How to set up a Shopify store: Jumping into the e-commerce world might seem intimidating, especially for first-timers. Sure, it requires some careful research, planning, and a dash of luck, but setting the actual online store up is pretty straightforward.
In fact, you can set up a Shopify store in less than a week. You can even get started within a couple of days. In this article, we will explore how to set up a Shopify store. With this 10-step guide, you’ll be able to get your store up and running much sooner than you could have ever imagined.
So, let’s get on with it!
When it comes to Shopify, one of the most common mistakes new merchants make is not having a clear concept for your shop. Lots of people attempt to create an online store but don’t have a clear idea of what they’re going to sell or how to present their products.
Before you do anything else, the first step you must complete is to define your store’s concept clearly. The safest way to do this is to focus on products or services you know well. For instance, your hobbies, passions, or work experience can become the foundation for a successful Shopify store.
Shopify makes setting up an online store as painless as it can be. Traditional e-commerce platforms require extensive coding and investment. Setting up a Shopify store is quick and easy. Shopify’s platform doesn’t require any coding experience; you can even sit at home one evening and build your site over a glass of wine.
The big question, though, is which Shopify plan to choose.
No worries because we’ve got you covered. Here is a breakdown of Shopify’s plans:
Shopify’s basic plan is the best choice for newcomers to the e-commerce world. This Shopify plan allows you to build a site from scratch, and offers most of the features of the larger plans, just scaled down. For instance, you only get two staff accounts in this plan. Shopify Basic starts at $29 a month.
The standard Shopify plan starts at $79 a month. This plan has all of the same features as the Shopify Basic plan, and also includes more robust features such as five staff accounts, multiple inventory locations, and multi-language support.
The Shopify Advanced plan is ideal for larger stores that need more in-depth reporting systems. This plan starts at $299 a month. It’s perfect for businesses that do thousands of dollars a month in sales or handle larger numbers of transactions.
Shopify also offers its premium platform known as Shopify Plus. Shopify Plus is for large-scaled businesses that gross over $800,000 a month in sales and handle substantial transaction volumes and customer traffic.
Please note that Shopify allows you to try their platform free for fourteen days. This free trial will enable you to learn how to set up a Shopify website without committing a penny to it. If you don’t like it, you can get rid of it.
Once you’ve defined your initial product list, pricing, and shipping, you’re ready to start adding products to your Shopify store. Here’s what you need to do when setting up a Shopify store:
In your Shopify admin, click on “products.” There, you’ll find “all products.”
On the products page, click on “add product.”
Now, you can enter a title for the product, plus all the details required to list the product.
Click on “save.”
That’s it!
If that sounds simple, that’s because it truly is.
In a nutshell, Shopify themes are your store’s appearance. Your chosen theme is the storefront your customers will see when they visit your site. Choosing a design that matches your store’s spirit is the first and most important step. Luckily, there are dozens of great designs to choose from – just visit the Shopify Theme Store and pick your favorite.
While all Shopify themes have the same basic functionalities, some may vary. For instance, some themes use slideshows and carousel displays. Others use a more traditional tile layout. Some are designed for large product catalogs, others are optimized for mobile visitors, and so on.
When building your site, you will find two main types of pages: Shoppable and non-shoppable.
Shoppable pages are those that feature products. These pages ought to contain everything your customers need to make a purchase. For instance, these pages should include product information, cart, checkout, and additional feature such as recommended products.
Non-shoppable pages are those that do not contain product listings. These are pages such as About Us, blogs, or other company information. You can include as many non-shoppable pages as you need on your site. Nevertheless, shoppable pages need to be at the forefront of your storefront.
Setting up a Shopify store requires you to handle financial and administrative tasks. These tasks are crucial to your store’s proper functions. As such, you can turn to Shopify apps to help you manage these tasks. There are two main ways you can handle your finance and admin tasks when setting up a Shopify store:
First, you can sync your existing accounting and admin software to your platform. For instance, you can sync software packs like QuickBooks to your Shopify store. You can use an app like QuickBooks Sync by Webgility to make this a seamless process.
Second, you can use a dedicated Shopify app to run your financials and admin. For instance, Accounting, Tax & Data Reports by PayHelm is an app you can install on your Shopify site. The app will take you through everything you need to meet your financial and admin requirements.
Shopify does not provide you with a domain name for your shop. So, you’ll need to purchase this from another domain name provider such as Wix or GoDaddy. Ideally, you want to choose a domain name that reflects your store’s brand.
You can also look for a domain name based on your flagship products. This approach is highly useful for shops that deal with multiple product lines and brands.
Speaking of multiple product lines, Shopify themes allow you to organize your products into “collections.” In essence, collections are product groups you can build to showcase specific product lines. For example, a beauty and cosmetics shop creates collections based on makeup, skincare, and perfumes. These collections help your shop feature items, particularly if a large product catalog.
Additionally, collections allow you to group products into categories like new arrivals, best-sellers, clearance, or special offers. This approach enables you to pique your customers’ interests in more ways than one!
Once you have your product catalog organized, it’s time to find ways to maximize your revenue. One of the best ways to do that is with PickyStory, an app designed specifically for generating more revenue from each customer.
With PickyStory, you can increase your sales by create product bundles and other deals and display these throughout your store. Add frequently bought together-style bundles to your product pages, offer in-cart popups, and create packs of products that are sold from their own product pages.
The best part of PickyStory is its ease of use. All you need to do is install PickyStory and you’re set to go. You don’t need any coding knowledge – deals are simply created with clicks and then dragged and dropped onto your desired product pages. It’s that easy!
Once you have completed the first nine steps, you’re ready to go live! Take a moment to celebrate this momentous occasion. After all, it’s not every day you launch a new Shopify store.
Please remember that keeping close tabs on your shop will help you manage your customers’ orders swiftly and effectively. As your store grows, you may need to spend more and more time on it. Fortunately, Shopify’s main dashboard presents all information in a single setup. As a result, managing every aspect of your store becomes that much simpler.
Also, please keep in mind you don’t need to manage every aspect of your store 24/7. Nevertheless, Shopify keeps you on your toes with alerts and notifications. As your shop expands, you can hire more staff to help out Your Shopify store allows you to assign staff accounts with as much access as needed. Ultimately, you maintain full control over your shop.
So, what are you waiting for? If you’re ready to make things happen, get started with your Shopify e-commerce site today!
If you’re looking for more Shopify tips and recommendations, check out the PickyStory blog.
Good Luck!
PickyStory is the e-commerce conversion platform. It enables merchants to uplift their revenue in store. PickyStory offers a variety of deals like Bundle Products, Combo Products, Bundle Builder, Kits, Looks, and coupons.
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