The top 6 advantages of Shopify as an e-commerce platform

If you want to start an e-commerce business, plenty of platforms can help you set up and manage your online store. A leader in the industry is Shopify — and more than 2 million online merchants use it.

Wondering why it’s so popular? Below are some of the advantages of Shopify that make it stand out among other e-commerce platforms. Take a look to see if you think Shopify can help you reach your business goals.

No technical expertise required

One of the reasons millions of business owners choose Shopify as their e-commerce platform is because it doesn’t require any coding knowledge.

“The admin interface is user-friendly, and if you have any trouble, they have video tutorials to assist,” says Melanie Bedwell, e-commerce manager for OLIPOP.

Merchants can set up their Shopify stores using ready-to-use templates and customize them based on their needs — all without having any web development experience.

The simplicity of the platform is a massive advantage, as it democratizes the technology and allows everyone to take part. All you need is a business idea to get started — Shopify’s drag-and-drop interface helps you do the rest.

Massive third-party app ecosystem

Are you looking for tools to help retain your customers or answer their questions? What about a way to enhance SEO for your website? Or maybe you need a tool to import products from a dropshipper onto your Shopify store.

All this is possible via the Shopify App Store, a treasure trove of free and paid third-party apps designed to use with the Shopify platform.

“The Shopify App Store over the last few years has grown from 2,000 apps to nearly 8,000,” says Dan Doughty, founder of Dripshipper, a private label coffee dropshipping business. “There’s an app for most [types of] functionality now, and usually there are multiple apps to choose from for any particular functionality.”

All-day, everyday support

Running an e-commerce business can be challenging even for experienced entrepreneurs. If you have any tech questions, you can rely on the Shopify Help Center to support you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You’ll be able to reach out anytime to speak with a representative via phone, email, or web chat, or use the extensive online documentation to find a specific answer.

Shopify also provides detailed guides on its blog that cover topics such as dropshipping, business plans, and e-commerce analytics.

Hundreds of themes

“Shopify makes it easy for e-commerce businesses to create beautiful online storefronts to sell and ship anywhere in the world,” says Kurt Ellis, president of GLF E-Commerce Fulfillment. Having a drag-and-drop interface is one bonus, but having industry-specific themes available to use and customize is another.

In the Shopify Theme Store, users can find over 70 themes that are easy to use and tailor to their needs. And if that’s not enough, there are also hundreds of third-party themes available on other sites that you can use within the Shopify platform. There’s no need to build an e-commerce website from scratch when someone’s done the majority of the design and layout work already.

Shopify payment gateway

A critical part of running an e-commerce store is accepting payments from your customers. Shopify has its own payment gateway, Shopify Payments, which merchants can use to accept all major payment methods, such as debit cards and credit cards. A major advantage of Shopify Payments is that Shopify doesn’t charge any transaction fees (in most countries) if you choose this route.

Of course, if you don’t want to use Shopify Payments, you’re free to choose from a number of other payment gateways as outlined on their site.

Mobile-friendly platform

It’s a given these days that you need to have a mobile-responsive website. After all, your customers want the ability to purchase from you using any device.

Shopify’s platform is fully mobile-responsive, which means you can rest easy knowing your e-commerce store will render perfectly on mobile devices and tablets in addition to desktops and laptops. Not only that, you can also easily manage your Shopify store from your phone using the iOS or Android Shopify app.

“Most consumers now do their shopping on their phones, so making your business mobile-friendly is crucial,” says Bedwell. “Shopify has themes that are mobile-responsive, as well as a free built-in mobile commerce shopping cart.”

Now that you’ve seen the many advantages of Shopify, you’re ready to decide if it’s the right e-commerce platform to go with. With many options to choose from, it’s important to make sure that the one you pick has the features you need to reach your business goals.