
With Shopify, you can sell across multiple platforms, including mobile devices. You can also manage products, inventory, payments, and shipping. It's also a great tool for brick-and-mortar stores looking to start selling both online and offline.
Shopify is an e-commerce platform for any type of business, regardless of size. With Shopify, you can take your startup and compete nationally and globally. Never before have small businesses and startups had the ability and opportunity to quickly and easily build businesses with such a broad reach.
WHAT DO I NEED TO START SELLING?
To build your store and start selling, you'll need to sign up for Shopify. After signing up, you can start building your store within your 14-day trial period and choose a Shopify plan for your store. Below is a detailed list of the Shopify plans available to you.
You'll also need products or items to sell in your store, and Shopify doesn't limit the number of products you can sell. As long as what you're selling is legal, you can sell it.
You can sell anything from shapewear, phone accessories, all kinds of clothing, coffee, home accessories, and much more. You can even sell your own custom creations on Shopify.
WHAT IS DROPSHIPPING ON SHOPIFY?
Dropshipping is a business model where you can run an online retail business without having to purchase and maintain inventory of the products you sell.
A dropshipping store operates with the help of a dropshipping supplier or the product manufacturer. When someone purchases an item on your site, the order is forwarded to your supplier, who then processes orders placed through your store.
It is then up to the supplier to pack and ship the item from their warehouse directly to the customer's door.
The merchant's role is simply to manage the store, display products, find buyers, and make a profit. You can control your profit margin by setting the retail price for all the items you list in your store.
Your supplier manages your orders, inventory, and ships directly to your buyer. You can sell your items under your own name and brand, and your buyers will never know you're dropshipping products you don't have on hand. There are no upfront inventory costs, making dropshipping a low-risk business to try on Shopify.
If you're looking to start dropshipping with Shopify, build your store during your free trial and install the Oberlo app, which will connect you to trusted dropshipping suppliers.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Signing up for Shopify is easy and free. You'll be able to test the platform, build your store, and start selling with their 14-day free trial. This initial trial period should be enough time to familiarize yourself with Shopify and build your store, all without having to enter your credit card information. You'll be able to build your store, choose a website theme, fully customize it with your logo, images, and text, and add products to your store.
After your trial ends, if you've decided Shopify is right for you and want to continue using the platform, Shopify will offer you monthly plans to choose from. You can choose a plan based on your budget and the size of your store and business.
Plans are affordable, and Shopify contracts renew monthly; however, you can also opt for an annual or biennial plan, both of which are discounted.
Here's a guide to their plans to give you an idea of what's best for you:
Basic Shopify - €21
Basic Shopify includes everything you need to start and build an online store and is also the most affordable of Shopify's main monthly plans. It allows you to sell an unlimited range of products on your store and also includes abandoned cart recovery features and 24/7 support.
With this plan, you'll be able to manage all your products, orders, and customer information from your Shopify admin page. You'll also benefit from an SSL certificate that will safeguard your customer details and information.
Shopify - €59
This plan offers all the features of the Basic plan with a range of enhancements and features for your store, including professional reports and more information on your sales. This plan helps you analyze customer behavior when they visit your store. It's also a great plan for generating loyal customers, as it also offers gift cards and coupon options for your store.
Shopify Advanced - €289
The Advanced Shopify plan is perfect for merchants with a larger, rapidly growing business. The benefits of the Advanced plan include advanced analytics and custom reports. With the Advanced plan, you also get up to 15 staff accounts for your company members to perform basic administrative tasks.
Shopify Customer Service
Your Shopify plan entitles you to some of the best free customer support an ecommerce platform can offer. If you get stuck in the process of opening and managing your online store, Shopify has created a support network you can count on.
Whatever challenges you encounter, you can be sure to find customer support services in the form of email, live chat, blogs, video tutorials, online webinars, and a very active community forum to monitor and consult.
IT'S TIME TO BUILD YOUR STORE
So, what are you waiting for? Shopify is one of the best platforms for building a professional e-commerce website, and it's also the easiest place to do it yourself—you just need to make sure you do it right. If you have any questions or need help building your online store, contact Yastime and we'll be happy to share practical solutions to help you achieve your e-commerce and dropshipping goals. Start a conversation with us today!
