{"id":11848,"date":"2017-03-04T03:16:58","date_gmt":"2017-03-04T03:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/promotelabs.com\/blog\/?p=11848"},"modified":"2017-04-11T00:11:00","modified_gmt":"2017-04-11T04:11:00","slug":"shopify-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/promotelabs.com\/blog\/shopify-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopify Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shopify<\/a> is a Canadian company that develops ecommerce and point-of-sale solutions for online merchants. They were founded in 2004, and today they report supporting over 300,000 merchants with a total gross merchandise volume exceeding $10 billion.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look to see if Shopify<\/a> is a good fit for your business\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

PERFORMANCE<\/h1>\n

A beautiful storefront does you no good if the platform doesn\u2019t leave the user with a good experience. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve tested Shopify<\/a>\u2019s speed and performance.<\/p>\n

TESTING NOTES:<\/strong> We used using Google Page Speed. The test store has 20 products and uses Shopify<\/a>\u2019s default free \u201cclassic\u201d theme. Products were bulk added from AliExpress to the store using this Shopify dropship app\u00a0 <\/a>).<\/p>\n

Always make sure to do your own tests with each theme you intend to use (including both free and paid themes). Be sure to also do these tests on various devices, as the speed and user experience are vary with each of these different themes.<\/p>\n

HERE ARE OUR RATINGS:<\/h5>\n

Mobile Speed<\/strong>:\u00a0 68 \/ 100<\/p>\n

Mobile user experience<\/strong>: 97 \/ 100<\/p>\n

Desktop speed<\/strong>: 84 \/ 100<\/p>\n

Works great on mobile<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

SEO Friendly URL<\/strong>:\u00a0 Yes<\/p>\n

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY<\/h5>\n

Our testing shows the site not only looked great, but it also loaded fast enough on both desktop and mobile platforms. What\u2019s more, buyers can shop and purchase the goods directly from their mobile devices.<\/p>\n

Considering that more and more people are using their phones instead of their computers for shopping, checking out mobile performance is one of the top priorities on our review checklist. Shopify<\/a> passed the test with ease using the default free theme with no other additional editing and plugins added.<\/p>\n

FEATURES<\/h1>\n

Does Shopify<\/a> have what you need to create the sort of store you\u2019re envisioning? Check out these essential features\u2026<\/p>\n

Essential\/ Included out of the box (with the basic $29\/ m plan )<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hosting<\/strong>: You get unlimited products, unlimited storage, and unlimited bandwidth on all plans.<\/p>\n

SEO tools (customizable meta data and URLs, bulk editing keywords, site map\u2026)<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

Product search<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

Ability to auto-send abandoned cart emails<\/strong>: \u00a0No, it\u2019s not part of the standard plan. However, you can get this feature on premium paid plans.<\/p>\n

Blog<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

Works great on mobile<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

Coupon and discount compatibility<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

Integrated ratings and reviews<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

Multiple product photos with zooming capability<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

Real-time shipping quotes<\/strong>: No, it\u2019s not part of the standard plan. However, you can get this feature on premium paid plans.<\/p>\n

Use own domain<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

Free templates<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

SSL<\/strong>: Yes<\/p>\n

PCI compliance<\/strong>: Yes, Shopify<\/a> has Level 1 compliance with the 12-point Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS ).<\/p>\n

Reporting<\/strong>: Yes, basic reporting is included.\u00a0 Comprehensive reporting is available with some premium paid plans.<\/p>\n

\"Shopify<\/a><\/p>\n

Templates<\/strong>: Yes.<\/p>\n

One thing we like about Shopify<\/a> is that they have very nice, modern templates.<\/p>\n

Out of the box there are 24 free responsive templates that worked well on both desktop and mobile.\"Shopify<\/a><\/p>\n

Shopify<\/a> also has a nice assortment of stunning premium themes. They have over 140 paid themes at the time of this writing, which range from a reasonable $120-$180 per theme.<\/p>\n

\"Shopify<\/a><\/p>\n

SUMMARY OF FEATURES<\/h5>\n

Shopify<\/a> gives you beautiful, free themes right out of the box, or you can purchase one from their collection of modern, polished themes.<\/p>\n

To accept payments, it\u2019s critical that your site is safe and secure. Shopify<\/a> makes this easy by taking the burden off your shoulder by providing PCI-compliant payment processing, even with the most basic plan. You don\u2019t have to worry about SSL, PCI compliance or security, as these services and features are provided to you at no additional cost.<\/p>\n

Take note that other companies, including BigCommerce, charge extra for these services, and\/or you can only get them with the premium, high-priced plans. The trade-off is that some of the other essential features are not included in Shopify<\/a>\u2019s basic plans. This leaves you with two choices: pay $29 a month plus opt for a paid add-on to get the features you need, or pick the $79 a month plan to get the essential functions covered.\u00a0 More on this in the price section below<\/p>\n

EXTENDED FEATURES<\/h1>\n

Need more power, function and flexibility? Here\u2019s what Shopify<\/a> offers you\u2026<\/p>\n

Ability to handle subscriptions\/recurring product orders<\/strong>: Yes, this feature is available via a paid add on.<\/p>\n

Drop-shipping integration<\/strong>: Yes, with a paid add on.<\/p>\n

Ability to sell customizable products (like custom print)<\/strong>: Yes, it\u2019s available with an add on.<\/p>\n

Fulfillment by Amazon integration<\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0 Yes, but it\u2019s only available in some countries.<\/p>\n

Reward points program compatibility<\/strong>: Yes, this is available with a paid add on.<\/p>\n

Google trusted store<\/strong>: Yes, this is available with a paid add on, but only in select countries<\/p>\n

Affiliate system?<\/strong> Yes, this is available with a paid add on.<\/p>\n

Can sell digital product (in downloadable form )<\/strong>:\u00a0 Yes, this is available with a paid add on.<\/p>\n

Can sell physical products<\/strong>:\u00a0 Yes, this is the default setting.<\/p>\n

Can sell offline<\/strong>: Yes, you can sell offline. However, you\u2019ll need to invest $129 in the Shopify<\/a> card reader in order to process these Point Of Sale purchases.<\/p>\n

\"shopify<\/a><\/p>\n

App store<\/strong>: Shopify<\/a> has an amazing collection of over 1000 apps that are both free and paid. Because Shopify<\/a>\u2019s out-of-the-box features are a little on the slim side for the basic plan, chances are you will need an app to create the functionality you want.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

UPDATE<\/h5>\n

Shopify<\/a> introduced a brand new service called KitCRM. They call it \u201ca virtual employee\u201d that you can hire for $10 per month (or $25 per month for the pro plan).<\/p>\n

KitCRM a robot that can communicate with you through your phone via text messages. It can do the following tasks for you without you lifting a finger:<\/p>\n

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