Chykalophia Docs

A plain-English introduction to Shopify — what it is, what it does, and whether it is the right platform for your store.

Shopify is a platform that lets you sell products online. You sign up, add your products, and Shopify gives you a complete online store — including a website, a shopping cart, and payment processing.

Quick summary

Shopify is a fully hosted e-commerce platform. You pay a subscription (monthly, or yearly in advance) and Shopify handles the technical side: hosting, security, and checkout. You focus on your products and customers.

What "hosted" means for you

When we say Shopify is "hosted," we mean Shopify runs everything for you. You do not need to set up a server, install software, or apply security updates. Your store lives on Shopify's infrastructure.

One thing hosting does not cover is restoring your own data. Shopify protects its own systems, but it gives you no self-serve way to roll your store back to how it looked last week. That still needs a backup app or a regular export — see verifying your backups are working.

This is different from a platform like WooCommerce, where your store runs on your own WordPress website and you (or your developer) are responsible for hosting, updates, and security.

Hosted = less maintenance for you. Fewer technical headaches.

What Shopify includes

Every current Shopify plan (Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus) includes:

Feature	What it means for you
Online storefront	A website your customers visit to browse and buy
Shopping cart & checkout	The pages where customers add items and pay
Payment processing	Accept credit cards through Shopify Payments (where available) or a third-party provider
Order management	See and manage every order in one place
Inventory tracking	Track stock levels for each product (low-stock alerts need an app or Shopify Flow)
Mobile-friendly themes	Themes in the Shopify Theme Store must be mobile responsive, so your store adapts to phones
SSL security	A free SSL certificate, so your store address starts with `https://` — safe for customers
Hosting	Shopify hosts your store, with unlimited bandwidth

What Shopify does not include

Being honest about limitations helps you make a good decision:

Less design freedom than a custom site. You choose from themes. Deep customization usually requires a developer.
URL structure is fixed. Product pages always live at /products/your-product-name. You cannot change this pattern.
Transaction fees if you do not use Shopify Payments. If customers pay through a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an extra fee on those transactions. The rate depends on your plan: check shopify.com/pricing for current rates. See Payment providers for details, including the exceptions.
Ongoing subscription cost. Unlike a one-time platform purchase, you keep paying for as long as your store is open, either monthly or yearly in advance.
Code changes require a developer. If you want functionality that no app provides, you need someone who can edit Liquid (Shopify's template language).

Transaction fees add up

If you plan to take payments through a third-party provider instead of Shopify Payments, check the transaction fee for your plan on shopify.com/pricing before you commit. It's charged on top of your payment provider's own fees, and the rate is highest on the Basic plan.

Shopify vs WooCommerce

Both platforms let you sell online. Here is a quick comparison:

	Shopify	WooCommerce
Hosting	Included — Shopify manages it	You manage your own (or pay a host)
Setup effort	Lower — ready out of the box	Higher — requires WordPress + setup
Monthly cost	Fixed subscription	Varies (hosting + plugins)
Design control	Good within theme limits	More flexible with a developer
Transaction fees	Yes, on third-party payment providers (not on Shopify Payments)	No platform fee (gateway fees only)
Updates & security	Shopify handles it	You (or your team) handle it

Neither platform is universally better. It depends on your business, budget, and how much technical help you have. If you are unsure which platform you are on, check your login URL or ask us.

Who manages Shopify for Chykalophia clients?

Chykalophia can build your Shopify store, set up products and collections, configure payments and shipping, and customize your theme. Once your store is live, day-to-day tasks — like adding products and processing orders — are usually handled by you or your team using these guides.

We are always available if something needs changing. Just reach out through ClickUp or email.

Common questions

Do I own my Shopify store?

Content you upload, such as your product details and photos, stays yours (if it was yours to begin with). The Shopify platform itself is a subscription service — if you cancel your plan, your store closes. Export your data (products, customers, orders and more, as CSV files) before cancelling. Shopify keeps your store's information for 2 years in case you decide to reopen.

Can I use my own domain name?

Yes. Shopify gives you a free .myshopify.com address, but you can (and should) connect your own domain, like yourshop.com. We handle this during setup.

Is Shopify secure for taking payments?

Yes. Shopify is certified Level 1 PCI DSS compliant (PCI DSS is the card industry's security standard), and stores on Shopify are PCI compliant by default. Shopify Payments is the simplest option and carries no third-party transaction fee from Shopify, though its own card rates still apply.

What happens if Shopify goes down?

Shopify runs a public status page, Shopify Status, where you can check for known problems. If there is an outage, it is on their end — there is nothing you need to do except wait. We monitor this for clients on care plans.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

What is Shopify?