If you have products that you’d like to sell online, you don’t have to devote a lot of time to creating an e-commerce website. There are many e-commerce solutions out there. Shopify is one popular example. In this overview, we will look at how this e-commerce software works and what it has to offer.
A Complete E-Commerce Solution
To create an effective online store, you need to pull together many different things. Instead of buying hosting, shopping cart software and other components separately, you can get all of them and more by selecting a monthly plan. Each of the four available plans includes e-commerce hosting, shopping cart software, website and blog creation tools, customer relationship management tools, a content management and more.
Understanding the Available Plans
The main differences between the four plans include storage space, the number of products that are supported and the amount that is charged for transaction fees:
- Basic – For $29 a month, you get 1 GB of storage and support for up to 100 SKUs. A two-percent transaction fee applies.
- Professional – For $59 a month, you get 5 GB of storage and support for up to 2,500 SKUs. A one-percent transaction fee applies
- Business – For $99 a month, you get 10 GB of storage and support for up to 10,000 SKUs. A one-percent transaction fee applies.
- Unlimited – For $159 a month, you get unlimited storage space and support for an unlimited number of SKUs. There are no transaction fees.
Setting Up and Designing Your E-Commerce Website
The website design and setup process is simple. You’ll first be asked to choose a template. More than 100 professionally designed templates are available, and they are sorted into themes for categories like fashion, electronics and jewelry. Some of them are free, but premium templates are also available for additional money.
Although you can certainly stick with the basic template, it’s better to customize your e-commerce website so that it stands out from the others. Choose different fonts and mix and match different colors to achieve a striking look. You can also upload logos and other images.
Managing Products and Inventory
This e-commerce platform allows you to import files so that you can upload items in bulk. If you only have a few items to list, you can enter them manually. It’s important to offer as many details as possible, and you can do so by creating unique product descriptions and by uploading photos.
To make your e-commerce website easier to use, you can sort your products into distinct categories. This can be done manually, or you can use the Smart Collection feature to do it quickly. In that case, you set specific parameters, and your items are grouped accordingly. Through this interface, you can also adjust inventory levels and perform other updates.
Shopping Cart Software Features
The e-commerce shopping cart software, which is includes, offers support for more than 50 methods of payment. Order tracking and shipping rate calculation are included. There is even a way to browse abandoned shopping carts and follow up with those customers.
Marketing and Customer Management Features
Shopify also offers many ways to promote your products and to reach out to customers. Choose an e-commerce blog template and create posts to draw in new business. Sort customers into groups and try different marketing strategies based on their demographics. The possibilities are endless.
Before you select a plan, try to 30-day free trial. It gives you access to all of the software’s key features.