Shopify is the world’s leading ecommerce platform, powering millions of businesses in over 175 countries with everything they need to start, run, and grow an online store. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify was created when its founders wanted to sell snowboards online and could not find an ecommerce platform that met their needs — so they built one. Today, Shopify handles billions of dollars in annual gross merchandise volume and serves everyone from first-time entrepreneurs to global brands like Allbirds, Gymshark, and Heinz.
The platform provides a complete commerce solution including a customizable online store builder with hundreds of professional themes, secure payment processing through Shopify Payments, integrated shipping and fulfillment tools, inventory management across multiple locations, and a point-of-sale system for in-person retail. Shopify’s app marketplace features thousands of third-party apps that extend functionality for marketing, accounting, customer service, and more.
What makes Shopify stand out is its balance of simplicity and power — beginners can launch a professional store in hours, while advanced users and developers can leverage Shopify’s Liquid templating language, APIs, and headless commerce capabilities for fully custom experiences. With a free trial, 24/7 support, and plans that scale from small side businesses to enterprise operations via Shopify Plus, it remains the default choice for anyone serious about selling online.