We are a small locally-owned and operated chocolate shop in Vancouver, and making artisan chocolates with organic, fair trade chocolate. We chose to offer assorted boxes of chocolates and some confections online.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Initially our web designer hosted our site, but in November 2013 when software upgrades had become problematic and expensive we decided to switch to Shopify. Transitioning over to Shopify on the eve of our busiest retail season was initially daunting, but to our surprise easy! The new site reached further and reached new customers with orders coming in from Europe.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
We find the back-end simple for easy order fulfillment. Using Shopify's email alerts for new orders makes it easy to print and fill orders the same day for shipping.
What are your top recommendations for new ecommerce entrepreneurs?
Shopify's online support is knowledgable and quick. They are expert at guiding you through the steps to resolve any issues and to make site enhancements. As a small business owner, it simplifies my life so I can concentrate on making products for our customers and not worry about technology upgrades and more.
I recommend using the trial period to figure out your order flow and interactions with Shopify. Once you have that familiarity and are ready to go live, you avoid potential hiccups and can down to growing your business. Shopify has proven to be the right decision for our business and exceeds our expectations.