TechRadar Verdict
Shopify is a website builder uniquely designed for easy ecommerce. Now you’ll have access to templates created for online shopping. Anyone who visits your website will be able to see your products and services at the click of their mouse.
Pros
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Access to 70+ themes
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Easy to modify designs
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SSL Certificate included
Cons
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Expensive services
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No free plan beyond 14 days
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Shopify is more than just a web host - it also provides advice for starting your own business, access to your own ecommerce store, and the ability to easily sell, market, and manage your own products. You now have more help for setting up your online store and building your brand than ever before.
- Interested in Shopify? Check out there website here
Each plan comes with 24/7 customer support and at least two staff members from Shopify who are dedicated to helping you build your website. Whatever questions you have about starting your own business, Shopify has someone willing to help guide you. From logo creation to domain names, there’s lots of possibilities for creating a strong website on Shopify.
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Plans and pricing
There are three main plans on Shopify geared to help you start your business. If you want to test the ecommerce hosting plans before purchasing, there’s a 14 day free trial for anyone to use. You can always set up a store to see what it’s like and then choose the plan you want later. Here’s a description of the top three plans available:
The Basic Shopify plan costs $29.00 per month. It includes a full online store, the ability to sell unlimited products, and up to two staff accounts. You can assign inventory to up to four retail store locations with this account. This plan comes with gift cards, an SSL Certificate, and fraud analysis. Online credit card rates run at 2.2%.
The Shopify plan costs $79.00 per month and provides your online store, unlimited product sales, and five staff accounts for anyone who’s part of your team. Now you can have up to five different physical store locations (where customers can order inventory from). In addition to gift cards, this plan includes professional reports so you can understand how your website is doing.
The Advanced Shopify plan costs $299.00 per month. It comes with everything the Shopify plan comes with, plus up to 15 staff member accounts and up to eight warehouse locations. Now you can see third-party shipping rates and easily use the advanced report builder. Online credit card rates run at 1.6%.
All Shopify plans come with a feature called “Shopify POS Lite.” POS stands for “point of sale,” and means that you can easily sell products in person to anyone interested at fairs, markets, banquets, and anywhere else. If you’re really interested in all of the features Shopify has to offer, there’s also a Shopify POS Pro, which you can try free for a limited time.
Interface
The interface is great - you can easily find all of the web hosting services and spot pricing plans. It’s also easy to see how many templates there are to choose from and start a free trial. One great benefit is how you can easily ask questions. Shopify wants to do more than most web hosts on the market. It wants to not only host your store and website but help you create your business from the beginning. It’s easy to surf the interface and discover if Shopify is the right tool for you.
Features
The best feature about Shopify is how easy it is to modify designs. Even if you’re using a template that’s created a certain way, you can still make your own changes to your website wherever you need to. Plus, with over 70 themes to choose from, you’ll most likely find a template that matches what you’re looking for.
Shopify provides free high-resolution stock photos in case you need assistance bringing your website to life. If you’re concerned about making ecommerce as safe as possible, there’s also an SSL Certificate included in every plan.
Competition
Squarespace, Wix, and GoDaddy, are just a few competitors to Shopify. However, it’s almost difficult comparing all of them since Shopify offers such unique web hosting services. For example, you can access one on one consulting and help with creating your logo. Other web hosts just provide the templates and the space to create your website.
FShopify takes it a step further by helping to build your business. If you’re looking for extra help, this is a different service from what most web hosting companies provide. However, these extra services come at a price. Shopify’s main plans are by far more expensive than traditional web hosting plans. But then again, it’s hard to compare them since Shopify offers more unique services.
Final thoughts
Shopify is a great platform if you need help with both building your online store and building your business. It’s an excellent tool for anyone looking to expand their business to include ecommerce. If you’re an entrepreneur who wants more help than just hosting, then Shopify is a great place to start. Plus, depending on which plan you use, you can have up to 15 staff members helping you run the website and manage online sales. This feature makes it easier to start marketing your products to a larger audience. If you want to test out Shopify, you can always cancel after your 14 day free trial. If your business needs the extra assistance, it might be worth the try.
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