Pros & Cons of  Shopify Ecommerce

When it comes to your ecommerce business, choosing the right online selling platform is key. We love using Shopify for ecommerce clients who need a site that's fast, reliable and easy to customize, but we also recognize its limitations and know it's not the perfect fit for everyone. Some businesses need more customization options or want to keep monthly costs to a minimum. We get that every online biz has different needs, so today I'm breaking down some of the pros and cons of Shopify. If you're in the beginning stages of getting your store online, take note! And if you still have questions, don't hesitate to reach out for a free web design consultation. 

Store Design

Shopify has tons of options when it comes to your store design. With Shopify, you can begin adding your products on the backend, and apply any theme to your site on the front end. Shopify has its own theme store which offers a huge selection of free or paid themes, or you can purchase a theme from a place like Out of the Sandbox. Shopify themes are designed to load super fast, and comply with the latest Google standards. Shopify 2.0 themes are even faster, and the update has made page templates easier to customize. Did I mention that Shopify themes are GORGEOUS??

Regardless of how robust a theme you choose, every theme offers a fully customizable home page that will beautifully display your products or categories and featured items. Shopify stores are designed to feature what you have to sell - so if products, workshops or memberships are not your main focus, then Shopify might not be the best option for you. If you are looking to increase product sales and roll out new collections on a regular basis, Shopify is definitely a great way to showcase what you have to offer!

Customization

While every theme has different options, the Shopify drag and drop editor will only allow you to drag and drop what is included with your theme. Each part of a Shopify site is called a "section" and you can arrange your sections however you like. After you set your brand fonts, colors and accent colors, some themes offer  additional customization, while others are limited. As a designer, this is the frustrating part for me... While every predesigned section is beautiful, Shopify themes take away your ability to fully customize each section without using custom code.

On the flip side, if you want to customize your store to add digital downloads, memberships, password protected pages, or emails - Shopify can do it all. The Shopify app store offers apps for any of your store needs, from creating opt-ins or pop ups and sending coupons, to offering memberships, subscriptions and visual features like galleries or testimonial sliders. You can also purchase a theme with built in features like a more customizable contact form, testimonials, videos on product pages and so much more! While apps for all of these features make for a powerful storefront, it can also add cost. Many apps have free trials, but after the free trial you may be paying $2.99 for one app or $12.99 for another. 

Costs

As I mentioned, costs can add up with additional Shopify apps and features. The standard store price is $29.99 per month for your store alone. You'll also need to purchase your theme upfront which can run you anywhere from $180-$400. For many business owners, the flexibility and streamlined design is worth the price.

Usability

If you're willing to spend a few hours clicking around, you can easily learn how to navigate the drag and drop editor. Swap out featured products or collections in a few clicks and rewrite headings to match in minutes. Changes are saved automatically and applied to your live site. If I had to rate Shopify on a scale of 1-10 for usability, I'd give it an 8 which is high in my book! While there's certainly a learning curve, the platform is user friendly and makes it easy to update your home page.

Product Management

Just like it's easy to update things on the front end, managing the backend of your storefront - your products, subscriptions, downloads and collections is made simple with Shopify. We'll even help you set up your collections and add your first product per category so you can see exactly how things work! We want you to feel confident in handling all aspects of your store and our design packages include a 60 minute consult where you'll learn how to do just that.

If you're looking to launch a professional, easy to manage storefront that looks beautiful and is trusted by users across the globe, Shopify is a smart choice. Hopefully these tips will help you decide if a product centered site is right for you, or if going the custom route to feature content rich pages is a better option. To learn more, contact us today! We're taking on client for 2022 and would love to bring your ideas to life.