There are a lot of things to figure out when opening a Shopify store. Below we have compiled the most frequently asked questions about Shopify eCommerce.
What is Shopify and why is it so popular?
Shopify is an e-commerce service that allows businesses to easily set up and run an online store. It provides a platform and tools for setting up and running an online store. Shopify offers many plug-ins and themes that can be extended to customise the look and feel and functionality of your online store. The Shopify e-commerce platform is a popular choice for small and medium-sized businesses who want to set up an online store without the need for technical expertise or high costs.
What are the main benefits of Shopify?
Here are some of the main benefits:
- Shopify is designed to be easy to use, so you can set up and maintain an online store without any technical knowledge.
- It offers a range of payment methods, including online banking, credit card payments and mobile payments.
- It comes with a wide range of themes and add-ons that allow you to customise the look and functionality of your online store according to your needs.
- Technical maintenance is taken care of for you, so you can focus on what matters most – selling.
- Shopify provides customer service for setting up and maintaining an online store.
- It’s a secure and reliable online shopping service, so customers can shop with confidence.
Shopify online store design
Before setting up an online shop, it is important to plan what kind of products you want to offer and to what kind of audience. This will help you choose the right theme and correctly define product categories and information so that your website navigation works reliably.
At the design stage, it is also important to define how your online shop will work technically. For example, what payment methods you offer your customers and how you handle deliveries. These things should be defined before setting up your online shop, so that they work smoothly once the shop is open.
Of course, we can help you design your online shop.
Setting up an online store with Shopify
Setting up a Shopify online store is easy after planning and requires only a few steps:
- The first step is to sign up for Shopify. This is done by entering the necessary personal data and selecting the payment method.
- Shopify Themes offers a wide range of themes that allow you to customise the look and feel of your online store according to your needs. Choose a theme that suits your business and the products your online shop offers.
- Next, you can start adding products to your online shop. You can add product details, images and prices via the control panel. You can also categorise your products and add discounts.
- Define how deliveries will be handled and what payment methods you will offer your customers. You can choose from a variety of options, such as traditional mail and express delivery or mobile payments.
- You can create pages such as a homepage, a contact page and an information page for your online shop. You can also add blog posts and other content to your online shop’s website.
- Before launching your online store, it is important to test that it works as you expect. This may include testing the addition and payment of products and checking the navigation and layout of the site.
- When you are ready, you can publish your online store by clicking on the “Publish online store” button in the control panel. Your online shop is now open for customers.
Of course, if you wish, you can outsource the online store entirely to the Success Stories team, in which case we will be responsible for setting up the store from design to implementation.
Shopify maintenance
The Shopify store requires some maintenance once it is set up. The main maintenance tasks involve adding and removing products, setting pricing and delivery methods, and updating the content of the site.
In addition, the webshop operator must monitor the activity of the webshop and the purchases made. This may include reviewing statistics and creating reports, as well as processing customer feedback.
Shopify takes care of the technical maintenance for you, so you don’t have to worry about things like server maintenance or software updates. This saves time and effort for the online shop administrator.
The number of maintenance tasks depends on the size and activity of the online shop. In a small online store, the maintenance tasks may be relatively minor, while in a larger online store they may be more.
If you want, you can get Shopify e-commerce maintenance from Success Story, in which case we will make the changes you want to your e-commerce store.
Is Shopify ecommerce suitable for international businesses?
Yep, it’s well suited to international businesses, as it offers several features that make it easier to set up and run an online store in different countries. Here are some examples of these features:
- Shopify offers several language options, so your online store can be set up and maintained in different languages.
- A variety of payment methods are available, including online banking, credit card and mobile payments. This makes it easy for customers from different countries to shop online.
- You can define delivery methods for different countries and price them separately if necessary. You can also add different delivery methods to suit your needs.
- Shopify provides tools for managing taxes in different countries. You can set the tax rates and add taxable products if necessary.
- The system includes tools for managing international SEO, making it easier for your online store to be found by search engines in different countries.
All in all, the platform provides a comprehensive set of tools for setting up and running international online shops.
Shopify Search Engine Optimization
Shopify offers several tools for search engine optimisation of your online store. You can use these tools to improve your online store’s search engine findability and drive more traffic to your online store:
- Define site metadata, such as title and description tags, that describe the content of your online shop. This information is displayed in search engine results and helps search engines understand what your online shop is about.
- Add keywords related to your products or services to the content of your online shop. This helps search engines to understand what your online shop content is and helps your online shop to be found by search engines.
- Define content categories for your online shop’s products or services. These categories help search engines to understand what your online shop content is and help your online shop to be found by search engines.
- Link your online shop to other sites that are reliable and trustworthy. This helps search engines to understand that your online shop is trustworthy and increases your online shop’s discoverability in search engines.
- Use Google Search Console to track your online store’s traffic and the changes you make. This will help you understand what works and what doesn’t work for your online store and help you improve its discoverability in search results.
Success Stories helps you achieve your goals with years of experience in search engine optimisation. We’ll give you all the service and support you need to increase your visibility in search engines.
Shopify and hosting
You don’t need a separate hosting contract to use the Shopify eCommerce platform.
Is it possible to add videos to it?
Yes, you can add videos to your Shopify store. You can add videos to product pages to help customers see your products better. You can also add videos to other pages, such as your homepage or blog posts.
You can add videos through the control panel by adding a video widget to the page or by adding a video to the HTML code page. You can also add a video via the YouTube link.
Remember that adding a video to your online store’s website can improve the customer experience and help them decide whether to buy. However, remember that the video should be of high quality and relevant to the content of your online store.
Is my Shopify store Google Analytics 4 compatible?
Yes, it is. We recommend using the Tag Manager tool to deploy Google Analytics 4 on the Shopify eCommerce platform. The Tag Manager enables accurate transaction tracking of actions taken by users of your online store. Shopping cart behaviour analysis, product sales, turnover and other e-commerce tracking features are all possible with GA4.
Getting web analytics right, ensuring data collection and using it to drive business development are key elements of e-commerce competitiveness. Success Stories gives you the expertise and experience you need to implement and use network analytics in your business.
Can Shopify be customised or integrated with other systems?
Despite Shopify’s low adoption threshold, Shopify can also be customised for different uses. We have implemented a wide range of customizations with Shopify, such as integration with an ERP system, working with another publishing system in the same online store, and implementing a headless solution with GatsbyJS programming library. So Shopify can be customised when you know what you want to achieve. When you’re considering Shopify as part of your information system solution, it’s worth asking us about our expertise.
Migrating from the old store to Shopify
If your current online store feels like a drag on growth, a move to Shopify may be a viable option. Switching from one system to another can feel challenging at first, but we’ve made the transition really easy. It is very likely that the product range and content of the current online store can be transferred to Shopify with a few clicks of a button. We will provide an introduction to the new system, which will be available on video for review. Let us know which system you’re thinking of migrating to Shopify from, and we’ll make the transition as easy as possible.
Achieve your goals with an online store
Success Stories delivers on your goals with its e-commerce solutions. We have years of experience in e-commerce. You can ask us anything you want when you are planning to open an online shop. It pays to take advantage of our expertise well in advance of a project.
Want to know more about Shopify ecommerce or marketing?
Book a 15-minute chat here or request a quote.
