Shopify

What is Shopify?

Shopify is the leading platform for building online stores, with everything to sell online, products, payments, shipping and apps, the all round standard for e commerce websites and online selling. Founded in 2006, it lets anyone create an online store with themes, product and inventory management, a cart and checkout, payments (Shopify Payments and others), shipping, taxes, discounts and marketing, plus a huge app store for added features and channels (selling on social, marketplaces and in person). Hosting, security and scale are handled for you. Powering a vast number of online stores from small to enterprise (Shopify Plus), Shopify is the dominant dedicated e commerce platform. For online stores, Shopify is the benchmark.

Shopify's distinction is being the dedicated, all in one e commerce platform that handles everything to sell online. It provides products, payments, checkout, shipping, taxes and multichannel selling in one managed platform, with a huge app store and the scale to grow from a first sale to enterprise, which general website builders and a CMS do not match for turnkey, dedicated e commerce. That e commerce focus, completeness and scale set it apart.

Who Shopify is best for

Shopify is best for anyone building an online store, from first time sellers and small businesses to large brands (via Shopify Plus), who want a dedicated, all in one platform handling products, payments, shipping and selling across channels. It suits online stores. It is a weaker fit for those wanting a flexible content CMS they own, where WordPress fits, an easy general site, where Wix fits, beautiful design focused sites, where Squarespace fits, or designer level custom marketing sites, where Webflow fits.

Key features

The core strengths are store themes, product and inventory management, cart and checkout, payments (Shopify Payments and others), shipping, taxes and discounts, a huge app store, multichannel selling (online, social, marketplaces, in person POS), marketing and analytics, and scale to enterprise (Shopify Plus). Shopify offers complete, dedicated e commerce. Its e commerce completeness, app ecosystem and scale are its defining advantages.

Shopify pricing

Shopify is subscription based, from around 39 US dollars a month (Basic), rising through Shopify and Advanced tiers (and Shopify Plus for enterprise), with Shopify Payments (or transaction fees if using other gateways) and paid apps adding cost. A free trial is available. So budget for the plan plus payment and app costs. Costs scale with plan, sales and apps. Confirm details on the Shopify pricing page.

Integrations and ecosystem

Shopify has a huge app store for added features (marketing, fulfilment, reviews, subscriptions and more), integrates with payment, shipping, accounting and marketing tools, and supports selling across channels (social, marketplaces, POS). Its vast app ecosystem and multichannel selling, which let stores add capabilities and sell everywhere, are a signature strength, though apps add cost.

Shopify and e-commerce

Being the dedicated, all in one e commerce platform that handles everything to sell online is the signature strength: Shopify provides products, payments, checkout, shipping, taxes and multichannel selling in one managed platform with a huge app store and scale to enterprise, which general builders and a CMS do not match for turnkey e commerce. For online stores, this is the main reason to choose Shopify.

Ease of use and support

Shopify is well rated for ease of selling, completeness, the app ecosystem, scale and support, the leading e commerce platform, with strong support, though reviewers note costs accumulate from apps and transaction fees. Its G2 reviews praise ease and completeness, with app and transaction costs the main consideration.

Is Shopify worth it?

For anyone building an online store, from first sellers to large brands, who want a dedicated, all in one platform handling everything to sell online, Shopify is the benchmark choice. The main caution is accumulating app and transaction costs, so content sites may suit WordPress, easy general sites Wix, design focused sites Squarespace, and custom marketing sites Webflow, but for online stores Shopify leads.