Shopify India is Here: What You Need to Know
Table of Contents
- Getting Started
- How much does Shopify cost in India?
- Shopify Gold India
- Shopify India Payment Gateways
- How to Make First Sales?
- Other Shopify India Features & Resources
- Shopify.in
- Shopify App Store
- Shopify Design Templates
- Shopify Experts India
- SoftPulse Infotech
- Thriftizer Solutions
- Binary - Shopify Experts
- Shopify vs. Other Platforms
- Top Shopify Stores: India
- Royal Enfield - Motorcycles & Accessories
- Raymond Next - Mens Fashion
- Letternote - Stationery
- Headphone Zone - Electronics
- Poster Gully - Art Prints/POD
As we observe Shopify evolve further into a global platform, it’s important to pay attention to the successful brands that have managed to use it profitably and effectively outside of the core regions (North America, UK). Currently, Shopify India hosts more than 3,000 stores, proving that the platform is taking off there as well.
India, with an estimated 320 million online shoppers by 2020, is poised to become a dominant entity in ecommerce. Shopify India is ready to help online entrepreneurs achieve success through it’s incredible tools and support.
Getting Started
If you live in India and are considering capitalizing on this massive growth, don’t hesitate! Start with you Shopify free trial and start making sales today.
There is an upcoming Pursuit event taking place on November 22nd and 23rd in Bangalore. This is an opportunity for you to hear from some highly respected experts with a breadth of experience in ecommerce and network with other like-minded individuals. Pursuit is an incredible free resource for online entrepreneurs given the current position of Shopify India.
How much does Shopify cost in India?
If you’re interested in venturing into the ecommerce world, especially in a price-sensitive market, it’s important to know what it will cost you.
Shopify offers several tiers of service, with the cost and benefits increasing proportionately. Here are the current existing Shopify plans with prices in India:
As mentioned, these prices increase with additional features. Not listed on this table is a final option called Shopify Lite which offers a further reduced level of service at a cost of $9. ₹
Here’s a conversion for each price in rupees. Bear in mind these will be close approximations based on the exchange rates between USD and INR ate the time of writing:
Lite - ₹ 650/month
Basic - ₹ 2,100/month
Shopify - ₹ 5,800/month
Advanced - ₹ 22,000/month
Make you to make an assessment or which plan will bring the most benefit to your business at the time you sign up. You can also upgrade or downgrade to a different plan at any time by getting in touch which Shopify support.
You can also gain some valuable insight and a more in-depth view of the features included with each plan by reading through our Shopify plan blog post.
Shopify Gold India
Do you already have an established business and looking to transition to or include sales from the online market? Shopify Gold India is specifically designed to supplement your existing brand and support you in increasing revenue.
Many Indian Shopify users have used Shopify Gold to scale up their businesses, either by converting from other platforms or upgrading once they have proven sales.
Remember that Shopify Gold is the absolute premium plan available to users of Shopify in India. Because of this, it comes with a significant increase in price from the 4 other plans.
Shopify Gold India costs either 0.5% of monthly sales or ₹65,000 per month, whichever is higher. There is also a cap on the percentage taken by Shopify at ₹130,000 per month. As you can see, this plan is for businesses that are well-established with high volume and consistent sales.
On a final note, Shopify Gold India, including support, is only available in English.
Shopify India Payment Gateways
Unfortunately, Shopify’s proprietary payment system is not yet available to Indian vendors or buyers. Don’t worry, there are more than 15 highly reputable payment services that integrate with Shopify currently to make sure Shopify India vendors can accept payments from international locations.
Here’s a complete list for payment gateways available for Shopify India:
For more information on using payment gateways with Shopify India, click here.
Although the image below specifically mentions Shopify Gold, the same gateways are available to all users including PayPal, Blue Dart, Dehlivery and PayU.
Please read our article focussing on Shopify Payments that also details payment gateways outside of core countries for more information.
How To Make Your First Sales?
Once you know your brand, product, and have started building/designing your store, you may wonder the best ways to first get visitors to your site. There is no one specific answer but there are many proven methods for doing so when executed correctly.
Many merchants find great success in leveraging their social media presence to generate traffic to their Shopify store. As of 2019, there will be a predicted 258 million social media users within India, so at that point it’s all about finding out who your target customers are.
I would suggest running some test ads to a variety of demographics on different platforms then comparing the performance of those ads to the built-in analytics on your Shopify dashboard which looks like this:
P.S. Don’t let these numbers discourage you. This is an inactive store used as an example!
This will give you a good idea of the volume and type of person that is visiting your site.
Budget wisely when running test ads and don’t go crazy with spending on marketing until you’ve created a strategy and identified your target market.
We at SellerSmith also make it our mission to assist new Shopify users in making their first sales. We have integrated apps and themes that are designed for increasing conversion rates, specifically the PageFly app and SalesHunter theme.
Finally, there are many resources available directly through the Shopify support network whether that be through guides, blogs, tutorials, webinars, events, Shopify Academy, and the list goes on. There is also the Shopify expert directory, where you can fire professionals to help you build every aspect of your store. Read on for more details.
Pool your resources, remain diligent and you will achieve those elusive first sales before you know it!
Other Shopify India Features & Resources
All the support and resources that are available to Shopify users through the word are available on Shopify India. Here’s a brief overview of what existing and prospective merchants should be aware of:
Shopify.in
The homepage of Shopify India; your one-stop shop for guidance and support for anything involving Shopify. This will connect you to all sorts of places to find additional information, contact other users within the community, follow the blog for all Shopify updates, etc. The site is very easy to navigate and new things can be learned by accessing it frequently:
Shopify App Store
Many apps are an absolute must-have for increasing the functionality of your online store. Shopify India can use any apps available through the App Store. Take a look through the thousands of available applications with essential functions like currency conversion, Facebook integration, Email marketing management, and advanced page builders.
Remember to check out testimonials and reviews before adding any paid apps to your store. Many will allow you to use them for free for a trial period but it’s always better to see how other users have reacted to the app as well. Here’s a guide on what to look out for when selecting which apps to use with your store.
Shopify Design Templates
New Shopify vendors should also take advantage of the design tools known as Shopify Themes. These allow you to design beautiful stores through a simple-to-use interface. Many themes are available for free and can be modified through custom code.
Get some design inspiration from some of the top Shopify Indian stores later in the article and check out this article on how to install and customize a theme and here for how to decide which theme is most suitable for your store.
Shopify Experts India
One great opportunity that Shopify offers is the ability to connect with Shopify experts and freelance individuals with significant experience in the multi-faceted ecommerce world. You can can find and hire highly skilled people to assist with set up, design, development, marketing and more to help you with your business.
Expert Village Media is an excellent example of a Shopify expert that offers many different methods of assistance to Shopify vendors. Expert Village has offices in India and their well-rounded services include:
- High quality Shopify Store Design & Development
- Shopify Theme Setup
- Shopify SEO
- Facebook Marketing Campaign Setup and Management
- Instagram Marketing
- Google ads
- Conversion rate optimization
- Shopify App Development (both public and private)
- Shopify App Setup
- Small modifications in Shopify Store
- Shopify consulting and support service
Another major consideration for businesses that are first starting up is making sure they have professional photography that conveys who they are as a brand. High-quality images of each specific product also needs to exist. Thankfully, there are companies like Prime Seller Hub, a New Delhi-based company that offer design and photography services and are accredited Shopify experts.
Check out the Shopify India expert directly to find experts based on location, expertise, budget, customer response, and keyword. You can also view each company’s profile for further information or to contact them directly.
Here are a few of the top experts in India based on positive customer testimonials. Remember that many of these companies are not restricted to supporting with just one area of expertise. Most of the Shopify experts in India are capable of assisting with the whole process ie set up through marketing.
Softpulse Infotech
Softpulse is a developer in Surat that has been been a Shopify India expert since 2013. With prices starting at $500 per project, they enjoy an overwhelmingly positive response from their previous clients.
Thriftizer Solutions
Thriftizer is located in Bangalore and their projects start at $250. They can assist with set up, design, and development and are highly regarded by their clients.
Binary - Shopify Experts
Finally here is a slightly more prestigious company with project starting at $1000. Binary operates out of Mumbai and identifies as a Shopify Expert in their company name meaning they are completely dedicated to supporting the platform and its users.
So Why Create an Indian Shopify Store Instead of Selling on Another Platform?
If you reflect on the value that is offered through Shopify, the decision should be an obvious one. With affordable plans, complete business and creative control without the need to be tech-savvy, and astounding amounts of support offered for free, the results will speak for themselves and are only limited by the effort that the entrepreneur is willing to devote.
Another major selling point is that Shopify is automatically optimized for mobile users too. a huge number of online shoppers are browsing and buying from their smartphones and tablets, so it's important that their experience is enjoyable.
Here are some of the top Indian Shopify stores to inspire you and demonstrate that Shopify is the ultimate solution for ecommerce in India and throughout the world.
Top Indian Shopify Stores
The following are some huge success stories that are likely recognizable to many Indian consumers. These prove why The Shopify platform is steadily becoming the leading solution to expanding into the ecommerce bracket for businesses both large and small.
The following are examples of 5 of the leading Shopify Indian stores from different selling categories currently in operation.
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield has been an iconic motorcycle manufacturer for over 100 years and they show no sign of slowing down. They pride themselves on the simple yet reliable construction and the classic styling of their machines which has permitted them to persist through the generations.
It’s not surprising that this incredible brand is one of the top Indian Shopify stores.
Aside from the bikes themselves, they also have an extensive line of riding gear including protective equipment, apparel, accessories and storage. Currently the company uses Shopify to host it’s line of products outside of the motorcycles themselves.
Here’s a quick look at Royal Enfield’s Shopify homepage:
RE uses a custom theme which includes a lot of opportunities for their customers to interact from the homepage.
Below the slideshow are the featured collection and featured product sections. There are also image with text sections that compel the customer to find out more, for example “Must Have for Your Next Ride - Know More”. These are great to drive user engagement and get visitor exploring more of your site.
This is also a smart feature that I noticed on the homepage:
This is great for data collection as it allows the company to easily see what type of people their site traffic consists of:
- Current Customer
- Previous Customer
- Convertible Customer
- Potential Customer
This can help a lot with how they make marketing decisions and strategize to get the attention of their weaker customer bases. These tools and considerations are what helps a business grow to one of the top Shopify stores in India and globally.
Raymond Next - Fashion
Raymond next is a massively popular Indian Shopify store that sells menswear. They sell both ethnic Indian clothing plus more conventional western-influenced styles.
Their homepage includes a featured collection section, promotional video and sitemap.
One great feature of their homepage that I noticed was this:
Users can shop specifically by occasion straight from the homepage. These occasions include formalwear, after hours, wedding and business. This is great for customers searching for apparel for a specific event or activity. Awesome thinking on Raymond’s part.
Letternote - Stationery/Art
One might not first assume that stationary would be a heavyweight selling category on ecommerce. But thanks to the opportunity for customization and high quality products, it has emerged as a very successful industry.
Letternote leverages their brand identity which encourages customers to enjoy the little things in life and avoid over-complications to stand out from their competitors. This great Indian Shopify store offers high quality and custom stationery products that are are truly unprecedented and deserve the attention of anyone who hopes to simplify and personalize their work materials.
While their “bread and butter” products are their artful and quirky notebooks and journals. They also produce anything from luggage tags to coasters all with a custom message. Check out their site from the link above.
Headphone Zone - Electronics/Accessories
This Indian Shopify store sells one thing only: headphones. Their homepage is fantastically well-organized and it makes for a super user-friendly experience. For example, they have dropdown menus so customers can easily find products by price, purpose or brand.
It’s definitely advantageous to organize the site like this because they likely have hundreds of SKUs available for order.
The Headphone Zone homepage includes a promo section and featured items.
Poster Gully - Art Prints
Poster Gully is a very successful print-on-demand Indian Shopify store that prints custom or classic images, phrases, quotes and… well you get the idea. They can print on many common items and materials. To name a few:
They’ve got a bit of an overwhelming homepage but it kind of matches their zany brand image so I’ve got no complaints. This is an industry with a lot of competition in ecommerce so hats off the people behind Poster Gully.
Once again, thank you for your kind attention in reading our latest article.
When you’re ready to get started, you can sign up for a risk tree 14-day free trial. Go for it!
Check out our complete guide to Shopify as well:
- Shopify Plans
- Shopify Registration
- Shopify Themes
- Best Shopify Apps
- Shopify Support
- Top Shopify Stores
As always, let us know if you have any questions below!
Happy selling, bonne chance!
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