With the internet becoming more and more popular, many more people are shopping online. Because of this, e-commerce sites have brought in billions of dollars in recent years.
Whether you're a company or an online influencer, if you're selling a product online you will need to use an e-commerce platform.
The setup is fairly easy after you decide on a platform and learn how to use it.
Shopify Review (UK 🇬🇧)
While there are several e-commerce based websites available, Shopify is a cut above the rest. Instead of just telling you that, we wanted to take our time to really investigate what they claimed to offer and share an honest Shopify review with people like you.
Today we are going to dive in and talk about everything there is to know about Shopify. You will learn about the pros and cons, the key features, pricing, themes, alternatives, and more.
This is the ultimate Shopify review for the UK Let's start off with some of the positives and negatives of Shopify.
Our Verdict ⚖️
Every company has its ups and downs. What one person may love, another may dislike.
Because of this, we wanted to share with you an honest pros and cons section to help you decide for yourself.
We do think that Shopify is one of the best eCom platforms in the U.K. to use, so we figured we'd share with you why that is!
Shopify Pros and Cons
People love to use Shopify because it makes running an online store as easy as possible. All of the tools are in one place and you don't need to be an expert on e-commerce to successfully use Shopify.
Multiple Selling Channels 
One of the main reasons Shopify is so popular is because it offers multiple-channel selling to its users.
Nearly half of the people who shop online will look for a product on marketplaces. Whether that's Amazon, eBay, or Facebook marketplace, these are all e-commerce-based sites.
What does this mean for you?
Well, if the majority of people are turning to the online marketplace is when they're searching for a product, this means that the likely start shopping on your site if you sell the product they're looking for.
Amazing Inventory Structure
Another great thing about Shopify is the built-in inventory system. If you've worked in retail, you'll know how much people dread taking inventory. It's time-consuming and quite a boring task.
Things can quickly become disorganized, the product can go missing, and it can be hard to keep track of what you're actually going through in terms of inventory.
With Shopify's built-in inventory system, you can easily add and edit items whether they are new or already existing.
You can make groups in collections when using Shopify to help keep your store in inventory as organized as possible. When compared to how people take inventory in a brick and mortar store, Shopify couldn't make it any easier.
Shopify's Exciting Unique Features
When it comes to reasons to love Shopify, the features they offer is something we have to mention. While we will talk about the features Shopify offers in detail later in this review, we did want to tell you that the features are a big plus for Shopify.
You can customize emails, adjust shopping carts, update privacy policies, and more.
App Store
In the event that Shopify doesn't have every feature that every single user wants, they do offer an App Store.
Within this app store, you will find free and premium apps that offer services and features that specific online store owners may need to utilize.
Customer Support
Lastly, we have to talk about their customer support. For starters, when you open a Shopify account, they will send you a credit card reader.
This makes it incredibly easy to make sales in person. This comes free of charge and is easy to learn how to use. They also have a customer support team that is available at any time during the day or night, including holidays.
If you have a more expensive Shopify account, you'll have the option to have a specific customer support staff member to help you with your needs. Competitors of Shopify don't offer customer support like this.
If this feature is important to your company, which it should be, this is reason enough alone to check out Shopify.
What We Didn't Like...
When it comes to negative things about Shopify, there isn't too much to talk about. But like most other companies, there are some things that could use improving.
With that being said, we do want to highlight two things that could be seen as disadvantages for Shopify users.
Shopify Pricing
For starters, the cost can be something that turns people away. Unfortunately, there are more cost-efficient e-commerce platforms available.
For people on the first tier, you can expect to pay around £30 per month. While this may not seem like a lot, it can add up when you're just starting out. There are also more expensive tiers that even when making a ton of sales can still cost a lot.
Coding Knowledge Required
The other disadvantage of Shopify is the backend coding. Sometimes there are issues or problems that you might experience and have no idea how to fix. This can cost you more money, especially if you need to hire a developer service to fix the issue.
However, if you are well-versed in coding, this shouldn't be too much of a problem for you. There are also a lot of online tutorials that can teach you just about anything you need to know when it comes to Shopify.
Shopify Features (In-Depth)
What's a Shopify review without talking about some of the main features?
Thankfully, Shopify UK offers a 14-day free trial to allow you to see what features are available and how easy it is to incorporate using them when building an e-commerce website.
Shopify Customer Support
Over the years, Shopify's customer support has gotten better and better.
They offer 24/7 customer service helplines in several different parts of the world.
You can easily access support and talk to them via email, phone, or even live chat.
Their customer service team is well educated and they're practically experts on all things Shopify. In extremely rare cases the customer and the customer support team may not find a solution to the problem.
When this happens, they will suggest a few other avenues to take to find the answers that you're looking for.
There is also a Shopify's knowledge base that can be of a lot of help. You can read the frequently asked questions or check out tips and tricks that other customers suggest.
Similar to WordPress, Shopify has an online community where you can discuss just about anything related or ask questions that you need answers to.
Shopify Apps
You read a little bit about the app store that Shopify offers to its customers.
Within this app store, there are over 2,000 applications available.
Whether you have a problem you're needing to be addressed or you're looking for a feature that your specific theme doesn't have.
There are both free and premium apps that are there for your convenience.
There are apps for dropshipping, creating custom apparel, and more. If you're unsure about which one to choose, check out the reviews that have been left by people who have already used the app you're interested in.
Shopify POS
As a business owner, you may have had some pretty bad experiences with a point of sale system. They can be unorganized, hard to navigate, and worst of all, run slowly. This can make customers angry and can even make your shop look bad.
Shopify's POS system couldn't be more opposite. We wanted to highlight this feature because it stands out when you compare Shopify to the competition.
Simple to Use
Shopify offers its customers an easy to use point of sale system that is smooth and easy for even the most technologically challenged individual to use.
It's incredibly versatile and you can easily make your online store and your brick and mortar store flow effortlessly. The point of sale system that they offer is a simple app that can be used on a smartphone or tablet.
Payment System & Shopify Refunds
You will be able to take cash or card payments without worrying about a huge credit card fee for each card purchase. There is 24/7 customer support available if you have any questions or concerns about their point of sale system.
Shopify POS accepts several different types of payment as well, which could make the customers experience more effortless.
The ability to easily give a refund or exchange is another one of the great things about this POS system.
If you have an event coming up that you only have so many spots available for, you can show a live count of how many people are attending and how many spots are left.
There is also a lot of behind-the-scenes things that this system offers to Shopify customers. One of those things is inventory, which you read about earlier.
You'll also be able to make important decisions easier thanks to the reports that Shopify will send you.
Regular Updates
The POS system will send updates to both your online shop and in-person shop. This can come in handy when you've run out of an item or have a pre-sale available.
One of the unique things about the Shopify POS system is that you can create customer profiles that help to make customers feel appreciated and invested in.
You also have the option to create loyalty programs to give these customers rewards. But how much is this all going to cost you? Let's talk about that.
Shopify UK Pricing
We can't write a Shopify UK review without talking about pricing. There is a 14-day free trial that you can use to see if Shopify is right for you.
You are able to cancel your account at any time before the trial ends if you decide that Shopify is not your best fit. Also, Shopify has five different plans available at a variety of different price points.
Let's take a look at what these plans will cost and what your money will get you.
Basic Shopify Plan
If you're a small business, you'll likely be using the Basic Shopify Plan. It will cost you around 22 pounds per month with a transaction fee of 2% of gross sales.
With this plan, you are allowed to have two staff accounts with an unlimited number of products. You will receive a free SSL, unlimited bandwidth, live chat support, and abandoned cart recovery.
Shopify Plan
With this plan, you'll get free SSL, professional reports, unlimited bandwidth, and more. It comes with up to five staff accounts, the ability to post an unlimited amount of products, abandoned cart recovery, and gift cards.
It will cost you around 60 pounds per month with a transaction fee of 1% of all sales. If you're an online store or growing business, this plan maybe your best option.
Advanced Shopify Plan
Next is the Advanced Shopify Plan. This plan will cost you about 227 pounds per month. It has a transaction fee of .5% of all sales.
You are allowed to have up to 15 staff accounts and an unlimited amount of products for sale. Like the other plans, this comes with unlimited bandwidth, abandoned cart recovery, and free SSL.
You will also get gift cards, a professional report, a custom report builder, and automated third-party shipping rates at check out. Due to the price and the features offered, this plan is recommended for businesses that are already established.
Lite Plan
If you don't have an online store just yet but would like to test the waters, the Shopify Lite Plan is worth checking out. It will cost you around seven pounds per month and you'll pay a transaction fee of 2% of sales.
This comes with unlimited bandwidth and an unlimited amount of products you can sell. You will get a Shopify buy button that can be placed on Facebook or your already existing website. You can also use a Shopify invoice to make sales in person.
Shopify Plus Plan
This is a plan that can be added on to another Shopify plan that you already have. If you are a very large business that has a lot of traffic and sales, you may want to add this to your plan. You will get custom pricing, high-volume sales, and it's scalable.
This plan is great if your website already has huge amount of traffic. If that is the case, reliable VPS hosting will also be helpful in managing the increased store popularity.
POS Retail Pricing
Lastly, let's talk a little bit about the POS retail pricing. This is best for people who have a brick and mortar store but are also considering opening up an online presence as well. This will cost you around 38 pounds per month.
You'll receive the Shopify POS app, a Shopify hardware kit, and you'll be able to easily sync your information with your Shopify online store.
Bonus Section: Shopify Share Price
Selling stock is an incredibly popular thing to do in the business world. The senior vice president of Shopify recently made around £90,000 from selling some of his stock.
Jeremy Levine was selling shares just below market value. He was selling them for £265 per share, while the market price was £341 per share.
Insiders of Shopify divested nearly 66,000 shares in the last year alone. This is equal to over £17 million.
Insiders of Shopify own 10% of the company which equals just over £4 billion. For people who are looking to invest, this is a good sign. It shows that the company has a positive outlook for its financial future.
One thing that is a bit unique about Shopify stock and shares is that insiders have not bought Shopify stock in the last three months. But on that same note, they haven't purchased any stock over the last year.
Shopify shares are continuously changing just like any other share would. To see a live graph of Shopify share prices in the stock market, click here.
Shopify Themes 🎨
Since you're already paying for Shopify, you'll be happy to hear that there are several themes available that make it incredibly simple to make a website.
At the time of writing this, there are over 10 free themes you can choose from. They range from modern and minimalistic to artsy and unique. If you have other questions on setting up your Shopify store, our guide can be of help.
Let's talk about some of them!
8 Best Free Shopify Themes
Here are some of the most gorgeous free Shopify themes that you'll definitely want to check out once you sign up:
#1 Debut
If you like a clean and minimalistic design, you will likely enjoy this theme. You can easily customize things and choose from a variety of different color options.
Making modifications couldn't be simpler and this theme won't take long to customize! It features sections, images with text, video capabilities, product filtering, multi-language support, and more.
#2 Narrative
Narrative is a Shopify theme that comes with a variety of different styles and color palette options. If you have a smaller catalog, this theme is perfect.
You have the option to set up a video on your homepage that auto place whenever someone visits your website.
It is incredibly customizable and easy to navigate. You'll find that drop-down menus will pop up when someone is scrolling around your website. This makes it incredibly easy for the customer.
#3 Annabelle
Annabelle is another free Shopify theme that is organized and aesthetically pleasing. We think that Annabel would work best for online clothing stores.
You can have your homepage host a slideshow of images that show the products you're wanting to advertise.
There are also magnifying effects so that it is easy to see the details of your products. You can also add to your companies Instagram gallery with this theme.
#4 Minimal
We had to talk about the Minimal theme. This theme is a great option for a variety of different types of online shops. It comes with several different styles, allowing you to find one that perfectly fits your business.
Minimal offers a great slideshow where you can upload high definition images of your favorite products.
It also offers a convenient product filtering option for customers to use.
You can connect your homepage to your companies YouTube site when using Minimal as well! All in all, one of our favorite options!
#5 Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the theme that has been around for a long time and people tend to gravitate towards it. This theme is best used for people selling clothing.
Again, this is more of a minimalistic option. You are able to have a photo as your website background, it's SEO friendly, there are regular updates, and even a dynamic product grid.
#6 Boundless
If you're focused a lot on the photography of your business, you'll like this theme. It emphasizes photos and makes it incredibly easy for visitors to navigate through.
It supports high-resolution images, has the option for a feeding effect, it's mobile-friendly, and you have the option for a single product gallery.
#7 Supply
This is a very fresh and easy to navigate theme. It is meant for businesses with hundreds to thousands of products.
It is built for larger catalogs, has an incredibly responsive design, it's supported by all web browsers, and you can even show a featured collection on your website homepage.
#8 Simple
Simple has two different layouts. There is a convenient sidebar menu that your website visitors can use to navigate around your site. Updates are free and this theme is quite flexible. It will look great across all different types of devices.
There is an option to allow people to zoom in on products to better see details or read ingredients. There is an image animation feature and you can even add your social media links to your site.
Shopify Alternatives
There are several different options available if you're not interested in Shopify.
Just like you've read about in this Shopify review for the U.K. you'll notice that the alternatives have pros and cons as well.
We're going to talk a bit more about the main two alternatives to Shopify.
Shopify vs. Wix
Many people compare Shopify and Wix.
If you already have your own website with Wix, you have the ability to add a Shopify buy button to your site, but it's a bit more work than if you were to just go with Shopify for all your needs.
They are both website builders, our Wix review notes that isn't that great when it comes to eCommerce. Both of these options are great for beginners and are easy to work with.
The main advantage of Wix is that it's one of the best website builders and you can opt for a website that doesn't sell anything. Overall, Wix is an amazing option with a plethora of ready-to-use templates.
When it comes to hosting, if you're a startup or working with a tight budget, there are also plenty of high-quality free website hosts available as well!
Shopify vs. WooCommerce
Both Shopify and WooCommerce are notorious for their rivalry when it comes to the battle for eCommerce industry king.
Shopify helps power over 600,000 businesses, yet WooCommerce claims to be the best option. WooCommerce is a plug-in that can be used if you already have a website for your business.
One of the best things about WooCommerce is that you will have easy access to WordPress blogging infrastructure which is a great thing when it comes to SEO. Like Shopify, WooCommerce has a lot of themes available for customers to use.
If you decide to go for the WooCommerce/WP combo, we recommend you also check out the highest-quality WordPress hosting available.
So where does WooCommerce fall short in comparison to Shopify?
For starters, it requires more technical knowledge to use WooCommerce and not everyone has that.
This can be frustrating for people who already have a lot on their plate. The other thing that WooCommerce could improve on is their customer support.
You are not allowed to email, chat, or even call customer support.
Instead, you submit a ticket that lists what you're looking for and queue up to get an answer. If you don't want to do this, there is also a forum with a lot of WooCommerce answers available.
If you're in need of a great plug-in for your already existing website, WooCommerce is a great choice, but again, Shopify definitely comes out on top.
Final Verdict
We know that starting an online business can be overwhelming. Even if you have a well-established company online, you may be looking for an easier approach to eCommerce.
You might even still be a little uncertain about the term eCommerce, so we will recommend you to get a refresher course with our what is eCommerce guide!
Shopify is a great option for businesses in the United Kingdom to run their company online with ease.
There are amazing themes that look great for a variety of different shops, their customer support is next level, and there are several plans available that come at a variety of different price points.
If you're interested in Shopify but are a bit hesitant, remember that they offer a 14-day free trial that can be canceled at any time.
There really isn't a reason not to give Shopify a shot!
We hope that this Shopify review helped answer some questions for you, educated you a bit about the company and what they have to offer.
Good luck with your future business endeavors!
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