4 Best Practices for Shopify Development
Published: January 27, 2022
Last Updated: April 23, 2024
Last Updated: April 23, 2024
Chief Strategy Officer at Alpha Serve
Author: Anna Odrynska
Industry reports show that Shopify commands an 11% share of the market. It has beaten competitors like Bigcommerce, OpenCart, and Magento.
There are over 1.75 million e-commerce stores on the platform. A staggering 80% of traffic to the Shopify platform comes from mobile.
Shopify is available in more than 175 countries and 20 global languages. It is easy to set up an e-commerce business on Shopify. There is the option of ready-to-use themes and templates to get you started.
Many people find the Shopify interface easy to use. That makes it ideal for beginners or even those without coding knowledge.
But, even when using available templates, it will still be important to customize your platform. It allows for a point of differentiation from anyone else who may be using the same format. You can also tweak the site to suit your business needs.
Our article focuses on best practices for Shopify development.
There are over 1.75 million e-commerce stores on the platform. A staggering 80% of traffic to the Shopify platform comes from mobile.
Shopify is available in more than 175 countries and 20 global languages. It is easy to set up an e-commerce business on Shopify. There is the option of ready-to-use themes and templates to get you started.
Many people find the Shopify interface easy to use. That makes it ideal for beginners or even those without coding knowledge.
But, even when using available templates, it will still be important to customize your platform. It allows for a point of differentiation from anyone else who may be using the same format. You can also tweak the site to suit your business needs.
Our article focuses on best practices for Shopify development.
Table of Contents:
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Shopify Development: Why It Is Crucial
As we have already hinted, it is important to have a point of differentiation in the online space. There is a lot of competition, and it helps to stand above everyone else. It is also critical to find a way to attract and keep the attention of audiences.
Remember they have a lot of content to interact with. The best way to capture them is to create a strong impression.
Involving ecommerce consultants like Varfaj will give you a powerful stepping stone. Such developers have the expertise and experience to build online e-commerce stores.
The experts will take care of all the aspects a beginner or someone without coding knowledge may not understand. These include the development of different elements and other third-party integrations.
And, as we stated, over 80% of the traffic comes from mobile. With the experts, you get the added value of mobile app development services. That means you can target customers right where they are.
With that said, let us look at some of the best practices in Shopify development.
Remember they have a lot of content to interact with. The best way to capture them is to create a strong impression.
Involving ecommerce consultants like Varfaj will give you a powerful stepping stone. Such developers have the expertise and experience to build online e-commerce stores.
The experts will take care of all the aspects a beginner or someone without coding knowledge may not understand. These include the development of different elements and other third-party integrations.
And, as we stated, over 80% of the traffic comes from mobile. With the experts, you get the added value of mobile app development services. That means you can target customers right where they are.
With that said, let us look at some of the best practices in Shopify development.
- Have Clarity on Your Goals and Needs
Shopify development focuses on creating features or applications to improve the store. That includes themes or apps.
Start by answering the question of what you hope to achieve with the Shopify development.
Next, decide on the scope of the development process. Note down any challenges that may come up during the development. You will need the insights to plan the process. They also provide a reference for decision-making.
This stage can be quite intensive. There is a level of research, including competitor analysis. It is also a fantastic way to unearth trends, patterns, or market shifts. All these can have a significant impact on the success of your e-commerce store.
Start by answering the question of what you hope to achieve with the Shopify development.
Next, decide on the scope of the development process. Note down any challenges that may come up during the development. You will need the insights to plan the process. They also provide a reference for decision-making.
This stage can be quite intensive. There is a level of research, including competitor analysis. It is also a fantastic way to unearth trends, patterns, or market shifts. All these can have a significant impact on the success of your e-commerce store.
2. Think About the UX and UI
How many times do you leave a website because it is hard to navigate? Whatever elements they have do not communicate what they are trying to sell.
You see, the internet has spoilt the modern customer. There is so much choice in terms of product or service offering. If you do not capture their interest from the get-go, forget about them.
When developing a Shopify store, it is critical to have two factors in mind. These are the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI).
The first step is to ensure a streamlined user interface (UI). Take the example of easy navigation on the site. It has a significant role to play in how audiences interact with the site.
The developers anticipate everything the online visitors may need to do while on the platform. The final goal is to ensure easy access and maximum functionality. It should be about simple, yet efficient interaction on the online store.
The experts include input controls, navigational and informational components. Examples of such are drop-down lists, sliders, progress bars, and notifications. The elements guide or help the visitor navigate the site with ease.
The user experience also applies to the checkout process. Think about words like easy, super quick, efficient, and simple when developing this page.
Up to 18% of customers will abandon shopping carts due to lengthy or complex checkout processes. 17% will do the same if they do not trust the site. 24% will leave if you try to force them to open an account.
You see, the internet has spoilt the modern customer. There is so much choice in terms of product or service offering. If you do not capture their interest from the get-go, forget about them.
When developing a Shopify store, it is critical to have two factors in mind. These are the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI).
The first step is to ensure a streamlined user interface (UI). Take the example of easy navigation on the site. It has a significant role to play in how audiences interact with the site.
The developers anticipate everything the online visitors may need to do while on the platform. The final goal is to ensure easy access and maximum functionality. It should be about simple, yet efficient interaction on the online store.
The experts include input controls, navigational and informational components. Examples of such are drop-down lists, sliders, progress bars, and notifications. The elements guide or help the visitor navigate the site with ease.
The user experience also applies to the checkout process. Think about words like easy, super quick, efficient, and simple when developing this page.
Up to 18% of customers will abandon shopping carts due to lengthy or complex checkout processes. 17% will do the same if they do not trust the site. 24% will leave if you try to force them to open an account.
3. Be Careful About Load Times and Site Performance
I Load times and side performance is not something to ignore. Here is why.
- 47% of customers expect a loading time of 2 seconds or less.
- You lose up to 40% of your traffic if the page takes more than 3 seconds to load.
- The business foregoes up to 7% of your conversions with a one-second page delay.
One best practice in Shopify development is to carefully consider the features you will add. A carousel, for example, is great to have. But, it can slow down the page if there are too many images.
4. Mobile and SEO Optimization
A mobile responsive design is a must. From the statistics we shared above, 80% of customers use such platforms.
And, mobile responsiveness is a critical ranking factor for Google. One good tip is to use the mobile-first design process. Design for small screens and optimize for larger ones.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is also a critical ranking factor. The Shopify development must do everything it can to make it easy for the search engines to crawl the site. These include proper internal link structures, optimized titles, headers, and so on.
And, mobile responsiveness is a critical ranking factor for Google. One good tip is to use the mobile-first design process. Design for small screens and optimize for larger ones.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is also a critical ranking factor. The Shopify development must do everything it can to make it easy for the search engines to crawl the site. These include proper internal link structures, optimized titles, headers, and so on.
Final Thoughts
Shopify promises that setting up an e-commerce store is easy. The platform’s user interface is friendly and ideal even for beginners. A cursory internet search will give you tons of resources on how to set up your store. And, that is all good. But, what you will get is a standard store.
Imagine the thousands of other e-commerce owners who are using the same templates and themes. You could gain a competitive edge with Shopify development.
We recommend that you consult the experts for this. They have the experience and expertise to develop plug-ins, mobile apps, and themes to improve your store.
Consider it an investment in the success of your e-commerce business.
Imagine the thousands of other e-commerce owners who are using the same templates and themes. You could gain a competitive edge with Shopify development.
We recommend that you consult the experts for this. They have the experience and expertise to develop plug-ins, mobile apps, and themes to improve your store.
Consider it an investment in the success of your e-commerce business.
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