Talking Shop with Dimitri Onistsuk from Shopify

With so many ecommerce platforms available today it can be hard to judge the good from the bad. Shopify is an ecommerce platform that is built on Ruby on Rails, has its own API and allows its users to customize their site using “Liquid” their own scripting language. Dimitri Onistsuk is the Vice President of Marketing at JadedPixel, the company that builds and develops Shopify, and I had a chance to ask him some questions about shopify.

“Liquid scripting” and “liquid files” are two terms that are unique to Shopify. Liquid is the customization engine that runs Shopify. In shopify you can write Liquid files using the Liquid scripting language. The language is a quick and easy way to customize according to Shopify’s documentation. The Liquid scripting and Liquid files is all a part of “Vision”, a way to design a shopify theme without needing a server to host it on while to design. Here is a conceptual diagram of how vision works…

1.  Where did the idea come from for Shopify?  Naturally with so many ecommerce applications around and i am wondering what is your strategic advantage to developing shopify the way you have?

Shopify was made by designers for designers. The reason is simply that before it became an e-commerce application it was a snowboard store. The founders of the company wanted an e-commerce solution but nothing lived up to their standards. Everything was clunky, or bloated or just inelegant, so the decision was taken to write a shopping cart for the store from scratch. When it was done, the end product was great and Tobi Lütke, Shopify’s founder and CEO, thought it might be a solution that other businesses could use and enjoy. A couple of years later Shopify came out to a very positive response, and we’ve been improving it ever since.

2.  I see that Shopify is based in Canada (Ottawa to be specific).  How do you support international customers integrating their businesses with Shopify?

Well, that’s the beauty of the wired world – Shopify is a solution that is usable by just about anyone, regardless of national context. The only limiting factor is how the stores process payment, which is why we support a large variety of payment gateways. This way it doesn’t matter if you’re starting a store in the U.S. or Switzerland or New Zealand.

3. How long has Shopify been around for?

Shopify just turned 3 years old at the beginning of last month! It was a very exciting time. We released the Shopify App Store and the Shopify API.

4. Any big plans in the works in the coming year for Shopify?

Well the biggest task we always face is to keep improving Shopify and make it the best e-commerce platform out there. The App Store is another major project. The response so far has been phenomenal and we’re going to be busy making sure the selection of apps is top-notch and helps customers get the most out of their store. We’re also working on WYSIWYG functionality and more than a few surprises.

5. For customers buying or trying out Shopify for the first time.  What would you like them to know and what special features should they check out when trying your ecommerce platform?

Shopify stands for two things: ease of use, and excellence in design. We want our customers to do what they want to do in the first place: sell their product. This is the guiding principle in everything we do which is why Shopify is a turn-key solution. We take care of all the technical aspects so you can just run your store. When customers see how quickly they can register and get a beautiful store running (less than 2 minutes – try it!), and how well the workflow integrates the various aspects of selling, they are sold.

6. Does shopify have any guides for web designers to integrate their designs with Shopify quickly and easily?

Yes, our wiki includes documentation on customization of your store. Each Shopify Theme consists of Liquid files. Liquid is our own scripting language, specifically developed for Shopify shops. It is very easy to learn and self explanatory. Basically, if you already have a design, you can copy and paste most parts right into your Liquid Files.

7. Why did you decide to develop Shopify’s architecture using Ruby on Rails?

We are a very design-heavy company. Aside from the purely technical reasons, Ruby is an amazing meeting of the minds for people that are both into design and programming. It also provides a great environment in the form of the open-source community that surrounds it, and that’s very important for Shopify.

If you are looking for an easily extendible ecommerce solution then Shopify may be for you. Because Shopify uses its own “Liquid” scripting language this may be too much to learn for some users but for the adventurous web developers, designers and business owners looking for something different then this may be a solution that meets your needs. Take it for a test drive and sign up for a trial account today!