Shopify is currently one of the best eCommerce stores you can use to set up shop.
To be exact, it falls in the top 3 when it comes to market share.
The company raised $131 million the first time it went public, and its app store is currently generating a revenue of $100 million!
If you’re new to what Shopify does, the eCommerce platform allows you to sell just about anything – whether it’s products, services, rentals. tickets, memberships etc.
Let’s take Amazon as an example to help understand what Shopify does.
The 2 are competitors, but Amazon simply offers a platform for sellers and buyers to communicate and do business.
Shopify takes it one step further and provides you with all the tools that you need to build and expand your business.
Plus, with Amazon, sellers view products only whereas with Shopify, every brand has its own profile which allows you to build your brand personality and differentiate yourself from competitors.
This is one of the biggest reasons behind Shopify’s success.
If you’re looking to start your online store on Shopify, here are some of the best Shopify store examples to give you inspiration:
#1. Allbirds
Are you a fan of an active lifestyle and a sustainable environment? Because if so, AllBirds is the right choice for you.
It’s a high-end footwear brand that targets individuals who care about a greener environment.
Not only are its shoes made of natural materials like wool, but its packaging is also made of recycled cardboard; thus, reducing waste.
The brand was co-founded by Zoey Zwillinger and Tim Brown.
Brown is a footballer whereas Zwillinger is an engineer, so both put their skills and resources together to come up with the perfect comfort level of shoes for their customers.
Even though the brand was founded only half a decade ago, it has become one of the most trending footwear brands for millennials.
#2. Meow Meow Tweet
Wait a second. This brand has nothing to do with cats.
It’s a vegan skincare brand that aims to offer healthy products to customers as opposed to bigger multinational corporations that add chemicals to skin care products.
These end up harming the customer’s skin rather than benefiting it.
Thus, Meow Meow Tweet uses products that are organic, pure and natural.
Plus, as a bonus, their products smell amazing too.
This is not the only thing that differentiates MMT from other brands.
By offering products that are actually good for customers, MMT hopes to rejuvenate customers emotionally, mentally and ecologically.
By using skin-friendly products, individuals will feel better about themselves and it will boost confidence through the concept of self-care.
Since it’s a small company, MMT aims to reduce the use of plastic as much as possible in it’s packing, if not fully.
In fact, it offers customers the option of refilling their used bottles with new products so as to reduce the use of packaging material that ends up in landfills and seas.
In fact, MMT is not profit-oriented as many of its proceeds go to important charitable organisations such as the Black Lives matter movement.
The Shopify store was founded by the couple Jeff Kurosaki and Tara Pelletier.
#3. Partake foods
A lot of us with food allergies struggle to find brands that offer delicious yet healthy food.
Gluten, peanut and other similar allergies are so common that a lot of brands are finally recognising this need.
That’s what Denise Woodard did after she also struggled to find snacks and food items for her allergic daughter Vivane.
Partake food specialises in cookies, but the best part is that they are free of the 8 most common allergens (i.e. milk, eggs, fish etc.)
They are also made of natural ingredients that are free from preservatives, artificial flavours and any other modified ingredients – making them absolutely safe for children!
With this strategy, Partake Foods managed to capture the entire segment of school-going children that love snacks like cookies.
Plus, they made it much easier for parents in their locality to find healthy food for their children who suffered from allergies at a time when not many brands in the market were doing this.
#4. Kirrin Finch
Kirrin Finch has not one but two competitive advantages.
The brand is based on the recent movement on defying gender stereotypes which give every individual the right to specify their gender or not.
The apparel brand is run and owned by Laura Moffat and Kelly Sanders Moffat, a couple that found a solution to their own frustrations of finding the right clothes for their personality.
The Brooklyn-based couple felt that both genders often looked for a gender-neutral style which is how the brand came about.
But like I said, this is only their first competitive advantage and the brand boasts two.
The brand fulfills its Corporate Social Responsibility in every way.
The fabrics they use for weaving clothes are completely eco-friendly.
Their labor laws are extremely ethical and their entire process is such that it aims to reduce pollution.
This is pretty impressive for small brands, but it is a part of what helped Kirrin Finch grow.
#5. Adored Vintage
Every brand on Shopify has one feature that makes it unique, and Adored Vintage’s entire brand personality is what sets it apart.
From its name to its marketing and apparel, everything speaks Vintage.
In fact, it’s one of those Shopify stores that is a perfect example of how to build your own brand identity when starting out i.e. choose one theme and stick to it.
This is because when customers think of a specific type of outfit they need, for example, vintage, they’ll know where to go.
Adored Vintage beautifully crafts vintage theme apparel into modern clothes and it serves a purpose greater than making a profit.
The brand was founded by Rodellee Bas who serves as a mentor to other women in the field of business.
The brand is also dedicated to donating a small chunk of its profits to local classrooms.
If you visit the website, you’ll find their ‘journal’ which tells a story.
It has everything from inspirations of collections, behind the scenes, fashion guides to self-care.
#6. MFMG Cosmetics
This brand stands for one of the most beautiful concepts: inclusivity which is why it is one of my favourite Shopify stores.
MFMG stands for ‘Makeup for Melanin Girls’.
Know what Melanin is? It’s a pigment in the skin which defines the color of our eyes, skin and hair depending upon how much is present in the body.
Thus, we have different appearances – and for so long, darker skin tones have not been catered to in the world of makeup.
Where many brands in the industry (such as Fenti Beauty and Huda Beauty) are doing their level best to include darker shades in their product lines, MFMG Cosmetics went one step ahead and created an entire brand dedicated to women with darker skin.
The genius behind this idea, Tomi Gbeleyi, created the brand to not only highlight this issue but also to bring to light diversity.
She played with color palettes to create new shades and tones for makeup.
Gbleyei started the brand after a very personal encounter.
A model in her early 20s, she found herself at her first runway show with a makeup artist that had no idea which products to use on her face because it was dark-skinned.
It was only later that she realised that her skin tone was not her fault and a major change needed to be brought to the industry.
If you have your own personal story that drives you to create a product that has an unmet need in the market, not only will it be highly profitable but you can also use your story to connect with customers.
This is one of the biggest and most effective marketing strategies these days because you will most likely find a number of people in the same situation as you who become loyal customers of the brand because you helped find a solution to their problem.
#7. Suta
Suta made this list because it is a Shopify store example which shows that the eCommerce market is global.
You could be sitting in any part of the world and list your brand on Shopify because that’s what Taniya and Sujata Biswas, two sisters from India, did.
Suta is unique in every way possible.
From a cost-based point of view, the founders of Suta enjoy low labor costs as India remains a country with ample resources and skilled labor.
However, rather than taking on the practice of paying employees minimum wage and working long hours as is the practice in many developing countries, the Biswas sisters made it a point to hire employees from low-lying communities and give them opportunities that empowered them.
Along with this, the brand uses sustainable fabrics, which is turning into a norm for retail brands all over the world.
With all this, the best part about Suta is that it offers handmade apparel that combines Indian style with western to give a chic and unique look, both at the same time.
#8. United by Blue
While this is an apparel brand, it focuses more on doing good for the environment.
With every product sold, United by Blue removes 1 lb of trash from oceans and seas.
Along with this, it limits the use of single-use plastics by incorporating eco-friendly packaging for its products.
Last but not least, it involves customers in the process by accepting volunteers for ocean cleanups.
This attracts attention to the brand and involves those who may not even purchase a product!
Their story? One person can make a difference and change the world.
One person’s vision (Brian Linton’s) has helped clear 2 million pounds of trash from oceans.
#9. Beneath Your Mask
Beneath your mask is a startup by the beautiful Dana Jackson who created the brand after her challenging journey to fight Lupus.
She was diagnosed with an extreme form of the disease that affected her skin severely and finding organic, chemical-free products proved to be another challenge.
On her website, Dana shares her raw journey with followers which is very relatable to every woman and individual who is conscious about how they look in front of others.
We always worry about our appearance, dressing, personality and outlook because we feel others will judge us.
It’s something even the most successful and physically attractive people suffer from, which is something Dana – a black woman suffering from a disease that affected her skin – was very well aware of.
The name of the brand says a lot; it empowers individuals to look beneath the mask that they put on for others in public and become comfortable with who they really are.
Dana’s products are not only made cruelty free but they are designed to protect users from the harsh environment, stress, chemicals and pollution.
Like other similar brands that I’ve listed here, Beneath your mask aims to create products with natural ingredients that nourish and rejuvenate the skin.
In fact, Beneath your mask sources its materials from 25 countries all over the world to give their customers the best experience. Talk about dedication!
Conclusion
These Shopify stores are the epitome of what you need to have when listing your brand on Shopify.
The most important thing to keep in mind is your brand personality.
What do you have to offer that other brands don’t?
As you might have already picked up, telling your story is a real winner on Shopify.
Customers that shop on this platform often look for brands that show struggle and dedication to a specific cause, so find the meaning and reason that your brand stands for before you list on Shopify.
Lastly, make sure to invest in a good outlook for your brand profile so that it looks appealing to shoppers.
All of this will lead to customer loyalty and repeat business.