Posted by Shopify Lite is a powerful tool that can help you manage your business as an ecommerce entrepreneur. It’s a cloud-based platform that millions of businesses worldwide use to sell products and grow their brands. Its design lets it work on mobile devices, so it’s ideal for people who want a simple way to build their online store from wherever they are.
Shopify Lite is available as a free app for iOS and Android devices. And in this piece, I’ll show you all you need to know about Shopify Lite, and you can leverage it to make more money online.
All About Shopify Lite
Shopify Lite is a new platform that allows you to manage your shop and sell products on any website or social media page. You can also set up a full Shopify store without learning how to code or paying the high cost of a custom development project. It will let you manage your inventory and sales, but it doesn’t include some features that are only available with the full version of Shopify:
- Shipping rates
- The custom domain name (if desired)
- Custom landing pages (if desired)
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Shopify Lite Business Plan Transaction Fees
Shopify Lite merchants are charged 2.9% + 30¢ for each transaction on their business plan. When you sell an item, you’ll be paying 2.9% of the order total plus 30¢ in credit card processing fees to Shopify. For example, if your product costs $10 and you sell 100 units, your profits will reduce by $2.90 per sale (100 x 0.029). This can add up quickly if you’re selling multiple products or have high-ticket items in your store.
Shopify Payments is a payment gateway offered by Shopify where merchants pay only 1% + 30¢ per transaction. This applies to businesses using Bitcoin or Ethereum as payment methods instead of paying credit card fees like those associated with PayPal or Stripe’s processor fees. That means that if someone pays using Bitcoin or Ether, they will only have to pay 1% instead of 2.9%.
There’s also another option called Shopify Payments Advanced, which allows users to accept payments via Visa or MasterCard and American Express cards, but this comes at an additional cost of 1%. So although this may seem enticing at first glance compared to other solutions such as Stripe’s charge rates (which range from 3%-4%), keep in mind that both system’s offers still eats into your profit margin.
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How to Use Shopify Lite
If you’re starting a Shopify store for the first time, the process can be overwhelming and complex. However, there’s no need to worry; you don’t have to be a tech genius or marketing expert to create an eCommerce shop that sells like hotcakes. Shopify makes it easy for anyone who wants to start their own business online.
To switch to Shopify Lite, do the following:
- Click the Settings tab.
- Click Account.
- Select Change Plan and then select Shopify Lite.
- Confirm your selection by clicking Continue at the bottom of the page. You’ll see a confirmation message letting you know that you’ll be billed for Shopify Lite and charged a $9 subscription fee each month (if you don’t want this charge to go through, click Cancel).
Features of Shopify Lite
Shopify Lite is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to sell from their smartphone or tablet. The platform offers everything you need to start selling online and reach a global audience in no time, including:
- A fully-customizable store that you can build in minutes
- An eCommerce app for your device so you can create and manage your store on-the-go
- A mobile checkout process that’s as quick as it is secure (and free).
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Asides from these, here are some of the features you get to enjoy with Shopify lite:
1. Social Media Selling
Sell on social media with Shopify lite. Selling on social media isn’t new, but Shopify makes it even easier by integrating with major platforms. You can sell directly to your customers worldwide and on platforms, they use every day like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Messenger. Your store will undergo optimization for each platform right out of the box.
- Sell on Facebook: With Shopify, you can easily set up an eCommerce store that sells products directly from Facebook and Instagram ads without leaving their platforms. You’ll be able to manage everything from one place: your Shopify dashboard.
- Sell on Instagram: You can also sell products directly in-stream and off-stream through Instagram’s Stories ad format or via direct messaging, and if someone buys something while they’re watching your Story, you’ll get an alert right away, so that they don’t miss out.
- Sell on Pinterest boards: When this feature becomes available later this year, we’ll keep you updated with information about pricing structure and any other details worth knowing beforehand, so start brainstorming ideas now.
You can make it easy for shoppers to buy from you on any of these social media platforms. Use mobile-friendly checkout forms embedded into posts or pages so that customers don’t have to leave their feeds when checking out.
2. Using Shopify Buttons to Sell on Your Blog or Website
When you sell on social media, you can reach the most likely people to buy your products. Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites in the world. But Shopify lite is not limited to social media platforms alone.
Install the app from the App Store. Click the “Install” button next to an app that interests you or search for an existing one by name or category. Configure your store’s settings within Shopify’s app page, where there will be a link called “Launch App,” and get ready to start selling.
3. Better Customer Support
Shopify Lite offers customer support through the following channels:
- Access the Shopify Help Center, where you can find answers and resources for your questions.
- You can contact the Shopify Support Team by phone, live chat, or email. They are available 24/7, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with them if you need help with anything related to Shopify Lite or your store.
- You can access thousands of other stores through its community forums on Community Central, where you can post questions and see what others have asked before you. The community forum is worth checking out before calling the help center directly.
4. Accepting Credit Cards On-the-go
Shopify Lite is usable with the Shopify Reader, a small, portable card reader that plugs into your phone. You can use the reader to accept credit cards at events, fairs, and retail stores.
To use the Shopify Card Reader for card payments at the point of sale (POS) terminals:
- Download the Shopify app from the App Store or Play Store and sign in using your existing store information.
- Click Add new POS device on the Settings page and select Mobile POS Device from the list of supported payment methods that appears to download our official mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) app onto your Android or iOS device.
- Open up this newly downloaded mPOS app and enter any extra details requested by their system before hitting “Add new device” to pair it with your online store account. You’re accepting orders via Shopify Lite.
5. Send Invoices
You can send invoices to customers in the following ways:
- From the Shopify app. You can send an invoice from your Shopify admin or through the Shopify POS app (for businesses that use a tablet).
- From the Shopify admin. The process is similar to sending an invoice from your Shopify admin, but you need first to connect your bank account, which will give you access to all of its details. Once connected, navigate to Orders in your Settings section and click Send Invoice under Customer Invoices (or go directly there by clicking Customers > Invoices & Payments > Send Invoice). Then enter all of the necessary details and click Send Invoice at the bottom of this screen.
- Through email templates. Many merchants already have existing spreadsheets to manage their invoices, and now they can easily bring those into their Sales channels. This feature makes it easier than ever before for those who have been using other providers outside Shopify yet still want some things kept within their platform itself instead of having separate accounts with external providers just for sending out emails about payments made. You won’t need those anymore since everything is doable right within one system rather than having several different ones running separately.
Who Should Use Shopify Lite?
Shopify Lite is not for everyone, but it is a great tool for anyone who wants to start selling online without spending a lot of money or investing in an eCommerce store. If you have been thinking about getting your store up and running but haven’t done so yet because you didn’t want to spend the money on software or equipment, Shopify Lite could be right up your alley.
It also makes sense as a first step if you’re looking at creating an online store but aren’t sure how much work will be involved. Some people start with the free version and see how it goes before moving on to paid options later on.
How to Downgrade Shopify to Shopify Lite
- Create a Shopify account.
- Visit the app store and search for “Shopify Lite.”
- Click on the “Shopify Lite” icon, then click “Get It Now.”
- Click on the confirmation pop-up to confirm your purchase of Shopify Lite. This will take you to a page where you can create an account or log in with your existing account (if you already have one). Choose to create a new account if this is your first time using Shopify, or sign in if it’s not. If you already have a subscription with another plan, it’s likely that switching over to Shopify Lite won’t cost anything extra but check with customer support before making any changes.
After confirming your purchase of Shopify Lite and signing in, select “Downgrade” from within Settings > Billing & Subscriptions > Downgrade Plan. You’ll also receive a prompt on which plan you’d like as an alternative; choose “Shopify Lite” and click “Confirm Plan Change” at the bottom right corner of the panel.
Pros of Shopify Lite
Shopify Lite is a great alternative for those not looking to set up a full-fledged online store. It is less expensive and provides all of the basic features you need to get started. However, there are some disadvantages that you should be aware of before deciding if it is right for you.
- One of the pros of Shopify Lite is that it is much less expensive than the regular Shopify plan. If you are on a tight budget, this can be a great option.
- Another pro is that it is very easy to use. Even if you have no experience setting up an online store, you should be able to do it with ease.
Cons of Shopify Lite
Shopify Lite is a great option if you want to start an online store quickly and easily, but there are some downsides that you should be aware of. Here are some of the cons:
- No e-commerce features, no cart. The biggest downside is that Shopify Lite doesn’t have any advanced e-commerce tools to help your business grow and make more sales.
- Similarly, you won’t be able to integrate with other marketplaces like Amazon or eBay.
- It also doesn’t come with a shipping label discount which would save money on every package sent out.
Conclusion
Shopify Lite is a simple and easy-to-use version of Shopify designed to help you get started with your store quickly. If you’re interested in using Shopify’s powerful features but aren’t sure how to make them work for you, this app is perfect. Shopify Lite also offers many useful features such as catalog management, inventory tracking capabilities, order tracking tools, customer support options, etc.
The best feature of Shopify Lite is that it has no transaction fees, even if all your sales are made through PayPal. The only charges associated with this platform are a $9.99/month fee and some charges from third parties like Stripe and PayPal (but they’re not too high).
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