What is Shopify? A complete guide for online sellers

1. A fully hosted platform

Shopify is a cloud-based, hosted eCommerce platform. This means you don’t need to worry about servers, software updates, or security.

This means automatic updates, built-in security, and reliable performance even during high traffic. By handling these aspects for you, Shopify reduces the risk of issues caused by manual setup or configuration errors.

2. Store and product management

Once your store is live, everything is managed through the Shopify admin dashboard. From there, you can add and organize products, track inventory, process orders, and view basic sales data, all from one place. 

Shopify lets you sell physical products, digital items, and even recurring subscriptions like online courses. This setup makes it easier to manage your business operations without juggling multiple tools.

3. Payment processing

Shopify connects with a wide range of payment processors, including credit cards and popular digital wallets. It also has a built-in option, Shopify Payments, which supports multiple currencies and processes payments directly without a third-party provider.

With many secure payment processing options available, it’s easy to sell to anyone, anywhere in the world.

4. Order fulfillment and shipping

Customer orders are automatically recorded in your Shopify dashboard. From there, you can prepare shipments, print shipping labels, send tracking updates, and handle refunds if needed.

You can integrate your Shopify store with Printify to make the fulfillment process even easier – more details on that later.

5. Built-in tools for marketing and sales

Aside from being a website builder, Shopify offers basic tools to help drive traffic and increase sales. These cover search engine optimization (SEO), discount codes, email marketing, and simple promotions to encourage repeat purchases.

6. Apps for added functionality

If you need more features, browse the Shopify App Store for third-party apps. You’ll find solutions for all sorts of things – marketing, customer support, inventory management, automation, and more – to help extend your store’s functionality.

7. Selling across multiple channels

Shopify supports selling beyond your website. You can connect your store to social media platforms, online marketplaces, and even physical locations using Shopify POS (point-of-sale system), all while keeping your inventory in sync.

8. Built to scale

Shopify is designed to grow with your business. With built-in tools and easy access to third-party integrations, the platform can handle higher order volumes easily.

1. Sign up for a Shopify account

Go to the Shopify website, click Start free trial, and create an account.

During onboarding, Shopify will ask a few questions about your store and business goals. Use them to tailor the setup to your needs, or skip and head straight to your Shopify dashboard. This is where you manage everything, from orders and products to website settings.

2. Customize your store

Choose a theme from Shopify’s theme store and use the drag-and-drop editor to customize your layout, branding, fonts, and colors. For quicker results, create a custom website with the platform’s AI assistant, Shopify Magic.

Add key store pages like About, Contact, and FAQ, and organize your homepage to highlight new products, collections, or promotions. If crafting copy isn’t your thing, Shopify Magic can also help you draft page content.

Make sure the images you upload meet Shopify’s size and quality guidelines. Good visuals make your store easier to navigate and encourage shoppers to look through your products.

3. Add your products

You can add products manually or connect your Shopify store with Printify to automate inventory management and order fulfillment. 

Here’s what the manual method looks like:

1. Go to Products → Add product from your Shopify admin dashboard.
2. Enter a clear product title and description that highlights key benefits.
3. Upload high-quality images to showcase your product from different angles.
4. Set your pricing and inventory levels for stock tracking.
5. Add variants for options like size, color, or material.
6. Assign categories and collections to improve store navigation.

4. Set up payments and checkout

You can start accepting customer payments with Shopify Payments. Here’s how to activate the built-in payment gateway:

1. Go to Settings → Payments from the admin dashboard.
2. Select Shopify Payments and connect your bank account.
3. Enable additional payment methods if needed.

Once set up, customers can complete checkout using major payment methods, making it easier to process orders securely and efficiently.

Plus, Shopify integrates with popular third-party payment providers. Select See all other providers to view the available options.

5. Manage orders and inventory

Once your Shopify store is live, you can view and manage customer orders from the Orders section in your admin dashboard. This is also where you can edit orders, issue refunds, or cancel orders when needed.

To manage inventory:

1. Go to Products → Inventory from the admin dashboard.
2. Adjust stock levels manually or enable automated inventory tracking.
3. Turn on low-stock alerts to avoid overselling.

Using apps to scale

Shopify’s App Store makes it easy to add new features without custom development. Here are some popular apps to help sellers scale:

• Printify. Automates product creation, inventory, and fulfillment for print-on-demand stores, so you can grow your shop without managing stock.
• Discounty. Creates automated discounts, bulk pricing, and promotions to increase average order value.
• Canva Connect. Makes it easy to design product visuals and marketing assets and sync them directly to your store.
• Omnisend. Helps automate email and SMS campaigns, including abandoned cart reminders and customer follow-ups.
• Zapier. Connects Shopify with other tools to automate repetitive tasks like order tracking, reporting, and customer notifications.
• Outfy. Creates and posts social media content across popular social networks.

POS system for online and in-person sales

Shopify POS lets you integrate physical stores with online sales channels, so you can sell in physical locations while keeping inventory synced with your online store. Offer in-person customers access to your full online catalog, accept the same payment methods, and manage all sales from one dashboard.

The best part? This feature is included in all pricing plans, making cross-selling easier whenever you’re ready.

Shopify vs WooCommerce

Selling on Shopify is easier for sellers with little to no technical skills or who don’t want to deal with backend technicalities. The main difference comes down to control versus simplicity. 

Shopify’s platform is fully hosted, so you don’t need to manage hosting, security, or software updates. WooCommerce offers more flexibility and customization, but it means handling your own hosting and ongoing technical maintenance.

Shopify vs Wix

Wix is easier for quick setups and small online stores, especially if you want a simple website with basic selling features. Shopify is a more robust commerce platform, with stronger tools for inventory management, payments, and handling higher order volumes. 

For businesses planning to grow, Shopify offers more room to scale.

Shopify vs Squarespace

Squarespace stands out for design and visual presentation, which makes it appealing to creatives and content-driven brands. Shopify, on the other hand, is designed mainly for online product sales.

If sales, integrations, and multichannel online selling are your top priorities, Shopify is the better fit.