Covid-19 wreaked havoc with companies that haven't already become a digital business and severely impacted brick-and-mortar retailers. However, while offline retailers suffered, e-commerce vendors' revenue grew.

The impact of Covid-19 and the threat of future pandemics has made it clear that every vendor needs an online commerce channel.

And the good news is — developing and deploying an e-commerce solution is not nearly as difficult as even five years ago. With a modern e-commerce platform and the right implementation partner, traditional offline retailers can create a new revenue stream and significantly boost consumer satisfaction.

Here, we'll examine Shopify—one of the leading e-commerce platforms—and its suitability to support the requirements of startups and medium-sized businesses.

Is Shopify a lifeline for your business?

During Covid-19, e-commerce suddenly became the primary sales channel for many retailers, and analysts predict this will possibly endure from now on.

While considering moving their sales online, many businesses face significant challenges in understanding what's possible and which tools to use to achieve their goals. Shopify has become one of the most efficient tools for supporting a quick transition to online sales, fulfilling both e-commerce and omnichannel strategies.

Let's review seven reasons why a Shopify store is suitable for medium-sized companies and startups.

1. Fast time to market

Thanks to the holistic ecosystem with ready-made payment integrations, tax calculations, delivery services integrations, and other extensions, Shopify reduces time to market.

Consider this success story. We created a complex Shopify solution in just 90 days for one of our clients, including a website, mobile app, custom integrations, and custom functionality. Apart from meeting the fast time-to-market goal, our e-commerce solution handles heavy user traffic, acquaints the user with the product through unique design, and collects customer feedback.

2. Suitability as a standalone foundation or as a part of a headless e-commerce system

Headless Shopify enables isolating the front end from the back end, thus obtaining a scalable and flexible solution. But the trick is that retailers can go to market quickly by applying a built-in Liquid front-end and benefit from a headless approach and Progressive Web App (PWA) technology later when the business matures, and the e-commerce system grows.

PWA and headless commerce improve customer satisfaction and conversion and the cost of change in complex, omnichannel systems.

3. The constant platform evolution

Regular product updates and development of new services and integrations help Shopify adapt to the current market needs. In addition, medium-sized companies and startups benefit from the sound development of the platform for various reasons:

Top-notch support 24/7, via email, chat, or with a personal Success Manager (on Shopify Plus)
Excellent server uptime and unlimited bandwidth
Level 1 web security — e-commerce stores built on Shopify imply Fraud Prevention, SSL, and Security for User Data
Unlimited CDN — the high speed of the download improves conversion
Flexible integrations with ERPs, PIMs — help to run business smoothly
Constant API updates — regular platform improvements

4. Over 4,000 apps are available

Shopify provides diverse apps across three categories—shipping and delivery, store design, and marketing. Such diversity allows building from blocks, effectively managing time and expenses while focusing on business development.

5. Latest tech stack under the hood

To provide a fast user experience, scalability, and security, the platform relies on modern technologies. The essential foundation of Shopify is Ruby on Rails that has contributed to its growth from a startup to one of the leading platforms. In addition, React and TypeScript are used for the Admin Tech Stack.

Here's how we delivered an enhanced customer experience for one of our clients. First, we used Shopify to build an optimized version of their e-commerce system for accelerated sales. This allowed us to save time and boost customer engagement with an easy-to-change storefront (requiring no technical knowledge to maintain), performance and speed optimization, and multi-language support.

6. Server uptime, support, and documentation

Shopify is stably maintaining 99.99% uptime. Since it's a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, infrastructure, deployment, and platform maintenance are entrusted to Shopify. When retailers have a reliable implementation partner proficient in the latest platform updates, security standards, and best practices to provide the stable, high-performant solution right in time, they can instead focus on business functionality.

7. The sustainability of the platform

Shopify continues to build on the foundation of Shopify Fulfillment Network, involving software development that connects the network, adds partner nodes with improved performance, and enhances the merchant-facing app.

Within a year, Shopify is expected to cover the complete e-commerce cycle—from shopping experiences, marketing, payments, third-party services up to fulfillment and delivery services.

Summing up

As an e-commerce tool, Shopify shows stable growth and meets the market's needs while keeping pace with technological disruption.

Our experience with Shopify development proves that medium-sized companies and startups can achieve superior results. The platform excels with the primary task of creating an online store tailored to the target audience's expectations. For example, it can be a platform with both B2B and B2C channels, integrated with CRM, payment, fraud protection, and tax automation systems.

SoftServe's deep market knowledge combined with rich experience allows us to create e-commerce stores with the required functionality, safety, user-friendliness, and reliability. We also provide implementation support for platforms like Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and Hybris, as well as leading CRMs, DXPs, and ERPs.

Let's Talk about how SoftServe can help you implement your e-commerce strategy using Shopify or an alternative platform of your choice.

Is Shopify a lifeline for your business?

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7 Reasons Why Shopify Appeals to Medium-Sized Companies and Startups