If you’re peddling something via the internet, you’ve probably looked at options for eCommerce. You’ve no doubt recognized that you need to find an eCommerce platform that is quick, reliable, secure, and – well – it certainly wouldn’t hurt if it were a Canadian-born business, too.
Fortunately, you’ll find all that in Shopify©, the world’s top eCommerce platform, headquartered in Ottawa.
Founded in 2004 when eCommerce wasn’t nearly as sophisticated or widespread as it is now, Shopify is now used for running about 3.6 million online stores, studies show. The company that started as a way to better sell snowboarding equipment online now helps other companies generate tens of billions of dollars in gross merchandise volume each year.
So, what is it about Shopify that makes it so popular with online sellers and why should Canadian businesses consider it as their eCommerce platform of choice?
The perks
If you’re only dabbling in online sales – say perhaps selling just a few products – you might not require a platform like Shopify. It may just be more than you need and why complicate things, right?
However, if you’re intent on having a successful and easy-to-manage store that sells a variety of products and/or services, there are plenty of reasons to select Shopify, not the least of which is supporting your fellow Canadians.
- More web developers turn to Shopify than any other eCommerce platform. That’s because it’s one of the easiest to install and manage. It truly is a no-fuss platform that’s very intuitive and user-friendly.
- Shopify has an excellent inventory system. It’s straightforward and allows you to organize, add, and edit your products with little hassle, which means you (or your website manager) will be spending a lot less time on inventory issues.
- With Shopify, you can integrate your products with marketplaces where it would benefit you to sell them, including popular ones like Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and more. You can even integrate with social media platforms like Pinterest or Facebook.
- Shopify stores look great! Anyone with an online store knows that visual appeal is important, and with Shopify you can be sure that your store will not only function well but be attractive, too. A large assortment of free themes is available for your choosing.
- A reliable infrastructure along with optimized hardware and software means that Shopify loads quickly, so customers aren’t sitting there staring at the screen, impatiently waiting for your product information to load. As a matter of fact, most users report that it’s super-fast in comparison to other platforms they’ve used.
- Customizations are key with Shopify. The platform is easily integrated with a variety of apps, which offer all sorts of features and functionalities in addition to the basic store. That makes it uniquely yours!
- Security has long been paramount for the creators of Shopify. They’ve understood from the beginning that customers must be able to trust that their personal, confidential information –like credit card numbers – remains that way. All platforms are vulnerable, of course, and Shopify had a small breach in September 2020, but only 200 merchants were affected.
- Maybe you’d like to know more than just the fact that people are finding your store and buying your products. Perhaps a little more knowledge about where those buyers are coming from, how much their spending, how many are repeat customers, and more, would assist you in continuing to grow your business. With Shopify’s overview dashboard, you can gather facts such as average order value, total store visits, repeat customer rate, and conversion rate. Statistics as to how people are finding your store can help you direct your marketing dollars to the right places as well.
- How often do you use your mobile device to purchase items? If you’re like most of us, it’s at least 50 percent of the time. That’s why mobile optimization is paramount…and Shopify has that covered. All Shopify themes are mobile responsive and site owners can even add free iPhone and Android apps to help them manage their store.
It’s no wonder that so many Canadian businesses have turned to this locally-grown eCommerce platform for their online store needs. At Watershed9, Shopify is our default platform for our clients’ eCommerce needs and we’ve come to believe that – regardless of where you’re located – Shopify offers the most bang for the buck, so to speak. With reliability, security, and ease-of-use all rolled into one neat package, our clients wonder why they ever used anything besides Shopify.
Want to learn more about Shopify options for your eCommerce needs? Call us at 604-337-1449 and chat with one of our experts for more information.