Is Shopify Worth It for a Small Business Owner Just Starting Out?

[niyarika]

Hello there,

I'm considering starting my first online store and have been researching eCommerce platforms. Shopify keeps coming up as a top choice, but I'm wondering if it is worth the investment for someone just starting out.

I'd love to hear your experiences and any advice you might have.

[goldi07]

hello @niyarika 

Shopify is a very good platform for this type of business. I am a Shopify developer. If you need any help then you can ask me.

thanks

[PaulNewton]

Most everyone here uses shopify so any answer to sentimentally false questions will be biased by default.

@niyarika Really this is sentimental question you should not be asking because somethings positioned itself to be in search results.

the platform doesn't matter , most businesses  online or brick'n'mortar fail.

Do you have money to burn on the learning curve of business failure? Then yes just try it.

Otherwise you have a lot of leg work ahead of you.

A small business/ecomm course at a local community college would be a better first move.

Ask yourself actual business questions:

do you have an actual business plan or are you hoping platform Y will fill in the gaps somehow, does the service meet the business requirements, can you afford it, can you put in the time to learn it,  etc etc etc

Not doing that depth of questioning is the type of thing that makes any ecommerce stack NOT worth it at all.

[Lena42]

@niyarika 

Hi there! Seeing that you have taken the initiative to create an ecommerce store, I must say that was a courageous move. This is a wonderful beginning! If I had to guess, you have probably taken some time to think about using Shopify on your upcoming project. Be that as it may, we will assess whether this is viable for an inexperienced beginner like you.
First off, Shopify is great for starters due to its user friendliness and inclusivity of all necessary first-steps-to-business items. The $29 per month start-up cost plan (which can be paid monthly or once in a year) should serve you well in starting up your store given that at this point you will not require the other more advanced plans (although they provide numerous options). By the way, did I get it right that this price package offers several interesting features – for example, free shipping on some particular goods and discounts for unique products or services during the whole month? It is also possible to pay $5 per month for an entry plan which will work okay when you add storefront through social accounts or on existing website without making separate e-commerce store. But for someone starting from scratch with no products now, the best option would be Basic at just $29/month only!
In my opinion, it is advisable to go for Shopify if you have limited money and a specific product in mind (e. g., $100-$200). The convenience it offers and its potential for growth are more important than the cost at first, particularly if you intend on developing a brand. Start with the free trial of three days and play to see if it’s okay. Afterward, take advantage of the introductory offer at only $1 monthly for the initial three months so that you can easily opt out later without losing much money on an investment that wasn’t ripe anyway! Better yet focus on early sales — use social media; they are easy and cheap way to do it — and provide some valuable content with your offer so that people would notice it in their feed and probably click on it considering X echoes: most think it’s user-friendly but caution against careless overspending while using apps.
What would I recommend? First things first — identify your target market better than just trying to get rid of “junks.” Start by testing whether people want what you plan on selling; also remember not to spend too much money (one good thing about dropshipping is that it helps reduce fixed costs). Shopify can only be effective if used correctly because nothing comes easy with regards to success itself.

Thanks.

[Yuparkoti · Accepted solution]

@niyarika 

Shopify is worth it for small businesses in all aspects. There are a lot of experiences you can get from communities and their traffic that shows its relevance all the time. 

[FlexForward]

I’ve just started my shop Flex Forward and I can say it’s very good platform.