In the COVID19 pandemic with lockdown going ON and OFF all over the world, many companies  were forced to go online, to restore revenues and make business survive in these tough times. Looking  at the current scenario, it’s just a matter of time before the conventional brick-and-mortar retail stores  phase out in favor of a digital shift towards eCommerce. 

If you are also thinking about taking your business online – Shopify must have crossed your mind. To  capture the current consumer preferences, you need to understand the consumer attitude and demands.  Convenience continues to rule the current shopping behaviors of customers as the majority of  consumers are willing to spend more to save time and hassle. 

A good eCommerce platform must be thriving to make it easy for customers to shop quickly. We’re  going to see what role Shopify is playing to bring maximum retailers online and how it will be impacting the eCommerce industry over the next few years. 

Why is Shopify the choice? 

Shopify provides the desired setup of your eCommerce website with ease using the drag-and-drop store  builder. Companies are drawn towards Shopify not only for the platform’s simplicity and accessibility  but also for the features that allow them to develop a unique relationship with their customers. 

The unique features offered by Shopify: 

1. Customized themes: 

In Shopify, you can use appealing beautiful themes that are responsive and customizable by you. No  specific design skills are needed to build a customized platform. You can select the desired layout,  content, colors, and approach of your website freely. You have complete control over the look and feel  of your eCommerce website. 

2. Affordable pricing ranges: 

Over 1,000,000 businesses globally trust Shopify for making a digital transition. Shopify is the  eCommerce company targeting small and medium enterprises for starting online stores and retail points  of source systems. Whether you want to sell online, on social media, in a physical store, or out of the  trunk on the street, Shopify covers everyone. It offers packages right from $29/month which is easily affordable for small businesses. 

3. Services offered:

Shopify offers online retailers and merchants a complete set of end to end services to function online.  This suite of services including payment channels, marketing, shipping, customer engagement, and  analytical tools. This simplifies the process of running an eCommerce business for small merchants  significantly. 

One can have the free hand to choose the design of their eCommerce platform and decide how to  interact with their customers for better conversions. Above all the services provided by Shopify, it does not leave the “Powered by Shopify” branding on the merchant’s website. 

How platforms like Shopify are molding the future of eCommerce? 

The company has been announcing major initiatives with product updates and new features in the  software. Shopify has been upgrading recently to offer not only an easy-to-use eCommerce platform  but also a varying range of services like email marketing, shipping, and financial services. Shopify  provides an opportunity for every retailer no matter which eCommerce platform the owner is using. 

Ecommerce is leading the online business with fluent automation, saving time for retailers as well as  consumers. The eCommerce automation is not only confined to the warehouse but the online payments,  deliveries, and beyond. Shopify provides expert freelancers and agencies from the marketplace to assist  the retailers with a complete end to end setup. 

The demand for the platform is no longer dominated by the B2C alone, B2B eCommerce sales are also  rising at a rapid pace and are expected to rise by $6.6 trillion by 2021. There is a rising trend for  companies to buy software, products, and services for their domestic workforce. Companies are  automating the maximum functionalities of the system with the latest software and processes. 

Shopify offers extensive marketing options via email marketing, google smart shopping, Facebook  Ads, etc. You can shoot email marketing campaigns from the existing templates of the platform. You  can set a daily budget for the technology to run strategic campaigns on its own. Also, the retailer can  rely on Shopify to target ideal shoppers for increasing sales numbers. 

Shopify offers a single platform for all eCommerce needs. It enables you to track your campaign  performance across all channels, from start to finish through the single platform. The platform owners  can evaluate the marketing campaigns directly through the dashboard reports. Retailers can add  marketing features to their business with apps that can be integrated directly with Shopify. 

Shopify is the key player to bring SMEs to eCommerce automation to increase conversions, decrease  physical infrastructure and boost the penetration of retailers into eCommerce. Nowadays online  shoppers are smarter and need quicker service sitting from the comfort of the home. They wish to shop  fast, cheap with quality avoiding physical strain. With a small upgrade in the digital world, retailers can  achieve a larger market for their products.

Is Shopify the only player? 

The company has planned to launch the Shopify Capital program in Canada amid the COVID-19  pandemic. This program offers cash advances between $200 – $500,000 CAD to small and medium size merchants to continue their online platform. This initiative shows the vision of capturing an  accelerating e-commerce penetration around the globe. 

As of June 2019, Shopify using its platform has penetrated across 175 countries. Businesses across the  globe are evolving, and this growing business needs a strong infrastructure to take their business to new  marketplaces. Shopify offers these merchants and retailers to scope to expand. 

Shopify is not the only player in the eCommerce world currently. Ecommerce companies like SquareSpace, Wix, and BigCommerce also offer site-building features but Shopify is the most competitive  one. Shopify stands out from the rest of the competitors because of its versatility. 

A successful eCommerce experience depends cumulatively on multiple factors like branding, building  target audience, cataloging products, support features, website direction, payment ease etc. Shopify  stands as an all-in-one platform to significantly reduce the barrier of entry for anyone interested in  shifting the business online by making eCommerce a practical reality. 

Concluding remarks: 

It is obvious from the recent updates that Shopify has the ambition to create the ultimate one-stop-shop  for e-commerce. They are already doing significantly well in this direction. The increasing horizon of  the varying services is proof of the company’s commitment to delivering the best possible e-commerce  experience to merchants, retailers, and shoppers at large. 

Shopify is building the getaway for SMEs in the digital world. The barrier for entry into the  eCommerce space has never been lower than offered by Shopify. Today, anyone with a good product and a  little finance can have an online marketplace for the target audience using Shopify.

Shopify will certainly be the savior of small and medium businesses in the future. I hope you liked this blog. Keep reading this space for more such resourceful insights.