Introduction
There are numerous Shopify stores selling a wide range of products. Some businesses thrive, while others fail. It is preferable to be the former. But how do you go about doing that?
Your path to increased sales and repeat customers will undoubtedly differ from that of someone selling a different product. So it's encouraging to see a variety of success stories and how they've made their businesses thrive.
Shopify is one of the best and most popular eCommerce platforms for online stores, accounting for well over 20% of the eCommerce market. Shopify began as a snowboarding equipment online store and now claims to have hosted over 1,000,000 businesses in 175 countries.
If you're wondering whether Shopify stores are successful, the answer is yes. Between 2016 and 2019, Shopify businesses contributed a whopping $319 billion to the global economy.
Source: Yahoo Finance
What Makes A Good Shopify Store?
A Shopify store is set up to look good right out of the box. This means that it is simple to create a lovely storefront and that you will be competing with similarly lovely stores.
There isn't just one thing that makes a Shopify store great. It is multifaceted and is dependent on your specific customer base. One thing is certain: you must be more visible and appealing than your competitors.
While your vertical's target market may be unique, there are many site improvements that any customer will appreciate.
Characteristics:
1. Well-Designed Website
Source: wpstandard.com
A great online store design is the first step toward running a successful Shopify store. Your website is your customers' first point of contact with your product offerings, and as the saying goes, first impressions count.
A well-designed Shopify website makes it easy for customers to navigate. With a compelling theme, your eCommerce store should be well-organized and visually appealing.
Your website's design should also be consistent with your company's branding.
The products should be displayed clearly and without being obstructed by website elements.
Grab this huge discount coupon when using Pagefly, a Shopify app that lets you make custom pages for your store. This page builder app is a great solution to create landing pages, product pages, collection pages, and more without having to code.
2. Mobile-Friendly Site
Source: Pexels
Mobile devices such as phones and tablets are becoming more common in eCommerce. Mobile eCommerce accounts for more than half of all online transactions and is growing at a rapid pace.
The best Shopify stores optimize their websites for mobile use. They also provide mobile apps, allowing them to reach their target audience more effectively.
eCommerce stores must do more than just make their homepage smaller for mobile devices. The mobile web has its own distinct features, such as a mobile responsive design that must be incorporated into the homepage to ensure it displays clearly on phones and tablets.
3. Quick loading pages:
Humans are impatient beings. We'll simply move on if a page doesn't load quickly enough. Conversion rates drop by 4.42% every second during the first five seconds of loading. As a result, the faster your site loads, the higher your conversion rate.
4. A significant influx of traffic:
You can't expect conversions unless you have enough traffic. You can start driving all of that amazing traffic to your store with a great SEO strategy and a strong social media presence.
5. Great Products
Source: Pexels
A successful Shopify store sells products in a niche market that they understand. You must be knowledgeable about your offerings, which will be visible on your website.
These stores provide products that distinguish themselves from similar products on the market. This aspect improves the customer experience, converts visitors into repeat customers, and ensures a high conversion rate.
Beardbrand, for example, sells beard grooming products. They were created with the intention of making bearded men look fashionable and stylish.
Since its inception on Shopify in 2013, the company has grown by leaps and bounds, with monthly sales exceeding $100,000.
6. Beautiful photography
Source: Tessemaes
One thing that almost all top online stores have in common is the beautiful photographs that appear on their homepage. They're visually appealing and present the products in an appealing way that sells.
The captivating images will entice you to explore the rest of their offerings.
A Shopify store must be visually appealing because customers cannot touch or feel the products.
7. Clever Product Descriptions
The most successful Shopify stores use memorable product descriptions. They describe their products in ways that appeal to their target audience and address their pain points, rather than using sales rhetoric.
Your product descriptions on your homepage should pique your customers' interest. You can use any theme you want, but injecting some light humor is a safe bet. Remember to address the customer's concerns and desires as well. This demonstrates to the customer that you care about them.
Your product descriptions should tell a story. The main goal is to communicate the benefits of the product in a way that engages the customer and motivates them to make a purchase.
8. Customer Engagement
The average online store sells to customers, but the most successful companies build communities. Engaging with customers is similar to growing a fan base. The most successful Shopify stores have achieved this, with a high rate of repeat customers.
These returning customers are more than just customers; they interact with the Shopify store via a variety of channels. Successful businesses maintain two-way communication with their customers, who treat them as family and promote their products whenever possible.
Conversations with customers can be held on social media. The online store can gain valuable feedback on their product offering as well as insights into the desires and aspirations of their customers. They can also address problems and challenges with their products.
Customers can put their thoughts into action by providing content related to the products through user-generated content on social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. It's a sign of a store's close relationship with its customers.
9. Social Proof and Customer Reviews
People prefer to purchase goods and services from an ecommerce business that has a track record of satisfied customers. This is why many people read online customer reviews before making a purchase decision.
Leading Shopify stores typically demonstrate their customer base through customer reviews. It's an excellent way for store owners to interact with their customers while also reinforcing the theme of their business.
Potential buyers can also see if the store's products will solve their problem by reading about other people's experiences. According to a Nielsen customer research study, three out of every four online shoppers rely on customer reviews to make their purchasing decisions.
According to the same study, one-third of online customers avoid online stores with no reviews.
10. Great Customer Experience
For a successful online store, the adage "the customer is king" holds true.
Without a positive customer experience, a great website and beautiful products are meaningless. It is the most important factor in determining the success of an eCommerce business.
One way for your eCommerce store to compete in the market is to provide a great customer experience. It is the most cost-effective and efficient marketing tool available. It's also a recurring theme in most business improvement initiatives.
The customer's overall experience will determine whether they will make a repeat purchase from the store based on their website browsing experience, product availability, checkout process, customer support, and order fulfillment.
As a result, customer service is critical. Your response to your customer's problems and how you resolve them contribute significantly to a positive customer experience.
Customers will spread the word about their positive experiences. These communications can make or break an online business, depending on whether the experience was positive or negative.
11. Simplified Checkout Process
Source – Pixabay
A top Shopify store's checkout process is simple and stress-free. Making the payment process as simple as possible is a major theme of every leading online retailer.
A seamless checkout process entails much more than simply connecting a call to action at the bottom of the page to a payment portal. Each checkout component, from the shopping cart to the payment options and payment process, must be error-free.
12. Powerful integrations
A Shopify store can go a long way on its own, but integrations can take it to the next level by adding functionality that improves the customer experience and simplifies the store owner's life. Shopify apps can assist you with email marketing, customer loyalty programs, social proof, customer support, and much more.
13. Free shipping
This offer has undeniable power. Even if the overall cost is the same, customers do not want to pay for shipping. A whopping 73% of consumers said that free shipping has a significant impact on their purchasing decision.
Best Practices:
1. Customer experience above everything
Choose any of the top-grossing Shopify stores to find the best-in-class customer experience. This makes sense because research shows that poor customer service causes 80% of customers to leave your store.
Aesthetics such as minimalistic design, visual appeal, pleasant color palettes, and good photography are all part of good CX. Other functional aspects include an easy checkout process, easy navigation, no annoying pop-ups, and chatbots that provide 24/7 assistance.
2. Brand appeal
Another important factor that influences customers' choice of store is high brand value. Top Shopify brands accomplish this by maintaining an active presence on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Having a distinct USP, collaborating with popular brands/influencers, and implementing sustainability initiatives all contribute significantly to their brand appeal.
3. No unnecessary extra costs
Buyers have a basic expectation of hassle-free payments. Top Shopify stores avoid this by providing risk-free payment options and avoiding any additional costs during the checkout process. Many successful stores also provide free shipping and risk-free return policies.
4. Social proof
Positive reviews and testimonials have the greatest influence on the minds of your buyers. Furthermore, prominently displaying social proof on the home page has contributed to increased revenue for many top Shopify stores.
5. Accurate product descriptions and specifications
Before making any decisions, buyers conduct extensive research. As a result, top stores must have accurate and high-quality product images, extensive product descriptions, and accurate size charts. Many retailers take it a step further by incorporating augmented reality and 360-degree views into their product images and videos.
6. Top-notch customer service
Another common trait observed in top eCommerce stores is the ability to build good relationships with customers and make them feel valued. This includes things like prompt assistance, excellent customer service, email list engagement, and faster resolution of payment and shipping issues.
7. Quicker website load speeds
The majority of your customers will browse your store on mobile devices. As a result, faster page load times are another critical factor that many leading Shopify stores carefully monitor.
8. Abandoned cart recovery
Almost all successful Shopify stores make use of various cart abandonment solutions, such as email remarketing and web push notifications. Capturing abandoned cart details and re-engaging with potential customers has proven to be extremely effective in recouping lost revenue.
Store Examples:
Successful Shopify fashion stores
Fashion Nova has emerged as one of the most popular fashion eCommerce brands, with revenue exceeding $400 million in 2019.
BBut what really stands out is their brilliant social media strategy and use of user-generated content. Fashion Nova asks their Instagram followers to post photos of themselves wearing Fashion Nova clothing in order to be featured on their homepage. This feature has been extremely beneficial to them.
Their massive success is also due to their influencer strategy, which includes collaborations with world-famous influencers such as Cardi B.
Tactic to steal from Fashion Nova: To build a decent social media following, post consistently and frequently. Use user-generated content to increase customer engagement and drive more traffic to your store.
Successful Shopify beauty stores
With their strikingly beautiful design and playful colors, which brilliantly add to the customer experience, ColourPop stands out among thousands of other cosmetic brands.
It's no surprise that their revenue has surpassed $4 million. They've even collaborated with big names like Disney and Sofia Nygaard, which has resulted in a large number of ColourPop customers via social media.
They have emerged as one of the most successful Shopify beauty stores thanks to their captivating color palette and detailed product reviews. They also have vegan and cruelty-free options, which is a big plus.
Tactic to steal from ColourPop: Sending free products to influencers has been their strategy, and they have received over 4,000 influencer mentions as a result. You can do the same by concentrating on both organic and sponsored influencer strategies.
Successful Shopify home goods stores
Ruggable, with 85,000 unique monthly website visitors, is one of the most popular Shopify stores in the home decor category.
Aside from their serene photography and beautiful design, their on-point copywriting is what really stands out. Their unique selling point is that their rugs are machine washable. And a quick glance at their home page reveals the incredible benefits of their products.
Another thing to note is their emphasis on SEO, which allows them to rank for competitive keywords like "washable rugs."
Tactic to steal from Ruggable: Copywriting that is efficient and benefits-driven pays off big time. Create a fluff-free copy that lists all of your amazing benefits in the most concise manner possible.
Successful Shopify electronics stores
Raycon, with over 52,000 unique monthly visitors, is one of the top-grossing electronics stores. You'll want to return to their online store again and again because of the beautiful high-quality images and social proof displayed above the fold.
The most notable page on their website is "Celebrity Sightings," where you can see Mike Tyson call these "the best earbuds in America." Now, who wouldn't want these earbuds?!
Their minimalistic product detail pages with beautifully laid out benefits are difficult to overlook. They have spent money on high-quality images and have reduced the number of distracting elements on their product pages.
Tactic to steal from Raycon: Including social proof, especially above the fold, can have a huge subconscious impact on your buyers' minds. And using celebrities as social proof works like magic.
Successful Shopify camping stores
BioLite is a forward-thinking, innovative company with a mission. They provide off-grid energy products for camping and other outdoor activities.
What stands out is that their mission has impacted the lives of thousands of Sub-Saharan Africans. They contribute to these families' access to safe cooking, lighting, and charging by investing a portion of your purchase.
People who shop at their store feel good about themselves because they have helped the less fortunate in some way. This value proposition is what distinguishes them.
Tactic to steal from BioLite: Utilize your proprietary data. Show customers the hard numbers to demonstrate how they are helping to make the world a better place.
Top eco-friendly Shopify stores
Taylor Stitch comes to mind when we think of an eco-friendly men's fashion brand. They only sell affordable clothes that are recycled and made from regenerative fibers or 100% natural products.
In addition, they collaborate with local organizations to provide community service. These factors have increased their brand affinity and helped them stand out from the crowd.
Lead generation pop-ups and other onsite messaging formats, such as a sticky bar with a countdown clock, are used effectively by Taylor Stitch. Their elegant and unobtrusive format appeals to the majority of customers and helps the brand grow its customer database seamlessly.
Tactic to steal from Taylor Stitch: Popups that are sophisticated and non-intrusive are an excellent way to broaden your potential customer base. Don't bombard your visitors with notifications; instead, provide them with a variety of options by segmenting your customer base and employing behavioral triggers.
Top Shopify travel stores
Great copy and prominent testimonials contribute to the appeal of Exist Travel's successful travel booking Shopify store. Their website caters to the needs of any travel enthusiast, offering travel packages to a variety of destinations.
The addition of multimedia also piques people's interest and gives them a glimpse of the journey ahead of them.
Tactic to steal from Exist Travels: Having an easy-to-use contact page allows your customers to communicate with you without difficulty. Chatbots are also useful for providing assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Conclusion
If you want versatility, affordability, technical support, and the best user experience for your customers, PageFly is an excellent choice for starting your own eCommerce store.
So get started right away with this discount coupon! Take a cue from these top-grossing Shopify stores and start building your own today. Remember, you're only a few clicks away from creating your dream store.
So there you have it, the secrets of the most successful Shopify stores. Simply following these steps will increase your chances of becoming one of the successful Shopify stores.
