The e-commerce market has proven to be very promising in Brazil. In contrast to the economic instabilities that commerce has suffered in recent years, virtual stores grew 12% in 2017. The Brazilian Association of Electronic Commerce (ABComm) predicts that in 2018 it will grow 15%.
This means that having an online store is an entrepreneurial opportunity that can do very well. But to be able to ride the success of virtual storefronts, you need to do a good management and take some essential care, such as choosing the ideal platform, management tools and business strategies.
The main care would be in choosing the structure of your shopping site. Thinking about that, we made this article where we will compare and show the advantages of choosing the Shopify platform.
Want to learn more about it and how to start your business on the right foot? Then come with us!
What is the Shopify platform?
It is a standalone system for creating an online store. It can be managed by beginners and is well regarded in the e-commerce market for its integration and customization capabilities.
Other platforms
Other platforms are also widely used to sell over the Internet. A good example is WordPress, one of the best known. Not only for e-commerce, the platform is also widely used for blogs and any other kind of websites.
However, despite being popular, it was not developed exclusively for online stores, such as Shopify. To enable this functionality, it is necessary to install the WooComerce application, which will add to your site the functionalities for managing the display of products in the store.
WordPress has a variety of themes, although you will certainly need to rely on an experienced programmer for customization, in addition to the options offered by the adaptation panel. This is because the available layouts may have some limitations for the best layout of your storefront, if you sell many products, for example.
Other platforms developed directly for e-commerces, such as Boxloja and Loja Integrada, have adequate layouts, but with certain limitations, such as the smaller variety of themes available, integrations, and functionalities.
Why use the Shopify platform?
As we promised at the beginning of this article, we are going to talk about the advantages of choosing the Shopify platform. So, we've listed a few that put it ahead of the rest. See what they are.
Easy to use
Shopify has a simple dashboard that allows even beginners to make the basic settings to get their store up and running.
In addition, because it is an autonomous platform, i.e., it is not integrated with any other, it does not require the installation of additional resources, essential for its operation. All you need to do is register and login and start managing the stock, sales, and product display on the site.
Variety of themes
We know that WordPress has a wide variety of themes and that the code is open, allowing for customization. However, the Shopify platform has several themes designed exclusively for e-commerce needs.
For this reason, it is easier to choose a suitable layout, one that fits your storefront, with good usability and navigation, and that is the face of your business. All this will contribute to your store's better sales performance.
Good features
When we say that the Shopify platform is complete, we mean that it has a variety of features. We can mention, first of all, the ability to manage orders and respond to customers from your iOS or Android cell phone.
Other functionalities also need to be highlighted, such as the main features, which make your site efficient for digital marketing. So, you can easily create landing pages for strategic email, social media or Adwords campaigns.
In addition, it is code friendly so that your site performs well in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Other resources, such as duplicate content monitoring and other tools also help to manage your good positioning in Google pages.
We can also mention the robust database that is generated by Shopify, which allows you to work even better with your customers and a good integration with email marketing, social networks and blog for the site.
Customization
In addition to a variety of ready-made and free layouts, you can choose to purchase a fully customized one. This expands the possibilities for you to achieve the ideal template for your business.
Support
In addition to Shopify's community forum and the ability to contact via email, you can also reach the support team by phone. This support is staffed by engineers who provide support and offer tips on how to get the most out of the platform.
Integration
Your site can be integrated with MailChimp, one of the world's largest email and marketing automation tools. But, the Shopify platform allows you to integrate with several other apps that extend the functionality.
- Privy and Smule.io, for marketing;
- Sales Pop, for sales and promotions;
- Instagram Shop and Outfy for social media sales integration;
- After Ship and Easyship for shipping management;
- Sufio and Quickbooks, to help with accounting;
- Compass and Better Reports for reporting;
- Facebook Chat and Easy Contact Form, for customer relations, among others.
How to implement
As we said at the beginning of this article, getting started with Shopify is very simple. Just log into the platform and start the settings. However, as basic as it may seem, it is necessary to have the support of a programming professional and someone who is aware of the main trends in e-commerce and digital marketing.
This is because this person will help you choose and customize your layout and create a beautiful design thinking about responsiveness, search engine friendliness, and the best usability. So you can always provide the best experience for your customers. These are key issues for the user's decision to buy, and also for their loyalty to your store.
We can conclude that, despite the continuous growth of e-commerce for commerce, it is necessary to be aware of the best practices in order to be competitive in this huge market. Thus, opting for the Shopify platform is the first step forward to leverage your e-commerce.
So, to ensure that the implementation of your online store is flawless and you get amazing results, even from the beginning, contact us! We have the expertise to help you get your online store off the ground.
