How Do You Buy on Shopify? A Guide with Examples

Did you just see an exciting product on a Shopify website and want to purchase it? It has happened to me so many times.

Shopify stores look great and their products are displayed in an exciting way. So much so that I’m totally compelled to buy them.

There are many Shopify stores out there and it’s very easy to buy from them (here is a selection with some of the best Shopify store examples). However, if you feel confused about how to buy on Shopify, this guide is for you. I'll guide you step by step on how to buy from Shopify.

What is a Shopify Store?

A Shopify store is like an online retail store, but it’s often more beautiful and exciting than a traditional online store.

That’s because Shopify gives businesses a platform to create, customize, and manage their stores in attractive ways.

Shopify gives businesses what they need to have a unique online presence. With a captivating shopping platform, companies can sell different products from artisanal crafts to cutting-edge technology.

With Shopify, businesses do not just have a marketplace but complete control over branding, layout, and user experience.

They have customization capabilities and each store reflects the personality and ethos of the business. This enhances customer engagement and loyalty.

Shopify gives a complete online experience to businesses. This includes a user-friendly interface, secure payment gateways, inventory management, and marketing tools.

I’ll take the example of one Shopify store but these steps will apply to any Shopify store.

Let’s Start Shopping

Let’s take the example of Beard & Blade, a leading Australian men’s grooming products supplier. It moved from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus and witnessed a 35% increase in its retail sales in just one year.

Finding the Right Product

When you open the Beard & Blade website, you can either browse for the products you want or you can search for a specific product.

Browsing for the products is easy. Just scroll down the website and you’ll find several top sellers. You’ll also see some Featured brands.

However, this can be different for different websites. While one website may have featured brands or best sellers, others may have something else. However, most websites will let you browse through their products very easily.

You can scroll through the entire store to see if you find something you like. But let’s say I have something specific in mind. I’ll go looking for a shower gel. Here’s how I can find it.

Notice the search bar on the top left of the website? This is where you can enter the details of the product you’re looking for.

However, keep in mind that the search bar is not always in the top left corner of all Shopify websites. It is generally available on the top left or top right of a website. But it might also be available at the bottom.

Here is what I found when I searched for “shower gel.”

It displays all the products that match my search term and also provides a filter section on the left. If the number of products is too high, I can apply filters to narrow down my search.

Selecting the Product

I’ll choose the Tabac bath and shower gel for this example. When I click on it, it will take me to its product page.

The product page will generally have all the details of the product including delivery and other information.

Here you can select the quantity and add it to your cart. On this product page, they mention a 15% discount on additional units. When I purchase extra units, Shopify will automatically calculate the discount and display the total.

As you can see, it has taken 15% off the second bottle of shower gel.

The Shopify Checkout Process

Once you’ve added the product(s) to your cart, you need to checkout. You might find some discount coupons here that may apply to your products.

There are no discount codes for the product I chose, but you might find coupons on other items.

When you’ve applied the desired discount coupon codes (if available), you need to make the payment. Shopify gives several payment options from credit cards to PayPal.

You can enter your PayPal or credit card details along with your address.

After entering your address and payment options, the website will ask you to review your details again. You can check your address and credit card numbers and confirm your order.

Order Confirmation

Once your order is placed, you’ll automatically get a confirmation email. Shopify takes care of the confirmation and will send you updates regarding your order.

The business owner doesn’t have to keep track of emails and Shopify handles all the small chores.

Unique Features of Shopify

As shown in the above example, it’s really easy to buy on Shopify. However, each Shopify website is different and there are some features that make them unique. I’ll discuss some of those features here.

Shopify apps

Many businesses create apps for their businesses that extend the functionality of a Shopify website. They can connect to Shopify API which will help them read store data. These apps can also have features not available on the company’s Shopify website.

Local pickup

Shopify supports local stores. You can place an order on the Shopify website and select a local pickup. After placing the order, you can visit the store and pick up your products instead of having them delivered to your location.

Customized products

Shopify also offers some personalized products. For example, you can have your name painted on a t-shirt. Not all stores have this option but some Shopify businesses will let you customize their products.

Conclusion

Buying from a Shopify website is a simple process. All you have to do is browse the store and add desired items to your cart.

Then you can proceed to checkout and complete your purchase. Once you’ve placed the order, you’ll get a confirmation email with all related information. While each Shopify store is different, one thing is common in all of them – they will all give you a smooth shopping experience.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)