Tag Archives: Shopify

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Shopify vs. Etsy: Which Is Better In 2021?

The Internet has exploded since the days of its conception. Before, computers took up an entire room and had to be run with thousands of buttons and dials. Then, we got a dial-up Internet making strange screeching noises through the phone, and then we got discs. Now navigating the internet has become a lot easier, too. The Internet now offers millions of services, including information, educational resources, tests, quizzes, and ecommerce. The days of camping out outside of stores have long since passed. Now anything you want is just one click away!

Navigating has become a lot easier, too. The Internet now offers millions of services, including information, educational resources, tests, quizzes, and shopping. The days of camping out outside of stores have long since passed. Now anything you want is just one click away!

And not only has it never been easier to buy something, but it’s also never been easier to start a business! Nowadays, anyone can create an account for free and start selling their products, no matter how niche they are!

However, if you’re an online seller, you may be overwhelmed by the number of choices you have at your disposal. Most people have narrowed it down to two main platforms: Shopify or Etsy. But how can you decide which one is best for you? 

That’s precisely what we’re going to figure out on this edition of : Shopify vs. Etsy. 

Overview

Before we get into the actual fight, let’s look at our fighters. In one corner, we have a tech giant that has been on the Internet for about as long as Queen Elizabeth II has been alive, Etsy. Etsy is the online equivale; Ent of a flea market: you can sell just about anything, at any price, and people can even get into bidding wars over your products! 

However, the bad part about Etsy is that it’s hard to develop your brand image there. Because Etsy currently doesn’t offer any ways to make your market store stand out, it can be easy to get lost in the sea of painted spoons. Still, millions of people use Etsy every day, and it is widely successful and reliable. 

And in the other corner, we have Shopify, the young buck who’s threatening to take down Etsy! Shopify has a significant advantage in that it is highly customizable. Platforms can easily use it to create their online stores and build a group of reliable customers to keep them afloat during hard times. 

Let the fight begin!

Anyways, now that you have some background on each of our fighters let’s look at their stats. Let’s see who comes out on top in each category!

Round 1: Ease Of Use

This is a hard one to measure up since both platforms are relatively easy to use. The user interface is intuitive, so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to buy or sell products on each platform. 

However, Shopify has an advantage in the sense that everything on their website is built in. Because it’s so easy to attract customers, all you have to do is create an attractive website and market it throughout all social media platforms. 

Etsy, on the other hand, takes an entirely different approach to online sales. Instead of redesigning your website in the way that you would your physical shop or boutique, you set up a business in an already existing marketplace, sort of like hitching up a tent at a local flea market. 

This means that setting up when you are brand new is easy. But, sticking out and getting customer retention is hard because everyone is competing in the same marketplace with no options to differentiate themselves and stand out. 

Round 2: Domains And URL

Believe it or not, this is an essential part of growing your online business. Your URL is like your store’s address. It’s how people can find you in the ocean of other internet sites and know who you are and where to buy your products. 

Shopify has this covered by allowing buyers to buy their ion domain name so that they can make it something easy to search. Etsy, however, doesn’t allow for this type of customization, so you run the risk of customers having to paste a very long list each time or having to scroll past hundreds of results before they even get to you. 

Round 3: eCommerce Features

Now, this is the thing every online entrepreneur wants to know about: how easy is it to sell on either one of these platforms? Well, Shopify makes it extremely easy to run a business on their platform by giving you tons of valuable tools. For example, creating unique product pages, figuring out check out experiences that can’t be found anywhere else online, and offering a wide range of payment options so that no customer is left out!

On the other hand, Etsy doesn’t offer as many attractive features for sellers, but it does have its own set of assets. It offers entrepreneurs an effortless way to get started since they give access to an existing audience. 

Because pretty much everyone uses Etsy, your store can benefit from that traction as well. Other significant advantages to online sellers include shipping labels, discount codes, and vouchers, which are great for maintaining customer retention, advertising opportunities, email alerts sent directly to customers when products are back in stock, etc. 

The Bottom Line

So, who won the fight? Well, it’s really up to the owner of the online business. Some businesses prefer making their shops as customizable as possible to get traction, and others would prefer to lean into Etsy’s already existing popularity to gain customers. 

Some buyers may prefer Shopify’s web design and various payment options, and others may go for Etsy’s shipping labels and the possibility to make discount codes for customers. All in all, the true winner is always decided by you, the business owner. So, try out these two options and see which one is best for you!

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Shopify Expands Shop Pay To Facebook and Instagram

One-click checkouts are convenient for people to use. These checkouts help people pay for their items in moments. They can secure existing payment data and use that to cover whatever payments they wish to handle. Customers have been seeking out ways to make their transactions more convenient and efficient. Working with one-click payments is one of the top ways how companies can work for the unique needs people hold.

The Shop Pay payment tool from Shopify is one of the most convenient one-click checkout systems around. Shop Pay helps customers save their credit card and shipping and billing address info on their accounts. The customer can use Shop Pay to pay for an item in moments. The system is similar to what Amazon already uses for its One-Click setup.

Shopify estimates that by using Shop Pay, a customer can check out about 70 percent faster than through a traditional method. There are fewer forms to complete here, making the work easier. The system is also fully encrypted, ensuring the customer’s data stays safe.

Shop Pay is already useful, but it’s about to become even more helpful. Shopify will be expanding its Shop Pay feature to Facebook and Instagram merchants. The move marks the first time Shop Pay has been available outside of Shopify for payment purposes. It also adds a new approach to transactions that goes alongside what Facebook and its sister platform Instagram use when managing sales.

Shopify’s move is part of a long-term plan to offer more services to social media platforms. Shopify’s goal is to make social selling easier to follow. The work is also taking advantage of increased reliance on ecommerce sales, especially through social media platforms. Shopify has been expanding its social media reach for a while. This move is the most significant effort the company has made to date surrounding social media.

What Can a Facebook or Instagram Seller Do?

A Facebook or Instagram seller can use this new feature by signing up for a Shopify account. The seller can link one’s Shopify account to a Facebook or Instagram profile. The system lets the social media platform identify the profile as a Shopify seller. The effort then allows Shop Pay to be open for use.

The effort expands upon what sellers can manage for sales purposes. The only payment methods that customers used to utilize for Facebook or Instagram sales were from PayPal or from credit or debit card info that a customer manually enters. The Shop Pay integration feature marks the first one-click checkout option people can use on these social media platforms. The setup is one of the simplest for people to follow.

Also Works On Facebook Pay

Facebook Pay users can also use Shop Pay. Facebook Pay already features a convenient setup for transferring funds from Facebook accounts to sellers that use the platform. The Shop Pay system adds a new option for sales. It can work with whatever data is on a user’s Facebook Pay account and complete one-click transactions.

The process remains encrypted, as it uses the same security standards that Shopify already incorporates. The work ensures the safety of all transactions.

A Green Approach

Shop Pay will continue to offset all delivery emissions it produces with each order through Facebook or Instagram. Shopify has made a long-term commitment to offset the emissions it produces from its deliveries. Shopify has been planting trees and partaking in many other green activities based on the emissions it generates. The company is one of the world’s most sustainable businesses, and it will continue to be that way through its Facebook and Instagram sales.

A Possible Boon For Retailers and Facebook

The integration of Shop Pay in Facebook or Instagram could potentially provide more money to retailers. The ongoing pandemic has prompted a rise in online shopping this past year. Shopify saw its quarterly revenue nearly double over the past year. The company says it managed more than 135 million orders in 2020.

The company also expanded its services by offering buy-now pay-later sales options for some sellers. The solution is popular among those looking to purchase products but might have current economic struggles.  The system is not available for all transactions, but it is still popular with many platform users.

Facebook has also been actively trying to find new ways to utilize in-home shopping services. The new support for in-app transactions could also help Facebook expand its services soon.

Continued Growth of Shopify and Facebook

The expansion to Facebook and Instagram is the latest development in Shopify’s ongoing expansion. Shopify has launched a few share offerings in the past twelve months. The company brought in billions of dollars through its share sales.

Shopify already holds a partnership with the video-based platform TikTok. The company works with merchants on TikTok to advertise and sell products through that platform. The partnership with TikTok was first available only in the United States. The effort has since expanded to Canada and Europe.

Shopify is also continuing to sell stock to raise money. Shopify announced plans in February 2021 to raise more than $1.5 billion by selling more than a million subordinate voting shares. The money would be for expanding the company’s partnerships with various social media entities.

The move is also reflective of Facebook’s increasing effort to support online sales. Facebook has been heavily promoting many retailers who do business through the platform. Its Facebook Pay system has also expanded to include support for biometrics. It can read facial patterns or fingerprints to confirm a person’s identity before completing a sale. It also introduced a new payment feature on its Instagram system called Instagram Shops.

The increasing value of Shopify and Shop Pay has become a worthwhile point to spot. Expand Shopify’s sales to continue to rise as its Shop Pay one-click ordering system becomes available on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook and Instagram’s ongoing effort to increase ecommerce activities will also benefit from this work.

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Skyrocket Sales With These SEO Tips For Your Shopify Store

Shopify is one of the best ecommerce platforms you can utilize. Shopify helps you create unique online stores and checkout experiences. You can keep track of customer and transaction data with Shopify, plus you can design your store to feature whatever might interest your customers the most.

The best Shopify stores will use search engine optimization or SEO standards for work. You can use SEO to make your Shopify store easier to spot. SEO standards can also make your site easier to operate and organize. Here are some tips you can use to boost your SEO efforts.

Create a Sensible Website Structure

Start by looking at how well your website is working. You can prepare a new website structure that is SEO-friendly and keeps your website organized. Your arrangement can entail a few steps for making things look well:

  1. A home page
  2. Separate pages for individual categories
  3. Pages within each category for specific products you want to sell

The website should focus on what you offer in general at the start. You can then stick with more specific things later.

You can use as many levels as you wish for your structure. But everything should stay arranged regardless of whatever you choose when handling your work.

Create a More User-Friendly Page

It is easier for search engine spiders to look through your website when you have a user-friendly page. You can use a few points for creating a page that’s easy to read:

  • Use a mobile-friendly theme that takes less time to load.
  • Smaller images are ideal, as they don’t take a while to load.
  • Don’t use sliders on your page, as they can take a while to load and might be tough to read.
  • Remove apps and other features that you aren’t actively using on your website. Removing unnecessary items makes it easier for you to load your site.

Figure Out the Right Keywords

The keywords for your website can make a positive impact if you know what works. You can use the right keywords based on:

  • Prospective buyer personas
  • Past sales history, including what items people are interested in the most
  • Social media hashtags or keywords surrounding your products for sale
  • Titles and meta content on competitors’ websites
  • Descriptive details surrounding the products for sale
  • What uses people might have for products
  • Whether you are targeting any specific geographic areas

Review Your Links

Your Shopify store will be easier for search engines to find if you have enough links. You can build links with suppliers or manufacturers, or you can get in touch with influencers or industry leaders who want to promote your content. You could also highlight any positive mentions you have on other websites and promote them from your site.

The most essential part of managing links for SEO purposes is to remove any broken links you might find on your website. Broken links can hurt your SEO performance, as they will lead search engines to dead ends. Remove these links and check whether there are any suitable replacements you could utilize when managing your links.

Provide Suitable Descriptions

Every product you sell on your website should feature a unique description. Your SEO standing will rise when you have unique content on your website. Each product can have distinct keywords, descriptive points, and other things that a search engine can notice is unique. These details will make your work more manageable for a search engine to spot.

Include Additional Details

You can add further details to individual product pages on your Shopify website. Some of these details may include:

  • Answers to whatever questions people have about something
  • Technical details, including what something is made of or its physical dimensions
  • What problems your product can resolve
  • Recommendations, including suggestions on who should be using a product the most

Add Tags To Your Media

Any photos, videos, and other bits of media you use will be more valuable if you have the right tags. Each photo or video should come with a title tag that features a keyword surrounding its content. You can add a small meta description tag that adds more details on something if you wish. Each piece of work you have should feature a unique tag that explains what you have and how people can distinguish what you provide.

Be sure you keep those pieces of media under control and that your tags don’t last for too long. Be certain those media items are also easy to load and won’t become too complex to follow. They also shouldn’t take a while to load if used right.

A/B Testing Works

A/B testing is a process where you test two different website layouts to see which one is more effective. You can test these based on how long it takes for them to load and which ones people might interact with the most. A/B testing features can come with analytical features if you use the right testing program, so check on what Shopify has when looking for help.

Use a Shopify SEO Plugin

The last tip to follow involves using an SEO plugin on your Shopify website. Shopify supports many SEO plugins like Plugin SEO, SEO Image Optimizer, and Smart SEO. These are all plugins you can download from the Shopify control website.

Each plugin available will review your website and see how you’re handling keywords and other bits of content. A program can reveal what keywords you’re using the most, what keywords your competitors are ranking for, and which pages are getting the most organic traffic. The analysis setup will help you see what you should be doing and what you could improve upon when fixing your website.

You can take note of all your SEO plans for your Shopify website to see what fits. You will bring in more people to your website when you have an SEO plan that looks great and fits whatever you want to do with your business.

Walmart and Shopify Team Up On E-commerce Marketplace

The collaboration between Walmart and Shopify is all set to conquer the e-commerce industry. They will provide fierce competition for Amazon, as around 1200 companies selling on Shopify will now be able to sell on Walmart U.S by the end of this year.

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Shopify’s vice president of product, Satish Kanwar, considers Walmart of size and scale that only a few companies manage to match. He sees the deal as lucrative and fruitful for small and medium-sized businesses that will provide easy access to a whopping 12 million customers visiting Walmart every month.

The partnership between the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, and the e-commerce giant, Shopify, is an attempt to diversify the range of products and expand profitability. Other than this, it is a calculative move by both the companies to have a firm grip on the surge in online shopping because of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a blog post by Satish Kanwar, their expertise in multi-channel commerce, coupled with Walmart’s reach, will storm the e-commerce industry. Furthermore, the alliance will lead to a better online shopping experience, both for merchants and consumers.

Walmart is No.2 to Amazon in U.S e-commerce space, but it has still suffered losses on occasion. The collaboration will boost both the scale and size of the business and generate more revenue.

Previously, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon expressed dissatisfaction with the way the marketplace was performing and appointed a new executive, Jeff Shotts. He also believed that the company had not done enough to support the marketplace sellers. The restructuring is an attempt to give the marketplace business a sound direction and provide sellers with all the necessary tools and services. In addition to this, he deemed it essential to successfully integrate the online business with its physical stores.

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Both of the companies have been discussing this idea on and off, but only for the past six months have the talks intensified allowing for the plan to finally come to its fruition. They conducted a pilot test before the announcement with numerous Shopify sellers. The experiment turned out well, and Jeff Clementz saw potential in terms of thousands of sellers making their way to Walmart.

The partnership comes with its fair share of risk, but is likely to prove successful considering that Walmart is invite-only. This means it can vet the sellers to avoid any suspicious sellers. In addition to this, it also uses keyword recognition technology and uses machine learning to spot fraudulent sellers.

The Shopify merchants in the U.S will send out their application to Walmart to seek approval of selling. Once approved, their Shopify store will connect to their Walmart Seller Account. This will tie their product catalogs there and create product listings on Walmart. This way, it will be easier to track, monitor, and upgrade the inventory. Moreover, order and inventory management, in addition to the listings, will be in complete harmony.