{"id":3449,"date":"2017-11-20T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/?p=3449"},"modified":"2017-11-19T20:47:01","modified_gmt":"2017-11-20T03:47:01","slug":"shopify-pros-and-cons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopify Pros and Cons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Shopify-Pros-and-Cons.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Shopify-Pros-and-Cons.jpeg\" alt=\"Shopify Pros and Cons\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Shopify-Pros-and-Cons.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Shopify-Pros-and-Cons-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you&#8217;re an entrepreneur researching e-commerce platforms for your new business or whether you currently have an online store and are contemplating switching to a new system, chances are, you&#8217;ve heard of Shopify. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the e-commerce darling currently boasts over 500,000 merchant accounts with a total gross merchandise volume in excess of $46 billion. If you&#8217;re considering using Shopify, understanding the pros and cons of the platform will help you decide whether it&#8217;s the right choice for your e-commerce business. Here are a few Shopify pros and cons to consider.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Pros\" >Pros<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Hosting_Is_Included\" >Hosting Is Included<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Fast_Website_Speed_and_Load_Times\" >Fast Website Speed and Load Times<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Securely_Handle_Sensitive_Information\" >Securely Handle Sensitive Information<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Easy_to_Use\" >Easy to Use<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Access_to_Tools_and_Apps\" >Access to Tools and Apps<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#247_Access_to_Customer_Support\" >24\/7 Access to Customer Support<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Cons\" >Cons<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Some_Plans_Have_Transaction_Fees\" >Some Plans Have Transaction Fees<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Customization_Can_Be_Difficult\" >Customization Can Be Difficult<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/shopify-pros-and-cons\/#Migration_Can_Be_Tricky\" >Migration Can Be Tricky<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pros\"><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>Pros<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hosting_Is_Included\"><\/span><strong>Hosting Is Included<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shopify is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/2017\/10\/16\/e-commerce-solutions-hosted-carts-vs-self-hosted-carts\/\">hosted system<\/a>, which means that the software runs on the e-commerce company\u2019s servers. Rather than pay extra for hosting, when using Shopify, that service is included in your package.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fast_Website_Speed_and_Load_Times\"><\/span><b>Fast Website Speed and Load Times<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speed times are crucial for any online business. Online shoppers have come to expect fast website speed and load times. If your website doesn&#8217;t meet expectations, potential customers are likely to do business with another competitor or abandon their carts. In addition, search engines such as Google favor sites with faster load times, which means that a slow site can negatively impact your search rankings. With Shopify&#8217;s powerful servers, you enjoy fast speed and load times.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Securely_Handle_Sensitive_Information\"><\/span><b>Securely Handle Sensitive Information<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shopify is PCI DSS compliant, which means that you don&#8217;t have to worry about your client&#8217;s security; it\u2019s taken care of for you. You can securely handle sensitive information and accept credit card and debit card payment processing. In addition, you can encrypt your store&#8217;s content by activating the SSL certificates that Shopify provides free of charge, adding an extra layer of protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Easy_to_Use\"><\/span><b>Easy to Use<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shopify is incredibly easy to use even if you don&#8217;t have any technical knowledge. Their intuitive editor and hundreds of professionally-designed free themes make setting up your responsive website and online store a breeze. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Access_to_Tools_and_Apps\"><\/span><b>Access to Tools and Apps<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With Shopify, you have access to a range of tools and apps to support and grow your business. For instance, their built-in SEO tool enables you to easily optimize your pages while their reporting tools allow you to analyze valuable customer data. They even offer newsletter and blogging capabilities and an extensive app store.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"247_Access_to_Customer_Support\"><\/span><b>24\/7 Access to Customer Support<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you encounter any issues, you can contact Shopify&#8217;s knowledgeable customer support team using your channel of choice: phone, email, live chat, and even social media. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cons\"><\/span><b>Cons<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Some_Plans_Have_Transaction_Fees\"><\/span><b>Some Plans Have Transaction Fees<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shopify offers a range of pricing options to suit a variety of e-commerce merchants, ranging from $29 to $299 per month. However, unless you subscribe to the higher-priced plans or use Shopify Payments, you may be faced with additional transaction fees, which, as your business grows, can amount to a lot of money.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Customization_Can_Be_Difficult\"><\/span><b>Customization Can Be Difficult<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When compared to self-hosted systems, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/2017\/10\/16\/e-commerce-solutions-hosted-carts-vs-self-hosted-carts\/\">hosted solutions<\/a> are less customizable since you are limited by the platform. In addition, some themes are harder to customize. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Migration_Can_Be_Tricky\"><\/span><b>Migration Can Be Tricky<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although many other e-commerce platforms are also guilty of this, migration from Shopify is not easy. When you decide to close your Shopify store, be prepared to lose a lot of the valuable data that you have acquired.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Are you considering using Shopify? Share your reasons with us by commenting below.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you&#8217;re an entrepreneur researching e-commerce platforms for your new business or whether you currently have an online store and are contemplating switching to a new system, chances are, you&#8217;ve heard of Shopify. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the e-commerce darling currently boasts over 500,000 merchant accounts with a total gross merchandise&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":267,"featured_media":3450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[818],"tags":[820,819],"class_list":["post-3449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-commerce-platforms","tag-shopify-advantages-and-disadvantages","tag-shopify-pros-and-cons"],"modified_by":"Smita Ramphul","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Shopify-Pros-and-Cons.jpeg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/267"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}