Starting Your First Shopify Store: A step-by-step article about creating a Shopify store from scratch.

When starting an online business, having an eCommerce website is essential for showcasing your products and making it easy for customers to shop anytime.

Choosing the right eCommerce solution provider is important for building a successful online store, and one of the best options is Shopify, known for its user-friendly features and reliable support.

Shopify is the all-in-one solution for building an online store. Shopify makes it easy for business owners to create and manage online stores.

It offers a complete solution that helps you set up your store quickly and efficiently, Whether selling Arts and Crafts, Beauty & Cosmetic Products, Gift Store, food, Furniture and Home Decor, Jewelry Business, Clothing business, or providing digital products or services. Shopify provides everything you need to launch and easily grow your online e-commerce business.

If you are looking how to start shopify store but don’t know where to start? No worries!

I’ve got you covered. I’ve created a blog that will walk you through every step of setting up your Shopify store, from start to finish.

However, if you don’t have the time to build it yourself or need Shopify expert help, feel free to contact me. With my experience in creating Shopify stores, I can get your e-commerce business online quickly and smoothly.

What is Shopify, and why choose it?

Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that helps businesses, business owners, Entrepreneurs, and individuals build and run their online stores from anywhere.

Whether you’re starting your online business from scratch or running a business, Shopify gives you tools to build, customize, and manage your online store in one place.

Shopify gives you flexibility and a user-friendly interface, making it one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world. You can build your online store from starting or you can also use pre-built themes.

Why Choose Shopify?

There are plenty of reasons to choose Shopify over other platforms. As per my expertise and several years of experience in working with Shopify, I am sharing with you some key reasons regarding why you can choose Shopify to build your online store. Have a look below:

• User-friendly: Shopify provides you with a drag-and-drop interface and easy to use, without having technical and coding skills.
• Easy Customizable: Shopify provides you with a variety of themes and customization options based on the specific requirements and needs of your business.
• Secure: Shopify gives you top security to handle all payment information and secure the safety of your user’s data.
• Scalable: Shopify is a scalable platform, meaning it can grow with your business- Whether you’re just starting a small business or have a large enterprise, Shopify grows with you.
• 24/7 Support: Shopify gives you 24/7 customer service to help you whenever you need it.
• Speed and core web vital optimized: Shopify ensures fast loading times and excellent core web vitals, enhancing user experience and SEO performance.

Things You Need to Consider Before Starting a Shopify Store

Before starting any business requires proper planning and strategies to grow profitably. We need to figure out a few important aspects of any business.

Here we are building a Shopify store, so there are a few things you need to consider.

Below I am giving you a handy table to help you:

How To Start A Shopify Store: Step-by-Step Guide

Below, I am explaining to you a step-by-step guide to building a Shopify store. Follow the steps and you will be easily able to create your online store. So let’s jump in directly the steps:

Step 1: Create a Shopify account

Firstly, You need to go to the Shopify Official website and sign up for an account.
You can sign up via email address, Apple ID, Facebook, or Google account.

Step 2: Asking for information

Once you complete the signup process, Shopify will present a few optional questions to understand your store’s needs.

You can either answer them based on your business requirements or skip them entirely.

Step 3: Introducing the Shopify admin panel

After filling in the basic details, you’ll be redirected to the admin panel, where you can start setting up your store. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, giving you time to explore its features and build your store without any commitment.

Shopify admin panel provides you the following features as shown in the right-hand side of the image.
I am explaining each one of these features in detail to help you understand easily:

• Home: As you see in the image below you will get the “Home” option below the Shopify icon. This will help you with all the basic guides to set up your store.
• Orders: All online store orders will shown in this section. Orders have two sub-sections i.e. “Draft” and “Abandoned checkouts”. In the draft section, you can manually create orders and invoices.
  And in the Abandoned checkouts section you can see when customers put an item in their cart but didn’t proceed further.
• Products: You can add, edit, and manage your products in this section. By clicking on “Add Products” you can add products by giving all the basic information like title, description, media, category, and other product details. Or you can also “Import” products.
• Customers: You can add and manage customer details. To add a customer you need to click on “ Add customer” or you can also import the customer data directly.
• Content: You can manage and create custom content for your website.
• Analytics: You can track all your website analytics in this analytics panel.
• Marketing: You can create and promote your business using email, Facebook ads, social posts, and SMS through Shopify.
• Discounts: You can create discount codes on your products and automatic discounts that are applicable at the time of checkout.

Step 4: Choose a Theme

Shopify offers both free and paid themes that you can customize to match your brand’s style. You can modify your theme anytime to fit your business needs.

A Dawn theme is automatically added to the Themes page in your admin panel. But If you want to explore other options, click on the Online Store tab and select Themes from the dropdown as shown in the image highlighted with a red box.

You can browse the Popular free themes section or visit the Shopify Theme Store to see all available themes.

Once you find a theme that suits your store, click the Add button to include it in your Theme library.

To preview how the theme will look on your store, click the three dots on the theme block in the Theme library and select Preview.

This allows you to see how your store will appear to customers before making it live.

Step 5: Customize Your Store

Once you have selected a theme, start customizing your store.

You can customize by clicking on the “Customize” option as shown in the image highlighted with a red box.

Add your brand colors, logo, and other branding elements.

Shopify’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to move elements around and design your store to fit your brand vision.

Step 6: Add Products

To add products to your store involves a few things like naming your products, Description, media, and setting prices.

You can also organize your products into collections to make it easier for customers to find what they need.

You can add a product by clicking “Add products” in the product section. And add all your product details. Click on the “save” button.

You can also edit your product by selecting products from the admin, clicking the product you want to edit, updating its details, and clicking save to apply the changes.

To archive a product, Go to Products, select the product, and click Archive product.

To delete a product, Go to Products, select the product, and click Delete product.

Export and Import for bulk product uploading.

Step 7: Set Up Payment Methods

Shopify supports multiple payment gateways, such as PayPal and Shopify Payments, to help you process transactions smoothly.

You can configure the payment options you want to offer in your store settings.

To activate Shopify Payments, navigate to Settings > Payments and select the Payment Providers, Supported payment methods, Payment capture method, Manual payment methods, Payment method customizations, or Gift card expiration to fit your store’s needs.

Choosing a payment gateway for your online store can be tough.

If you face shipping issues, consider referring to the Top 10 Shopify payment gateway in India 2024 for expert help.

Step 8: Shipping and delivery

To set up Shipping and Delivery in your Shopify store, go to your Shopify admin and click on Settings,

Then select shipping and delivery.

Now you need to define your shipping zones by adding regions like Domestic or International.

Next, you will have to choose your shipping methods, such as flat rate, weight-based, or carrier-calculated rates. You can also set estimated delivery times based on your chosen methods. If needed, add packaging options like boxes or envelopes.

Finally, enable Shopify Shipping to access discounted rates from carriers like USPS, UPS, and DHL. Once configured, your customers will be able to select their preferred shipping options at checkout.

You can check the best shipping companies in India here.

Step 9: Set Up Taxes

To set up taxes depends on where you and your customers are located, you may need to charge sales tax.

Shopify allows you to configure tax settings based on the regions you operate in.

To activate Taxes, navigate to Settings > select Taxes and Duties.

Step 10: Test Your Online Store

Before launching your store, it’s important to place a test order to ensure the checkout process works smoothly. This will help you confirm that your payment and shipping settings are configured correctly.

To enable test mode for payments, go to Settings > Payments in your Shopify admin and click Edit.

Check the box for Use test mode and click Save to apply the changes.

Step 11: Connect your store with Domain Name

Using the right domain helps build trust with customers and makes your store easier to find online.

To connect your domain to your Shopify store, navigate to Settings > Domains from your Shopify admin.

You can either buy a new domain directly from Shopify or connect an existing domain purchased from providers like Google Domains or GoDaddy.

If you’re connecting a domain you already own, enter the domain name (e.g., clothing-products.info) and click Next.

Choose the Connect automatically option, then click Close to complete the setup. It may take up to 48 hours for Shopify to verify your domain.

Once verified, the domain will appear in the third-party domains section with the status of Connected.

You can check the domain articles connected with Shopify store here.

Step 12: Launch Your Store

When you’re happy with your Shopify store setup, it’s time to go live!

You can remove any “Coming Soon” messages to make your store accessible to everyone.

To take off the password protection, go to your Shopify admin and navigate to Online Store > Preferences.

In the Password protection section, uncheck the box that says Restrict access to visitors with the password, then click Save.

Once you’ve done this, your online store will be live and available for your users to visit and shop.

Now you need to be ready for customers to explore and make purchases from your newly launched Shopify store!

Don’t forget to read about Sales Channel which helps you grow your online e-commerce store.

And if you are looking to generate a logo, QR code, refund policy, or barcode generator then check out the free Shopify tool.

How Much Does It Cost To Start A Shopify Store?

Starting a Shopify store involves several costs, including subscription fees, domain registration, and optional premium themes.

I am giving you a basic overview of the costs you might incur while building your Shopify store to help you plan your budget effectively.

So let’s have a look below:

Shopify Plans: Shopify offers four main pricing plans, helping you choose the best option for your business needs.

Each plan offers different features like advanced reporting, shipping discounts, and lower transaction fees.

Domain Name: You’ll need to register a domain name for your online store. Domains usually cost between $10 and $20 per year depending on the name you are purchasing.

Shopify Themes: Shopify offers free and paid themes If you want to purchase a premium theme for a more professional look, then the cost depends on the the theme you choose.

If you’re looking for Shopify themes for your e-commerce website, check out our blog for helpful tips on selecting the best options for your store.

Shopify Apps: Shopify has a wide range of Shopify apps in its app store that can improve your store’s features. While some apps are free, others require a monthly subscription, which can increase your overall expenses. You can check some best Shopify apps list here.

How Much Does Shopify Charge Per Item Sold?

Shopify doesn’t charge a commission for every item sold in your online store, but there are transaction fees associated with using third-party payment providers like PayPal. These charges vary depending on the plan you choose.

Here’s a table outlining the transaction fees associated with Shopify plans when using third-party payment providers:

You can avoid these additional transaction fees altogether if you use Shopify Payments (Shopify’s built-in payment system)

What Are the Legal Requirements for Setting Up a Shopify Store?

When you are starting selling online you need to know a few legal considerations to keep in mind. Below are some key legal requirements I am sharing with you to help in starting your online store:

• Business License: You may need a business license to operate your Shopify store depending on the location where you are located. You need to check with your local government to see what’s required in your area.
• GST & Sales Tax: You might need to collect sales tax based on your customers’ location.
  Shopify allows you to configure sales tax settings automatically.
• Privacy Policy and Terms of Service: In your online website store, it is important to have a proper and clear privacy policy, returns, and exchange policies.Shopify also provides you a template based on the same that can be used but you need to consult with a lawyer to ensure compliance with legal requirements.
• Trademark: If your store name or product brand is unique, consider trademarking it to protect your intellectual property. This will help ensure that others cannot use your brand name or logo without your permission.

Keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate Shopify easily

With the help of keyboard shortcuts below, you can navigate Shopify quickly and easily.

By using specific key combinations, you can access features and settings faster, making your online store management more efficient.

Learning these shortcuts can greatly improve your workflow on the Shopify platform.

This table provides a quick reference to help you use Shopify more effectively by utilizing keyboard shortcuts for navigation and tasks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing Shopify is a smart choice for anyone looking to build an online e-commerce store. Its user-friendly features, like drag-and-drop tools, customizable themes, and secure payment options, make building your store straightforward and efficient.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily set up your Shopify store and position yourself well in the online marketplace.

With years of experience in Shopify development, I can help you design a customized online store that perfectly fits your brand and attracts customers.

My expertise helps you to improve your online store’s performance, assist with Shopify migrations, and Shopify Integration Services, and provide ongoing support to ensure your online store’s success.

If you’re ready to take your e-commerce business to the next level, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

I’m here to help you get started on your Shopify journey today. Good luck!