Shopify Features You Should be Using

If you’ve discovered the other-worldly advantages of Shopify, you’re ahead of the game with respect to having a comprehensive, nuts-and-bolts support mechanism fueling your site’s success. If you haven’t bothered to keep tabs on its frequent add-ons, though, you aren’t using this invaluable resource to its full potential.

Established more than a decade ago, Shopify has long since founded its creds as a powerful business tool. More than 200,000 online shopping sites currently use its platform, and to date it has helped generate more than $12 billion in sales.

The strength of this dynamic platform is two-fold. Shopify caters to both prolific and small, startup e-tailers, allowing the sea’s small fish to grow into robust players as they navigate the opportunity-rich land of online commerce. But its most attractive asset is the ability to incorporate third-party vendors—theme designers and tool developers—and eliminate the need for multiple business solutions.

Beyond the basic benefits of Shopify, here are key features you may have missed—features that could significantly boost your sales volume and simplify your operations:

ADMIN SEARCH
This back-door operation allows easy access to inventory, customers, existing and past orders. It also tracks down blog posts, collections and storefront pages through a quick run-down. Learn more in this official documentation.

CUSTOMER GROUPS
Quickly analyze patterns and trends that will help you launch targeted promotions by using Customer Groups. This invaluable tool also categorizes clients and allows for e-mail campaigns to sub-groups based on geographic region, shopping habits, and spending volume. This is a feature all Shopify users need to be using. Check out its benefits here.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
Zip around your site and save tons of time by learning these essential workarounds. They facilitate quick movement between key functions such as the home page, your product selection, and—especially—“hanging” orders from customers who began orders but did not complete them. Here is the ​list.

FUTURE PUBLISHING
An organized e-tailer will prepare in advance for the launch of a new collection. That’s easier said than done when you’re battling against instant publishing. Future Publishing makes it easy to compose an entire collection, or even a mere page or blog post, and set it for publication at a future date and time. Learn more about it here.

BRAND YOUR GIFT CARDS
Why go generic when you can tailor a gift card to reflect your store? Customers of Shopify’s unlimited plan can creatively alter their gift cards with original art, a logo, or any design scheme of their choice. Find out how to personalize these invaluable tools here.

TWO-STEP AUTHENTICATION
It goes without saying that security is the greatest concern for both merchants and consumers who engage in the shopping frenzy online. Breaches that result in a third-party hacking into your site can be devastating. Shopify offers extra protection against nefarious activity by offering a double layer of authentication that all but ensures only you can access your site. Discover how to activate it here.


As with all business tools, it pays to tap out the full potential of products and services you pay for. Shopify shows signs of being a standard-bearer in the world of e-commerce. If you’re on board with its vastly expanding role, and are a loyal user, don’t make the mistake of overlooking everything it has to offer.