Shopify Software Reviews

“Nice themes”

Pros

Building eCommerce sites for clients with this platform is genuinely enjoyable. The wide selection of themes makes it simple to create a store that fits exactly what a customer is looking for. On top of that, the backend is powerful and the front end has a polished, professional appearance. There are also plenty of options for different niche markets which makes it easy to customize stores for a variety of industries.

Cons

There's honestly not much to dislike. If I had to point to anything, it would be the initial setup process. Even then, that was more about getting used to the platform than any real issue with the software itself.

“user friendly setup”

Pros

Starting off with it is very easy. The setup process is simple and the POS is also really accessible to move through and use.

Cons

At times, our inventory numbers end up being inaccurate and we're not always sure what causes it. When that happens, we can end up overselling an item.

“my review”

Pros

Getting products connected online and linked with PayPal is really easy and the whole setup feels very user friendly.

Cons

It is not available in every country but mainly the UK and US from what I can tell. I'm not sure what would need to change but it would be much better if they allowed customized payment platforms since PayPal isn't supported everywhere.

“reliable software marketplace”

Pros

Has been an excellent place to buy computer software for stores and businesses. It helps me align my company's needs and daily operations with the software solutions and projects offered through the platform.

Cons

Issue is the bureaucracy involved when finalizing a software purchase contract. That part should be more practical and easy.

“allows plugin freedom”

Pros

Building an e-commerce store with it is very easy even without any coding knowledge. It also includes an affiliate program that helps bring in new users. There are plenty of plugins available to install including options like Oberlo and you can even develop your own apps and sell them in the marketplace.

Cons

One problem is that the platform charges a monthly subscription fee and also takes a percentage from each sale made on the platform although they do offer a two-week free trial.

“scales brilliantly across markets”

Pros

Really feels like a platform you can grow into as your knowledge and skills improve. It's simple enough to get started with as a beginner but over time you can also build much more advanced setups. We used it for our webshop (https://dietz.se) in three languages and have now moved to a setup with two additional stores as well (https://dietzpaddling.de for German speaking customers and https://dietzpaddling.com for English- peaking customers)

Cons

Support for certain languages like Swedish, has been a little behind at times. Still, it looks like they're starting to invest more in the smaller markets now.

“fast setup”

Pros

Launching a website with it happens really quickly and being able to add apps that fit exactly what you need is incredible. There's also a huge amount of help available through online documentation and YouTube so whenever you hit a roadblock, there's usually already a solution out there from someone who has dealt with the same thing.

Cons

Getting started successfully does take some preparation though that's not really a fault of the platform itself. I just wish I had understood that before opening my first online store. What I mean is, you really need to research your market and niche ahead of time so the platform works in your favor and you do not end up losing money when you begin.

“order management that works!”

Pros

Handling customer orders in this platform is refreshingly easy. I can pull up an order using the order number, email, customer name or phone number and from there it's simple to cancel, renew, refund or make other changes. The ability to add private or shared notes to the order history is also really useful since it helps my coworkers and me stay aligned when we're helping the same customer.

Cons

Every now and then, getting into the software online takes a bit of patience. If my internet connection slows down, I can end up waiting a few minutes before it fully connects.

“I like the customization”

Pros

Simple to use yet it still comes with all the features needed to run an online store properly. Being able to customize almost everything including the checkout now, makes it an obvious choice for nearly any company searching for an ecommerce platform.

Cons

Not having support for multiple currencies built in is a real downside. Bigger businesses can usually work around this by running separate versions of their store but for smaller companies selling across multiple regions, that limitation can be a genuine problem.

“positive experience”

Pros

Working in the plus version has been a really positive experience. It's a more effective and sophisticated version of the platform and the support is noticeably better as well. Overall I'm very satisfied with what it offers. I do have a technical background but even without coding knowledge, there's still a lot that can be done. It feels very user friendly in that way since many features make it possible to avoid developer work altogether.

Cons

One drawback worth mentioning is the CMS-related limitations which can hurt site speed and bring down the overall Google performance score. As a result, that can also have a negative effect on SEO.

“plenty of templates”

Pros

Using it was simple especially when it came to adding products, sizes and quantities. There are plenty of store templates to choose from and it's nice that you can still customize them to match your own style.

Cons

Some apps are fairly expensive and those monthly app charges can pile up fast. That can push your overall bill higher which may not work well for new businesses or shops that aren't bringing in income yet.

“Solid shipping”

Pros

Setting up an online store is pretty easy since users don't have to deal with things like CDNs, servers or security on their own. The discounted shipping rates are a nice bonus too.

Cons

A lot of the basic functions is tucked behind extra monthly subscription costs. Also, much of the coding relies on Liquid which isn't especially difficult to pick up but it would feel more accessible if it used standard tools like JavaScript, HTML, CSS and Bootstrap instead.

“fast setup”

Pros

Working with it is very easy when you're selling simple products and using basic shipping and tax setups. The templates and themes look really good, they're reasonably priced and the support from the theme developers has been quite reliable too.

Cons

Customizing the shopping cart UI is extremely difficult. I also couldn't find a workable way to handle paired clothing sizes like selling a bikini top and bottom together as one set. The inventory system doesn't really support multi-size variants with proper tracking so the only option is to split the top and bottom into separate products and then write very complicated code to connect them. It's far from simple and honestly this feels like something they should have addressed already. Since we sold swimsuits, dealing with this was a real nightmare.

“excellent support”

Pros

Simple to use, scalable as the business grows and the support is excellent for the price you pay.

Cons

I just wish there were a few more free themes available even though the paid ones are really well designed.

“Endless integrations”

Pros

You can see how widely trusted this is just by noticing how many stores say "Powered by Shopify." That kind of adoption says a lot about the brand's popularity and the loyalty it has built over time. There's a good reason for that too. It works with a huge number of partners which makes it simple for users to create an eCommerce store. On top of that the integrations open up what feels like endless possibilities for customizing a store.

Cons

The pricing model is the part that doesn't sit as well with me especially for newer businesses. The premium costs can be a bit of a drawback because of the recurring monthly fees. Smaller stores, in particular, may need to keep a close eye on their revenue just to be sure they're bringing in enough to cover its ongoing monthly charges.

“reliable storefront”

Pros

Has kept its setup pretty steady and consistent for quite a while. That can be a little frustrating at times but they've done a solid job making sure the features they offer stay functional and genuinely useful. The app ecosystem adds a lot more customization and opens the door to some unique options. Support has also been dependable whenever something comes up with my store which thankfully is not often but really matters when it does. Also customers are already comfortable using it since it has become such a standard platform for online shopping.

Cons

I do wish that they depended a little less on apps because needing extra apps can make the monthly cost for my shop climb pretty quickly.

“my opinion”

Pros

Does an excellent job integrating with shipping providers and the analytics tools are genuinely very helpful.

Cons

It can feel a bit restrictive when it comes to web design and many stores end up having a very similar look.

“conveniet for me”

Pros

Keeping tabs on inventory with this platform has been really convenient. It also connects with Amazon even though I haven't used that integration myself since I manually adjust quantities when I send items there. Adding new products and setting up variations is also very easy which saves a lot of time.

Cons

The Facebook integration sounds good on paper but it hasn't worked the way it should for me. My products keep getting flagged as inappropriate even when they're just blankets or kids' items which makes no sense. On top of that, the option to market on Facebook through the platform hasn't worked despite several setup attempts. I also wasn't able to get useful customer support for that issue. Another frustration was how tedious it was to make the storefront look the way I wanted and I was annoyed that I needed an additional app for that and for sending bulk emails which just added another monthly expense.

“large selection of plugins”

Pros

There's a huge selection of useful plugins to choose from and that really helps our website handle transactions and function exactly like an online store should.

Cons

Honestly I don't have any complaints. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone planning to start a business or launch an online store.

“automates a lot!”

Pros

One of its biggest strengths is its app ecosystem which helps automate so much of an online business. It covers plenty of things I might not have considered on my own but someone has already created a solution for them making it much simpler to handle selling ordering, tracking and shipping.

Cons

For a new online retail store, this platform can get pretty expensive. It also doesn't offer a strong way to keep online traffic coming in unless you're willing to spend a lot of money. If that part were improved, it would be even more competitive with the kind of traffic Amazon brings.