If you are looking for a Shopify expert and are wondering how to set up an E-commerce retail store in Shopify, you have come to the right place. We realize that many components must come together for a business to succeed.
Establishing an E-commerce site to drive sales is one such component. Furthermore, choosing an online platform and using it wisely is a facet of this component that must not be overlooked.
As a result, we are here to help you set up your new Shopify store with a step-by-step guide to success. Setting up your Shopify account is much like building a firm foundation. Thus, setting up your Shopify account and ecommerce business correctly will be time well spent.
With that being said, let's get started with 12 easy steps.
Step 1: Sign Up for Shopify
As the heading states, signing up for a Shopify account is step one. While this is obvious enough, you need to understand why. Why choose Shopify? One of the main reasons to consider Shopify is its user-friendly interface and ease of use. Thus, it has been built for the average Joe.
Furthermore, as of the date of this writing, subscription plans start at $29.00 a month. Additionally, you can browse and choose different subscription plans that fit your business. You do not need to be locked into a subscription. Instead, you can upgrade and downgrade as needed.
Finally, Shopify is the top choice for retail businesses that need to navigate the turbulent waters of establishing proper sales tax rates and remitting sales tax across multiple jurisdictions. Shopify will help you stay compliant with government regulations by monitoring where each sale is made.
Step 2: Choose the Right Shopify Plan
Now that you have answered the “Why choose Shopify” question, you must answer the “what” question: What subscription plan should I choose? With the many variables to consider, we do not have the time or space to adequately answer this question, but instead, we would like to guide you in making a proper decision.
A helpful resource to guide you in the right direction can be found on Shopify’s website. If you are interested in choosing Shopify, you can begin your free trial, and Shopify will guide you through various questions that will help you determine the subscription plan that is right for you.
Step 3: Set Up Your Store Settings
So, you have decided to opt for a Shopify account, but this is only the beginning. Next, you will want to ensure that your online store’s settings are properly configured to promote success.
General Settings
Fine-tuning your store settings begins with setting up your general settings. In general settings, you will want to set up the following:
Store Name & Contact Information – Set your store name, email address, and phone number.
Store Address – Your business address is used for billing and taxes.
Standard & Formatting – Choose your store's default time zone, measurement units (e.g., metric or imperial), and language.
Store Currency – Set the primary currency for your store.
Privacy & Legal Policies – Add your store's terms of service, refund, and privacy policies.
Payment Settings
Next up comes the payment settings. In the payment settings, you will set up features that include the following:
Payment Providers – Choose from Shopify Payments, third-party gateways (e.g., PayPal, Stripe), or manual payment methods (e.g., bank deposits, cash on delivery).
Credit Card & Alternative Payment Methods – Enable or disable specific payment methods.
Fraud Prevention – Set up security measures like address verification and CVV checks.
Payouts & Transaction Fees – Manage how Shopify processes payments and handles transaction fees.
Shipping Settings
Finally, since you are engaging in online sales, you will want to ensure that your shipping settings are set up correctly. To do this, you will want to focus on the key areas listed below:
Shipping Zones & Rates – Set up domestic and international shipping rates.
Local Delivery & Pickup – Offer options for local delivery or in-store pickup.
Carrier-Calculated Shipping – Enable real-time shipping rates from carriers like UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
Shipping Packages – Define package dimensions and weight for accurate shipping costs.
Handling Fees – Add extra charges for shipping and handling.
Shipping Labels & Tracking – Purchase and print shipping labels directly from Shopify.
Whether you bundle your shipping into your product sales, choose flat-rate shipping, or have it as a separately stated line item along with your sales, optimizing your shipping settings and fine tuning your shipping strategy is time well spent.
Step 4: Select and Customize Your Theme
Your theme is a crucial blend of your customer's overall experience, who you are as a business owner, and your business model. If you are in a hurry, you can use Shopify’s premade themes. On the other hand, you also have the option to customize your theme using Shopify’s Theme Editor.
Choosing a Theme
At this point, you may be wondering, “What is a theme?” Your theme in Shopify consists of several components, such as the design and layout of your Shopify account, including colors, fonts, and images.
Furthermore, your theme will dictate the mobile responsiveness and customer experience by ensuring your site looks appealing on all devices (desktop, tablet, and mobile).
Additionally, your theme includes navigation menus, color schemes, product filtering, shopping carts, and more, and it affects your store's speed, user experience, and conversion rates.
If you are feeling like a fish out of water at this point, we would like to remind you that Shopify offers both free and premium theme packages from their Shopify Theme Store. Opting for one of these packages may be a good idea to ensure your Shopify account is set up correctly.
Customizing Your Theme
On the other hand, you can customize your theme by using Shopify’s Theme Editor which can also lead to a captivating homepage layout. You can make visual changes using Shopify’s Theme Editor by dragging and dropping various elements within your Shopify account.
You could also add apps or plugins to enhance theme functionality by visiting the App Store. For instance, if you want to customize your fonts and icons, you can look into apps such as Fontify or Ultimate Icons. Let's say you want to secure sales from potential customers as they exit your site. You capture abandoned visitors with discount offers through apps like Privy or Justuno.
Finally, what can you do to improve your customer service? Apps such as Tidio or Gorgias allow you to add live chat or chatbot options.
As you can see, the possibilities for customization options are rather endless. The best Shopify stores make use of the wide range of resources.
Step 5: Add Your Products
Now that your settings are properly configured and your theme is all setup, you are ready to add your products. Optimizing your product page is necessary to drive sales and establish your brand identity. Adding your products consists of three crucial pieces that form a whole: product descriptions, product images, and pricing and inventory.
Adding a product is simple enough. Navigate to the left sidebar and select “Products.” Then select “Add Product.” Small businesses with a handful of products often use this method.
If you need to enter many products, you can batch-add them using CSV files or various Shopify Apps, such as Matrixify, DSers, or Sprocket.
Product Descriptions
To properly setup your products page, in the product description section, you should enter the name of your product in the “Title” section. In the “Description” box, you will want to enter relevant product details about your product. When writing your product description, you should consider the following:
Highlighting key features by mentioning size, material, colors, and benefits.
Using bullet points as it makes it easier to read.
Including keywords since it helps in SEO ranking.
Writing engaging content that focuses on how the product solves a problem or improves the buyer’s life.
Adding a Call to Action (CTA) which encourages users to buy, like "Order now for free shipping!"
Product Images
Without product images, your sales will diminish. Furthermore, taking time on this step could make the difference between being a successful online store and taking a nose dive. In sum, you will want to take quality pictures to drive sales.
To take high-quality product photos, you should focus on high-resolution images with a resolution of at least 1024 x 1024 px. It is beneficial to show different angles of many products, such as from the front, back, side, or zoomed-in. You can compress the images with tools like TinyPNG to ensure fast loading.
Furthermore, it is important to avoid a cluttered background when taking product photos. You can do this by using a white or neutral background. Finally, it may also be appropriate to use lifestyle images. Lifestyle images show the product in use and are a remarkable way to drive sales.
Pricing and Inventory
In the pricing section of your Shopify account, you enter the amount customers will pay. When setting up your prices, you can also take advantage of optional features you should know.
For instance, when setting up the price of an item, you can also tell Shopify how much the item costs. Entering the cost of the item is an essential component of creating a successful business. By entering the cost of the items you sell, you can keep track of your profit margin.
The profit margin is a key financial metric that measures your business's profitability, helps with pricing strategy, supports business growth and expansion, helps with cost control, and attracts investors and lenders.
Finally, to charge sales tax on an item, you must tell Shopify to charge tax on your product.
Step 6: Organize Your Products into Collections
The next step in setting up your own online store and fine-tuning it for your target audience is to organize your products into collections. A collection is a group of related items based on shared characteristics, purpose, or category.
You can add collections in two ways. First, you can manually add collections. This option is suitable for small stores. When manually adding collections, you hand-pick products to include in a collection of other products.
Second, you can automate collections. When automating collections, you set rules that govern how products are batched together. For instance, you can set rules to automate collections of products based on pricing or vendor/brand.
Some of the benefits of establishing collections include SEO rankings, enhanced user experience, and the ability to highlight trending items or promotions.
Step 7: Set Up Payment Gateways
The next step of the process involves setting up your payment gateways. A payment gateway in Shopify is a service that processes customers' payments when they make a purchase in your online store. It bridges your store, the customer’s bank, and your bank, ensuring secure and efficient transactions.
There are many payment options to consider. Thus, time and space do not allow a thorough discussion of the many gateways. However, it is vital to know Shopify has its own built-in gateway with no transaction fees. It also supports major credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay.
Additionally, Shopify integrates with more than 100 third-party gateways worldwide, including PayPal and Stripe.
Finally, Shopify also allows its users to receive payments with digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, or cryptocurrency.
You can edit your payment gateways in the payments section of your Shopify account.
Step 8: Configure Shipping Options
When configuring your shipping options, you will set up your shipping zones and rates. You can do this from the Shipping and Delivery section in your Shopify account. A shipping zone is a region (country or area) where you ship products. You can set different rates for different zones.
After you have set up your shipping zones, you will want to set up your shipping rates. You can choose free shipping, flat-rate shipping, carrier-calculated rates, or local delivery and pickup.
Next, you will want to enter package details. In this step, you will enter the default dimension and weight of a product’s packing. Doing so lets you know how much to charge your customers for shipping.
After you are done, it is beneficial to run a test order to see if your rates appear correctly at checkout.
Step 9: Create Essential Pages
Now that your store is up and running and ready for its first sale, you should devote your time and attention to your various key pages: About Us, Contact Us, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service pages.
About Us
Do not overlook the importance of a catchy and enlightening About Us page. The best way to start an About Us page is to start with an engaging introduction. Next, highlight your journey with a compelling and brief summary articulating how and why your business was founded.
Tell your customers about your mission and values, highlighting core values such as honesty, integrity, and the like. Discuss how your values are directly related to your business and interactions with customers.
After you have built up a customer base, include testimonials of pleased customers to boost your credibility and build trust.
Contact Us
The Contact Us page is yet another essential component of business success. Good customer service and its importance in developing a thriving business are hard to exaggerate. One way of developing pleased customers is by making it easy for them to contact you.
In this regard, the more avenues, the better. Each person has their preferred method of communication. As a result, it is wise to establish many ways for customers to reach you, such as by phone, email, text, and chat.
Privacy Policy
The Privacy Policy Page is not optional. Instead, in America (U.S.), a Privacy Policy is legally required if your website collects personal details from users. Various federal and state laws mandate businesses to inform users how their data is collected, used, and stored.
Some key components in setting up a Privacy Policy page include:
Stating your business and the purpose of the privacy policy, mentioning that the policy explains how you collect, use, and protect customer information.
Explaining what types of customer data you collect (personal, payment, or browsing).
Telling customers how the date is used.
Describing how this information is protected.
Informing your customers about which third-party users have access to this data.
Terms of Service
A Terms of Service (TOS) page (or Terms & Conditions) is a legal agreement that sets the rules for using your website, products, or services. It protects your business from legal risks and outlines your and your customers' rights and responsibilities.
In it, you should clearly state that users agree to the terms and conditions by using your website or services. It may include matters about the use of your website, payment pricing and policies, and shipping and delivery. It may also detail your refund, return, and cancellation policies.
Step 10: Set Up a Domain Name
If you have not already set up a domain name, you can purchase a new domain through the Shopify dashboard. No manual setup is required, and the domain automatically connects to the store. To buy a domain through Shopify, go to the settings section, followed by domains.
While this approach is easy and user-friendly, it may cost slightly more than using a third-party service provider. Therefore, you should also know that you can easily connect a domain name from one of the various custom domain hosts on the market through your
Shopify domain settings page.
Some tips for developing a good domain name are to keep it short and simple, use a .com extension, make it brandable, and consider using keywords without going overboard.
Step 11: Test Your Store
As previously mentioned, after setting up your online store, you will also want to test it. Testing your store is crucial to ensure that everything runs smoothly when sales start trickling in.
Placing a Test Order
You can place a test order in Shopify in two ways. First, if you haven’t activated an actual payment provider yet, you can use Shopify’s test payment gateway (Bogus Gateway) to simulate a payment.
Steps to Enable Bogus Gateway:
Go to Shopify Admin → Click Settings → Select Payments.
If you have Shopify Payments enabled, click Manage, then Deactivate it temporarily.
Scroll down to Third-party providers → Click Choose a Provider.
Search for "Bogus Gateway" and select it.
Click Activate to enable test payments.
Steps to Place a Test Order:
Go to your store’s website and add a product to the cart.
Proceed to the checkout page and enter test details:
Name: Any name
Address: Any valid address
Email: A real or fake email
At the payment screen, use these test card details:
Card Number: 1 (enter multiple ones, e.g., 1111 1111 1111 1111)
CVV: Any three digits (e.g., 123)
Expiration Date: Any future date
Click Complete Order and confirm the order goes through.
Check the Orders tab in Shopify Admin to confirm the test order appears.
After you have run your test order, don’t forget to disable the Bogus Gateway and reactivate your actual payment provider.
You can also test your order using a real payment method. If you want to fully test your checkout process with a real payment method, you can do this:
Steps to Place a Test Order Using a Real Payment:
Go to your store’s website and add a product to your cart.
Proceed to the checkout page and enter real payment details (credit card, PayPal, etc.).
Complete the purchase and confirm you receive the order email.
Check the order in Shopify Admin → Orders.
Refund the order immediately to avoid transaction fees:
Click on the test order.
Click Refund and return the full amount.
It is important to know that Shopify may still charge transaction fees even if you refund the order.
Step 12: Launch Your Store
Now that your settings are configured, the theme is established, products are listed, payment gateways are set up, necessary pages are created, and a test run has been initiated, you are ready to launch your store.
What an exciting time! Your business is out there, and you are ready to make your first sale. But selling products is more than having them available for sale.
Marketing Your Shopify Store
This is where marketing efforts come in. Writing an article on How to Set Up an E-commerce Retail Store in Shopify is incomplete without empowering the e-commerce retailer with helpful digital marketing strategies to attract would-be customers.
SEO Basics
With this in mind, you should know some search engine optimization (SEO) basics. SEO strategies can be vast and complex. At the same time, there are some foundational concepts to set you on your way.
Optimize your product titles and descriptions (use keywords).
Optimize image SEO (use descriptive Alt Text).
Speed up your Shopify store (fast = better SEO).
Use SEO-friendly URLs.
Improve your Shopify meta titles and meta descriptions.
Create blog posts for extra traffic.
Add customer reviews (Google loves them).
Get more backlinks (boosts SEO ranking).
Optimize for mobile (most Shopify traffic is mobile).
Social Media Integration
Social media integration in Shopify means connecting your Shopify store with various social media platforms to make use of your social network and thereby improve marketing, drive sales, and enhance customer engagement. It allows you to sell products directly on social media, sync your inventory, and track customer interactions, thereby using your social media platforms as sales channels to drive sales.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to increase sales, build customer relationships, and drive repeat purchases for your Shopify store. It allows you to engage with your audience, recover abandoned carts, and send personalized offers.
To set up email marketing for your Shopify store, you can use Shopify’s built-in tool or a third-party provider, such as Mailchimp or Klaviyo.
Analyzing Your Store’s Performance
As with many of the other concepts presented in this how-to guide, much time could be spent discussing how to analyze your store's performance. That said, after your store is up and running, you can find key metrics and reports informing you of your business activities.
Reports concerning overall sales, sales over time, sales by region, customer details, and more will help you make critical business decisions as you seek to grow your business.
Final Thoughts
While many components must come together to succeed for the long-term, establishing an ecommerce site to drive sales and choosing an ecommerce platform to meet your business needs is one of the best practices. By following these simple steps for your Shopify store setup, you will surely achieve your business goals.
Store owners know that setting up their Shopify website is just the first step. If you need help managing taxes, bookkeeping, or financial strategies for your Shopify business, contact Curtis Accounting Solutions. We specialize in helping Shopify retailers grow their profits while staying tax-compliant!
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