Are you a small business owner looking to diversify into the e-commerce space? If so, that’s a great idea. More consumers choose to shop online exclusively – so you don’t want to get left behind.
Yet, you’ll need to decide which e-commerce platform to use to create your site. If you want to do it entirely independently – expect to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars.
That’s why so many people turn to Shopify instead of creating a website. Is Shopify good for small businesses?
Shopify is fantastic for small businesses. It’s effortless for small business owners to create an e-commerce store with Shopify. Not only is it easy to use, but it’s also incredibly affordable. At only $29 per month, you can build a store, download apps, and start generating sales.
If you’re a small business owner eager to learn more about Shopify – you’re in the right place. Read on to discover how easy it is to get started with Shopify.
Why is Shopify Good for Small Businesses?
One of the biggest reasons why Shopify is so great for small businesses is its ease of use. Shopify falls under SaaS or software-as-a-service.
That means Shopify’s team will handle the administrative tasks, updates, and security. They provide the front end to create your e-commerce store and sell your products.
That saves you from having to tackle these responsibilities. That’s a lifesaver for brick-and-mortar business owners. With Shopify, you don’t have to worry about your cybersecurity or legal issues. The software platform that they provide is very impressive and user-friendly.
An Intuitive Store Builder
Do you not have any experience designing websites at all? If so, then you can still create a store with Shopify. Its store builder uses intuitive drag-and-drop features to make everything simplified. That way – you won’t find yourself scratching your head at what to do. You’ll be able to design your online store to look the way you want.
You’ll also gain access to the Shopify Theme Store. Here, users show off custom themes they’ve created. Each theme is 100% customizable – so you can use them as starting points for an original look.
If you have branded imaging – you can use that too. Shopify grants you complete control over the look and feel of your online store.
Thousands of Third-Party Apps
A membership with Shopify also grants you access to the Shopify App Store. Every day, third-party developers upload new apps to the Shopify App Store. These apps help you expand what’s possible with your Shopify store.
An example would be if you wanted to start a dropshipping business. At face value – a Shopify store doesn’t have the capability. Yet, dozens of dropshipping apps, such as Spocket, enable the function. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. There are apps to help boost conversions, upsell pop-ups, and so much more.
Affordable Pricing
Shopify is also great for small businesses due to its affordability. Its most popular pricing plan, Shopify Basic, is only $29 per month. Included are many excellent features, including sitewide SSL, payment processing, the store builder, and more.
Shopify also has a generous 14-day free trial. You can create a functional store during the trial and begin selling products.
At the end of the trial, you can choose not to continue if you don’t feel Shopify is a good fit for you. If you found success during those 14 days, you can choose to continue with a membership.
Here’s a look at Shopify’s pricing plans:
- Shopify Basic. The flagship plan for Shopify – its basic plan contains many robust features. You gain access to 2 staff accounts, unlimited products, a store builder, a blog, and more. It’s $29 per month with a slight discount if you go for an annual plan. You get a 77% shipping discount, shipping labels, cybersecurity, and more. You can sell in up to 20 languages and 133 different currencies.
- Shopify Lite. While not as commonly advertised as Shopify Basic, Shopify Lite is their most affordable plan. It’s only $9 per month, but there’s a catch. It adds a ‘Buy’ button to an existing website rather than building a new store from scratch. Still, it’s a beneficial plan if you already have a blog or social media page that you want to start selling products on. Shopify Lite also comes with POS equipment, meaning that you can sell merchandise at small pop-up retail stores.
- Shopify Plan. Standard Shopify is a bit more expensive at $79 but comes with more robust features. As a rule of thumb, you should only upgrade your Shopify plan as you scale your store. We recommend Shopify Basic for most small businesses. If you find some success and start to grow – you can expand to this plan. You gain access to more staff accounts (5) and more inventory locations. The biggest perk is the cut on transaction fees. Instead of 2% for each sale, it cuts to 1%. If you start doing a higher sales volume, it will be worth upgrading.
- Shopify Advanced. This Shopify plan is primarily for enterprise-level businesses. Its monthly rate is a bit steep at $299 per month. Yet – it’s a more scaled version of Shopify. You have access to 15 staff accounts, eight inventory locations, and so much more. Once again, you’ll see a considerable dip in transaction fees by upgrading to this plan. With Shopify Advanced, you enjoy 0.5% transaction fees. That can be a huge lifesaver for enterprise-level companies that do massive transaction volumes.
As you can see – Shopify has a plan for every need and budget level. As we stated before, we highly recommend Shopify Basic for small businesses. Once you scale your operation and find success, you can think about upgrading your account.
Key Takeaways: Is Shopify Good for Small Businesses?
By now – you should have a better idea of why so many small businesses revere Shopify. It’s an e-commerce platform built to help out small businesses in particular. With the help of Shopify, you can branch out into the e-commerce space at a low cost and low risk. It’s a fantastic platform for any small business eager to generate online sales.
For more great content to help you develop your Shopify strategies, check out the rest of the merchant posts on the site. If you want to see a list of our top recommended Shopify apps visit this link here.
