Overview
Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of online stores around the world. Brands use it to run their own webshops, sell in physical stores with Shopify POS, sell to business customers (B2B), and connect to marketplaces, social channels and the Shop app from one back office. For a consumer brand, Shopify is often the foundation of its direct-to-consumer (D2C) business.
Who is behind Shopify
Shopify was founded in Ottawa, Canada, in 2006 and is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. In 2025 Shopify's revenue was USD 11.56 billion, its first year above USD 10 billion, and merchants on Shopify sold USD 378.4 billion in gross merchandise volume (GMV). Growth was especially strong outside North America: in the fourth quarter of 2025, international GMV grew 50% and European GMV grew 45%. B2B GMV grew 84% and offline (point-of-sale) GMV 29%.
What Shopify offers brands
- Online store. A hosted webshop with themes, checkout and thousands of apps.
- Shopify Payments and Shop Pay. Shopify's own payment processing, used for 65.6% of GMV in 2025, and its accelerated checkout Shop Pay, which processed USD 43 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025.
- Shopify Markets. Tools to sell internationally with local currencies, languages, domains and duties.
- Shopify POS. In-store selling connected to the same inventory and customer data.
- B2B. Wholesale selling with company accounts, price lists and payment terms.
- Channels and marketing. Connections to marketplaces, social commerce, Google and the Shop app, plus Shopify's own marketing tools.
- Shopify Plus. The enterprise plan for larger brands, with more automation and customisation.
Plans and costs
Shopify charges a monthly subscription that depends on the plan, plus payment processing fees when using Shopify Payments, or an extra transaction fee when using a third-party payment provider. Larger brands typically move to Shopify Plus. Apps and themes can add further costs.
What it takes to run Shopify well
- A clear market setup, deciding which countries, languages and currencies to serve and how to handle duties and VAT.
- Strong product content and SEO, since the webshop has to bring in its own traffic.
- Paid and organic traffic from channels such as Google and Meta, with reliable tracking.
- Fulfilment and returns that meet customer expectations in each market.
- A focused app stack, because too many apps slow the store down and add cost.
Why Shopify matters for brands
A brand's own webshop gives it direct access to customers, data and margin that marketplaces don't. Shopify makes it possible to run that webshop internationally and connect it to other channels from one system.
How eBrands looks at Shopify
eBrands runs Shopify stores for its own brands and for brand partners across Europe and North America, including multi-market storefronts and Merchant of Record setups. If you want to see how your Shopify store could grow in new markets, we are happy to talk it through.
Useful links
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