Jon Peddie Research’s multi-year survey of knowledge workers found that adding a second display lifts perceived productivity by an average of 42 percent. For Shopify operators who spend their day cycling between Admin, ads, fulfillment, and support, that gain often shows up before the laptop bag is unpacked at the cafe.
Running a retail business that is online or in charge of a Shopify store, you will have many tasks at once—product listings, order issues, customer care, ad campaigns, and analytics reports. That is to say that a single laptop screen can become very limiting. In that case a portable monitor is a great step up in productivity. This guide goes over what to look for so you can choose the best portable monitor for your use out of which you won’t be spending money on features you don’t actually use.
E-commerce work is very much a case of multitasking. At any given time you may be working on product images at the same time as looking at inventory or at the same time run into an issue with an ad that requires your analysis or a customer query that needs immediate attention. A portable monitor is a great solution for extending your workspace without the bulk of a full desktop setup.
For Shopify sellers, this means: For Shopify merchants, which includes the following:.
A portable monitor’s flexibility also applies to remote work, travel, and working at cafes and co-working spaces.
Not all portable monitors are the same. For what your business needs out of an e-commerce solution, focus on features that improve productivity.
A screen size of 13.3 to 15.6 inches is what they see as optimal for portability and usability. Below that, you have the convenience of portability, which is hard to argue with. Above that, you get the benefit of larger displays, which in turn improve multitasking.
Full HD (1920×1080) is for most e-commerce tasks, which include image editing and spreadsheet work. If you are into design and heavy visuals, though, they recommend a higher resolution for better clarity.
Since portability is a key benefit, size and weight of the device do matter. They look for thin and lightweight designs that also fit well in your laptop bag. Also go for a robust build, which will see their display through many travels without issue.
Compatibility is key. Most modern portable monitors support USB-C for power and display, which in turn simplifies the setup. At the same time, though, having HDMI support adds to the flexibility of the product, especially if you are using multiple devices.
Plug-and-play functionality, which means you can connect and go without installation of drivers.
For e-commerce businesses, which is what they are talking about here, color accuracy and brightness are very important issues, especially in regard to product images. Also look for IPS panels that provide better viewing angles and more consistent colors.
A brightness of 250 nits or greater ensures visibility in various lighting conditions.
Some portables get power from your laptop, which is great, but they also have the option of built-in batteries. If you are always out and about, a battery-powered choice will put less strain on your laptop.
A second screen doesn’t have to do with convenience; it also impacts efficiency and output.
You may have your Shopify admin open on one screen at the same time you do product description as well as image upload work on a second screen, which in turn reduces the amount of tab switching in addition to speeds up the listing process.
Handling customer issues goes more smoothly when you have access to chat tools as well as order info at the same time. This in turn allows aimed at faster and more accurate responses.
Running ads on networks such as Facebook as well as Google requires constant attention. With the use of mobile monitors, you can track campaign performance at the same time as you adjust budgets as well as creatives in real time.
Analytics tools also present a variety of dashboards as well as spreadsheets. A dual-screen setup, which in turn allows you just before compare data without breaking context aimed at better decision-making.
Portable monitors have a large price range; also, what you see as more expensive isn’t always the best for your needs.
When it comes to choosing the best portable monitor, pay attention to value instead of specs.
For instance, many sellers go for the best portable monitor, which offers great performance, portability, and price.
Before you buy, watch out for these:
Different sellers have what they require. They put together a guide to help you pair your issue at hand with the right kind of monitor:
Sure options, which also include the UPERFECT portable monitor, do so aimed at their great feature set as well as performance.
A luxury designed for e-commerce business owners is no longer a portable monitor; they are a practical tool that, in turn, improves productivity. As you scale up your Shopify store before manage many online sales channels, the right monitor helps you work faster, stay organized, as well as reduce digital clutter.
By looking at key features, which include screen size, connectivity, and display quality, you can make a confident choice for your workspace. They are not just talking about adding another screen, but instead they are looking to create a better, more flexible work environment that supports your business’ growth.
A portable monitor is not the right purchase if you primarily work from a home office, since a desktop monitor at 24 to 27 inches will give you more screen real estate for less money. The case for a portable monitor is travel and location flexibility: working from a cafe, an Airbnb, a co-working space, a partner’s apartment, or in a hotel during a trade show. If 80 percent of your work happens at the same desk, buy a desktop monitor and save the portable purchase for when travel becomes regular. The break even point most operators hit is around two to four trips per quarter.
Check three USB-C specs before buying: DisplayPort Alt Mode support, Power Delivery wattage, and the maximum supported external resolution. DisplayPort Alt Mode determines whether the laptop’s USB-C port can carry video at all, and not all USB-C ports support it. Power Delivery wattage determines how much charge the laptop can receive through the monitor’s passthrough, with 60 to 100 watts covering most ultrabooks and MacBooks. Maximum supported external resolution affects whether the laptop can drive a 4K portable monitor at the panel’s full resolution. The fastest way to verify all three is the laptop manufacturer’s official spec page, not third party reviews.
For a Shopify side hustle, $100 to $200 covers a 15.6 inch 1080p IPS portable monitor with USB-C connectivity, which is enough for Admin work, ad platforms, support tools, and basic analytics. Anything above $200 starts to deliver Power Delivery passthrough and 400 nit brightness, which become useful when working sessions stretch past two hours or when working in bright environments. Spending more than $300 on a side hustle setup is almost always overbuying for features that will not produce a return at this stage. Wait until the store is producing reliable income before paying for premium tier features.
A portable monitor will drain a laptop battery faster unless it supports USB-C Power Delivery passthrough, in which case the monitor can actually charge the laptop through the same cable. Without passthrough, a 15 inch portable monitor typically draws 7 to 10 watts from the laptop battery, which shortens a 6 hour battery life to roughly 3 to 4 hours of dual screen use. With passthrough enabled by a 65W or 100W wall adapter, the monitor receives its dedicated power and the surplus charges the laptop, often improving battery life over single screen use without a charger plugged in.
A touchscreen portable monitor is not worth the extra cost for typical ecommerce work. The Shopify Admin, ad platforms, customer support tools, analytics dashboards, and spreadsheets that fill an ecommerce operator’s day are all designed for keyboard and mouse interaction. Touchscreen adds $50 to $150 to the monitor price and adds weight to the panel. The use cases that justify a touchscreen (annotating presentations, certain design workflows, point of sale style interactions) are uncommon in day to day Shopify work. For 95 percent of operators, that money is better spent on Power Delivery passthrough or higher brightness.
