Shopify is considered to be one of the biggest eCommerce platforms in the world. It is power-packed with several features and tools for making the process of setting up an online store easier. As Each coin has two sides to it, similarly Shopify also has two sides too – pros and cons.
Nevertheless, Shopify has its pros and cons, making it ideal or unideal for you. In this post, we will be reviewing these pros and cons. Before we delve into Shopify pros and cons, we should understand what Shopify is in detail.
What is Shopify?
The term Shopify refers to an online platform meant for small businesses. It helps them to build stores and sell their products through a website or social media platform. This platform is power-packed with various additional features that can take your business to the next level.
Shopify comes with a lot of additional features like Shopify payments, Shopify shipping, Shopify markets, and Shopify discounts. But to access these features, you will have to pay an additional fee.
One of the best things about Shopify is that it is accessible in more the 100 countries all around the world. To attract more customers and sales, you can sync your social media page with your Shopify store.
Suppose, you encounter a difficult situation, a Shopify team is there to help you 24×7 through chat. Generally, they would always have solution to your problem or will help you integrate other suitable apps.
Shopify offers you with a 14-day trial for understanding if it suits your business needs or not. The base price of Shopify starts with $9 a month if you pick the Lite plan. But, the most loved Shopify plan among people is the one that starts with $29 a month.
If you are someone who has been running a business for a long time, then you must opt for Shopify, Advanced Shopify or Shopify Plus as per your business requirements.
Major Advantages of Shopify
Easy To Use
One of the best things about Shopify is that it is quite easy to use. Whenever someone takes their business online, they wish to make it functional at the earliest. With the help of Shopify, you can forgo the difficult process of customization and launch your online store with ease. Here, you also get a drag and drop toll that lets you customize your store as per your business requirements.
SEO and Marketing
With the help of Shopify, you can create landing pages easily and also sync your marketing campaign along with your store. Here, you can create store credits, coupon codes, and discounts for attracting more customers. Shopify also offers you with all the tools needed for achieving your goals.
You must know that not all tools are offered as a default setting. But, Shopify offers you with a Shopify app store for finding a suitable app to meet all your business needs. Using this tools can be of great help in customizing your store and attracting new customers and sales.
Multiple Payment Processor
Shopify offers you with various payment options including third-party platforms. This feature helps you process all your transactions quickly from your store domain. With this, you can broaden your targeted market and sell your products all around the world.
Available Customer Support
While you are working with technology, there are chances of facing certain technical issues. The team of Shopify knows that their customers might need them in difficult times. For the same reason, they have a team of experts to help you 24×7 in difficult situations. You can reach out to these experts via email, live chat, or their phone number.
Shopify Store Themes
Shopify comprises various themes that can be helpful in building your online store. With this platform, it becomes easy to find themes that would gel well with your business. The overall look of your online store plays an important role in attracting your customers attention. With the help of Shopify themes, you can build a durable and beautiful looking store quicker.
Major Disadvantages of Shopify
Limited Customization
Shopify does offer various customization options, but it comes with certain limitations of its own. Other platforms are known for using PHP for customizing themes whereas Shopify makes use of liquid setup.
There are fewer web designers who have any clear idea about this software. Due to this specific reason. Many people struggle with the process of customizing their theme and therefore start learning to use the Liquid setup.
Absence of Email Hosting
Shopify offers no support when it comes to email hosting. So, web hosting option can only be put to use when you are launching your online store. Well, there is a solution for the same. You can try forwarding the customer’s emails directly to your email address by using a third-party email hosting extension.
Tough Exit Point
One of the biggest drawbacks of Shopify is that it is quite difficult to exit the platform. It comes with a lock-in feature that restricts you from taking your store to some other platform. Suppose, you ever decide to more your store to other platform, you will be allowed to take your CSV report with you. Before opting for Shopify, make sure if you wish to continue with this platform for a longer period of time.
Shopify Processing Fees
With each sale you make on Shopify, you need to pay a transaction fee. This fee is meant to be paid to use third-party payment gateways other than Shopify payments. The amount of fee may differ depending on the plan.
Challenging Migration Process
People migrating from Shopify to other platforms is quite common. But this migration process is a challenging one as there are chances of losing part of your saved data. In such a situation, you must export your website as a CSV.
Conclusion
Shopify is undoubtedly one of the best online platforms available for creating an online store. But just like everything else, this platforms also has its share of advantages and disadvantages. Now, the choice is yours as if you wish to go with this platform or lookout for another platform.
It is always a better idea to see if Shopify meets all your business needs or not. Also make sure to compare it with other available eCommerce platforms.
We hope this blog on advantages and disadvantages of Shopify will help you decided whether to choose this platform or not. If you have any questions or queries regarding this blog or topic, please feel free to share them in the comments section.
