shopify stores

Get inspired by these super successful shopify stores and learn exactly what makes them leaders in their respective niche.

20 Best Shopify Stores To Inspire & Uplift Your Business To The Next Level

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By the end of 2020, it’s predicted that 2.1 billion people will be shopping online. That roughly translates to one out of every four people living on planet earth.

And with so many folks turning to the web for shopping, business owners are building Shopify stores to power their online retail.

But competition is fierce. In today’s eCommerce environment, it’s no longer enough to just have a great product. To be successful, you need to deliver an incredible online shopping experience for your customers.

So, today we’re going to get your creative juices flowing by looking at some of the best Shopify stores out there. What’s more, we’ll discuss a key takeaway from each example that you can implement on your store right now.

So whether you’re just starting out, or a veteran of the eCommerce world - let’s get started!

1. Allbirds - A Lesson in Product Photography

We’re highly visual creatures.

And unlike physical stores where we can inspect a product up close, we rely heavily on photos when shopping online.

For example, Justuno found that 93% of consumers reported that visual content is the key deciding factor in a purchasing decision.

What’s more, high-quality images have been shown to make visitors up to 3 times more likely to purchase compared with low-quality images.

In other words, if your product photography isn’t up to scratch, you’re goosed.

Allbirds product photos include both lifestyle and product-only shots. Every image is super-high resolution and shows the shoes from multiple angles. Customers can zoom in and see the product up close like they would in real life.

All in all, their images make their shoes hard to resist.

Key Takeaway: Never underestimate the importance of good product photography. Include high-resolution images, multiple angles and 360-degree view for extra credit.

2. Beardbrand- The Value of Great Product Descriptions

Words have the power to make or break your product.

For example, salsify’s 2017 “Cracking the Consumer Code” report, found that 87% of shoppers think product descriptions are extremely important when making a purchasing decision.

What’s more, a whopping 98% of shoppers reported they’ve been dissuaded from buying a product because it’s description was incomplete or poorly written.

Beardbrand crafts their product descriptions to speak directly to their target customer. Using emotive language, they allow readers to feel the benefits of using their products.

So, take a leaf out of their book. Head over to Hubspot’s free buyer persona generator and create a profile of what your ideal customer looks like.

Then, write your descriptions. Using their language to position your product in a way that improves their life.

In the words of renowned copywriter Shirley Polykoff: “Copy is a direct conversation with the consumer.”

Key Takeaway: Craft compelling product descriptions that speak directly to your ideal buyer.

3. Ratio Coffee - The Case for Product Videos

It’s clear that product videos prompt more purchases.

For example, Animoto found that almost three-quarters of adults were more likely to make a purchase after watching a product video.

Add to that the fact that 96% of consumers say that product videos are helpful when they’re shopping online and you’ve got a potent visual medium to ignore at your peril.

Here's the video.

Product videos let your audience see your product in action. They help to explain what your product does and how it’ll benefit them.

You don’t have to go as high-end as Ratio Coffee to be effective. But with the costs of production at an all-time low, you’d be crazy not to invest in some video assets for your Shopify store.

Key Takeaway: Quality product videos help to sell more products.

4. BirchBox- Content Marketing Done Right

Content marketing is often overlooked in the world of eCommerce. But that’s a shame because it’s an awesome way to build a long-term conversion strategy.

Birchbox is a perfect example of quality B2C content marketing. Their ‘Magazine’ is a blog of skincare and make-up tutorials to help their customers get the most out of their products.

Not only is content marketing great for building organic traffic to your Shopify store through improved SEO, but it also creates trust between you and your potential customers.

And that trust leads to a stronger brand, more conversions and a bump in revenue for you.

Key Takeaway: Create content (social media posts, blogs, guides, videos etc) that focuses on helping your customers solve their problems.

5. Tattly - The Power of the Pop-up

A well-designed pop-up can make you lots of money. And while some Shopify store owners argue that they’re annoying, there’s no denying their effectiveness.

Just think about it: the average pop-up conversion rate is 3.09%. That means if you get 200 visitors per day to your store, you’ll pick up around 185 email subscribers per month.

Given that Surefi estimates that the average email subscriber to be worth between $6-10 (assuming you’re doing your email right), that means your humble pop-up could be making you up to $1,850 per month in revenue.

Obviously this is a purely theoretical example, but the underlying principle remains true: when used correctly a pop-up can seriously impact your bottom line.

Check out Tattly’s beautifully designed pop-up that appears just as you’re about to leave their store. It offers 20% off which encourages people to rethink their decision to leave, and possibly make a purchase instead.

Key Takeaway: Use well-designed and incentivised pop-ups to collect emails and drive conversions.

Recommended: The Ultimate Guide To Finding AliExpress Best Sellers & Winning Dropshipping Products In 2020

6. Gymshark - Awesome User-Focused Navigation

Great navigation is super-underrated. For example, a case study by VWO showed that by rewriting their navigation elements Harvard Business Services saw a 15.68% uplift in sales.

And while Gymshark does a lot right when it comes to eCommerce store design, one of the stand-out aspects is the ease with which you can navigate their site.

Despite having 1,000 of products, Gymshark’s navigation begins with just 3 simple categories; men, women & accessories.

After choosing your desired category, you’re given a list of sub-categories to help you narrow down your search even further.

It’s simple, it’s effective and it makes browsing for your new favourite piece of gym gear as easy as possible.

Key Takeaway: Poorly structured sites will always struggle to convert. Prioritise simplifying and clarifying your product categorization, so that it makes sense to your visitors.

7. MVMT- Make Broken Links Work For You

MVMT is another heavyweight in the Shopify store arena, and you can pick up a huge amount of eCommerce design wisdom by browsing their site.

But one cool thing I noticed was how they’re using their 404-page to redirect customers back to what they’re looking for.

As you can imagine, broken links are great to torpedo visitors' shopping experience.

So, I thought it was clever of them to dress them up with a nice native image, add a link to either men’s or women’s and add a banner to highlight the benefits of shopping with them in the footer.

Key Takeaway: Use your 404-page to your advantage by making it easy for shoppers to get back to where they were.

8. Hem - Boost Conversions With Social Proof

70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know.

That’s means if you’re not leveraging social proof on your Shopify store, now is the time to start.

Scandi-furniture company Hem add credibility with reviews from high-authority businesses just beneath the fold on their homepage.

Further down the page, they include some of their best customers reviews to consolidate their trustworthiness in the minds of their potential customers.

In addition, they’ve got reviews on their product pages too - which work to validate the customer’s purchasing decision as they get closer to the sale.

Key Takeaway: People trust people more than marketers. Use real reviews and social proof on your store to build trust and boost conversions.

Related: It's Official, These Are The Top 10 Shopify Dropshipping Stores Of All Time

9. Pipcorn - The Art of Telling Your Story

Many Shopify store owners don’t realise that their ‘about us’ page typically has the highest bounce rate of any page.

That’s significant because it means that the people you’ve worked hard to get to your site are interested to know more about you. However, in too many cases they have no reason to stay.

Pipcorn have designed a killer ‘about us’ page by telling a compelling story about how they got started and what they stand for. It immediately resonates with the kind of customers they’re trying to reach.

All of sudden, they’re selling more than just snacks. They’re selling the chance to become part of their family business, to become a sustainable snacker and to support small-scale farmers.

And that’s something larger competitors like Doritos can’t compete for with.

Key Takeaway: Don’t have a generic ‘about us’ page. Use this valuable space to build trust by telling a credible brand story.

10. Hiut Denim Co - GettingThe Mobile Experience Right

By 2021, mobile purchases are predicted to account for 54% of all online sales. That means if your store isn’t optimised for a good mobile shopping experience, you’re in for a rough time.

Because shoppers who have a negative experience in your mobile store are 62% less likely to become repeat customers.

Thankfully, if you’ve got a Shopify store, most themes are already going to work well on mobile from a technical perspective.

But design (and navigation) is still going to be key. Hiut Denim Co. has a great mobile site that makes mobile shopping a breeze.

Spend some time perusing their mobile site and then check out more of the Shopify stores on this list to see how well they work on your phone too.

Keep your eyes peeled for mobile-friendly cart functions, optimised check-out pages, easy navigation menus, clear all to actions and good mobile versions of images.

Key Takeaway: Mobile shopping is growing at an astronomical rate. Make sure your eCommerce store is fully-optimised for a great mobile experience.

11. Brilliant.co - Clean Store Design

86% of visitors who arrive on a business’s homepage say they immediately want to see information about the company’s products or service.

And what’s more, 40% of users say they’ll stop using a website if the layout is overly complex or unappealing.

So the message is clear - don’t let your store design detract from your products and value proposition. Especially if you’re running a one-product store.

Bike company Brilliant takes simplicity to a whole new level with their minimalistic design. They let their product shine front and centre while highlighting the key benefits of shopping with them below.

For your own store, it’s worth carrying out user testing (with a tool like Hotjar) goals to see how your store is performing. This will establish a baseline for you to improve upon going forward.

Key Takeaway: Simple store design essential. Ruthlessly strip away any excessive blocks of text and use custom graphics to communicate key features.

12. Miracle - Make Your Shipping Offer Clear

According to Baymard, the number one reason for cart abandonment is unexpected shipping charges at checkout. Their research shows that 64% of users begin thinking of shipping costs as early as the product page.

But what’s super-interesting is that they discovered that sitewide shipping-related banners were missed by up to 27% of users visiting a store!

How to remedy this problem? The researchers concluded that to ensure the maximum amount of eyeballs land on your shipping offer, it’s best to place it where users can’t miss it: beside the ‘add to cart’ button.

Key Takeaway: Sitewide banners aren’t sufficient to inform all your visitors about your shipping offer. Include them beside your ‘Add to Cart’ button for maximum visibility.

13. Taylor Stitch

Launched in 2010, Taylor Stitch Shopify store specializes in selling tailor-made custom menswear. Taylor Stitch prides itself in making sophisticated items of clothing affordable for the average consumer.

The most outstanding thing about this shop is how much they care about their end consumer. Ever since they opened, they’ve connected with their consumers on a personal level, encouraging them to share their life stories on their website.

Over the years they amassed a huge audience sharing all sorts of stories, including wedding days, fishing trips, motorcycle diaries, etc. Amazingly, Taylor Stitch managed to triple their revenue each consecutive years since their launch, making $1.5 million in sales in first 3 years.

Key Takeaway: Before Taylor Stitch started building personal relationships with their consumer, no one else did, at least not at this scale. Don’t hesitate to try new things. In this competitive day and age it is vital to stand out from your competition.

14. Triangl

Triangl was started in 2012 by an Australian couple, when one of the co-founders Erin Deering, couldn’t find quality pair of bikinis at an affordable price.

In the first year, the company made over $5 million in revenue and $25 million by the end of the second year. At a first glance, Triangle doesn’t offer anything new, however, the quality of their neoprene fabric, coupled with beautiful bright design makes their bikinis irresistible.

Key Takeaway: Execution is everything. Without a doubt many people thought about selling bikinis online, but how many of them made a top selling Shopify store? Everyone talks about the revenue that Triangl generated and what an amazing success they were able to achieve. However, no one seems to mention that Erin run 3 successful ecommerce stores before Triangl, and had a dozen more that we unsuccessful. Key take away is this: Execution is everything!

15. SkinnyMe Tea

SkinnyMe Tea is an Australian Shopify store, founded in 2012 by Gretta Rose van Riel. Gretta’s mission is to help people in getting their health and fitness in check.

Just 9 months after launching, the store earned over $650,000 in revenue. Gretta went on to launch another, hyper-successful store in the same niche – Skinny Teatox. As a result, she is part of Forbes most successful individuals under 30. We got it say it – her branding is on point. Combining the words Skinny and Detox proved to be a very effective marketing strategy.

Key Takeaway: Stay within your niche. If you’ve achieved success in one niche, a good idea would be to double down on that niche, instead of doing something else. Gretta’s experience is a prime example.

Want to replicate Gretta’s success? Read: 3 Secrets Gurus Won’t Tell You About Million Dollar Dropshipping Stores

16. Happiness Abscissa

This Shopify store is perhaps one of the most original ones on this list. Its mission is to make their customers happy through carefully designed, top quality products.

They’re trying to show their consumers that you can be really successful, whilst at the same time being happy and not taking yourself too seriously, which is reflect in their marketing. The use of the word “Ha” in their marketing and on their home page, in a seemingly silly manner, further exacerbates the aura of happy and care-free being.

Key Takeaway: There is no one way to skin the cat. Gone are the days where the only people that are successful are those wearing suits, going to their 9-5. Be yourself, be creative and provide value. That’s the key.

17. Harris Farm Markets

This Shopify store is a perfect example of a successfully ran family business. As soon as you visit their Homepage, you become mesmerized by the cool, artsy design, which makes you want to immediately dig in into whatever they’re offering you, as if you’re hungry and in a restaurant, that’s serving delicious food.

The site is playful and casual, with the text looking like a child’s handwriting. In the same vein, their call-to-action is laidback and care-free: What’s nature been up to?”

Key Takeaway: Originality and authenticity takes the cake. Whether it’s connecting with your consumers on a personal level through social media or coming up with a unique idea that no one else tried. What makes you different from your competitors? Standing out is really important if you want to be successful, being an exception to the norm is a must.

18. So Worth Loving

This Shopify store is truly one of a kind. With it’s unique and minimalistic design it sure grabs your attention from the get-go.

The way the store is designed almost takes you on a personal journey of Eryn, the creator, where you undoubtedly end up learning her personal story. You don’t even see the actual product until well into the end of the product page, after all that scrolling. So Worth Loving is a perfect example of a trendy, out of the box thinking that customer just love, which is proven with the fact that this Shopify store developed a truly loyal following.

Key Takeaway: Sometimes, being evasive can truly pay off. Whilst hiding products from buyer is probably not the best idea in most cases, it can be a smart move to do so, if buying your product only makes sense if the customer knows your personal story. So Worth Loving perfected this notion.

19. Choose Muse

So many Shopify stores these days follow the mantra of “less is more” that it almost became a cliché at this point. Choose Muse is not one of those stores. From the get-go, they incorporate a full-display HD video of a woman wearing headphone and using their product.

The option to play their marketing video (which by the way is top-notch) is prominently displayed right in front of you, making it almost impossible not to click on it.

Key Takeaway: Choose Muse is a perfect example of marketing done right. They’ve invested in a great website, beautiful marketing video and a clear message – all of which makes you want to find out more.

20. Concrete Minerals

Concrete Minerals is a brand that was founded in 2009 by a Southern Californian entrepreneur, whose mission was to bring about a vegan, cruelty-free cosmetic brand.

Concrete Minerals brings a unique twist into the cosmetic industry, with its motto “less and more”. This resulted in a successful cosmetic brand that uses less (but highest quality) ingredients, with the most colorful pigments, resulting in a stunning final product.

Key Takeaway: Starting a brand that stands for something is a sure shortcut to success.

Your Shopify Store Is Next!

Whether you’re just finding your feet with your first business or are an established retail giant, building a great digital shopping experience has never been more important.

Hopefully, the stores in this list have given you a healthy dose of inspiration, along with some tangible tips to implement right away.

Start small and experiment with one tactic at a time. If you’re seeing results, double down. If you’re not satisfied, move on and try another.

And if you’re struggling to get going, just call to mind the words of the great Salvador Dali; “Have no fear of perfection - you’ll never reach it anyway!"

Good luck!