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What Is Shopify?
Shopify is a commerce platform that allows anyone to easily sell online, at a retail location, and everywhere in between. Shopify offers a professional online storefront, a payment solution to accept credit cards, and the Shopify POS application to power retail sales.
Shopify currently powers over 160,000 retailers in 100 different countries, including: Tesla Motors, Gatorade, Forbes, Amnesty International, Encyclopedia Britannica, Maxim Magazine, CrossFit, Black Milk Clothing, Herschel Sup
Who Uses Shopify?
Small to mid-size on standard plans and Enterprise companies on Shopify Plus.
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Shopify
Reviews of Shopify

Easy to manage e-comm platform
Comments: Shopify makes it super easy to set up and manage an online store. The tools are simple to use, and the support team is there to resolve issues quickly.
Pros:
Lots of apps and features to grow your store.
Cons:
Some advanced apps and themes can get expensive.
Alternatives Considered:
The Ultimate E-Commerce Platform
Comments: It is the best and most user friendly e-commerce platform with no exception. It is even more powerful if you have web design and HTML/Javascript experience.
Pros:
The easiest to use e-commerce platform with all the best features and customizable by super-users.
Cons:
The pricing on apps and overall community can be predatory on sellers without front-end web design experience.
Overall perfomance
Comments: Great for being in a bind and need a business store setup in a little to no time situation, it’s definitely got a few areas I think could use overall improvement but for most it is a solid app and it definitely got a lot of options to diversify your business
Pros:
The ease of setup of a business store on top to bottom everything is at ease of use I would say it’s pricey but at the end of the day, gotta pay for what makes it easiest when starting from nothing at all..
Cons:
The monthly fee is a little high it definitely should be something a little more affordable but as I said sometimes it cost for such convenience
Alternatives Considered:
Overall pleased. I'm not tech savvy so there's a learning curve.
Comments: Still learning how to use it. Trying to link Tiktok, now. A struggle. But, it's coming. Overall it's a learning curve for those not tech savvy. But, getting there!
Pros:
Has a lot of options and can integrate Affirm.
Cons:
Problem solving with tech is slow. But, still good.
Alternatives Considered:
#1 pick for website
Comments: Been amazing we have tried other web service and keep coming back
Pros:
They make it so simple to creat and maintain a website
Cons:
Not a great option for integrating with clover
Overall great experience thus far with shopify.
Comments: All in all I must say I have had a positive experience using shopify to build my online business. They provide excellent analytics tools to help you keep up with every detail of everything that happens on your site. From customer traffic and sales figures, to guides on what to do next to increase sales and conversions going forward, they have your back.
Pros:
The site is really easy to navigate and understand. In one afternoon I was able to get a complete ecommerce site/store set up and stocked with products for print on demand that I personally designed myself. There are options and customizations available for every aspect of the site from the color of the header background to the profit margin percentages I wanted for each item to additional admin apps that are customizable as well!
Cons:
All those options can be overwhelming to someone who is new to working or selling online. While there are live chat agents available and help tabs and menus everywhere on the site it still can take some time to get familiar with everything and the functions. I wouldn't mind seeing some simplification of some of the terminology used on the site.
A Solid E-Commerce Platform with a Few Costly Extras
Comments: Shopify strikes a good balance between being simple to use and packing a decent amount of power, making it a solid pick for most e-commerce businesses. It’s got a great mix of tools and resources to help you grow, and while there are a few downsides – like the costs and some tricky bits with advanced customisation – you can usually work around them with a bit of careful planning.
Pros:
It comes with loads of built-in tools, like inventory management, payment processing, and shipping integrations.
Cons:
Shopify can get a bit pricey, especially when you add up the monthly subscriptions, transaction fees (if you’re not using Shopify Payments), and the extra costs for apps to get all the features you need.
Essential for Entrepreneurs
Comments: Very good platform for e-commerce stores, allows you to focus on selling.
Pros:
Very easy to setup an eCommerce store with zero coding experience.
Cons:
No real issues. There are some things that are apps that could have been internal features.
Reporting and insights are customizable and endless!
Comments: Great! From a financial standpoint, we were able to easily connect it to our financial reporting system using a third party connector. The team is responsive.
Pros:
Reports are easily customized and export to CSV. Dashboards show all the information I need at a glance. Payouts are clearly organized.
Cons:
Some persisting small issues that don't seem to get resolved.
Beneficial for new entrepreneurs!
Comments: Using as a beginner is very helpful, however for someone that is more experienced, having something that you can fully customize with ease is more efficient.
Pros:
This service was extremely easy to use. The accessibility to made expanding customer base much less difficult.
Cons:
Customizing is actually quite difficult.
Alternatives Considered:
Restricted Website Functionality for CBD Company
Comments: Overall, Shopify is an effective services that allows me to run my website and be seen nationally. There are many limitations, restrictions and additional costs that I deal with using Shopify due to being a CBD beverage company, but I have found ways to make my business still operate with it.
Pros:
Ability to connect many 3rd party apps, edit code on the backend for full customization and allows 3rd party payment processors.
Cons:
Shopify charges transaction fees for using third party payment processors, but my company is not able to use Shopify Payments due to being a CBD company. While Shopify provides many tools, recommendations and suggestions, my company is unable to utilize them because of the restrictions they place on CBD companies. Additional charges from Shopify due to paying for a lower tier version of their service reduces my profit margin.
Shopify is IT.
Comments: Although you may not have the total control and flexibility you could achieve with a self hosted solution the overall improvements in not having to manage your servers and speed of integration makes it definitely worthy.
Pros:
As a developer / part-time system administrator Shopify's cloud solution is the best possible solution for an ecommerce. Blazing fast solid infrastructure
Cons:
Coming from WooCommerce Shopify is not the most open environment due to its cloud structure. Heavy customization is achievable through Apps, Functions or Plus features. Plus pricing is hefty.
Simple and Easy to Use
Comments: I have used Shopify since 2019 and it is better than Woocommerce built on Word Press for me because I don't have to code a lot
Pros:
It is easy to set up and use. It makes starting an ecommerce store possible for someone like me that doesn't having website development and coding skills. It has a payment processor, good basic themes and integrates well with social media, shipping software and other softwares.
Cons:
I don't like that you need a lot of apps to add things like multiple images to each variation. That should be built in like it is on eBay and Amazon's platforms.
Alternatives Considered:
Don't think, just DO. Be on Shopify.
Comments: I have implemented several sites onto Shopify with no issues. It's the best platform for businesses large and small.
Pros:
General userability is fantastic. ANYONE can be taught how to run a Shopify store! Drag and drop features are wonderful for homepage updates. Creating and editing products is wonderful.
Cons:
Out of the box subscription platform needs a lot of work.
Amazing for every e-commerce business
Comments: Shopify is an incredible tool suitable for businesses of all sizes, I have had an amazing experience building online stores with this tool
Pros:
Shopify is the most complete and customisable e-commerce building platform I’ve ever worked with.
Cons:
Changes can be difficult using liquid and limited elements
Alternatives Considered:
Only for people who are really willing to deal with it
Comments: I completely underestimated the time required to manage the shop. Something is constantly changing here or a new update is coming out and you have to check what changes. On the one hand, I understand that this keeps it up to date, but on the other hand, it also loses user-friendliness. Anyone who is willing to delve deeper into everything that goes into it (shipping, taxes, data maintenance,...) will have a lot of fun.
Pros:
The setup is clear and there are many helpful tutorials online
Cons:
That you have to pay extra for useful tools that are required by law (e.g. cookie banners, etc.). This drives up the costs for the shop, which is really difficult, especially in the beginning or for small businesses.
Alternatives Considered:
Good platform, great value
Comments: Overall, Shopify has been a great app for my company, and we've only ever used it. It just has boosted our sales so much with its clean interface and easy product tracking functionalities.
Pros:
I like that Shopify is by far the platform that makes it easiest for you to manage your products and shop overall, it also gives great analytics details of what your customers look at before they make a purchase.
Cons:
The thing I disliked most about Shopify is the lack of ease in customizing the User Experience of your shop, it is doable, but it is not super easy for the average person to figure out.
Alternatives Considered:
Worth the hype!
Comments: Overall Shopify has been a very useful tool for my company. It was easy to grasp as a newbie, even for someone who is not super techy.
Pros:
Shopify makes creating an online store incredibly easy and within reach to almost everyone.
Cons:
Shopify customer support often leaves something to be desired. Sometimes you’ll get a stellar support agent who goes the extra mile to get your issue solved, but it’s unfortunately rare. I often end up feeling like I’m talking to an AI bot or explaining the issue over and over and over with no resolution.
A scalable jumping point for small biz and beyond!
Comments: Easy to use, advanced features are reachable and learnable. Was able to accomplish complex back-end configs and enable better user journeys thanks to apps!
Pros:
It makes small to medium business possible and there are options to scale via apps.
Cons:
The jump to premium is large for even a medium sized business, so as we scale to the point that a connection of multiple Shopify apps becomes shaky you can kind of get stuck in this limbo of no mid-ground pricing. Would be great if there were a program to consult on features/complex needs for the storefront and get a curated Shopify app/API-friendly solution!
The most user friendly platform
Comments: Overall, Shopify is the easiest, most user friendly platform to use. It's clean, simple layout make usuing the platform very time efficient
Pros:
Shopify is one of the easiest platforms to use. When it comes to checking orders, updating products, setting up promotions, it is the most user friendly platform I have worked with
Cons:
One thing I like least about Shopify is ability to track the origin of a sale. I work alot with Google Analytics and Ads and with tracking becoming more dificult, Shopify do not track origins of sales as accurately as i'd like
I really liked my Shopify experience
Comments: A very good experience for me and I would recommend it to anyone because of its many advantages compared to its disadvantages
Pros:
One of its advantages is that it is easy to use on a mobile phone and that it is very suitable for owners of small business projects. The prices of its plans are considered good compared to its competitors in the field. The most important advantage from my point of view is the number of visits per month due to its great popularity, which of course is reflected in sales.
Cons:
One of its drawbacks for me is the lack of diversity in methods of payment and receiving money. The second drawback is that it does not provide a free trial for the first month for any new user without a final payment, and this is a type of motivation and support.
Not all e-commerce solutions are created equal
Comments: We work alongside numerous brands, all of whom rely upon e-commerce solutions. It's easy to imagine that all options are more or less the same, as, on the surface, they essentially provide the same service. In my experience this absolutely isn't the case and the easy of working with Shopify versus some of the other options is immediately apparent
Pros:
The ease of connectivity between other products - particularly ad platforms such as Google ads, and marketing applications like Mailchimp
Cons:
I've yet to find anything I particularly dislike about Shopify
Alternatives Considered:
The Scalable E0co
Comments: Shopify is robust, reliable and a true game changer in the world of ecommerce. By removing the complexities of traditional e-commerce operations like hosting, bandwidth, security and other backend processes, it democratises commerce and enable users to focus on growing the business rather than spending resources on day-to-day management.
Pros:
Shopify makes starting and growing an ecommerce venture simple and cost-effective while providing scalability and flexibility to grow.
Cons:
Some of the more useful reports and the option to build your own reports are limited to higher plans which can constrain data exploration.
Alternatives Considered:
Love this platform
Comments: I like Shopify, it’s a popular trustworthy platform. It was easy creating policies and uploading merchandise pictures. Once I got the hang of decorating the site it became easy to make changes
Pros:
Easy payment options, widely used, reasonable pricing, freedom to completely customize your site
Cons:
It was a little difficult to design your site at 1st. I also had issues with shipping costs initially but it became easier to navigate over time

Top Ecommerce Software
Comments: Shopify is my go-to ecommerce platform for helping small businesses.
Pros:
very easy platform to integrate and use to sell
Cons:
could be a bit tricky to navigate adding new products and selling on 3rd party platforms