12 Benefits of Shopify for eCommerce Merchants

I have observed that many business owners are turning to eCommerce platforms to showcase their products online rather than brick-and-mortar stores. Amongst the popular eCommerce platforms, Shopify has been my top choice and is a preferred choice for many sellers looking for quality delivery, simplicity, and rich functionality.

In the US, Shopify remains one of the largest eCommerce platforms following closely with Amazon. One of the best ways to understand the platform’s value is through the stories of users.

One such story was told by Buerge, a 68-year-old owner of “world’s window,” which is a clothing store in Kansas City. The store had been open for 35 years and jumped into crisis mode when the pandemic kicked in. Shopify became her next stop since it was an online sales platform supporting many small businesses looking to get online. The store had seen more sales than they had seen in their brick-and-mortar store.

If you also have a retail business and want to take it online, then Shopify is the best eCommerce platform. Here, we will explain the reasons why Shopify is the best. But before that, let us look at the demand for Shopify through some statistics.

The Current State of Shopify

According to Statista, there was an expected growth in the number of people buying goods and services online (digital buyers) to over 2.14 billion people globally in 2021.

In my opinion, this calls for more robust eCommerce strategies to meet the rising demand. Shopify is one such eCommerce platform that helps you fulfill users’ needs. It is trusted by over 1 million businesses in more than 175 countries worldwide to meet that demand.

Moreover, Shopify is the second biggest eCommerce platform with a 20% market share. If we also add the market share of Shopify with Shopify Plus, it is 23%.

The revenue of the Shopify platform is $1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2022.

These statistics indicate that Shopify will grow exceptionally in the coming years. Now, we will look at the benefit of Shopify for your business.

12 Advantages of Shopify

I have experienced a lot of benefits from using Shopify; the benefits of using the platform are numerous. Over the years, as an eCommerce expert, I have been asked the “WHY” question. People ask, “why use Shopify” and I tell them that the benefits are just too numerous to overlook. Despite these numerous benefits, let’s take a look at the top benefits that stand out (the last two are my favorite).

1. Easy To Use and Easy To Set Up

Apart from the great adoption of Shopify, there is an easy setup that makes Shopify a top-notch platform. There are no technicalities when it comes to the Shopify development and hosting of your online store – or at least none I know of. Also, all you need to launch your website is provided on the platform, including software and hosting. The admin interface is user-friendly, while the user interface is attractive and easy to understand.

2. No Tech Knowledge Needed

Another reason why I use Shopify is because of the ease, as I earlier stated, and no need for technicalities. It means I don’t have to be a tech guru to get started. Secondly, I don’t have to worry about software updates as Shopify takes care of all updates. This gives me a chance to focus on my sales and not on technical terms.

3. Unique Templates That Are Visually Appealing

Shopify comes with a variety of professional templates that help in the creation of unique and visually appealing eCommerce stores. It comes with basic themes that can be worked on by developers to create a richer UI and a unique eCommerce UX. That being said, I like to work with the basic templates as they are also very great.

4. Integration of Apps

Another thing that makes me choose Shopify for my eCommerce store is that it can easily integrate with different apps, allowing sellers to add extra features and more robust functionality to their eCommerce store.

5. Reduce Cart Abandonment Rate

Many customers, after adding products to the cart, leave them in the middle without buying. According to the statistics, two-thirds of the customers do like this. Shopify helps you to deal with this with its abandoned cart recovery feature. It tracks customers during shopping and automatically sends them an email to complete their purchases. Thus, it helps to reduce the cart abandonment rate. Apart from that, Shopify also allows you to offer guest checkout for your customers, which can help you reduce cart abandonment.

6. Secured and Reliable

If a store has to survive online and build trust among customers, it is essential to protect their personal and financial information. Shopify is one such eCommerce platform that helps you achieve the same.

Firstly, you can enable the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) on Shopify to keep the credit & debit-related information of users secure.

Secondly, Shopify works as per the shared responsibility model. In this, your Shopify store’s data remains between Shopify and you. Shopify handles the software, infrastructure, and disaster recovery. These are the reasons why Shopify is secure for eCommerce stores.

7. Top-Notch Marketing Tools

There is no need to have an attractive website if users don’t visit it. Shopify helps with advanced analytics tools and marketing tools, which help in knowing the behavior of customers so that a tailored service is rendered to them. Some of the tools you have access to include Social media integration tools, email marketing tools, and even product review tools. I have also come across a lot of promotional tools like discounts, coupons, customizable gift cards, and many more.

8. Loading Speed

Shopify is a global eCommerce platform that has its globally hosted solution, which has an advanced infrastructure with optimized hardware and software. It allows for the platform to be super fast and allows for the page loading to load in a few seconds.

9. Mobile-Friendly and Responsive

Any eCommerce store must include mobile responsiveness to succeed in their business. This is because mobile users are increasing every day and looking forward to shopping online using their phones. All Shopify themes that I have come across are very mobile responsive and can be used to create mobile-optimized eCommerce stores. There is even support for Android and iPhone apps, which means you can turn your Shopify store into a mobile app to manage your eCommerce store and sell your products.

10. Payment Integrations

One problem faced by most online sellers – and yes! I was faced with it at the beginning – how to integrate a payment gateway that is secure and reliable. The payment option for an online store should include different payment options that can be easily used by the store owner and can be securely accessed by the visitors. Shopify also has its payment gateway that is powered by Stripe which allows for global payments and also gives buyers the liberty to make seamless transactions without extra or hidden fees.

11. SEO

I cannot overemphasize the importance of Search Engine Optimization for any online store. SEO is essential for better accessibility to products by shoppers. Shopify comes with features that help in designing great landing pages for campaigns for SEO purposes. This is something that most eCommerce platforms don’t have. Shopify also has features that support top SEO parameters, such as Meta tags and custom title tags.

12. Customer Support

Using Shopify gives you access to trusted, reliable, and all-around customer support. The experts at Shopify are always available 24/7 through different channels, including email, call, and live chat. This is to resolve any problem that might arise during the running of a store.

As you already know the benefits of Shopify, it’s time to show you some social proof.

Popular eCommerce Stores That Use Shopify

Let’s take a look at some popular eCommerce stores that use Shopify to deliver a great customer experience to all their customers.

Manitobah Mukluks
Manitobah Mukluks is based in Manitoba, Canada, and was founded by entrepreneur Sean McCormick around 1997. The store was created to keep and celebrate its tradition using footwear. They have a Storyboot Project collection which is a collection of footwear done in partnership with indigenous artisans and elders.

Naja
Naja was founded by Catalina Girald (a top designer) and Gina Rodriguez (a golden globe-winning actress). The store showcases different undergarments in multiple colors that match different shades of skin tone. Naja is one Shopify store that empowers single mothers and females through employment and also gives out 2% of all its sales to support different sewing programs at different local foundations.

BLK and Bold
“BLK and Bold” was founded by Pernell Cezar Jr. and Rod Johnson to help local communities via the sales of caffeinated beverages. They pledge 5% of their profits to sustainable initiatives for youth programs and to eradicate homelessness amongst youths.

Adored Vintage
Founded by Rodellee Bas, Adored Vintage is curated with pieces from silhouettes of old. Browsing through the collections of the Adored Vintage Shopify store takes you to an all-new virtual realm of vintage clothing and modern designs inspired by vintage. It gives you a feel of french countryside romance. A portion of their revenue is donated to local classrooms.

Conclusion

Although we cannot say that Shopify is all perfect, yes it has some limitations, but it stands out amongst other eCommerce platforms. The benefits of using Shopify for your eCommerce platform cannot be overlooked when aiming for success. The features are just the best you can get; it is simply an all-in-one solution for eCommerce stores.

The question – why use Shopify has been fully dealt with, and we can see that there are numerous benefits to using it. My favorites are the SEO and superb customer service they have to offer. It is second to none.

If you’re still confused while choosing an eCommerce platform for your upcoming store, do reach out to us and get our consultation.

WebDesk Solution is a leading Shopify development company and a certified Shopify partner. We can help you build your online store on Shopify so that you don’t miss out on potential growth and success.

Frequently Asked Questions