How Shopify helps you quickly build a robust eCommerce online shop
In recent years, Shopify has taken the internet by storm. What was launched as a relatively obscure eCommerce solution started up by a group of friends dissatisfied by the eCommerce sites at the time, has now grown into a huge platform which powers over 400,000 stores worldwide.
It is easy to see why, too. Building your own store from scratch would be a mammoth task, but Shopify takes what would be a difficult task and makes it super easy. You can set up your own mobile-friendly store in a matter of minutes.
Here are a few ways in which a Shopify store can benefit you and your brand.
1) It is secure and reliable
If you are running an eCommerce store, security should be one of the primary things on your mind. After all, you will be processing sensitive customer data daily, such as addresses, dates of birth, and credit card information. This means that you need to be using a solution that is secure, fast and reliable. Shopify ticks all of these boxes and can take care of all of this for you.
2) There are tons of apps and addons
You don’t just have to use the basic Shopify platform, there is an app store with a ton of user-created applications that can add additional functionality to your store. With Shopify add-ons, you can add in customer reviews, wishlists, loyalty programmes, and logistical addons such as CollectPlus, a click-and-collect service for stores that have a physical presence in local towns and cities. The best part is that all addons are installable with the click of a button, quite unlike, say, Magento, which often requires serious manual fiddling to make plugins work seamlessly.
3) It was made for SEO and marketing
A beautiful store isn’t much if nobody will be visiting it. Shopify has powerful SEO functionality integrated into it, which will help your website rank higher in search engine results so that your customers can find you easier. In addition to this, you can access analytical data that will tell you where your customers are coming from, so you can alter your marketing strategy as needed.
4) You don’t need to be technical
To launch your very own Shopify store, you need virtually no technical know-how; Shopify handles all of the complex hosting and technical wizardry for you. It also takes care of everything else tech-related too, such as platform updates and huge fixes, so that you can focus on what truly matters – taking care of your store, products, and customers. For comparison, Magento, which is another popular eCommerce platform, is among the most technically demanding content management systems out there.
5) It is mobile-ready
As we have already mentioned, all of Shopify’s themes are ready for mobile use and are optimized for all devices. This is great news because the majority of your customers will be coming from a mobile device; it is one less thing for you to worry about and your store will look great across all devices guaranteed.
6) It is affordable
Shopify has very affordable monthly plans. Starting with it and expanding your operations will not burden your budget as much as other popular eCommerce solutions like Magento. Granted, Magento Community is free software (notwithstanding fees for plugins), but you need a very solid hosting plan – possibly a virtual private server – to make it run smoothly and efficiently, as this CMS is resource-heavy, to put it mildly.
In addition to this, there are apps for both iOS and Android so that you can manage your store from your mobile device whilst you are on the move.
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