Choosing the right content management system (CMS) for your website’s shopping feature is important to give your customers and workers the best possible experience with your online business. You need a CMS that meets your needs, with the bandwidth and options that work for you. The Shopify ecommerce CMS is a popular choice for small businesses and large enterprises alike, especially retailers with multiple locations who want seamless functionality across their digital presence. Find out what Shopify is and how it works to determine if the Shopify ecommerce CMS could work for your business.
How Popular is Shopify?
The Shopify ecommerce CMS is used by 2.33% of the top million sites according to a June 2021 report, earning the second largest market share overall. Furthermore, Shopify remains the second most popular host for online stores on US websites, with 3.69% of the market share as of April 2021.
While some other CMS have more fluctuation in popularity, Shopify consistently remains a popular option, especially in the United States. Shopify is estimated to run on about one million live websites, with the potential for more as their business continues steadily. This top CMS remains a popular commercial product sold by a public company.
What is Shopify and How Does it Work?
As its name indicates, Shopify focuses on the online shopping experience. Shopify ecommerce CMS is a software as a service (SaaS) where business owners can develop an online store without hosting and designing the digital marketplace themselves. Shopify offers a drag-and-drop store builder so you can customize your store without having to know any computer coding or digital design. Shopify prides itself on its easy-to-use platform, which can add ecommerce to any website with just a few clicks. While SaaS does have limitations in controlling all aspects of your website’s online store, it also provides significant convenience. Shopify ecommerce works with a flexible “buy” button that allows for embedded products with a secure checkout.
How Much Does Shopify Cost?
Shopify offers a variety of pricing options depending on your business size and needs. If all you need is to add products to a website and accept credit card payments, you can use Shopify Lite for only $9 a month. This lets you sell products with a “buy” button that takes credit card information. You can also create invoices with access to the entire Shopify Admin to manage your business. This includes features such as gift cards, splitting the bill, and discount codes, along with management tools including finance reports, customer profile, and order and product management.
For a more targeted digital marketing plan, Shopify ecommerce CMS offers structured levels of service. The Basic Shopify plan is $29 a month, ideal for either new businesses or online businesses that are new to in-person selling. The Regular Shopify plan, for $79 a month, works best for growing businesses with one retail store, providing more than the basic plan such as allowing international domains. They also offer Advanced Shopify for businesses with more than one retail location at $299 a month, with further extra features such as more staff account availability, international pricing, and an advanced reports builder. High-volume merchants can use Shopify Plus, providing enterprise solutions that start at $2,000 a month.
Shopify Features
While each plan offers its own unique benefits, there are certain standardized features offered by all versions of the Shopify ecommerce CMS. Under any plan, even the one that’s only $9 a month, your business can receive the full Shopify online store feature with unlimited products, 24/7 support, sales channels, manual order creation, and more. The Shopify ecommerce CMS allows for an easy start and simple continuation of web store services, with opportunities for expansion as your business needs.
Shopify lays out options for selling, marketing, and managing your products and services. While they can streamline ecommerce solutions in seconds, they also offer detailed individualization options for a custom storefront. Shopify ecommerce not only lets you manage your orders, fulfillment, and payments, but also provides insights to level up your business with built-in tools that include expert help.
In addition to Shopify ecommerce services for your individual business’s webstore, they also provide a variety of resources concerning website valuation, business creation, and general tips on business management through their website.
What Sets Shopify Apart?
If you’re familiar with another CMS or you’ve been reading our introductions to other systems like BigCommerce, you may be wondering what sets Shopify apart. Shopify distinguishes itself from any other ecommerce CMS with its incredible functionality. Their comparison feature breaks down how they provide more sales channels, payment providers, and shipping features, providing a variety of apps to add to your web store experience.
One of Shopify’s standout features compared to other ecommerce options is their diverse options for how to accept payments, including all credit card options and local payment methods, as well as over 100 third-party payment gateways. They also offer simplified shopping for a more convenient customer experience. If you want to compare Shopify ecommerce specifically to a different platform, they offer direct comparisons such as this one with Shopify and Squarespace to help you make an informed decision.
Using Shopify as Your Ecommerce CMS
Now that you know what Shopify is and how it works, you may have decided that Shopify’s ecommerce platform is the right one to expand your business’s opportunities. Over ten thousand of the world’s leading brands trust the Shopify ecommerce CMS to host their web store, so you’ll be in good company if you decide to use their services.
For more tips on how to choose the best ecommerce CMS platform for your business, consider what capabilities you need so your digital store is easy to use for you and your customers, including how it integrates with your other website plugins. If you want an ecommerce CMS that is popularly used with plenty of resources, Shopify is a great option to consider.
You need an ecommerce platform that works well for you. The more you know about ecommerce, the more successful your business will be. For more information and tips about running your digital business, follow the BESTWEB blog.