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What is the best e-commerce platform for your online boutique?
Shopify is always one of the top answers for this question. I use Shopify for my online store and couldn't be happier with its abilities. I can easily customize my storefront and link my store to my social media account so I can sell on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.
I will go into detail about exactly why I love Shopify. But first, I'm going to list other ecommerce platforms you may want to test out before making your final decision.
E-commerce platforms to consider for your online shop:
My favorite e-commerce platform
Shopify is my favorite ecommerce platform because of all its advanced capabilities. Not convinced? Forbes wrote an article about how Shopify is an awesome ecommerce platform because it is very user friendly and easy to customize to the brand of your business. Seriously. I chose Shopify for my online store because a) I wanted a beautiful store front and b) I needed a user-friendly interface.
These are just a few of the of the awesome ecommerce features your online store will have with the Shopify selling platform:
- 100+ professional themes
- Shopify offers more than 100 themes created by world-renowned designers so your website can look beautiful and professional.
- Mobile commerce ready
- Every online shopify store includes a built-in mobile shopping cart so your products can be purchased from any mobile phone or tablet.
Why Shopify is my favorite platform
App store
This is a huge plus! i love Shopify apps. The app store allows you to add special capabilities to your store and sync your online store with other web tools you use.
Here are a few of my favorite tools that can be connected via the Shopify app store:
Freshbooks - (bookkeeping / expense tracking software)
TaxJar - (automated sales tax reporter)
Aweber - (email marketing)
LeadDyno - (affiliate and influencer marketing)
Blogging
Write blog posts and share product photos on your Shopify blog to engage your customers and make more sales.
Social media integration
Add social media accounts to Shopify and start selling on Pinterest with buyable pins, sell on Twitter with the bug now feature and integrate your products into a Facebook shop to start selling products on your Facebook page.
Gift cards
Your customers are able to purchase gift cards as a gift for others. Also use gift cards to issue store credit when handling returns.
Traffic and Referral Reports
View reports showing visitor information and track where your visitors come from and how they found your online store.
So which Shopify plan is best for your online boutique? I recommend the Shopify plan which has some essential capabilities that the basic Shopify plan does not offer including gift cards and abandoned cart recovery.
Why does your store need gift cards?
I issue gift cards as store credit to customers who wish to return an item if it is beyond a certain amount of time. This ensures that my store will not lose the sale and will encourage the customer to make another purchase of their choice. Everyone wins. I also love gift cards because they can be purchased as gifts. The customized gift card is sent directly through email.
Why does your Shopify store need abandoned cart recovery?
Customers won't always make a purchase on their first visit. Or they may leave their browser open while they make a final decision about purchasing. If they return to your website to find their cart is now empty then their mind has been made up for them. Shopify tracks how many items are placed in carts and if carts are being abandoned. I have had customers return to make a purchase that sat in their cart for a long period of time. This capability has been essential in completing sales.
