What Is Shopify and How Does It Work? (2025)

Shopify is a commerce platform that helps you sell online and in person. Explore Shopify's features, benefits, and plans.

Every day, millions of people use Shopify to power their businesses. From online side hustles to global retail giants, Shopify makes commerce better for everyone.

So what is Shopify, and how does it work?

Explore the essential Shopify features that help you make sales and manage your store.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is a commerce platform that helps you sell online and in person. Entrepreneurs, retailers, and global brands use Shopify to make sales, run stores, and grow their businesses.

With Shopify, you can create your first ecommerce website or manage a world-leading retail business.

Start your business journey with a free trial.

How Shopify works

Shopify’s tools and products work together as a unified system to help you sell everywhere.

Build an online store

Use AI to design your store and create product pages.

Build a store in minutes with the online store editor. Use AI to generate custom store themes by describing your brand or products.

Or, choose from more than 250 pre-built industry themes that spark joy with dynamic scrolling and hover effects. Themes are mobile-friendly and customizable without coding.

Add features to your website with apps and use Shopify Magic to write product descriptions and original content.

Discover the store builder.

Find products

Sell your crafts or browse supplier inventory.

Find products to sell by connecting with verified suppliers. Design custom goods using print-on-demand, source products with a dropshipping app, or stock independent brands from the wholesale marketplace Faire.

Browse Collective for products your customers will love from other Shopify brands. Import items into your store, then ship orders directly from the supplier once you make a sale.

Find out more about product sourcing.

Turn browsers into buyers

With the world’s highest-converting secure checkout.

When you’re ready to start selling, Shopify Checkout gives your customers a safe, ultra-fast checkout experience that maximizes conversion rates. Accept all major payment methods as soon as your store launches.

Adding Shop Pay, the internet’s highest-converting checkout option, lets shoppers place orders in a single tap.

Find out more about selling.

Automate shipping

When orders come in, get them out the door.

Shipping on Shopify is simple, fast, and cost-effective. Print labels, collect import taxes, provide order tracking, and receive discounts of up to 88% on shipping rates.

As orders increase, use the Shopify Fulfillment Network to handle inventory storage and returns. Offer local delivery to nearby shoppers, and give customers extra delivery reassurance with Shop Promise.

Find out more about shipping.

Sell everywhere

Selling products through your website is just the beginning.

Use Shopify to promote and sell on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Extend your reach by serving international customers and listing items on marketplaces including Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Etsy.

For in-person sales, Shopify POS keeps inventory synced across your online and physical storefronts.

Discover sales channels.

Market your brand

Know your audience to boost shelf appeal.

Use reports to understand what leads people to your website—and what converts them into customers.

Generate audience lists for marketing campaigns and abandoned cart emails, or partner with influencers through Shopify Collabs to make your products go viral.

Find out more about marketing tools.

Integrate 8,000+ apps

Everything from dropshipping to AI-powered customer support.

Expand your stores’ features with third-party apps developed by Shopify partners.

Visit the App Store.

Manage your finances

A business account built into Shopify.

Shopify helps manage your business finances, ensuring you’re collecting the right sales tax and monitoring expenses.

Keep bestsellers stocked and ads running with funding from Shopify Capital. Or boost your cash flow with Shopify Credit for 3% cash back on eligible marketing, shipping, or wholesale purchases.

Find out more about financial services.

Keep growing

Entrepreneurship is an infinite game where there’s always room to grow.

Shopify enables growth for the biggest retailers. Brands like Staples, Converse, and Glossier choose components from the commerce stack to integrate with existing systems.

Find out how Shopify helps you grow.

Plans and pricing

Four Shopify plans, each designed to support different business needs:

• Basic: The most popular plan for solo entrepreneurs.
• Grow: For small teams.
• Advanced: Supports businesses as they scale.
• Plus: For complex businesses.

See all plans and pricing.

How To Start an Online Store in 2025 (10-Step Guide)

Follow this step-by-step guide to set up an ecommerce website and start selling to customers today.

First sale to full scale

• Every 28 seconds, an entrepreneur makes their first sale on Shopify.
• Among millions of global Shopify merchants are household brands such as Mattel, Gymshark, Heinz, FTD, Netflix, Kylie Cosmetics, SKIMS, and Supreme.
• Shopify powers around 12% of US ecommerce, serving 875 million shoppers in 2024.
• Overall, Shopify merchants have generated more than $1.1 trillion in revenue.

Compare Shopify to other commerce platforms.

Start selling today

With the internet’s best-converting checkout, AI commerce tools, and deep shipping discounts, Shopify helps businesses give the ultimate shopping experience to customers everywhere.

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From self-made TikTok stars to heritage brands, Shopify works for everyone. See plans and pricing.

What is Shopify FAQ

Is Shopify good for beginners?

With Shopify, it’s easy for beginners to create an online store using drag-and-drop templates and AI. Start accepting payments immediately with the built-in payment processor.

What are the benefits of Shopify?

Businesses choose Shopify for its flexibility and the ability to manage multiple commerce tasks from a single admin. With Shopify, you can launch a business, create a dedicated space for your brand, and sell across multiple platforms, including in person and on social media. As your business expands, Shopify offers features for enterprises, eliminating the need for costly migration to another platform.

Is Shopify free?

Shopify’s free trial lets you test most plans and features. Following the free trial, you can try Shopify for $1 per month for three months, allowing you to get your business up and running for minimal cost. After this period, you can choose from various Shopify plans, each priced to accommodate different types of businesses.

What does Shopify cost?

Shopify has several pricing plans, starting at $5 per month. The most popular Shopify plan is Basic, which includes everything needed to run a business and costs $29 per month when billed annually. Shopify users can expand their stores’ features with third-party apps, which may carry additional costs.

What countries can I use Shopify in?

Shopify powers online stores and retail businesses in more than 175 countries. You can use Shopify in more than 20 languages and accept payments with Shopify’s native payment processor in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Business owners in countries where Shopify Payments is not available can use Shopify with approved third-party payment gateways.

What can I sell on Shopify?

You can sell a range of products and services on Shopify, including physical products, digital products, memberships, subscriptions, ticketed experiences, and consulting services. Certain products are prohibited from sale on Shopify. Consult Shopify’s acceptable use policy to see which products and services are not permitted.

Where can I sell with Shopify?

With Shopify, you can sell everywhere your customers are, including through an online store, on the Shop App, in person at a retail store, on marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy, on social media channels like TikTok and Instagram, and via wholesale.

Shopify is a cloud-based and hosted platform, which means you can safely access your admin and data from any compatible device with an internet connection.