Shopify is a hosted ecommerce solution for small retailers.
Shopify (www.shopify.com) has an easy-to-use interface, integrates with 3rd-party fulfillment services or drop shippers, and provides all of the features retailers expect from an ecommerce store. On the down side, Shopify was only launched in 2006 and has a small (but growing) user community.
There are 3 plans to choose from. You pay a flat monthly fee depending on your plan. No setup fees on any plan.
- Starter - $24/month, 2% transaction fee, 100 SKUs. Free trial allows you to ship 10 orders.
- Pro - $59 / month, 1% transaction fee, 2,500 SKUs. The pro version also adds SSL administration and the ability to create discount codes.
- Enterprise - $299 / month, 0.5% transaction fee, 10,000 SKUs.
These are actual stores, not demos! Do not put in test orders.
- Tesla Motors - company store
- Bibico - women's clothing
- Rebekka Gudleifsdottir - photography
Shopify provides most of the features a small retailer needs while still being extremely easy to use. This combination of just-enough-feature and focus on ease-of-use makes building, customizing, and using a Shopify store a very pleasant experience -- a claim very few ecommerce platforms can make. On top of its power and ease, Shopify also has an affordable pricing structure. All of this makes launching an online business possible for very small home-based retailers.
