Can You Use Shopify in the UK?

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Courtesy of its user-friendly features, flexibility and rich history with eCommerce brands, Shopify has become the go-to platform for businesses and entrepreneurs seeking to harness the potential of online selling. The company doesn't only set up your store, but it also supports you after with advanced technological innovations. 

Already excited to try out Shopify in the UK? The experts at Bezos have created this ultimate resource to consult for all your inquiries about setting up a successful Shopify UK business. We are a globally respected fulfilment firm you can entrust with all your Shopify UK shipping needs.

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Is Shopify Available in the UK?

Yes, Shopify is accessible in the UK — understandable considering the country's agile business landscape. Although the platform started in Canada, Shopify has steadily increased its accessibility across the globe due to the ever-burgeoning demand for eCommerce solutions.

Thanks to Shopify's expansion throughout the UK, British businesses can now access a comprehensive platform that guarantees all the tools and resources essential to online store success. Whether you live in England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland, you can drive sales, grow a compelling digital presence across multiple markets and achieve sustainable growth. 

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Setting up Your Shopify Store in the UK: Steps to Follow

Various features underline why Shopify is an excellent eCommerce management platform. Its speedy and easy setup process is chief among them, ensuring that UK Shopify for beginners is as easy as Shopify for pro users. Setting up a Shopify store has the following steps:  

1. Open a Shopify Profile

Visit the Shopify website and click "Get Started" to begin. Select if you're experienced or just starting on the subsequent page. 

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2. Identify Selling Location

Choose where you want to sell with Shopify: an online store, an existing website or blog, social media, online marketplace and in-person are available options. You may select as many as you want, and your choices are editable.

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3. Specify Your Products

It's now time to choose what you're there to sell. Your options range from “products I buy or make myself” and “dropshipping products” to “services.”

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4. Create a Shopify UK ID

When the page loads, decide whether to open an account via email, Google or Facebook and create a strong password.

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5. Work Out Payment System

Shopify is compatible with various UK-popular payment gateways, including PayPal, Worldpay and Stripe. Select the option that suits your needs best and adjust the settings accordingly. Here's where you outline any special rates clients need to know.

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6. Work Out Shipping Specifics

Getting customer orders to them at the right time is critical to a Shopify store’s success in the UK. Therefore, aim to work with trusted order fulfilment companies only. An example is Bezos! We boast a seamless shipping network worldwide and offer various client-positive features, including real-time tracking and full order journey analytics. Reach out to us today! 

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7. Configure Taxes

Via Shopify Tax, Shopify simplifies the tax management process for your UK store. The feature automatically calculates tax according to your store and customers' locations, ensuring hassle-free tax compliance. However, Shopify doesn't collect or charge certain taxes, such as VATs (Value Added Taxes), so engaging a competent accounting firm or software for calculating your Shopify UK taxes is advisable.

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8. Enable Additional Features

Shopify has various features and integrations that can enhance your store's functionality. These resources include social media integration, email marketing, customer reviews and more. Explore the Shopify App Store to discover and install the apps and integrations that align with your business goals.

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9. Test and Launch Your Store

Testing functionality is vital before officially launching your store. Assess the navigation ease, different payment methods, tax computing software and extra features you added from the store. Apart from preventing customer upsets, this step also avoids frequent corrections on your part.

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Understanding Shopify Pricing in the UK

Business owners work on different budgets, so it's no surprise that multiple Shopify UK pricing options exist. And with prices ranging from £25 to £2,000, rest assured there's the ideal solution for everyone. Let's look at the platform's pricing structure more closely. 

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1. Basic

Priced at £25 per month, Basic Shopify provides the fundamentals required to set up and run your online store. The plan offers unlimited product listings, 24/7 customer support, a website and blog, discount code creation and more. It's an excellent choice for small brands or businesses starting their eCommerce journey.

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2. Shopify

The standard Shopify plan costs only £65 per month. Along with all the features Basic Shopify offers, this package enables gift card creation, professional reporting, abandoned cart recovery and gift card sales, among other extra benefits. Standard Shopify is ideal if you're an already growing brand that needs more flexibility.

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3. Advanced

Businesses with high-volume sales and complex needs are better off with Advanced Shopify. With the £344 per month plan, you can set up advanced report building, third-party calculated shipping rates, custom checkout and scripting, and other advanced features. Not to forget that it also offers all features that define the Basic and Shopify plans.

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4. Special Plans

Shopify offers an enterprise-level plan, Shopify Plus, for large businesses with specific requirements. It provides advanced features, dedicated support and customised solutions to cater to enterprise-level brands, and pricing starts at £2,000 monthly. 

Alternatively, Shopify also has the Starter plan, which contrasts sharply with the Plus. Via this arrangement, you can sell products through messaging and social apps for only £5.

It's noteworthy that Shopify charges up to 2% transaction fees on every sale your store records through external payment gateways. Only sales through the official portal, Shopify Payments, don't command this charge. 

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Payment Solutions: How Does Shopify Handle Transactions in the UK?

Smooth, fast and secure transactions are crucial to all trades, eCommerce particularly. Consequently, it's impressive that there are numerous Shopify UK payment gateways customers can use to pay for their orders.

• Shopify Payments

Shopify Payments is Shopify's official payment gateway and is available to UK users. By opting for this channel, you can accept major credit and debit cards directly through your online store, eliminating the need for third-party gateways. Subsequently, you can manage transactions seamlessly within the Shopify platform and avoid additional fees imposed by external payment gateways.

• External Payment Gateways

Additionally, Shopify integrates with various external payment gateways to accommodate diverse customer base needs. These provisions make things easier for customers, notwithstanding their banking preferences. A few prominent ones are: 

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• PayPal: By integrating PayPal with your Shopify store, you offer customers a familiar, widely recognised and convenient payment method. PayPal guarantees a secure checkout process, protecting you and your customers' financial information.

• Stripe: Stripe integrates with Shopify so buyers can make payments directly on your online store without redirection to a foreign payment portal. Stripe accepts different card types and is zero-tolerant against insecurity. 

• Worldpay: With Worldpay on your Shopify store, customers can pay using different card types and payment methods. Unique features like recurring bill auto-pay and payment tokenisation are also on offer!

• Klarna: Bring Klarna into the fold to allow customers to pay for purchases in instalments. This attractive feature increases conversions and reduces cart abandonment, two positives that turn a good brand into a great one.

• Amazon Pay: Amazon Pay eliminates the need for customers to enter their payment and shipping information manually, ensuring a seamless and trusted checkout experience. It's a platform over 80% of UK internet users are familiar with, so customers pay more quickly due to the familiar interface.

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Shopify Support in the UK

Shopify understands the importance of reliable customer support to its users in the UK. So, whether you are curious about setting up your store, managing products or troubleshooting technical issues, there's always a support line available. Below's a cursory look at Shopify UK help options available.

Help Center

The Shopify Help Center is a comprehensive online resource with answers to commonly asked questions and step-by-step guides. Topics include store setup, theme customisation, product management and marketing strategies. The Help Center is accessible 24/7, ensuring instant solutions to your queries at your convenience. You can search for specific topics or browse through different categories to access your needed information.

24/7 Support

The Shopify UK customer support quality is admirable for the diversity on display. Assistance is obtainable via email, chat and phone, so you can contact the support team whenever necessary. 

Live chat enables real-time conversations with professional agents, ensuring quick problem-solving. Additionally, you can email the support address (support@shopify.com) for a more detailed explanation. Should you prefer phone support, the help centre has a “Request a Call” option, which will have an agent call you directly as soon as possible.

Shopify Community

Shopify Community is a support line run by Shopify users for Shopify users. Members here can interact with fellow users, share experiences, ask queries and receive recommendations. The community has four divisions: 

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• Discussions where you can ask questions and join convos on popular topics
• Groups to connect and work with Shopify stores close to you
• Events for networking opportunities and insightful talks
• A blog where you can learn about various relevant topics from experts.

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Shopify Experts

Shopify Experts are skilled specialists in various eCommerce niches, such as design, development, marketing and SEO. They provide a more personalised service and can uplift your brand. Their services include store setup, app integration, theme customisation and online marketing strategies.

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Recommendations to Make Your UK Shopify Store a Success

You must plan and execute strategically for your UK Shopify store to succeed. And while various brands have different strategies, there are fundamental rules you must note before designing one. They are as follows:

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Leverage Social Media

As of January 2023, there were over 57 million social media users in the UK. With this figure growing consistently for years, experts are sure the trend will continue – so seize the wonderful opportunities social media offers! 

Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook grant direct access to your target market, so building brand awareness is a walk in the park. However, ensure your content is compelling, genuine and resonates with your audience and reflects your brand.

Run targeted ad campaigns for a wider audience and collaborate with influencers who reflect your brand values. Regularly track and analyse your social media performance to refine your strategy and optimise your results. 

Optimise Website for SEO

Implementing search engine optimisation techniques correctly will astronomically improve your website's visibility on search engine result pages. Think of the publicity that comes with appearing on Google or Bing's first pages! 

The first move here is a keyword research project to identify relevant terms your target audience uses when searching for products. You can then optimise product descriptions, meta tags, headings and URLs with these keywords.

Ensure Mobile Compatibility

Given the significant rise in mobile internet usage, ensure your Shopify store is optimised for mobile devices – iPhone or Android. Adopt responsive web design for a seamless experience across various screen ratios and ensure media loads faster on mobile. It's also vital to simplify navigation, incorporate an intuitive mobile checkout procedure and test your store regularly for mobile compatibility deficiencies.

Utilise Email Marketing Strategies

A robust email marketing strategy nurtures customer relationships and drives repeat business. To develop one, build an email subscriber list and segment subscribers according to preferences, behaviour and purchase history so content is tailored for every segment. 

Your email campaigns must offer real value to their recipients. They may be exclusive discounts, informative content specific to their interests or tailored product recommendations. Consider automated workflows to help send cart reminders, personalised thank-you messages and post-purchase surveys.

Offer Exceptional Customer Support

Online shoppers generally associate reliable customer care with trustworthy brands. For UK Shopify stores pursuing greatness, a top-notch customer support setup is mandatory. The following strategies can help you out: 

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• Providing support through multiple channels, including email, live chat and phone support
• Implementing a vibrant support ticketing system to manage and track requests efficiently
• Investing in customer care unit training to improve representatives' competence
• Creating comprehensive FAQs and knowledge blocks on common queries and concerns
• Tracking customer feedback and reviews for insights on areas requiring improvements.

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Implementing Upselling and Cross-Selling Strategies

Upselling and cross-selling are special strategies that give customers more value than they've paid for. If you execute them appropriately, they'll entice customers to return for more purchases from your store. The following are the best suggestions on how you can go about the technique: 

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• Recommend complementary products on the customer's selected items during checkout 
• Offer bundle discounts and deals when buyers purchase related products together
• Set up a loyalty program to encourage repeat visits and purchases
• Leverage customer browsing and purchase history to suggest personalised product recommendations.

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Guarantee Reliable Shipping

The gecko's tail may regrow, but trust never does, so customers' distrust and outrage are understandable when you don't deliver their products as agreed. Therefore, a dependable fulfilment company is the first domino to fall if you're to achieve your eCommerce goals. 

Fortunately, you don't have to look far away. At Bezos, we are master movers of commodities across international and continental shores. We boast warehouses in strategic locations across Europe, Australia and New Zealand, guaranteeing an unbroken transfer chain no matter where your customers live. Our features make your life easier, particularly the on-time delivery tracking and full journey analytics additions. Contact us today for an affordable, lasting solution to your logistic challenges.

Conclusion

Shopify isn’t just another eCommerce platform; it's a game-changer for UK brands looking to establish a strong virtual presence. There are numerous reasons why, from the convenient setup process to the payment option diversity and the flexible pricing choices. Customer support is also exceptional, with the company going all out to guide customers through every step. 

Ready to kick-start your journey with Shopify? Define your budget and design a strategy in line with the various recommendations we've provided. Likewise, set up the right payment, support, marketing, and fulfilment channels and become one of Shopify UK's success stories. 

Remember, Bezos is the ideal fulfilment company for all eCommerce orders within and outside the UK. Send us a message now to lay a solid foundation for your foray into the online business world. Good luck!

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Shopify FAQs

Can small businesses use Shopify in the UK?

Yes, Shopify caters to all business sizes, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). There are scalable Shopify UK features that'll accommodate small business needs. Examples include the intuitive interface, flexible pricing plans and various support options. 

Can I use my existing domain with Shopify?

Yes, you can use your existing domain with Shopify, as it integrates with other domains. You can either transfer your domain to Shopify or keep it registered with your current domain registrar and update the necessary DNS settings to link it with your Shopify store.

Are customer transactions safe with Shopify?

Shopify prioritises the security of customer transactions by employing industry-grade security measures, including TLS 1.3 SSL encryption. Shopify is also PCI DSS compliant, meaning it adheres to strict security standards to handle payment card data safely.

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