why you should choose shopify as your web platform

This blog was written in collaboration with Chloe Hill - a recently graduated 1st Class Hons English student at Royal Holloway, the lifestyle editor of Orbital Magazine & freelance online fashion writer for Debut Magazine.

Finding the right web platform for your start-up fashion brand can be confusing. With so many to choose from, how are you to know which one will benefit you and your business most? 

I’d like to make a case for the Canadian e-commerce company, Shopify. Home to an impressive site, it has been articulately shaped for selling, marketing and managing, with the ease of doing all three of these things in one place. With a collection of customisable features, it’s perfect for fashion start-ups as you can expect to have full transparency about the internal workings of your brand. From product orders and shipping information, to store data and blog posts, there is so much waiting to be discovered – all in a bid to grow and steady your business. 

Shopify currently holds 10% of the global e-commerce platform market share*, so it comes as no surprise that big businesses are flocking to the platform to take advantage of its many opportunities for business development and growth.  

Launched in 2004, Shopify eliminates the confusion from setting up an online store. With merchants in 175 countries, 3000 employees and seven million app store downloads** – it’s no wonder that the web platform has taken the business industry by storm.  

To simply explain the heights of success that Shopify has reached is easy enough, but what truly solidifies it is the brands that have rapidly grown whilst using it. Household names such as KKW beauty, Kylie Cosmetics and Yeezy are all using the platform, along with Emma Bridgewater, Penguin Books and Harper Collins.  

Of course, you will be incredibly familiar with these brands – to the point where their success may seem unattainable to an independent fashion start-up. That’s why I’d like to showcase five businesses who started small and have continued to go from strength to strength ever since… 

1. Fashion Nova  

American based Fashion Nova is centred around fast fashion, tapping into popular trends to maximise profits. Whilst operating predominantly online, they also have a few brick-and-mortar stores across California.  

1. Lucy & Yak 

Ethical, sustainable and very on trend, Lucy & Yak’s ethos is easily one of the most loveable parts of their brand. From making tobacco pouches on the beach in New Zealand to the iconic dungarees, Lucy & Yak’s success shows no signs of slowing.  

1. Gymshark  

Gymshark is a fitness apparel and accessories brand, manufacturer and online retailer. A UK brand, Gymshark’s popularity continues to grow over the years, with fitness bloggers and influencers flocking to support the products.  

1. Skinnydip  

Launched in 2011, Skinnydip is growing at an incredibly fast pace. Sold in global retailers such as Selfridges and ASOS, sales continue to rocket and the brand has become the first line of thought for anybody in need of a new phone case.  

1. Milk.Co Kids Clothes 

Born in 2016, Milk forefronts comfort and versatility as the focal point of their brand, whilst of course keeping it stylish. Milk began as a project of two Australian mums who sought to provide wearable garments for their fashionable babies.  

Try it for yourself with a free trial 

When considering which web platform is right for you, consider Shopify. Leaders in supporting entrepreneurship, the site is designed with fashion start-ups in mind.  

If you have any further questions about this topic, don’t hesitate to contact me either on social media or via email at hi@elizabethstiles.co.uk.  

If you’d like to give Shopify a try, get a taster of it with a free 14-day trial. Click here to sign up today.  

*Statistics from wemakewebsites.com.  

** Statistics from expandedramblings.com.