What is Shopify?

We looked through trusted sources to aggerate real Shopify customer reviews. Shopify is an eCommerce provider that allows you to quickly create an online store. They are headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Over a decade ago they were founded in 2004 they have grown to serve over 275,000 merchants. They offer diverse design options with over 100 themes for your store.

What we Learned After Interviewing 101+ Shopify Owners

At Crazyleaf design, we talked over 100 owners of Shopify stores. After analyzing the results we found these main points continually came up.

Shopify Customer Reviews Sites

Better Business Beuro 

Shopify has an A+ ranking on the BBB. There is a list of complaints over the past three years but each one has a public resolution. It’s good to know if you do have an issue how they will respond.

Apple App Store

Their mobile app on the Apple App Store has an average of 3.5 stars with over 800 reviews. There are more 5 star reviews than any other rating. Most of the lower ratings are from 2010 when the app was first launched. That being said, users still comment that the app does not have all the features of the web interface.

BestCompany 

BestCompany has only three reviews by users but all are 10/10. Highlights include:

“For me, the best part is the 24/7 support. I will definitely use them for my next entrepreneurial project.” – Rose G.

“It was really easy, which was nice because we didn’t need to hire a developer or a designer.” – Mike Rusallo

“It only takes me about 1-2 hours to get everything setup from the domain to design, all the way to getting my products imported” – Chase S.

Press Reviews

 Cnet – Cnet wrote that Shopify is, “It has a super clean design that makes setting up a store incredibly easy. If you have a small business that sells goods, this site is definitely worth checking out.” Under downsides, the author wrote about missing features that have since been added to the platform. This includes coupons codes and marketing tools.

Wall Street Journal – This review was written in 2013 when Shopify was starting to think about an initial public offering (selling stock). Their review highlights the expert marketplace offered by Shopify writing, “For design and other help building a great Shopify store, the startup also created an Experts marketplace, like a niche version of oDesk, the freelancer marketplace.”

New York Times – The NYT review touches upon the individuality of a Shopify store. Unlike a marketplace like eBay or Etsy, you have more control over how your shop looks. Lora Colony writes in her article, “Shopify’s service costs $24 a month and lets small stores integrate with drop-ship services, while giving them a chance to design their own “boutique” look instead of using generic templates, or profile pages that get lost in the shuffle in marketplaces like eBay and Etsy.”

TechCrunch – The TechCrunch article is relatively short and doesn’t provide a strong opinion on the software. The comments section has garnered over 50 comments about Shopify. Many people mentioned it’s simplicity to set up and run. Lukas Karapuda wrote, “Shopify is targeting companies/individuals who need a highly usable, quick to setup and low up-front cost e-commerce enabled website.”

Companies Using Shopify Software

When deciding to buy a product or service I always like to look at what companies trust them. Shopify has an impressive client list. They are trusted by small and large brands alike. These endorcments act as major Shopify customer reviews. They cite their software is used by major brands including, Tesla Motors, Budweiser, Daymond John (shark tank judge), Red Bull, LA Lakers, the New York Stock Exchange.

These famous brands using Shopify help reassure me that no matter how large your  business scales, they will be able to provide support.

Shopify Features Review

Shopify has continued to develop new features as they continue to build their software. Some of their most notable features include:

• Full blogging platform in addition to web-based website builder
• Free SSL certificate and level-1 PCI compliance (top notch security)
• Strong analytics platform with the ability to integrate Google Analytics
• A mobile app so you can manage your business on the run
• 24/7 friendly support. I have worked with multiple eCommerce companies and I can vouch that these guys have really friendly support.
• Terrific inventory management, with the ability to easily import and export. Unlike some providers, there is no limit to how many products you can upload.
• A full suite of marketing tools to help with, SEO, email marketing, social media
• Easy to issue refunds!
• An optimized shopping cart. Shopping cart drop-off is when people don’t finish checking out. This usually is from a poor user experience design. The great thing about Shopify is they have tested their checkout card with so many users that it converts at a very high rate.

Cons of Shopify

It wouldn’t be fair unless we listed some of the common complaints customers make about the product.

• Some advanced functionality is only available via paid plugins
• There are advanced power user features that cost more money
• The mobile app is relatively minimal. It does not have the full functionality of the web app.
• Shopify has the same starting price as BigComerce but they charge an additional processing fee if you don’t use their payment portal. That fee is between 0.5% and 2% depending on your plan. It can be avoided by using Shopify Payments.

Design of Software

You will read it in almost all the reviews above. Shopify is really easy to use. Much of this is thanks to the clean user-friendly design. The application has very easy to use navigation and logical design. There is a easy to navigate lefthand sidebar. There you will find links to all the major features.

What Company We Recommend

We have reviewed both Shopify Vs. BigCommerce. Our personal favorite is Shopify because of their design and innovation. They are constantly working to improve the platform. They also offer a 14-day free trial to test drive the software. If you are unsure you can also try BigCommerce 15 day free trial. Both are very easy to use platforms.

Conclusion

Do you have your own review of Shopify or another eCommerce platform? Make sure to add your thoughts in the comment section below!