Shopify is a commerce platform that lets you create an online store and sell anywhere, without managing servers or software. You pay a monthly plan; Shopify handles hosting, security, updates and checkout. Millions of businesses use it, from one-person shops to large global brands.
What's included
- Online store: themes, pages, blog, navigation, your own domain.
- Products and inventory: variants, collections, stock across locations.
- Checkout: Shopify's fast checkout with Shop Pay and other payment methods.
- Orders and fulfilment: processing, shipping labels in supported countries, returns.
- Customers: accounts, segments and marketing consent.
- Marketing: discounts, email, automations, SEO settings.
- Analytics: sales, conversion and traffic reports.
- Sales channels: Google, Meta, TikTok, marketplaces and in-person selling with POS.
How the admin is organised
| Section | What you do there |
|---|---|
| Orders | View, fulfil and refund orders; draft orders |
| Products | Products, collections, inventory, gift cards |
| Customers | Customer profiles and segments |
| Marketing | Campaigns and automations |
| Discounts | Codes and automatic discounts |
| Content | Files, metaobjects, menus, blog posts |
| Analytics | Reports and live view |
| Online Store | Themes, pages, preferences |
| Settings | Payments, shipping, taxes, domains, policies, markets |
Themes and apps
Themes control design and layout; you customise them in the visual theme editor (choosing a theme). Apps add features, from reviews to subscriptions (apps worth installing).
What it costs
Plans range from Starter for social selling to Basic, Grow and Advanced, and Shopify Plus for enterprise. On top come payment fees, apps and optional paid themes. See our Shopify pricing guide for current plans.
Who Shopify suits
- New businesses that want to launch quickly without technical overhead
- Growing brands that need reliability and room to scale
- Businesses selling across several channels and countries
- Large brands that need enterprise features on Shopify Plus
Comparing platforms? See Shopify vs WooCommerce, Shopify vs Magento and why Shopify.
Getting started
Our step-by-step guide shows how to set up a Shopify store. If you'd rather have experts do it, see our store setup service.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need coding skills to use Shopify?
No. You can set up and run a store entirely from the admin and theme editor. Code is only needed for custom features.
Can I sell in person with Shopify?
Yes. Shopify POS lets you sell in a shop, at markets or events, with inventory and customers shared with your online store.
Can I move my store to Shopify from another platform?
Yes. Products, customers, orders and content can be migrated, with redirects to protect search rankings. See our Shopify migration service.
Author
Uğur KeskinFounder @ShopiuzmanFounder of Shopiuzman. He builds, migrates and grows Shopify stores for brands in Türkiye, Europe and the US, and leads the development of our apps on the Shopify App Store.
