Shopify Reviews

Pros

I currently use Shopify for my “side hustle” business - selling retro and vintage style dresses online - www.retrovintagedresses.com I previously used Magento for my shopping cart before switching over to Shopify. I like that it’s an easy platform to get set up on and deploy. Also, I love that you can easily create a catalog on business manager to sell products on Facebook and Instagram. Definitely easy to use.

Cons

I don’t have any cons that I can think of with Shopify. I’ve been using it for over 2 years and have not had any major issues or set backs.

Alternatives Considered

Squarespace

Reasons for Choosing Shopify

Initially I liked Magento, I thought it was a pretty good fit and the store did really well after launching in the beginning of 2011. Over the next several years, and after discovering some vulnerabilities in Magento (which we were subsequently hacked)we decided that there were better options available - and that’s when we made the switch.

Switched From

Adobe Commerce

Pros

Shopify is the easiest eCommerce platform and offers an excellent combination of ease-of-use and power. I love WooCommerce (have used it for site builds since 2012), but Shopify has become my new go-to for basic eCommerce builds in recent years. If you know what you're doing you can literally get a simple Shopify site up and running in less than 2 hours.

The plugin and theme marketplaces on Shopify are phenomenal. They're not as extensive as the WP plugin marketplaces, but the overall quality is better, making up for the quantity gap. There are still a few holes compared to something like WooCommerce, but Shopify will do 95% of what you could imagine doing on an eCommerce site, and do it easier than anyone else.

Stability may be the biggest selling point of Shopify. Because you don't control the server, database, or mid-tier code, the hard maintenance is all done by Shopify automatically. Most serious eCommerce businesses make back their subscription just in the maintenance cost savings.

Cons

Shopify is not nearly as flexible as something like WooCommerce or Magento because you don't have access to the server's backend code or the database. This makes it harder (and sometimes even impossible) to build out really sophisticated solutions to difficult data oriented problems. That said, those kinds of problems are rare and most businesses will be able to find alternative solutions.

Shopify is going to run you $30/month+. Compared to a lot of the open source options out there this can feel expensive. Apps can drive that price higher very quickly. For most small businesses they're going to find themselves paying $50-$100/month for the features they need to drive their online sales. If you're willing to go without some functionality (or find a free alternative) you can keep that cost in the $30-$50/month range.

Alternatives Considered

WooCommerce and BigCommerce

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

Ease of use and stability. All the other systems require more technical understanding. Even for techy people there's something nice about working with a system that just works.

Pros

For me, the most popular features that have more impact are from Shopify are online store creation, inventory management, payment and shipping processes, and site appearance customization options. It also offers marketing and analytics tools for users, such as creating ad campaigns, integration with social networks, and the ability to track sales statistics.As far as ease of use goes, I, like many other users, find Shopify to be very intuitive and easy to use, even for those without technical knowledge. There is a lot of documentation and online guides to help users understand the different features, and their customer service is also very responsive.There are also numerous themes and customization options to help users create a site that matches their brand image. Users can also use third-party apps to add additional functionality to their online store.In summary, Shopify is considered an easy-to-use and powerful platform for businesses that want to launch an online business quickly. It offers a wide range of features to manage sales, inventory, and payments, and there is a large amount of resources to help users get the most out of the platform.

Cons

Like any e-commerce platform, Shopify has its limitations and there are features that could be improved. Some of the things that were mentioned by users include:Better integration with customer relationship management (CRM) systems for better contact and lead management.More advanced customization options for product pages to allow for better product presentation.Better integration with accounting software for more efficient financial management.Customization options for payment pages for a better user experience.And as many other users often mention, I find that some aspects of the platform can be difficult to use for non-technical users, such as advanced theme customization or setting up advanced shipping options. However, there are many resources online to help users understand these features and set them up

Pros

It's braindead easy for anyone with a modest set of technical skills to setup a store. (If you can use Facebook, you can use Shipify). Uploading files is a breeze and most menus seem to make some logical sense. The easy of initial setup is why so many scam sites use this platform-- anyone, even fraudsters love it. But that doesn't make it a good platform!

Cons

The platform is quite costly compared to other options. It doesn't come with enough features to work on its own so users are stuck having to pay for add-on modules. And these are not a straight-up purchase but come with a monthly fee. I calculated the modules I would need and it was going to run me $500-$800 USD/month! It has been cheaper to build a Magento site and pay cash up front, one time, for modules I will use for the lifetime of my site.

The service at Shopify was appalling. I contacted support with a problem on their server that the tech couldn't help resolve but refused to patch me through to someone else. This happened every time I called in (4 times with similar issues on their end).

Payout is offered in one currency and once a week. Not at all flexible or professional.

The final dealbreaker was when they sold me a 3rd party theme that was replaced 2 days later by the vendor with a better theme, and the vendor would have refunded me but said it was up to Shopify to refund. Shopify refused and the Vendor was very apologetic and said they heard all the time from customers how unprofessional Shopify's policies were.

I have since noticed how many fly-by-night scammer sites and sites selling counterfeit goods are on the Shopify platform. Though these are rarely shut down, honest sites sometimes are. I feel much safer hosting my site on my terms and without worry they, under their user agreement, can terminate my site whenever they choose.

Alternatives Considered

WooCommerce and PayPal Commerce Platform

Reasons for Choosing Shopify

I was advised by a developer to use Shopify as he thought it would provide the many features my new site required. Sadly, all the features, many basic, were only available with costly extensions on a monthly plan. It was a poor choice and I regretted it for nearly a year as I had to switch over yet again to a far more flexible and powerful platform (Magento).

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

I thought Shopify would provide the features that were necessary to my site. Alas, said features were not present in the site and many not even in modules. It was a bad call on my part to think this solution would work.

Pros

Of the big 3 website builders (Shopify, Squarespace, Wix), Shopify is hands down the best for e-commerce. The other platforms simply don't have the same level of e-commerce support - from advanced shipping options to the wide range of discounts you can create for your online store. The extensive App Store also offers easy-to-install plugins to enhance your website's functionality. If you're serious about growing your online store, Shopify is the way to go.

Cons

It has to be said that Shopify is not as pretty as Squarespace or Wix, both of which being more design-led platforms. Shopify 2.0 was a major upgrade, in that you can now add design blocks to every page. But unless you know how to do custom coding, the design features are still somewhat limited. The email campaign feature is buggy - Wix is much better for that, but then Wix isn't really suited to run an online store.

Alternatives Considered

Wix, WordPress, Squarespace and GoDaddy Website Builder

Reasons for Choosing Shopify

Shopify has the best e-commerce features.

Switched From

Wix, WordPress, Adobe Dreamweaver, Squarespace, Canva, Adobe Photoshop and GoDaddy Website Builder

Pros

1. Easy to use and intuitive dashboard for managing your store2. Numerous features and functionalities to suit all types of businesses3. Ability to customize your store to match your brand4. Ability to quickly scale up as you grow5. Comprehensive payment options and secure checkout6. Quick and easy integration with third-party applications7. 24/7 customer support8. Mobile-friendly storefronts and mobile app9. Comprehensive marketing and SEO capabilities 10. Automation tools to save you time and money

Cons

1. Limited customization options which can be restrictive for many businesses 2. High transaction fees for more expensive plans 3. Lack of international payment options for customers in certain countries

Pros

amazing value for a solid platform with all the right features. Any add-on is easy to test, install. Your shop can be live in a matter of minutes. Integrations with Social Media is really easy.

Cons

It is important to get all the details ready in advance for the original set up: personal and business contact details, banking, proof of addresses, company registration and VAT numbers, logos...We had to create a PayPal account, it would be easier to get it sorted at first.

Pros

Creating catalogs and inventory, stock management, order data management is made easy. Integrating more functions with API and automation level ups the business

Cons

It's not easy for beginners and guide is not that helpful enough

Alternatives Considered

Wix

Pros

Easy to deploy and go live. List your producs and start selling

Cons

Quite expensive for startups. Addon subscription is costly for starters

Alternatives Considered

WooCommerce and Magento 2 Product Designer

Pros

It's very useful and vital to those want to get into e-commerce.

Cons

No pros so far! It is just well designed.

Pros

Shopify is where it's at if you want to get involved in the whole Direct 2 Consumer craze! You could literally have a store, up and running and transactional in 10 minutes assuming you're computer / web literate, have a bank account, and a product to sell...For getting up and running with hundreds of attractive themes to choose from (not all on Shopify.com, there are online stores that sell themes...) you really can't beat the ease of Shopify – with just the right amount of freedom, and automation to make sure you can get your products and logo looking their best, and not accidentally break the whole thing. And if you know a little HTML/CSS, the sky is really the limit in terms of customizing the theme. Plus there's a Shopify "App Store" that offers every possible function you could imagine if you wanted something not natively offered such as pop-ups, rewards clubs, or wholesale pricing.

Cons

In the beginning, I found it a bit cumbersome to deal with large catalogs with lots of variants (color / size) per sku. But Shopify and their lightning-fast chat support are nothing if not good listeners and they've made editing part of, or your whole catalog, much easier than ever before, with tons of filters for tailoring your product selection on the back end, to making almost any variable from Title, to Inventory, to Weight, easily bulk editable. So the thing I'll say that still stinks, is that all the apps charge subscription fees, which is super annoying, especially if you rely on a bunch of them. I would much rather pay a one and done license fee as opposed to $3 a month for my mailing list manager app, $16 a month for my Wholesale price tiering app, and $5 for my abandoned cart retrieval system. It adds up to a big, never-ending headache.

Pros

Setting up our company and its shop was very easy, as well as finding a visual theme that suited us and meshed well with our existing branding. There's a wealth of free themes, and countless additional paid ones, so it's hard to imagine anyone not finding what they need. Shopify's core functions are quite complete and comprehensive, but if you find there's something they don't do for you out of the box, chances are good that there's a third-party app that will answer the need, and usually for not very much additional expense.

Cons

Importing existing products into the store was a pretty big project (although of course, not all new store creators have 200-300 products they need to start up with like we did), and editing and/or customizing those products can be time-consuming and sometimes awkward. There are times when I'd really like to multiple-select several products and modify the same attribute for all of them, but the system doesn't support this. I have a feeling they'll add support for this kind of thing somewhere down the line.

Pros

It’s very user friendly with lots of options to help business growth and development. Customer service is fast and efficient. They are very helpful and friendly and easy to get a hold off. Constant updates and apps to add to your site means you stay up to date with new trends and features. Also Shopify integrates easily with a lot of things you need like Facebook catalogue, other wholesale sites etc. You can basically transfer over your inventory in 1 click. You also get great discounted rates on shipping.

Cons

It is more expensive than other options plus to integrate anything eg. Instagram, email newsletter function, galleries etc you need to pay for an app. Some apps are free but very few. A lot of features are only available on the more expensive pro plan.

Alternatives Considered

WordPress and Squarespace

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

Despite Shopify being more expensive I had used it (basic level) for a previous job. I was already familiar and knew the ins and outs. I didn’t want to learn something completely new. I had experienced the good customer service already and was attracted by not only the ease of use but all the additional features that you can easily add to your website with no complex coding.

Pros

The best thing about Shopify is the ease of use over its competitors. The user interface is very straight forward and the templates they have available practically customize themselves. Shopify also offers a comprehensive knowledge base where you can get answers to just about anything you can possibly think of. If you’re looking for a headache then use one of the other options out there, but if you’re looking for a painless experience getting your online store up and running then Shopify is the service for you!

Cons

Shopify is compatible with a lot of 3rd party plug-ins and apps, but there are still a few they’re missing. For example, we had to switch our email client over to MailChimp because Shopify isn’t compatible with the ReachMail service we had been using… and it took a lot of time to switch everything over. I recommend you make sure all of your current services are compatible with Shopify before choosing them for your eCommerce site.

Alternatives Considered

WooCommerce

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

For the ease of use and across the board compatibility.

Pros

I liked that Shopify’s platform is very easy to use, even for a web-developing beginner! You need absolutely no skills to build a Shopify store that will amaze your website visitors! Simply select a theme that fits well with your store’s niche and go from there. There are so many app add-ons that you can download to your Shopify store to make it POP. And the best part? You can utilize their free-trial to build your website with no restrictions so that possibly at the end of your trial (like me) you are already ready to launch your store with the $30/month subscription!

Cons

I definitely do not like that most app add-ons are additional fees. Once you realize there are other apps you want/need, the cost adds up to where you will find yourself needing nearly a $100/month budget (unless you select a higher costing Shopify subscription, that can run you up to nearly a $200/month budget). More free (not just free-trial) apps need to be available because not everyone can afford to keep paying monthly for everything, ESPECIALLY during this pandemic. A reduced monthly subscription fee during this pandemic would have been super considerate!

Alternatives Considered

WordPress

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

I have been using WordPress for years, and I can tell you one thing—Shopify is much more affordable and gets the job done, especially for an eCommerce website. From only using Shopify’s free trial I was blown away. I am definitely sticking with Shopify!

Pros

Shopify is the best software I have found for selling and marketing directly to customers and fans. It takes a very hands on approach, but the integrations with social media, marketing, ads and the e-commerce capabilities are truly world class. I love how you can manage everything from the dashboard, and use apps to print on demand directly to customers, or sell your own products using the shipping integrations and automatic processing.

Cons

Shopify is amazing overall, but has some drawbacks. The interface is a bit clunky compared to other e-commerce platforms, and does not allow bulk edits. It is not ideal for businesses with massive product catalogs, as each product needs to be edited individually. The price can get high very fast, since a more expensive plan is required to get third party calculated shipping rates. The somewhat limited functionality of Shopify itself, requires additional apps, each with monthly subscriptions and higher costs. Shopify no longer refunds transaction fees when an item is returned, and this can be a deal-breaker for merchants with higher priced items. The software and apps like Shopify digital downloads also requires the disabling of the normal internet settings, to allow for cross website tracking in order to work properly, which is not typical of most e-commerce apps and raises some privacy concerns. Overall Shopify is great, but it is missing some basic key features and the issues above make it a questionable choice for some merchants.

Alternatives Considered

Wix and Weebly

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

I chose Shopify mainly because it integrates with the print on demand company I use.

Pros

There is a high degree of freedom in page configuration when creating an EC site. In addition to the look and feel of the design, you can customize it with a wide variety of applications, so even amateurs can complete an EC site that looks like it was created from scratch by a professional. You can also update your blog. With a wide range of payment methods, we can offer customers a seamless shopping experience. Above all, the costs and maintenance fees are cheaper than other cart API systems.

Cons

The initial status of the mail template is not ready for use as-is, and its customization is quite complicated. If two days have passed since the order was placed, the payment status of a convenience store, etc. will be shown as "expired" even before the payment deadline, which will complicate the order management.

Alternatives Considered

Wix

Reasons for Choosing Shopify

Marketing functions can also be added with the app, so you can manage everything from advertising operations and affiliate ASP applications to administration within Shopify. The cost of the payment function can be kept low.

Switched From

BigCommerce

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

We wanted to create a sign site that was both an official site and an official store, so I welcomed the possibility of creating it. Similar to other companies' carts and you could implement the desired functions.

Pros

When I launched Shopify originally, I was looking for a solution that would accommodate online sales for my organization as well as in-person sales at our conferences. I had physical and digital items, and I needed something could take care of it all. That's what I found in Shopify. It was easy to implement and it helped the organization increase sales 35% YoY. Since then, I've launched a half dozen Shopify sites, and I just love how easy and flexible the platform is.

Cons

My only complaint about Shopify is how much of the platform requires apps. There are a lot of things that some of their competitors offer as a part of the platform that Shopify leaves to their app developers, and it's hard to get nickle-and-dimed when I want to add subscriptions or gift messages or anything else.

Alternatives Considered

WooCommerce

Reasons for Choosing Shopify

I made the switch because my other platform kept crashing and it was requiring massive changes to my data in order for me to run an update. I figured if I was going to have to reconfigure everything anyway, I might as well move to a better platform. The only downside was that the old platform was opensource and free, so we had to make an adjustment to paying a monthly fee.

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

WooCommerce is great, but it just didn't feel like a turnkey solution.

Pros

Shopify offers the possibility to implement ideas directly. Thanks to the modular system, stores can be set up literally within minutes.

The existing payment module can be set up, and apps can be installed for analysis, marketing, and aesthetics.

Especially for e-commerce newcomers without much background experience in web design, the foundation can be laid quickly and the noticeable progress in success motivates to continue. Anyone who wants to get from A to B quickly and loves Pareto will also love Shopify!

Cons

Due to the simple operation and the now widespread use of Shopify, you run the risk of developing a store 'like any other'. Structure and basic structures are always very similar and require code adaptations to stand out from the crowd.

Especially for newcomers, custom coding can be overwhelming, which often leads to the necessity of paid apps or the consultation of specialized web developers, as soon as something "special is required".

Alternatives Considered

WooCommerce

Reasons for Switching to Shopify

Generally spoken, I want to make market entries as uncomplicated as possible. WooCommerce, unlike Shopify, can cause more problems due to “unexpected bugs” and almost every functionality needs much more effort to be set up. According to my experience, Shopify is the best way to test products and markets rapidly and build brands and companies fast and long term without getting many technical issues during the process. This User friendly concept is worth the additional costs.

Pros

Shopify is the most user-friendly eCommerce platform, with a great balance of strength and simplicity.
Shopify's plugin and theme markets are incredible.
Shopify allows for true multi-currency selling, which is something that many competitor systems do not allow.
Shopify has a free email marketing tool that allows you to host and email up to 2,500 subscribers.
If you utilize Shopify Payments, the built-in payment processing system, there are no transaction costs.
Shopify supports a huge variety of external payment gateways.
Before committing to Shopify, you can sample it for free and without giving your credit card information.

Cons

Key feature that you might expect to be available out of the box frequently requires the installation of an app, which can make store setup a little more hard than you'd want or cause your site to slow down a little.
Shopify will set you back $30 per month or more, which may seem exorbitant when compared to some of the open source alternatives.
Professional reporting is only available on the more expensive subscriptions.
If you aren't using 'Shopify Shipping' to provide real-time carrier rates to your consumers, or if you live in a location where it isn't available, this functionality can be rather costly, or it may need you to purchase an annual subscription.
Some of the more interesting features are only available on the more expensive subscriptions.

Pros

Free themes: A friendly dashboard to complete your website in a blink of an eye
Real cheap: With only $29 you can design, track your product, manage your clients, and so on...
High secured platform: It gives you the power of creating your website and never ever worry about getting hacked or struggle with the server downtime.
Unlimited plugins and APPS: Yes it's like having an iPhone and you want to download an app for it, the Shopify app store is limitless any kind of app and plugins is available, and easy to install.
Customer service is available 24h/7 by email/Online Chat/ FAQ
Community: Huge community and video explanatory contents. YOU NEVER STRUGGLE.

Cons

Sometimes downloading a lot of APPs might make your website slow on loading, just need to be careful about what app you're integrating and just work with the MOST HAVE APPS.

Pros

Love the simplicity of it. Shopify made it was easy to create/build/manage our own web store. The monthly fees are reasonable and the transaction fees are low if you compare it to selling on Amazon. It gives us an alternative platform to sell with the potential for higher margins/profits. In terms of designing your website, Shopify's themes and tools allowed us to create a simple yet elegant web store. On the back end, it's fairly easy and straightforward to manage your store. Shopify also provides a lot of in-depth analytics to help you understand your customers and provide potential insights on how to improve sales. Shopify also integrates seamlessly with our Stitch inventory software which in turn syncs to our Shipstation for shipping (Shopify: front web store > Stitch: inventory software > Shipstation: shipping software). I think for anyone who has the desire to sell online, Shopify is definitely a solution for you.

Cons

1. Managing discount codes can get tricky if you have recurring/subscription orders. Recurring/subscription orders requires a plug-in called Bold and it applies discount codes differently from the Shopify platform (one-time purchases). Meaning if you wanted to have the same discount code, with the same discount applied, and applicable to one-time orders and recurring/subscription order, then that discount codes need to be entered in both Shopify and Bold. The method/calculation to enter in discount codes in both Shopify & bold are different as well. There's just a bit of extra work here. Also, once a Bold discount code is created it cannot be edited once saved. Shopify discount codes are editable after it's created and saved.
2. Another thing about Bold plug-in is when you update an existing recurring/subscription customer's order you can't instantly push an order through. You must wait until it processed through its auto-order process which for us is close to midnight local time. It'll be great if you're on the phone with a customer to have the ability to say the updates are completed, everything looks good, and we've processed the order, and it will be shipped right away. Right now, the quickest you can get the order processed is basically the next day.

Pros

I've been running an eCommerce shop for 5 years on Shopify. Easy setup and easy import of products from a CSV file. The app store has a large variety of free and paid plugins that deal with all the edge cases and shortcomings of Shopify. I've been able to import multiple other platforms and convert a Shopify store in a matter of hours. The user interface is intuitive and simple to navigate.
In the last few years, adding channels to sell on such as Houzz and Facebook have made a big difference in being able to get visibility into our products.
The ability to quickly change themes and customize using the Liquid language is quite nice for developers using this product.

Cons

The pricing between the middle tier and advance is a big leap. The middle tier plan only allows 5 staff accounts, which can be limited, to people using development consultants and virtual staff.
The ability manage redirects (from a previous site) is limited but can be fixed by using a paid app from the Shopify app store.

Alternatives Considered

BigCommerce

Switched From

Adobe Commerce

Pros

It's really impressive. The plugins are expensive and they charge a monthly fee. Service is of good quality. it is detailed but not complicated . The most well-known payment systems for turkey are guarantee virtual pos (no installments), payu and iyzico. iyzico integration is newer . -Easy to define the discount. It is very easy to follow the orders thanks to the mobile application. There are many themes available at affordable prices on sites such as themeforest.com etc. Do not buy themes from their site, very expensive and simple themes. The template system works with a language called liquid. It's easy to set up once you get used to it. It does most of the SEO. their api is extensive and their documentation is good. The blog system is a bit weak. It did not go to shopify even though it was paid several times. In general, it can be said that it is quite easy to use compared to its competitors.

Cons

It limits the site in many ways. You cannot customize the checkout page. If you give thousands of dollars, they'll let you. urls have to take prefixes like pages/ collections/. It's frustrating not being able to remove them. In order to do real customization, it is necessary to learn the liquid language. It is a bit difficult to develop on it, there is no test environment. However, development can be done by putting the theme in preview mode and making changes on it.

Pros

The product is very easy to use, contains multiple components beneficial to any business, and customer support is fabulous. All of its portals are self explanatory for the most part. In the rare occasion something is not understood or an error occurs, customer service is very thorough in helping solve the issue. They don't make you feel uneducated, or like you're bothering them, often they offer tips and tricks to help make your overall content better. I have personally spoken with many support people whom also have shopify accounts. They were nothing but a pleasure to speak with. Also, whether drop shipping, selling own products/services, or almost any type of business that exchanges money, this has it all. From manual entry sales, to point of sale systems, to cash payments, it tracks everything, and provides multiple options so customers have a choice in how to pay. Its ability to allow multiple people to log in such as employees or other people allowed to make sales with such ease is wonderful. The best part, is it can be accessed through any computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.. No need for expensive software or register machines anymore.

Cons

There really is not much I can say negative. For what they offer, they are pretty much spot on. Maybe the fact its not free.. :) but nothing this good could, nor should be free.