Shopify Tips: Getting The Most Out of The Best E-Commerce Platform

Shopify Ranks number 1 among the best e-commerce platforms for medium and large merchants and it has remained on that spot for several years now. The secret of its success is a mixture of many things. From its simple interface, straightforward setup process, and the many themes that are available for every type of business that you might have, Shopify simply is great and if you add features to it using apps, it becomes even more perfect. But how do you exactly take control of this powerful e-commerce tool and what are the things that you can do to make the most out of it? We’ll explore the answers to these and more so sit back and keep reading towards the end.

Why Go For Shopify?

There are several other e-commerce out there and the first logical question that most skeptics would ask is why use Shopify in the first place? It is true that there are over 2,000,000 merchants coming from over 170 countries that are using it but the percentage of success still remains low. Statistics indicate that there are only over 10 percent of the overall number of stores that run on the Shopify platform ever succeed.

But the reason for that isn’t Shopify at all. Being the good e-commerce platform that it is, Shopify and its creators as well as its team of developers are continuing with the improvement and innovations that will take e-commerce to the next level. It started as a simple platform aimed at helping businesses bring their products online which has grown to a sophisticated tool that can sell not only physical products but also virtual ones. Offering bookings, tickets, reservations, and even subscriptions is also possible within the Shopify platform.

Going for Shopify isn’t really the question. The real question is how you can make the most out of it so you can have a profitable business. Here are 7 things that you can do to take every ounce of advantage from Shopify and secure a successful online business.

1. Pandemic Don’t Exist Online So Take Those Restrictions Off

And by restrictions, I’m referring to the products that you’re going to sell. As long as you did market validation and saw that a particular product will actually sell, go ahead and look for a supplier that can cater to your projected demand so you can start earning some profit. Here are some things that you should ask yourself when choosing a product:

- Does the product answer people’s needs or it’s just part of their wants list?

- Are there enough suppliers that can ship to the country or states that I am planning to sell to?

- How’s the quality of the product?

- Can I charge higher prices based on its quality?

- Will I make profit selling the product at a price lower than my competitors?

- How big is the product? Can it be shipped using the cheapest shipping option?

- Will the product sell or fail? Is there a good market for it?

- How many competitors sell the same product?

- Is product development and upgrades possible for it?

These are crucial questions that you need to answer when deciding which product to sell. Don’t be limited to one product alone, be sure to explore other ones so you can maximize the space of your online shop and take its earning and profit-potential to the next level.

2. Never Dare To Go Out of the Season

Remember to sell products that people need and one of the good identifiers of needs are the seasons. For instance, when it is winter, people will need jackets, caps, gloves, etc. When it’s summer, people would need those summer supplies or those vacation getaway essentials. Another identifier of needs is those events like Cyber Monday, Black Friday, Halloween, Christmas, and others. When these seasons come, you should be able to make the products associated with them available. Set up all your advertising materials to match such seasons as well so customers can relate to your products and be enticed to do that purchase.

3. Build Lists and Use Email Marketing

One of the most valuable assets that you will start to gather once your store starts selling is customer emails. Every person that is using a device to access online services needs an email address to unlock certain aspects and features and use certain apps. And that is the same way when they order from your shop. Make a way to collect these emails and thankfully, Shopify makes it easier for you to do so. There are several apps out there that will help you accomplish this task and all you need to do is install it on your store.

For instance, it is possible to use an app and integrate it to your Shopify Store so you can send emails to customers who didn’t complete checkout. This is called cart abandonment and there are several reasons why customers would do this but by sending them cart abandonment emails and offering gifts like discount codes and vouchers. This will entice customers to continue the checkout and that means income and profit for you and your shop.

4. Content Marketing Works, Make it Your Focus

This is true especially if you’re just starting with your business. Since social media marketing especially running those ad campaigns on FB for instance, costs a lot of money. That is why it’s important that you give content marketing a try. It can come in the form of DIY videos or those visual ads that show how useful your product is. Other companies also create high-quality videos showing the experience that customers can enjoy when they use the product.

The key is being able to be as creative as possible in showing the benefits and advantages that your product can bring instead of just selling it and having those boring messages within your ad. Customers are already tired of those advertising, marketing, and promotional strategies. They just want to learn what’s in your product for them so as a business owner; you simply need that curiosity and show them what they want to see.

5. Free Trials Can Test New Ideas

Think out of the box and explore every possibility of growth and extension. If you are thinking about adding a new product or building a product line then you can test it out by giving free trials or discounts. This way, you can see how many customers will actually take the bait and that way, you’ll be able to obtain valuable data which can help you decide whether or not you can go on and continue with your plan.

Take Shopify for instance, they offer a free 14-day trial so users and merchants can test it out for their products or selling strategy. By doing so, they are able to let people see what it really can do as an e-commerce platform and help them make an informed decision. Free trials are designed to help every business test their planned expansion and growth.

6. Learn as Much as You Can

Growth should be an inevitable goal and destination for your business. And the way you can reach it is to learn as much as you can in terms of audience research, marketing, and product development. Shopify offers a place for all of its merchants to be educated and informed on how to pave the way to success with the Shopify Learn section of their website. This is where tutorials, articles, videos, and many other learning materials can be found for newbies to get insights, advice, and guidance from.

There are many other vloggers, bloggers, and websites out there that offer help for newbies and guide them through every process that’s involved in building a successful Shopify Business. Just a simple use of your favorite search engine should be able to return plenty of resources that all are aimed at guiding every aspiring Shopify business owner to make it to success.

7. Expand Your Shops Features, Offers, and Capabilities With Apps

Lastly, you can take your Shopify business to the next level of awesomeness not just for you but also for your customers by installing apps and plugins that will add features and capabilities to it. You can make a sign-up page to appear on customer’s screen, collect emails, create an ambassador program, monitor affiliates, and even make payments to your affiliate partners with ease. Apps are a great way to help you maximize the benefits and make your shop more profitable not just to your customers but also to you as a business owner.

The Ultimate Goal: Brand Loyalty

The steps that we’ve shown above actually have one and the same goal and that is, building brand loyalty and ensuring you get a steady stream of customers flocking to your business. Customers are where you get income and profit from and they are your greatest resource no matter what. That is why you need to learn how you can maximize everything that Shopify can offer in order to bring further growth to your business and develop your brand stronger to drown your competitors.

These all takes time and effort but with dedication and focus, creating a very profitable business will be a much attainable goal. Consider hiring virtual assistants and experts when you have the budget especially as your business grows. You can’t do everything by yourself and if your business is to succeed, it must also be able to invest in human capital in one way or another.

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