3dcart (Shift4Shop)

What is Shift4Shop

Shift4Shop, formerly known as 3dcart, is an all-in-one eCommerce software platform that provides businesses with the tools to build, manage, and grow an online store. Founded in 1997, it has a long history in the industry. In 2020, the company was acquired by Shift4 Payments, a leading payment processing company. This acquisition led to a significant change in its business model, allowing it to offer a feature-rich, enterprise-grade plan for free to merchants in the U.S. who use Shift4 as their payment processor. The core purpose of Shift4Shop is to deliver a complete solution that includes a website builder, shopping cart functionality, product management, marketing tools, and secure hosting, all under one roof.

Shift4Shop Features

Shift4Shop offers a comprehensive set of features designed to cover all aspects of running an online business.

• Website Builder: Create and customize your online store with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor. No coding skills are needed to design a professional-looking website.
• Free Website Themes: Choose from over 100 professionally designed, mobile-responsive, and SEO-optimized templates for various industries. All themes are highly customizable.
• Product and Order Management: Easily add products, manage inventory levels, process orders, and handle returns from a single dashboard. It supports both physical and digital products.
• Integrated Payment Processing: Seamlessly accept credit card payments through its built-in Shift4 Payments solution. This integration offers secure, PCI-compliant transactions.
• Real-Time Shipping: Connect with major carriers like USPS, UPS, FedEx, and others to provide real-time shipping rates, print labels, and offer tracking information to customers.
• Marketing and SEO Tools: Access built-in tools for search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, promotions, discounts, and daily deals to attract and convert customers.
• Abandoned Cart Recovery: Automatically send follow-up emails to customers who leave items in their cart without completing a purchase, helping to recover lost sales.
• Multi-Channel Selling: Sync your inventory and sell products across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, eBay, and Amazon.
• Security: The platform is VISA PCI Certified and includes a free SSL certificate to ensure your store and customer data are secure.

Shift4Shop Pricing Plans

Shift4Shop's pricing is unique. Its primary offering is the End-to-End eCommerce plan. This plan is completely free for U.S.-based merchants who use Shift4 Payments to process their transactions. It includes all enterprise-level features, unlimited products, and unlimited staff users without a monthly fee. For businesses outside the U.S. or those who prefer to use a different payment gateway, Shift4Shop offers paid monthly plans. These plans are tiered based on sales volume and typically include the same core features, but with varying levels of support and transaction fees depending on the chosen payment processor.

Shift4Shop Free Plan

Shift4Shop offers a very generous free plan called the End-to-End eCommerce plan. This is not a trial but a full-featured, enterprise-grade account. It includes unlimited products, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited staff accounts, access to all premium features, and over 100 free themes. The main condition for this free plan is that the business must be based in the United States and use the integrated Shift4 Payments as its exclusive payment processor. There are no monthly subscription fees on this plan, making it a very cost-effective option for U.S. merchants.

How to use Shift4Shop

Getting started with Shift4Shop is a straightforward process designed to get your store online quickly.

1. Sign Up: Create an account on the Shift4Shop website. If you are in the U.S., you can select the free End-to-End eCommerce plan.
2. Choose a Theme: Browse the library of free themes and select one that fits your brand and industry. Apply it to your store.
3. Customize Your Store: Use the website builder to customize the look and feel of your site. Add your logo, change colors, and arrange page layouts.
4. Add Products: Go to the product section in your dashboard. Add product titles, descriptions, images, prices, and inventory levels.
5. Set Up Payments and Shipping: Configure your payment gateway (Shift4 Payments for the free plan) and set up your shipping methods and rates with integrated carriers.
6. Launch Your Store: Once everything is configured, you can publish your website and start selling to customers.

Pros and Cons of Shift4Shop

Pros:

• Comprehensive Free Plan: The End-to-End eCommerce plan offers enterprise features for free to U.S. merchants.
• Feature-Rich: Comes with a vast array of built-in tools for SEO, marketing, and store management, reducing the need for paid apps.
• No Transaction Fees: When using Shift4 Payments, there are no extra transaction fees from the platform.
• Strong SEO Capabilities: The platform is designed to be search engine friendly, helping stores rank better.
• 24/7 Customer Support: Provides round-the-clock technical support via phone, email, and live chat.

Cons:

• Free Plan Condition: The free plan is only available to U.S. merchants using Shift4 Payments, which may not be ideal for everyone.
• Learning Curve: With so many built-in features, new users may find the platform has a steeper learning curve compared to simpler alternatives.
• Interface Design: The admin dashboard can feel less modern than some newer competitors.

Shift4Shop Integrations

Shift4Shop integrates with a wide range of third-party applications and services to extend its functionality. Integrations are available for accounting, marketing, shipping, and more.

• Marketplace Integrations: Sell directly on Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping with inventory synchronization.
• Shipping Carrier Integrations: Connect with USPS, UPS, FedEx, Canada Post, Royal Mail, and more for real-time rates.
• Accounting Software Integrations: Sync your sales data with platforms like QuickBooks and Xero for easier financial management.
• Email Marketing Integrations: Connect to services like Mailchimp, AWeber, and Constant Contact to manage email campaigns.
• Payment Gateway Integrations: Besides Shift4 Payments, it supports over 100 other gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.Net for its paid plans.

Shift4Shop Alternatives

• Shopify: A very popular and user-friendly platform known for its extensive app store and clean interface. It is a great choice for beginners but relies heavily on paid apps for advanced functionality.
• BigCommerce: A powerful platform focused on scalability. It offers many built-in features similar to Shift4Shop and is well-suited for fast-growing businesses. It does not have a comparable free plan.
• WooCommerce: A free, open-source plugin for WordPress. It offers maximum flexibility and customization but requires you to manage your own hosting, security, and maintenance, making it more technical.
• Ecwid: An e-commerce platform that can be added to any existing website. It offers a limited free plan for up to 10 products, making it good for small-scale sellers or those just starting.

Shift4Shop API

Yes, Shift4Shop provides a robust REST API that allows developers to create custom integrations and connect the platform with other software. The API gives access to various store data, including products, orders, customers, and categories. Developers can use it to build custom applications, automate workflows, or sync data with external systems. To get an API key, you typically need to access the store's admin panel, navigate to the API settings, and generate a public and private key for authentication. The developer documentation is available on the Shift4Shop website.

Example API Call (cURL):

curl --request GET \
     --url 'https://apirest.3dcart.com/3dCartWebAPI/v2/Products' \
     --header 'Accept: application/json' \
     --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN' \
     --header 'SecureURL: YOUR_STORE_URL'

Shift4Shop Affiliate Program

Shift4Shop runs an affiliate program that allows partners to earn commissions by referring new customers to the platform. Affiliates earn a one-time payment for each merchant that signs up for a paid plan through their unique referral link. The commission rate is typically a generous percentage of the customer's first monthly payment or a fixed bounty. To join, you can apply through the affiliate program page on the Shift4Shop website. Once approved, you get access to a dashboard with marketing materials, tracking links, and performance reports. Payments are usually made on a monthly basis, provided you meet the minimum payout threshold.