Today online shopping is no longer optional, it is an absolute priority in this day and age as it has become a primary way of shopping. Where everyone previously always physically visited a store, nowadays it is necessary and much more common to order online. We can now say that e-commerce platforms such as Shopify have changed the economy.

Due to the quantum leap in the development of the Internet and technology, the barriers to participating in e-commerce have gradually decreased for both sellers and buyers. The convenience of online shopping is irresistible.

This movement of the economy gives many enterprising people an extra incentive to start their own business. It is not quite imaginable for some, but the opportunities for online sales are real and in principle there for everyone.

So, which ecommerce platform should you choose and why? Shopify is now famous all over the world, and in this article, we will mention a number of reasons for the massive increase in popularity of this platform.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms that offers everything you need for your eCommerce store while also having the easiest requirements to use. The platform now offers more than 1,000,000 companies worldwide the opportunity to sell products online. The Shopify system offers you a series of useful features that make your eCommerce website function properly and effectively take it to the next level.

With easy-to-use tools and settings available, you can manage your assortment and, with the right approach, sell your products anywhere, regardless of the size of your business and what type of product you want to sell.

What makes Shopify a suitable ecommerce platform?

Easy in use

First of all, Shopify is a very popular ecommerce platform because it greatly reduces the burden and complexity of maintaining and managing an online store. Even without any technical background, you can largely manage your online store yourself and get a lot done with the available tools in your daily work on your store.

Wherever you start, as a newcomer or as a store owner, with Shopify we can help you turn the details of your store into an online store to create the right online shopping experience for your customers.

As soon as the basis for your store has been laid, the configuration, design & filling with assortment has been done, you can in principle go live with the shop and start selling your products or services online. At this stage, many entrepreneurs and brick-and-mortar store owners look anxiously at all the work for the online store, but with Shopify, at least managing your assortment and handling your orders is intuitive and you maintain control over it.

Extra functionality? There are often apps for that.

Shopify has an ocean of useful apps. That makes it a very good choice for anyone who wants to do business in the e-commerce landscape. Users are getting more and more excited about Shopify as the app ecosystem provides all the features and solutions they need for their online stores.

Shopify's app store is a wealth of functionality that you can add to your store. You can add reviews, loyalty programs, customer wish lists, get in-depth analysis, print labels and packing slips, integrate with accounting software, shipping programs and social media sites, not to mention a variety of marketing apps available. With over 2,000 to choose from, whatever you want to do, there's probably an app for it. The advantage of these Shopify apps is that you can deploy them as you grow with your business. It is important to know that many are free, but many (good) apps come with monthly costs.

Extra functionality? There are often apps for that.
Extra functionality? That's what apps in Shopify are often for. (fig.)

For example, when it comes to Shopify dropshipping, many great Shopify apps can simplify the dropshipping efforts. One of the most famous apps is Oberlo that works perfectly on Shopify. It offers numerous features that cover all aspects of starting an online dropshipping business, including product research, inventory management, product customization, order and sales tracking, and much more.

safe and reliable

If you run an eCommerce store, you will be dealing with sensitive customer information, including credit card information, plus some impatient customers at times. This means that your site must be fast, secure and always online. One of the great advantages of a hosted SaaS solution is the reliability it offers. Shopify takes care of all server maintenance and upgrades to keep your store and cart available at all times and ensure pages load quickly.

All Shopify servers maintain an average uptime of 99.8%. It also provides unlimited bandwidth that helps deal with the increase in traffic. The most crucial part to note here is that they have a dedicated platform maintenance team that helps reduce downtime and help prioritize business functionality. With less risk of downtime, you will be more comfortable knowing that your online business is running smoothly, which is a major reason to use Shopify as your ecommerce solution.

SSL certificates can be enabled for your store to encrypt and transmit all data over a secure connection, with Shopify taking care of PCI compliance (required if you're dealing with credit card payments).

Good support

Shopify offers great support to both us as a partner and the customers as users of the ecommerce platform. Shopify's customer service is available 24/7 and dedicated to finding solutions to all kinds of issues related to this online shopping platform. If you have any questions or problems, you can of course contact us as well as directly contact Shopify via email, live chat and telephone.

Shopify's customer service team will try to resolve usage questions / issues. If they cannot resolve the matter immediately, consultation is held with their technical team and a request is usually followed up within a day. Of course, as Shopify experts, we are the first line for questions from our customers and we are happy to take technical knowledge (and sometimes headaches) off your hands so that you as a customer can focus on the growth of your company.

Support for the main payment methods

If customers can't find their preferred payment methods in your online store, they will likely abandon their cart and not come back to complete the order. Even if they switch to another payment option and still decide to checkout, chances are they are less satisfied and are reluctant to come back to your online shop again.

The good news?

Shopify offers over a hundred integrations with payment options, including almost all common payments, such as iDEAL, Klarna Post-Pay, Paypal, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, Stripe and many more third-party payment integrations. If you don't want to lose customers or want to make the checkout experience as smooth as possible, Shopify is the place for you.

Multi-channel sales

An important advantage of using Shopify is that it allows you to sell where your customers are. Selling on an e-Commerce website is therefore not the only way to make money. With Shopify, you can effortlessly integrate the online store with several other large and robust marketplaces to sell your products through various channels such as a Bol.com or Amazon.

Now you only have the costs for just one platform, additional apps and possibly some development work. You can then expand your business with visibility and reach more customers from giants like Amazon or eBay. Moreover, it is irresistibly interesting to tap into social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, where a large part of the population is now located. With Shopify it is possible to do something with it right away.

Conclusion

Above are the most suitable qualities that make Shopify the best ecommerce platform for almost any type of business. If you need more criteria to evaluate this platform, you can of course contact us record to exchange thoughts. Do you have a good idea for a great project? Please let us know!

Sources ao DCKAP (AND), Kayo (AND), NextScoop (AND)