Choosing an e-commerce platform affects much more than how products appear on a website. It also determines how a business manages orders, payments, inventory, shipping and many of the technical systems behind the store.
For businesses whose website is primarily focused on selling products online, Shopify offers a streamlined approach by bringing many of those responsibilities into one platform.
Shopify is built around e-commerce
Unlike a general-purpose content management system with e-commerce added to it, Shopify was built specifically for online stores.
Products, collections, inventory, orders, discounts, customer information, payments and reporting can all be managed from the same interface. Shopify also integrates online sales with social channels, marketplaces and its point-of-sale system for businesses that sell in person.
Its ecosystem can expand that functionality further. Thousands of apps are available for features ranging from subscriptions and product reviews to shipping, marketing and inventory management.
For a business focused heavily on e-commerce, having these systems centered around the store can make day-to-day management considerably simpler.
Hosting, security and checkout are managed for you
One of Shopify’s biggest advantages is that much of the underlying infrastructure is handled by the platform itself.
According to Shopify’s hosting documentation (opens in a new tab), hosting and unlimited bandwidth are included with Shopify stores. Stores also include SSL security, and Shopify maintains Level 1 PCI DSS compliance for handling payment information.
The checkout is managed by Shopify as well. This allows Shopify to continuously maintain and improve one of the most important parts of an e-commerce website without each individual store having to build and maintain its own payment infrastructure.
Shopify’s checkout platform (opens in a new tab) also supports features such as Shop Pay, multiple payment methods, subscriptions and mobile-first checkout experiences.
Shopify and WooCommerce serve different needs
Shopify is not the only strong option for selling online. At Razorfrog, we work with both Shopify and WooCommerce, and the right platform depends on the website and the business behind it.
WooCommerce integrates directly with WordPress and offers extensive flexibility and control. It can be an excellent choice when e-commerce is one part of a larger content-driven website or when a project benefits from WordPress’s broader publishing and customization capabilities.
Shopify often makes more sense when operating an online store is the website’s primary purpose. Hosting, payments, checkout and core commerce functionality are managed within the same ecosystem, reducing the number of separate systems a business needs to maintain.
A platform that can grow with the store
An e-commerce website rarely stays exactly the same after launch. Product catalogs grow, fulfillment processes change, new sales channels appear and businesses need new integrations as they expand.
Shopify offers multiple plans and a large ecosystem of themes, apps and development tools that allow stores to evolve without changing platforms every time their needs become more complex.
The platform still benefits from thoughtful design and experienced development. Themes need to reflect the brand, products need to be organized clearly, pages need to be accessible and the purchasing experience should work well across devices.
For businesses looking for a platform built specifically around selling online, Shopify provides a strong foundation. Razorfrog designs, develops and supports Shopify e-commerce websites with a focus on usability, accessibility and creating an online store that is easy for both customers and its owners to use.