Founded in 2004, Shopify is one of the top web store platforms in the e-commerce space. Around 1.7million businesses use it to sell their products directly to customers. And that includes some of the biggest brands in the world. When sports giant Nike decided to embrace Shopify during the COVID-19 lockdowns, profits soared by 75%. And Nike shoppers were only the tip of the iceberg. In 2020, an incredible 44 million customers purchased something from an online store hosted by Shopify.
Shopify is also a powerful tool for smaller businesses who want to join the online retail revolution. Recent success stories include Negative Underwear, a women's underwear brand that grew by over 150% after selling on Shopify. And boutique clothing store Kharakapa generates $1,500 in sales each day from its Shopify store.
So how did they do it? Find out with OnDeck's Small Business Guide to Selling on Shopify. It highlights everything you need to know about designing and managing your own successful online store.
There are also several marketing tools for attracting more visitors to your shop and boosting sales. They include built-in SEO tools, shopping campaigns and special offers, and a feature that guarantees complete control over customer data.
Shopify enables small businesses to operate on a truly global scale. Its worldwide selling features let you sell products in 133 different currencies and multiple languages. You can also offer local payment methods, making purchases even easier for international customers.
The Shopify plan is $79 per month. It provides all of the above, plus professional reporting and international domains and pricing. The additional benefits include lower fees for credit card purchases and sales that come through alternative payment providers.
Advanced Shopify is the premium package, costing $299 per month. It's aimed at businesses that sell large volumes to customers all over the world. It offers the lowest credit card payment rate and provides the best shipping options. Advanced Shopify is the only plan offering real-time carrier shipping, which means a third party automatically calculates shipping costs. Moreover, it has an advanced report builder for businesses that want to create and customize their own professional reports.
Then it's time to add your business address and choose a domain name. You can select from shopify.com or use a custom domain. Custom domains make more of an impression. But whatever it is, keep it short, simple, and memorable.
The next steps involve selecting and customizing your store. This is the design phase. It's where you can rearrange, add, or remove sections. You can also try out different colors and fonts. Building your store requires zero design or coding experience. The only tech skills you need are 'click' and 'drag.' Simples!
Setting up your checkout and shipping options are the following things you need to do. Again, this is really simple. Just scroll through the options and select the ones that match your business needs. For example, will you offer free shipping? And what about local pick-up?
Steps eight and nine take care of all the 'boring' stuff, such as setting up tax regions, payment providers, and other admin tasks, like installing additional sales channels. Shopify lets you do all this in just a few clicks.
Simply work your way through the screens, following the prompts to add pictures, product descriptions, media files, prices, and shipping details.
For online customers, there's nothing more off-putting than broken links and sluggish loading times. In fact, both of these issues will increase your bounce rate. The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate is a clear sign that your site is boring or frustrating to navigate. Ablestar Manager can repair those broken links. Google's PageSpeed Insights tool offers suggestions on addressing any issues regarding sluggish loading times.
You can find more information on the dos and don'ts of selling on Shopify below. Check them out, then start building your virtual retail space. It's the best way to get your products in front of as many buyers as possible.
Featuted photo: Freepik / jcomp
Read next: How much does it cost to set up a business in every country?
Shopify is also a powerful tool for smaller businesses who want to join the online retail revolution. Recent success stories include Negative Underwear, a women's underwear brand that grew by over 150% after selling on Shopify. And boutique clothing store Kharakapa generates $1,500 in sales each day from its Shopify store.
So how did they do it? Find out with OnDeck's Small Business Guide to Selling on Shopify. It highlights everything you need to know about designing and managing your own successful online store.
Shopify's main features
Shopify offers a range of features that help small businesses establish an online retail presence. Its shopping platform includes an e-commerce website, a blog page, discount codes, and analytics and reporting features.There are also several marketing tools for attracting more visitors to your shop and boosting sales. They include built-in SEO tools, shopping campaigns and special offers, and a feature that guarantees complete control over customer data.
Shopify enables small businesses to operate on a truly global scale. Its worldwide selling features let you sell products in 133 different currencies and multiple languages. You can also offer local payment methods, making purchases even easier for international customers.
How much does it cost to use Shopify?
Shopify Basic costs just $29 per month. It comes with an online store, two admin accounts, 24/7 customer support, discounts codes, gift cards, abandoned cart recovery, fraud analysis, and the ability to sell in 5 different languages. That's everything you need to open an online store. It's the ideal package for sole traders, boutique fashion designers, and young entrepreneurs bringing their first innovative products to market.The Shopify plan is $79 per month. It provides all of the above, plus professional reporting and international domains and pricing. The additional benefits include lower fees for credit card purchases and sales that come through alternative payment providers.
Advanced Shopify is the premium package, costing $299 per month. It's aimed at businesses that sell large volumes to customers all over the world. It offers the lowest credit card payment rate and provides the best shipping options. Advanced Shopify is the only plan offering real-time carrier shipping, which means a third party automatically calculates shipping costs. Moreover, it has an advanced report builder for businesses that want to create and customize their own professional reports.
Setting up shop on Shopify
You might feel a little overwhelmed by the prospect of creating your own online store, especially if you're not the most technically savvy person in the world. But don't worry. Shopify makes things as easy as possible, even for complete beginners. The drag and drop shop designer means you can create an online store in just a few hours. And depending on the number of products you're selling, you could be trading in less than a week.A step by step guide to getting started on Shopify
The first thing you need to do is register an account on Shopify and start a 14-day free trial. All you need for this is an email address and a business name. And don't stress if you're still unsure about the name of your shop or business. You can change this later on.Then it's time to add your business address and choose a domain name. You can select from shopify.com or use a custom domain. Custom domains make more of an impression. But whatever it is, keep it short, simple, and memorable.
The next steps involve selecting and customizing your store. This is the design phase. It's where you can rearrange, add, or remove sections. You can also try out different colors and fonts. Building your store requires zero design or coding experience. The only tech skills you need are 'click' and 'drag.' Simples!
Setting up your checkout and shipping options are the following things you need to do. Again, this is really simple. Just scroll through the options and select the ones that match your business needs. For example, will you offer free shipping? And what about local pick-up?
Steps eight and nine take care of all the 'boring' stuff, such as setting up tax regions, payment providers, and other admin tasks, like installing additional sales channels. Shopify lets you do all this in just a few clicks.
Adding your products to Shopify
You've got your online shop set up. So now you need some stock to sell. Thankfully, adding products is even easier than designing a store.Simply work your way through the screens, following the prompts to add pictures, product descriptions, media files, prices, and shipping details.
Extra apps for Spotify
Every business has different needs. And that’s why, Spotify lets you install additional apps for increased functionality. There are hundreds of apps and add-ons, but the most popular options include tools for marketing, inventory management, and store design. The PageFly Landing Builder lets you add customer testimonials and special countdown offers, while the Stock Sync feature updates your inventory on a daily or hourly basis.How to sell your products on Shopify
Good search engine optimization is key to attracting eyeballs and converting views into sales. Google's keyword planner is an excellent marketing tool for finding the keywords and phrases most relevant to your business. Use them to create captivating titles and product descriptions.For online customers, there's nothing more off-putting than broken links and sluggish loading times. In fact, both of these issues will increase your bounce rate. The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate is a clear sign that your site is boring or frustrating to navigate. Ablestar Manager can repair those broken links. Google's PageSpeed Insights tool offers suggestions on addressing any issues regarding sluggish loading times.
You can find more information on the dos and don'ts of selling on Shopify below. Check them out, then start building your virtual retail space. It's the best way to get your products in front of as many buyers as possible.
Featuted photo: Freepik / jcomp
Read next: How much does it cost to set up a business in every country?