In the last 3 years, the world of online marketing and sales has changed dramatically. Before the pandemic, it was common for business owners to run ads on big social media platforms like Facebook, Google, or Twitter to attract customers to their websites.
Thanks to the pandemic, social media users have been forced to work remotely, which has given rise to a whole new landscape of digital marketing and sales. Thanks to the internet and digital marketing pioneers who saw the potential during the pandemic, a wealth of flexible working opportunities have opened up, and countless business owners have found a new way to bring in revenue.
One of the most lucrative online business models to emerge during this time is the online store, which allows businesses of all sizes to establish an online presence without the need to build their own websites. Established in 2015, Shopify has enabled over 1 million businesses to launch online stores, and over 300,000 businesses use the platform regularly to this day.
Many online stores offer additional services, such as delivery and customer support, which can entice customers to purchase again. What’s more is that many platforms, such as Shopify, offer advanced marketing and SEO features, which enable entrepreneurs to ramp up their sales quickly.
Why Shopify
When it comes to establishing an online presence, few platform options can rival Shopify in terms of popularity and ease-of-use. For those who need assistance, the platform offers an amazing support team composed of experts who are available via live chat and email.
Shopify was launched in 2015 and is a gold sponsor of flexjobs, a global alliance of flexible and agile job-seekers. Launched in 2019, the alliance promotes workplace flexibility during the pandemic and supports job-seekers in their search for employment.
Let’s take a closer look at why Shopify is such a popular choice among entrepreneurs:
Simple and Scalable
One of the biggest challenges faced by any business owner who wants to establish an online store is figuring out where to run the website. Between Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix, the process of creating a website can be streamlined, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Shopify solves this problem by providing a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs who want to create an online store. Not only do they offer a simple and intuitive to use interface, but they also maintain a repository of all the necessary information needed to get a website up and running.
Even better, entrepreneurs can use the platform to manage all aspects of their online store, from adding new products to taking care of online orders, shipping, and customer care. What’s more, they can use the built-in blogging platform to create engaging content that will encourage potential customers to make a purchase.
The fact that there’s a lot of competition in this area makes the price of Shopify packages very affordable. For example, the cost of a basic package for a single store is just $4.45 per month, plus 21 cents per hour of use. Plus, there’s no setup fee, and zero costs associated with bandwidth.
A Hybrid Ecosystem
Besides providing a simple and affordable option for entrepreneurs who want to establish an online store, Shopify also emerged as a leader in the hybrid marketing and sales ecosystem, which blends online and offline marketing channels to drive sales.
Thanks to this special feature, entrepreneurs can take advantage of the massive reach of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to attract potential customers to their stores. They can also use other platforms, like Google Shopping or Pinterest, to gain more traction and visibility.
To be able to establish an online store and begin the process of monetizing their content, businesses must first have a Facebook page. Luckily, thanks to the hybrid marketing and sales ecosystem, entrepreneurs don’t have to build their own Facebook pages to sell their products. They can use third-party vendors like Mad Mimi to build and maintain their Facebook pages for them.
With Shopify’s hybrid marketing and sales ecosystem, business owners can leverage the popularity of social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to gain credibility, build a following, and eventually, generate revenue.
Enterprise-Class Functionality
The world of online marketing and sales has changed, and it’s changed for the better. Platforms like Shopify bring with them all the necessary functionality a business needs to grow and prosper.
Thanks to the robust API they provide, entrepreneurs can integrate their Shopify stores with other platforms and applications, like MailChimp, Salesforce, and HubSpot, to name a few.
Additionally, the built-in reporting tools and insights provided by the platform allow entrepreneurs to monitor the effectiveness of their marketing and sales efforts and, if necessary, adjust their strategy.
These features make Shopify the perfect choice for entrepreneurs who want to establish an online store quickly and efficiently, without the need for extensive training. They can also use the platform to ramp up their sales and marketing efforts, and ensure they’re driving the right traffic to their site.
Flexibility
One of the greatest things about Shopify is that it offers so much flexibility. Not only can entrepreneurs choose from a wide array of web hosting services and decide how much bandwidth they need, but they can also select the security features they need, including firewall protection, domain privacy, and data shredding.
Shopify also provides a CDN for faster loading times, so businesses can take advantage of the increasing number of content-rich websites, like blogs and magazines, that are taking the internet by storm, as well as the widespread use of single-page websites, such as Business Insider and The New York Times.
Many entrepreneurs choose to launch their business during the pandemic, making flexibility even more essential. Thanks to the internet and the increasing popularity of mobile devices, it’s now much easier for businesses to keep their employees connected, and for customers to find and engage with content, whether they are online or offline.