swift.shop allows you to easily build an online store. We don't want you to become our customer, but to become our satisfied customer. That's why we've tried to objectively describe the available online sales methods below, so you can make sure whether swift.shop is the best solution for you.

Option no. 1: Selling on a shopping platform.

This is definitely the simplest option. Just set up an account on a platform like allegro, amazon or similar, add your products and start selling. This option doesn't require you to acquire your own customers, because a large number of users of these platforms will see your offers right away. However, depending on what you sell, you may encounter a lot of competition from other sellers and be forced to promote your offers for additional fees.

Advantages:

✅ Fastest start

✅ No start-up costs

✅ Large base of potential buyers

Disadvantages:

❌ No personalization, own layout, logo, domain, etc.

❌ Limited functional possibilities (e.g. configuration of unique products)

❌ Possible restrictions on the sale of some products (no categories, legal restrictions)

❌ Competition with other sellers

❌ High commissions and fees for promotion

❌ Dependence on the platform

❌ There are known cases of "stealing" ideas and monopolistic practices of such platforms

Option no. 2: Installing and hosting your own store

There are many free and paid applications on the market that support online stores. For example PrestaShop, Magento or WooCommerce. These applications need to be installed and configured on your server. If you don't have advanced technical knowledge, you will most likely need to find a company/developer to help you with this. The choice of application may depend on the technologies preferred by that company.

Advantages:

✅ full customization (domain, store appearance)

✅ full extensibility. Many plugins available for popular applications

✅ no additional commissions (only a commission on payments)

✅ full independence

Disadvantages:

❌ requires extensive technical knowledge or help from a programmer/company

❌ high costs and complexity of installation, configuration and maintenance

❌ own hosting (server) required

❌ acquiring customers on your own

Option no. 3: Setting up a store on a SaaS platform

SaaS (software as a service) is a solution in which the software (ensuring the operation of the store) is located on the provider's platform and they ensure its proper operation. You pay for it, e.g. a monthly fee. You do not have to worry about hosting, configuration and server software, because the provider does it. An example of such solutions is our platform swift.shop or shopify.com.

Advantages:

✅ simple configuration, does not require technical knowledge

✅ greater personalization possibilities than in the case of sales platforms

✅ cheaper start than in the case of your own store

Disadvantages:

❌ fewer personalization and integration possibilities than in the case of your own store

❌ acquiring customers on your own

❌ dependence on the supplier. Possibility of changing fees and commissions

Option no. 4: External cart

This is a type of SaaS service that does not offer a full store, but only a checkout / cart. An example here would be easycart or stripe checkout. This is an ideal solution for people who want to sell one or a few products by advertising them on their own social media and do not need a complex store. An example would be an influencer who wrote a book and wants to add a "buy my book" link on their Instagram that will take users straight to the checkout.

Advantages:

✅ simple solution for your customers

✅ no need to have a domain and edit content

✅ no dependence on a sales platform

Disadvantages:

❌ no catalog (searchability) of products

❌ no possibility of creating additional content

❌ acquiring customers on your own

Moreover, this solution has similar advantages and disadvantages as in the case of a complete SaaS store (option no. 3)

Building a shop with swift.shop

swift.shop is a SaaS platform, i.e. option no. 3. But not only that.

Unlike other solutions, our code is open. This means that you can quickly set up a store with us without additional investments, but you are not tied to us as a supplier. As soon as you decide that it is worth moving the store to your own hosting, you can do it without losing your configurations, orders, etc. (see the advantages of option no. 2)

In addition, in swift.shop you can build a store in cart mode. This disables the product catalog and gives you the ability to generate "add to cart" or "buy now" links. Thanks to this, you can use swift.shop as a cart while using all our functionalities (e.g. payment methods, integration with couriers, shipping virtual products, promotions, etc.) (see the advantages of option no. 4). A store in cart mode is actually a specially configured normal store, so you can change the configuration at any time and turn your cart into a full store without losing order and product data.

We can also integrate your store with sales platforms such as Allegro. Thanks to this, you can manage your products and orders in one place, but they will also be available on external portals. We are working on automating such integrations (see the advantages of option no. 1)

Advantages:

✅ choice of store appearance and its full personalization

✅ own domain

✅ low and clear costs (transparent price list with a free plan)

✅ no attachment to the supplier

✅ help with marketing and integration with advertising platforms

✅ architecture allowing for any integration

✅ quick start

What you will need to do:

If you decide to build your store with swift.shop, below is a complete list of activities you will need to perform before you start selling.

1) Think about the source of customers

Marketing is the basis of online sales. Our platform has built-in integration with Google Shopping, which will help you launch an advertising campaign for your products on Google. Think about what channels you want to use to attract potential buyers.

2) Choose a domain

In swift.shop, you can create a store on a free subdomain, e.g. https://mystore.swift.shop

You can also buy your own domain from any domain provider and set it in the store configuration.

3) Write terms and conditions

The store should have regulations and a privacy policy. This protects you and buyers in case of problems. We can help you by offering free ready-made templates, but in the end it is an agreement between you and buyers, so you have to decide on its final form.

4) Add products

A lot of good quality photos and extensive descriptions can encourage buyers. Customers often prefer online shopping because they can compare product parameters or choose advanced configuration with a price preview without leaving home. All these functionalities are provided by swift.shop.

5) Configure payment methods

swift.shop provides integration with popular payment channels. In the simplest version, which requires virtually no configuration and additional commissions, the customer will see your account number for transfer after ordering. In order to streamline payments, you can use our integrations. We recommend the Autopay payment system. The buyer will have popular payment methods such as BLIK, card payment, etc. at their disposal. The order will automatically be marked as paid and the customer will be informed about it. You will find the configuration instructions in your store's panel.

6) Configure delivery methods (optional)

In the simplest version without configuration, you can send the order to any supplier by providing the customer with a link to track the shipment. Virtual products (courses, digital materials) will be sent to the customer by e-mail after the order is paid.

You can also use our integration with InPost to automatically generate and print shipping labels to streamline the shipping process.

7) Add static content (optional)

swift.shop allows you to edit pages and posts on your store. A guide like “What shoes are best to buy for hiking” can be a good place to market your products.

8) Turn off test mode

Your store is set to test mode at the start, where you cannot place “real” orders. In swift.shop, you can always place a free, test order that will allow you to see what process your customer will go through. Test everything thoroughly before launching your store.