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Shopify: Empowering Small Businesses in the World of E-commerce (2023 Guide)
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Introduction to Shopify
Discover the power of Shopify, the user-friendly e-commerce platform that empowers small businesses to create and manage online stores effortlessly. Explore step-by-step setup, pricing, and sales channels to reach customers worldwide.
Shopify is a highly intuitive and user-friendly e-commerce platform designed to assist small businesses in creating and managing their online stores seamlessly. Through a unified dashboard, Shopify enables merchants to build modern online stores and effectively sell their products across various channels, including social media platforms, seller marketplaces, blogs, websites, and even through email, text, and chat. Moreover, it provides in-person selling solutions for retail stores, pop-up shops, and market sales, making it a comprehensive solution for all business needs.
Understanding Shopify and Its Functionality
In technical terms, Shopify operates as a subscription-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) sales platform. It offers four standard store subscription plans, with prices starting at INR 1,994 per month. These standard plans provide access to a branded online store and a wide range of in-person and online selling tools.
Additionally, Shopify offers a "Starter" plan priced at just INR 20 per month. Though it does not include an online store, this plan supports mobile POS sales and a Buy Button feature for selling products on external websites, blogs, and via email.
All Shopify plans come equipped with an extensive suite of business management tools, including product sourcing, sales and inventory tracking, payment processing, shipping, customer accounts, marketing, and reporting. Furthermore, merchants can enhance their Shopify toolkit by integrating numerous Shopify Apps to cater to specific business needs.
Step-by-Step Guide to Operating Shopify
1. Sign Up for Your Free Shopify 14-Day Trial
To begin, you can explore Shopify risk-free for 14 days without providing credit card details, allowing you to familiarize yourself with the platform's functionalities.
2. Connect Your Sales Channels
The account setup wizard assists in connecting your initial sales channels, which can be modified and expanded as needed. Shopify also allows you to link your social media accounts for selling through those channels.
3. Enter Your Product Data or Find Items to Sell
Enter comprehensive details, pricing, and images of the products you manufacture or source yourself. Alternatively, you can leverage Shopify's Handshake wholesale network and dropship vendors to find items for selling. Many sellers opt to combine self-sourced items with relevant dropship products to offer a diverse and appealing product collection.
4. Set Up Your Payments
You can effortlessly activate Shopify Payments to start accepting payments immediately, or connect your preferred payment processor to the dashboard. Shopify supports over 100 external payment processors, offering flexibility in choosing the one that suits your business requirements.
5. Set Up Shipping and Taxes
Under the Settings tab, configure your shipping methods, fees, and applicable sales tax information. With Steps 1 through 5 completed, you are now prepared to sell across various social media and marketplace channels, utilizing the Buy Button tool and in-person sales with the POS card reader.
6. Set Up Your Shopify Online Store
For those looking to sell through their own branded website, the next step involves setting up the Shopify online store. This process is made easy with a variety of plug-and-play themes that require minimal setup and can be customized to match your brand's identity.
7. Process, Ship, and Track Orders
As orders come in, you can efficiently manage all aspects within your Shopify dashboard. The platform's built-in tools facilitate streamlined workflows for managing orders you ship directly, dropship products, and even virtual items like e-books and music downloads. Shopify also automatically emails order status and shipment tracking information to your customers.
Understanding Shopify's Pricing Structure
Shopify's pricing encompasses monthly fees based on your chosen subscription plan, in addition to fees for payment processing, shipping labels, and advanced POS needs.
Shopify Subscription Costs:
Basic Shopify: INR 1,994 per month
Shopify: INR 7,447 per month
Advanced Shopify: INR 30,164 per month
Shopify Plus: From INR 1,65,461 per month
Each of these plans supports unlimited products, orders, and customers while providing data security, PCI compliance, 24/7 support, and a comprehensive array of sales and business management features. Additionally, discounts are offered for advance payments, saving 10% for annual payments and 20% for biennial payments.
Payment Processing and Transaction Fees
Shopify offers two options for payment processing: Shopify Payments and external payment processors. With Shopify Payments, flat-rate payment processing is available, the rates of which depend on your subscription plan.
If you choose to use your own payment processor, Shopify adds a transaction fee ranging from 0.5% to 2% of the total charge for each online sale. However, this fee is waived when utilizing Shopify Payments.
Shipping Costs
For merchants who ship orders, Shopify provides built-in shipping label printing for all plans. The platform offers competitive discounted rates with carriers like USPS, UPS, DHL, and more, and these discounts increase with higher-tier plans.
Shipping fees are calculated each time an order is processed and a shipping label is printed. These costs are charged to your card when charges reach a certain threshold based on your average shipping volume. For merchants with low shipping volumes, shipping charges are added to their monthly Shopify bill.
Additional Plans, Pricing, and Costs
Shopify's POS feature enables in-person sales, suitable for mobile pop-up shops, food trucks, local markets, and multiple retail store locations. It seamlessly connects in-person sales with online sales, inventory, customer data, and business reporting.
Merchants can opt for the free POS Lite included in all Shopify plans or choose to add full retail checkout functionality for a monthly fee.
What Can You Sell on Shopify?
Shopify is a versatile platform capable of supporting the sales of various goods and services, including:
Physical products that you ship yourself
Digital products delivered via download, such as e-books, music files, and digital gift cards
Dropship items shipped directly from your vendors
Retail store products and services
In-person sales via mobile locations
Services sold and managed through online booking
Subscription boxes and memberships with automatic recurring payments
Online courses, tutorials, workshops, and webinars
Tickets and passes for events, local tours, and attractions
Rentals of sports equipment, formal wear, cameras, and more
Donations and fundraisers
It is important to note that Shopify prohibits certain items from being sold on its platform, such as alcohol, cigarettes, firearms, explosives, fireworks, live animals, and medical devices, among others. Non-compliance with these terms of service can lead to the removal of prohibited items from a seller's product pages or even the termination of their Shopify account.
Where Can You Sell Using Shopify?
Shopify's reach extends to various sales channels, providing extensive omnichannel sales capabilities:
Shopify online store: Create an e-commerce-ready store to build your brand and reach customers worldwide.
Social media sites: Integrate with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, and TikTok for seamless sales through shoppable posts, pins, and videos.
Seller marketplaces: List products on Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, and Lyst to access large marketplace audiences.
In-person mobile selling: Utilize Shopify POS mobile card readers for pop-up stores, food trucks, mobile services, and local markets.
Retail store sales: Shopify POS Pro supports retail store checkout and management workflows.
Non-Shopify websites and blogs: Use the Shopify Buy Button to add shop features to reviews, articles, and posts on external websites and blogs.
Branded mobile app: Leverage Shopify's Shop App to provide a branded in-app shopping experience with personalized product recommendations and post-purchase offers.
Email and chat: Utilize Shopify's Buy Button embeds to send shoppable emails, while the Shopify Inbox app transforms chat sessions into potential sales opportunities.
Wholesale buyers: Shopify's Handshake marketplace connects artisans and small manufacturers with retail buyers for wholesale deals.
International marketplaces: Integrate with apps like Shopify Markets (worldwide), Rakuten Ichiba (Japan), JD Marketplace (China), IndiaMart (India), and My Deal AU (Australia) to expand sales into international markets.
Shopify's Pros and Cons
Pros of Using Shopify
Overall Ease of Use: Shopify's user-friendly interface enables beginners to set up a fully functional online store with multiple sales channels in a matter of hours.
Competitive Monthly Fees: Offering affordable monthly fees for entry-level plans and competitive rates for higher-tier plans.
Secure Technology: Shopify's fully managed platform takes care of all technical aspects, providing merchants with a secure and reliable environment.
Seamless In-person and Retail Sales: Integrated mobile and retail store POS features allow for easy in-person selling anywhere.
Built-in Product Sourcing: With Shopify's built-in dropship and wholesale networks, merchants can populate their store with minimal upfront investment.
Built-in Email Marketing: Automated email marketing, including abandoned cart notifications, enhances sales opportunities with just a few clicks.
Unlimited Growth Potential: Shopify is home to some of the most successful brands online and can handle sudden and sustained growth.
Cons of Using Shopify
Cost: For businesses on a tight budget, alternative free or low-cost e-commerce platforms are available.
Transaction Fees: If not using Shopify Payments, a transaction fee is applied to each sale made via credit or debit card.
Theme Limitations: Customizing Shopify themes with advanced features may require specialized coding.
Fewer SEO Options: Compared to platforms like WordPress, Shopify online stores have more basic SEO features.
Simplistic Blog Tools: Shopify's blogging features are relatively limited compared to platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix.
Conclusion
In summary, Shopify stands as an unparalleled e-commerce platform due to its ease of use, extensive sales reach, robust business management tools, and competitive pricing. While there are alternative platforms available, none quite match Shopify's simplicity, growth potential, and versatility. Whether you are a startup or a power seller, Shopify can be the ideal solution to unlock your business's full potential.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Shopify suitable for beginners and startups?
Absolutely! Shopify's account setup wizard guides beginners through every step, enabling them to start selling within minutes. The user-friendly online store builder and access to products through dropship vendors and the Handshake wholesale marketplace make it an excellent choice for startups.
Can I sell my own products on Shopify?
Yes, Shopify fully supports the sale of products that you manufacture or source yourself, giving you complete control over your inventory.
What exactly does Shopify do?
Shopify serves as a comprehensive e-commerce platform that centralizes product data, customer information, and operational tasks, connecting them seamlessly across various sales channels.
How good is Shopify's customer support?
Shopify offers 24/7 customer support, ensuring that merchants receive timely assistance whenever needed.
Can I try Shopify before committing?
Yes, Shopify offers a risk-free 14-day trial during which you can explore its features and functionalities without providing your credit card information.
People ASK
Benefits of using Shopify for small businesses:
Affordable: Shopify plans start at just $29 per month, making it a cost-effective option for small businesses.
Easy to use: Shopify is a user-friendly platform that can be set up and managed by anyone, even with no prior e-commerce experience.
Feature-rich: Shopify offers a wide range of features that can help businesses of all sizes grow and succeed, including:
A powerful shopping cart
A variety of payment options
Shipping and fulfillment tools
Marketing and analytics tools
Scalable: Shopify can grow with your business, so you don't have to worry about outgrowing the platform as you scale.
How much does Shopify cost, and what features are included in the different plans?
Shopify offers four different pricing plans:Basic: $29 per month
Includes all the essential features for setting up and running an online store
Standard: $79 per month
Includes all the features of the Basic plan, plus additional features such as abandoned cart recovery, gift cards, and multichannel selling
Advanced: $299 per month
Includes all the features of the Standard plan, plus additional features such as advanced shipping and fulfillment, fraud protection, and unlimited staff accounts
Unlimited: $2,999 per month
Includes all the features of the Advanced plan, plus additional features such as custom checkout, white-label branding, and dedicated account management
Can I sell digital products on Shopify?
Yes, you can sell digital products on Shopify. In fact, Shopify makes it easy to sell both physical and digital products through its platform.
Does Shopify support international sales and shipping?
Yes, Shopify supports international sales and shipping. You can set up your Shopify store to accept orders from customers all over the world, and you can also use Shopify's shipping tools to calculate shipping rates for international orders.
What payment options are available for Shopify merchants?
Shopify accepts a wide range of payment options, including:Credit cards
Debit cards
PayPal
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Amazon Pay
Shop Pay
Are there any hidden fees or transaction charges on Shopify?
There are no hidden fees on Shopify. However, there are some transaction charges that apply when you process payments through Shopify Payments. These charges vary depending on the type of payment method and the country where the customer is located.
How can I customize the look and feel of my Shopify online store?
Shopify makes it easy to customize the look and feel of your online store. You can choose from a variety of themes, and you can also customize the colors, fonts, and layout of your store.
Does Shopify offer marketing tools to boost sales?
Yes, Shopify offers a number of marketing tools to help you boost sales, including:Abandoned cart recovery
Email marketing
Social media marketing
SEO tools
Google Analytics
Is Shopify suitable for startups and beginners with little e-commerce experience?
Yes, Shopify is a great platform for startups and beginners with little e-commerce experience. The platform is easy to use and set up, and it offers a wide range of features that can help you grow your business.
What are some successful businesses using Shopify as their e-commerce platform?
Some of the most successful businesses using Shopify as their e-commerce platform include:Allbirds: A footwear company that sells sustainable shoes.
Away: A luggage company that sells travel bags and accessories.
Buffy: A bedding company that sells mattresses, pillows, and sheets.
Casper: A mattress company that sells mattresses, pillows, and bedding.
Dodocase: A case company that sells phone cases, laptop cases, and other accessories.
JetPens: An office supplies company that sells pens, pencils, markers, and other office supplies.
Knix: A women's underwear company that sells underwear, bras, and other intimate apparel.
Mejuri: A jewelry company that sells fine jewelry.
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