Shopify Facts: 5 Things That You Need To Know Before Using Shopify

In our previous posts, we have cleared a lot of misconceptions and other false beliefs that people have in mind about Shopify. Knowing the platform very well is a crucial step that you need to make sure you’re going through before making the final decision of using it. Shopify is indeed one of the most popular e-commerce platforms out there that goes neck-and-neck with the likes of Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart, and many others and the reasons? We’re going to find out within this article so keep reading to discover what they are.

Is Shopify on The Losing Side?

One of the crucial questions that people ask especially those that are contemplating about using the platform for their business venture is that Shopify is on the losing side of the balance. And we can’t blame people who want to think like that because the numbers seem to indicate that it is so. But considering the number of merchants that are using the platform which, according to some sources and even Shopify itself, already reached over 2 million, it is hard to take the position of those skeptics who want to think like losers.

Shopify is simply winning the e-commerce race and it is evident when you really consider that statistic. Some probably think it is losing just because of the high percentage of failed shops that is continually being propagated around the web and while it is true, we still can’t discount the amount of growth that the successful ones achieved. Shopify is on the winning side and that is due to its simplicity being an e-commerce platform. If you’ve got the right knowledge and skills on how to run a Shopify store and how marketing should be done then your shop is going to be a favorite one for sure!

What Causes Shops to Close?

Failed shops normally fall down and disappear to oblivion not because Shopify is the worst platform but because they were the worst business owners. How can you expect growth if you don’t even have an excellent marketing strategy? How can you sell effectively if you don’t even have a reliable supplier? How do you treat your customers? Do they have enough contact options so they can easily reach out to you at any time of the day? These are questions that can only be answered by you.

Failed and discontinued shops simply didn’t have a clear vision of what it’s going to take for their business to achieve success. Others don’t even dare to find great products to sell and just pick anything that they think would attract customers. Still, there are failed shops because of other circumstances that are beyond the business owner’s control. Not all of those 90% of failed businesses and merchants  are caused by Shopify, some shops do fail because of laziness, others because of the lack of time in development or the large volume of customer issues that can no longer be answered if done only by a single person.

Others fail simply because they failed to employ the right marketing strategies. These are all reasons why a shops and merchants have been failing but again, it doesn’t make Shopify less of an e-commerce platform. In fact, it stresses the importance of doing the right strategies and following a set plan consistently in order to achieve success in Shopify. And the large number of merchants using the platform even through uncertainties is a testimony at how many people believes in its capabilities.

What Can I Sell on Shopify?

The list of products that you can sell using the Shopify e-commerce platform is almost limitless. There is only very few prohibited products and in fact, selling virtual stuff, digital products, subscriptions, hosting rentals, and many other non-physical products and services can be hosted, sold, or promoted over in their platform. Non-government organizations also use Shopify in the donation drives while clubs and groups take advantage of its customizable themes to collect membership fees from those who want to become part of their organization.

That is how flexible Shopify is being an e-commerce platform. It will not only cater to businesses who are planning to sell physical products through dropshipping or personal inventory/stocks but also to other businesses and non-profit organizations that are seeking memberships and donations. The best thing about Shopify is that they have several subscription plans that are each designed for every type or size of business, organization or any other venture that needs a platform to run on.

Are Third-Party Marketing Apps Allowed in Shopify?

Shopify has built-in SEO and Google Analytics tool. It also supports merchants and offers teaching courses, tutorials, and guides via Shopify Learn which is free as well. But if you think you need more than those tools and you’ve got the budget to pay for apps that can boost your marketing efforts to the next level then Shopify will not prohibit you from doing so. They are very lenient to every available marketing strategy using third-party apps that run on their platform. You just need to be able to choose the ones that will best serve the kind of product or service that you are trying to sell.

Just remember that marketing strategies need to match your product and as well as the audience you are targeting in order for them to yield maximum results. The last thing you’d want to do is spending too much time and money doing a marketing effort that won’t even return the value of the time and finances that you spent on it. Be wise and take time to check what your competitors and other top shops are doing. Be creative and innovative if you don’t have that much budget. There are several to kill the cat as they say so definitely study and strategize. Don’t just be confined to a single marketing strategy.

What Are the Fees Involved

We mentioned that Shopify offers several subscription plans and that you are free to choose which one fits your budget and overall purpose. There are 5 available plans for every type and size of business that you might have or you’re planning to build. Each one has a unique set of features and of course, the cheaper plans would have some minor limitations compared to the more expensive ones and that’s just but normal. Shopify’s subscription plans are as follows:

- Shopify Lite  - $9/month

- Shopify Basic - $29/month

- Shopify Standard - $79/month

- Shopify Advanced - $299/month

- Shopify Plus – Quote-based

Shopify also charges fees for every transaction made within its platform but don’t worry, it won’t send your business to bankruptcy and in order to make sure you’re still making a good profit, you can adjust your prices. Here are the transaction fees for each type of subscription plan:

- Shopify Lite - 2.7% per in-person transaction

- Shopify Basic - 2.9% + 30 cents per online transaction; 2.7% per in-person transaction

- Shopify Standard - 2.6% + 30 cents per online transaction; 2.5% per in-person transaction

- Shopify Advanced - 2.4% + 30 cents per online transaction; 2.4% per in-person transaction

- Shopify Plus - Based on your credit card sale volumes

Shopify’s transaction fees may be higher or lower depending on which e-commerce platform you compare it with. But the point here is that given the ease-of-use and proven track record that Shopify has, you really can’t afford trading those fees and plan pricing with complicated setup and lower rate of popularity of the other e-commerce platforms out there. But then again, we are not promoting Shopify at this point; we are not being paid writing this article about them. We’re just presenting you with the cold hard facts that would hopefully rest Shopify’s case of being one of the best e-commerce platforms that the world ever had.

Conclusion

A fruitful tree will always have those people who are going to throw stones at it so they can eat of its fruits. That’s exactly what happens to whatever product, brand, platform, or even people that has even made it to the pinnacle of success and popularity. Competition will always have something bad to say but as a business person trying to find the best e-commerce platform to host your online venture with, it really pays if you do extensive research.

Don’t just believe what the scoffers say, look into what Shopify really is, read some success stories, follow those top shops and learn from their best practices. That is how you pave your way to success in this super saturated world of online shops and e-commerce space. There is always an opportunity to shine, you just need to be ready to climb that ladder and employ the right strategies so you’re climbing slowly but surely. Don’t be afraid to fail because as they say it, FAIL is actually an acronym that means “First Attempt In Learning”. Keep learning, keep attempting, and soon, you’re going to make it to that pinnacle of success that you’ve been dreaming of.

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