Shopify

Technologies

About Shopify

Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform. You build and run an online store without managing servers: hosting, store design, product and stock management, and payments come in one subscription. Shopify was founded in 2006 and is used by stores of very different sizes, from small independent shops to large brands.

Core Features

  • Hosted: Shopify runs and maintains the infrastructure

  • Store builder: build the storefront from a theme

  • Themes: free and paid design templates

  • Payments: Shopify Payments, plus external payment providers

  • Inventory: stock tracking, also across several locations

  • Orders and shipping: process orders and arrange delivery

  • Marketing tools: SEO settings, discounts and email

  • Reports: insight into sales, customers and products

  • App Store: apps for functionality that is not built in

  • Point of sale: one system for the online store and a physical shop

  • Sales channels: sell through marketplaces and social platforms as well

  • Liquid and APIs: themes are built with the Liquid template language, and the APIs connect Shopify to other systems

Business Benefits

  • Quick start: a store can go live without a development team of your own

  • No servers: Shopify handles hosting, updates and security

  • Card payments: PCI compliance is built in

  • One place: products, orders and customers in one system

  • Support: Shopify provides support around the clock

  • Clear costs: a monthly subscription, plus transaction fees and apps

  • Selling abroad: currencies, languages and taxes per market

Our Experience with Shopify

We connect Shopify to other systems, such as an ERP, a CRM or a custom back office, through its APIs. That way the store and the systems behind it work from the same data.

Ideal Use Cases

Shopify suits businesses that want to sell online without running their own platform. Direct-to-consumer brands and small to mid-sized retailers get a complete store with little technical overhead. Businesses that sell through several channels, or in several countries, can manage that from one place.

It fits less well when the checkout or the data model has to work very differently from the standard, or when a store would depend on many paid apps.

FAQ

Shopify charges a monthly subscription, with several plans. On top of that come transaction fees (higher if you do not use Shopify Payments), app subscriptions, a paid theme if you choose one, and development work for anything custom. Shopify Plus is the plan for larger businesses. Prices change regularly, so check the Shopify website for the current figures.
Within its own framework, quite customizable. Themes and the Liquid template language give a lot of control over the storefront, and apps or custom apps add functionality. The limits are in the checkout, which can be changed less on the standard plans, and in the data model, which is fixed. An open-source platform gives more room on both, but then you also host and maintain more yourself.
Yes, with the right setup. Products can have variants and extra data through metafields, and apps add more advanced product options. Shopify also has built-in B2B features, such as company accounts, customer-specific prices and payment terms. Which of these you get depends on the plan.
Shopify supports several currencies, languages and domains. With Shopify Markets you set prices, product ranges and content per region. Taxes can be calculated automatically, and duties and international shipping can be handled through built-in features or apps.
Transaction fees when you do not use Shopify Payments, limited checkout changes outside Shopify Plus, a blog that is simpler than a dedicated CMS, and costs that add up when you need many apps. The subscription is an ongoing cost. Moving away from Shopify can take work once it is closely tied to your other systems. Weigh these points against what you get: a store you do not have to host or maintain yourself.

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