E-COM site...anyone use shopify

[JDL9000]

Hello, I currently sell on Amazon and am looking to set up a site after Christmas. Does anyone know if shopify is any good? If not does anyone have any recommendations? I'd like something easy to use, and I'd also be looking for someone to design it.

Thanks

 

[business saver no1]

I depends how you want your store structured tbh. A client of mine uses Shopify and likes it a lot. You will need a payment gateway and merchant account as well as a cart.

 

[VenusS]

Hi DJ Lee

I use EKM Powershop

They have a range of templates and offer hosting & support service at 19.99£ pm

 

[Ste Hughes]

I took their 30 day trial they offer just to look at shopify, very very nice system

Tad expensive though!

 

[adams.mark]

I found some other software like shopify. This is a Saas kind of software which can be used to create and run a website. This software supports shipping services and payment gateways. Have a look:
hotscripts.com/listing/iscripts-gostores-private-label-shopping-cart-builder-platform

 

[RyanMitchell]

I know a few people that use Shopify and its really good.

Its simple and easy to link to Payment Gateways. Their sites looks good too.

 

[MortifiedCow]

Shopify is expensive, but very good. You can make it look pretty decent by taking a standard theme and tweaking it, but it's also widely supported if you need someone to design a custom skin.

I set one up last week using WorldPay as the gateway, and it was pretty pain-free.

 

[thelegalstop]

Are you going to build the website on your own? If not, just consult your developers - they will be able to advise you on what will be best for you.

 

[antropy]

Shopify can be good if your product options aren't too complex and you won't need any custom functionality. The other option is a self-hosted platform like OpenCart.

Here's my comparison of OpenCart and Shopify:
http://www.antropy.co.uk/blog/shopify-vs-opencart/

 

[lesliedocherty]

We use it, it's one of the easiest ones out there, and we have used a few different versions like 'Volusion' & 'Core Commerce'.

 

[Anastasiya]

e-Commerce is a very promising business field nowadays. Creating your website and promoting it with SMM and SEO, you will increase sales, interaction with customers and, as a result, profits. One of the biggest trends of 2013 is m-Commerce http://www.rapidmarketplace.com/MCommerce/Stats-TrendsCheck the statistics and ensure that creating a mobile site or mobile app for your e-Commerce business is a necessity.

 

[antropy]

e-Commerce is a very promising business field nowadays. Creating your website and promoting it with SMM and SEO, you will increase sales, interaction with customers and, as a result, profits. One of the biggest trends of 2013 is m-Commerce http://www.rapidmarketplace.com/MCommerce/Stats-TrendsCheck the statistics and ensure that creating a mobile site or mobile app for your e-Commerce business is a necessity.

SEO spam right there

 

[Holopainen]

Hello,
Shopify is great solution but they take 1-2% fee for each transaction unless you purchase the most expensive pricing plan.
I would suggest you to think about BigCommerce. It has more out of the box features than Shopify and it is also easy to use.

 

[JDL9000]

Thanks for all the replies,

I am unsure if I want to attempt doing it myself, I am willing to pay for it to be done but do not want to be spending thousands on it. I have been looking at alternatives such as Magento which seems to be a bit cheaper.

So if I am going to have to pay someone to do it I'd rather go with a cheaper option.

Does anyone have an recommendations on people/companys that do website designing, and any info on how much i'll be looking to send?

Thank you

 

[Cart2Cart]

Hello, I currently sell on Amazon and am looking to set up a site after Christmas. Does anyone know if shopify is any good? If not does anyone have any recommendations? I'd like something easy to use, and I'd also be looking for someone to design it.

Thanks

Yes, Shopify is a very good decision, despite the fact , that it takes 2% fee from you for each transaction. But here you will get a great design, huge amount of features, themes and various customization options. Also you will be able to promote your store via social media and get target traffic on your store.

 

[Cart2Cart]

The only thing is, it is the price $29 per month + 2% fee for each transaction in most of its viable plans makes it quite unattractive... But this is totally reasonable, as you will get all in one package.

 

[deniser]

What I will say for Shopify is:
1. you have access to lots of ready made templates. I bought one for $140 and it looks great.
2. I know nothing about website design but managed to make a great professional website myself without having to pay a designer
3. You can link it to Paypal in the first instance while it gets going
4. They answer support emails quickly (although slowed down by the US-UK time difference) and even on Christmas Day
5. All social sharing buttons are included.

The downsides are:
1. the time difference - you have to wait until after midnight to get a reply to a support request so having a coversation is a slow process.
2. the fact that menus aren't very well supported. Only few templates have proper menus down the side of the page.

I don't think the cost is a particular downside given what you get for your money.

 

[Holopainen]

Thanks for all the replies,

I am unsure if I want to attempt doing it myself, I am willing to pay for it to be done but do not want to be spending thousands on it. I have been looking at alternatives such as Magento which seems to be a bit cheaper.

So if I am going to have to pay someone to do it I'd rather go with a cheaper option.

Does anyone have an recommendations on people/companys that do website designing, and any info on how much i'll be looking to send?

Thank you

Excuse me, what?
Since when Magento is cheaper?
Don't rely on CE since it will require professional help even to upgrade from one version to another. If you decided to try effective and cheap open source solution then go with OpenCart(check this small review about OC for more details)

 

[WolfStores]

As a first option I would go with Prestashop, second option CubeCart

 

[Richierutter]

It all depends upon how you will be marketing the site. If you will be advertising through social and offline means, something like shopify would be more than adequate.

If you customers will be searching for your products on google, especially your product category, then it may be better to go for something more bespoke, such as cubecart. This allows you to tailor your optimisation much more and will differentiate your strategy.

Is your product more niche or more for the mass market?

 

[JDL9000]

I have decided to try out for wordpress/woocommerce as they are free and have the look I am going for.

Thanks for everyones help

 

[antropy]

It may be too late but OpenCart is also free and has lots of themes. You can try it here: http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route=demonstration/demonstration

 

[Surminga]

If along the lines you plan to self-host your e-commerce site then it would be handy to develop your site now using a paid or open source piece of software.

If you are going to be paying for shopify and any extras such as add-ons and marketing why not take the dive and host your own site with a reliable host and market it yourself.

 

[core365]

With our own easy online shop - we design it, brand it and set it up for you - so its all done for you.
We get calls from people who have tried the wordpress route and right at the end find out their developer cannot do it and thyeve spent months on it.