Beginners at ecommerce need to be sure to work with a software that makes setting up a storefront easy and intuitive so that most time can be spent on making sales rather than dealing with complicated technical issues and the like. Shopify is the leader when it comes to making it easy for you to setup and manage an online presence. Even if you have not had any experience with this type of software it should be simple to work with and it will also provide a myriad of features that make the store fun for both you and your customers.
Themes, Brand and Customization
One of the most important parts of any online store is the theme along with specific branding and customization. In the past, it almost took a degree in graphic design to be able to create the type of look that sets a store apart from the competition, but now there are simple “WYSIWYG” dashboards that allow the novice to handle it all.
Shopify has over 100 professional themes available in the online theme store, and these are high-quality pieces of work developed by professional designers in many instances. The ecommerce platform allows for you to preview how it will look with your specific instance before purchasing as well. Mobile design is just as important nowadays with people often ordering from mobile phones and devices, and there is a myriad of selections which look great on those electronics as well. Check out some of the Best Shopify Themes here.
Content Management Simplicity
The Shopify store comes with a web-based website builder which allows easy modifications and customizations to templates. Even the HTML and CSS can be edited manually if there are specific requirements which call for such a detailed approach. A blogging platform is integrated so that you can keep content fresh and updated with the straightforward publishing method. It is important that content stay current so that rankings in the search engines stay high. All that remains is to point your own domain name or else purchase one through Shopify and you will almost be ready to start taking orders and bringing in the cashflow.
Shopping Cart Expertise
The shopping cart is the critical part of a store which all the future customers will be interacting with to make their purchase. It is of utmost importance that this is secure and intuitive so that there will not be any problems which prevent the checkout process from reaching completion. There have been many lesser ecommerce platforms where that was not the case.
Shopify provides everything in the shopping cart so that it sits at the top of the list for out-of-the-box solutions. A free SSL certificate is included which keeps all transactions secure and free from prying eyes. This is usually something that must be purchased and installed separately. Shopify payments can be taken through Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express from day one, and the ecommerce platform also integrates with 70 different payment gateways so that you will not miss any orders if a customer wants to pay using PayPal, Bitcoin, or some of the other leading providers.
Smart features like “abandoned checkout recovery” allow you to send emails reminding potential customers that they did not complete a transaction so that this may lead to sales which would otherwise be lost. Shopify also seamlessly handles taxes based on location and flexible shipping rates or easy to specify so that nothing is left to chance.
Store Management for Novices
Store management is one of the more interesting parts of running an ecommerce site, and the Shopify platform makes it easy for the newest owner. Customer accounts and profiles are able to be perused so that you can see what the habits of your visitors are and then maybe use that information to create special deals or otherwise customize the offerings. With accounts the customers can be encouraged to shop at your store again and they also have the option of simply checking out as a guest if desired. Everything else that you would expect from a store’s software is packed within this feature-full package. From drop shipping to customer refunds to email templates and order fulfilment, there is everything necessary to set yourself apart from the competition.
Marketing Your Store and Brand
Of course, all this nice-looking storefront is not going to make much of a difference if the sales do not begin to give a return on investment. That is why Shopify is search engine optimized so that your products rank high in the engines and draw customers organically. A sitemap is automatically created as the inventory and such changes, and there is a lot of encouragement for customer reviews which will also help you to get high in the rankings as well as give future customers an idea of the quality of what you must offer.
The use of email marketing is another great way to bring in customers, and Shopify is completely integrated with the Mailchimp marketing app to help you send out those emails. Discounts and promotional codes can easily be delivered to inboxes as well as coupons for great buys that will have them wanting more. You can even set things up so that people can browse and buy off of Facebook without ever having to leave that social media site.
Conclusion
Overall, is probably the best platform for ecommerce in general, but it is especially one of the top choices if you are a newbie or novice. Without having to deal with the complications of some of the software with a steeper learning curve, you can have everything setup and ready to sale in practically no time at all.
All of the great features listed above (and many more) make Shopify on par with just about any other ecommerce software, and if the feature that you want is not already integrated then it is likely just a few clicks away as an add-on or can even be added via customization. For example, it can be integrated with Leanplum to maximize your app engagement and ROI. If you want to bring in the customers and offload tons of product, then this is the vendor to go with.
