E-commerce
What is Shopify?
Quick answer
Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform that lets businesses build and run an online store without managing servers. It handles hosting, security, payments, and inventory for a monthly fee plus transaction costs, and supports themes and apps to extend features. It's one of the fastest ways to start selling online.
Shopify's appeal is that it removes most of the technical burden: you get a reliable store, secure checkout, and an app marketplace without hiring a team to keep servers running. That makes it a sensible starting point for most small and mid-sized retailers.
The trade-offs are ongoing platform and transaction fees and some limits on deep customisation. Businesses with unusual workflows or a need to avoid per-sale fees sometimes move to a custom or headless build as they scale.
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