How To Start a Shopify Store in 2024 (Step-by-Step Guide)
Did you know that Shopify powers some of the most well-known brand websites in the world, like Red Bull, Heinz Company, and Netflix’s online store?
Since its founding in 2006 as an online platform for the sale of snowboard gear, Shopify has advanced significantly. It has developed into an all-in-one cloud-based eCommerce web-building platform today, helping to create sales of over $700 billion.
Do you want to learn how to set up a Shopify store and become one of the more than 4 million websites that use this platform today? This in-depth guide will assist you in doing precisely that by outlining the process of creating your e-store from the ground up.
Now let’s get started!
How To Start A Shopify Store?
The only impossible trip is the one you never begin, as worldwide life and business guru Tony Robbins once said. Now that you have his inspirational words of wisdom in mind, it’s time to launch your e-store.
Here are some simple procedures to take while creating a Shopify store.
Create An Account
Click the “Start free trial” button after going to Shopify’s website.
After that, a sequence of questions with pre-made response choices will be shown to you. You can choose the responses that best suit your needs and preferences for your business, or you can ignore them completely. The admin panel will appear when you input your email address, choose a password, and select a distinctive store name. You are able to launch your Shopify store and take advantage of the four-day free trial.
Get Familiar With The Admin Panel
The admin panel contains the following features:
Order Management: Effectively handle and evaluate a comprehensive list of orders from your Shopify store, encompassing order fulfillment, cancellations, and customer feedback.
Functionality: This feature allows users to do actions such as adding, editing, and managing their inventory of products. These actions include tasks such as uploading images, creating descriptions, and establishing prices.
Customers: Retrieve a comprehensive roster of registered customers along with their contact details and manage the exporting of client lists.
Manage and publish all the content on your e-commerce platform to enhance the exposure of your store and effectively interact with your target audience.
Monitor the financial well-being of your business by accurately tracking the finances of your Shopify store, which includes keeping records of income, expenses, and earnings.
Analytics allows you to monitor and analyze sales figures, revenue, and product performance across specific time periods in order to assess the overall performance of your store.
Marketing: Set up cross-platform promotions with Shopify Email Marketing, Facebook advertising, social media posts, and SMS marketing. Establish automatic marketing systems such as sending emails to customers who have abandoned their shopping carts.
Discounts: Generate and oversee promotional codes with diverse criteria, such as complimentary delivery for designated purchase thresholds or reductions on specific merchandise.
Applications: Install and oversee applications to enhance the features of your Shopify store. Explore apps categorized by store design, conversion, fulfillment, customer support, and other related areas.
Choose Your Theme
Upon creating an account with Shopify, you will see that a preexisting theme has already been established on the Themes area of your administrative interface. To select a different Shopify theme, access your admin panel and navigate to the Online Store button. From the dropdown menu, choose the Themes option to add a new theme.
To view the best free themes offered by the Shopify Theme Store, simply scroll down to the section titled “Popular free themes”. Alternatively, select the option “Visit theme store” to carefully review all the themes that are now accessible.
Once you have identified a theme that appeals to you, simply click the Add button. This action will incorporate the theme into the Theme library area located on the Themes page of your admin interface.
Add Navigation To Your Theme
To incorporate navigation into your theme, access the “Navigation” section of your Shopify admin panel by navigating to Online store.
To personalize your footer menu, simply click on the Footer menu link and select “Add menu items”. By performing this step, a lateral slider bar will be activated, allowing you to assign names to your items and conduct searches or paste links.
Shopify offers the functionality for creating nested menus, allowing you to arrange your goods or pages and create extra drop-down menus.
Add Products & Product-Related Content
To add and arrange your products and product-associated material on your Shopify site, adhere to these instructions:
To introduce a new product:
- Navigate to the “Products” section.
- Click the “Add product” button.
- Please input a concise and descriptive title for your product, along with any further information you would like to include.
- Click the Save button
Set Up Payments & Checkout
Configuring the checkout page on Shopify may be accomplished through a straightforward process consisting of a few uncomplicated steps:
Add a checkout button:
To access the Checkout option, navigate to the Settings page and choose it from the dropdown menu.
Adjust the configuration of the checkout settings:
Within the checkout settings, you have the ability to personalize many elements of the checkout procedure, including: — Language and appearance of the checkout page — Customer accounts and their preferences – Options for shipping and delivery — Taxation and currency setup.
Create Your e-Store’s Pages
To include additional pages on your Shopify e-commerce website, go to the “Pages” section under the “Online Store” tab.
To create a new page, simply click on the “Add page” button. Please provide a title and content for the new page. Ensure that your title is both descriptive and clear, as it will be displayed in browser tabs and search engine results. Utilize the comprehensive text editor to format your content, incorporate hyperlinks, tables, pictures, and videos.
Set Up Shipping Rates
To configure shipping rates on Shopify, navigate to the Settings > Shipping & Delivery section. From there, choose the desired shipping profile and click on the “Manage” option.
Continue by adhering to the following instructions:
- Include shipping rate: Select the option to add a rate and specify the details of the fee. Please include the name of the rate and the corresponding shipping rate value, such as amount, currency, weight, etc.
- Specify any other requirements (if applicable): The shipping fee can be determined depending on factors such as weight, price, or other specified circumstances.
- Modify the computed rates if desired (optional): When utilizing calculated rates, you have the option to increase or decrease the rates in order to modify what customers perceive when they reach the checkout stage.
- Set the rate: Click the “Done” button, and then click “Save” to include the delivery rate.
- Enable local currency shipping rates (available exclusively with Shopify Payments): By utilizing Shopify Payments, you have the ability to provide fixed shipping prices in local currencies to cater to clients from various markets.
Set Up Tax Rates
Prior to initiating the tax setup process in Shopify, it is imperative to ascertain whether it is necessary to impose taxes on your products. Seek guidance from local tax authorities or a tax expert to ensure compliance with the appropriate tax legislation.
Ensure that you complete the registration process and acquire your tax identification number. To levy taxes, it is necessary to formally register with the appropriate tax authorities in your country or region and acquire your unique tax identification number.
Connect Your Domain
To establish a connection between your domain and your Shopify store, follow these steps:
- To access the Domains settings in your Shopify admin, navigate to Settings and click on Domains.
- Select either “Buy new domain” or “Connect existing domain.”
- To link an existing domain, input your domain name (e.g., clothing-products.info) and proceed by clicking Next.
- Select the option to Connect automatically and then proceed to click Close.
- Please allow a maximum of 48 hours for your domain to undergo the verification process. After undergoing verification, it will be included in the third-party domains section of the Domains page, indicating that it is connected.
Test Your Shopify Store
Prior to launching your Shopify site, it is advisable to do a test order.
To access the payment settings in your Shopify admin, navigate to Settings > Payments and select the Edit option. To enable test mode, choose the checkbox labeled “Use test mode” and then click on the “Save” button.
Launch
When you are prepared to make your Shopify store available to the general public, you must disable the password protection:
- To access the preferences for your online store, navigate to the “Online Store” section in your Shopify admin and select “Preferences”.
- Please navigate downwards to the section under “Password protection”.
- Deselect the option Implement a security measure that limits entry to individuals who possess the correct password.
- Click the “Save” button.
How Much Does It Cost To Start A Shopify Store?
Shopify provides a variety of payment alternatives, which include:
- Standard: $32 per month, ideal for individuals and small enterprises.
- It offers a pricing plan of $92 per month, which is particularly well-suited for small teams.
- Advanced: $399 per month, ideal for medium to large enterprises
- Shopify Plus is priced at $2,000 per month, with an increase to $2,500 per month starting on March 13, 2024. It is recommended for entities that handle large volumes of sales.
Additionally, there is an alternative available where you can select your components and receive a pricing plan tailored to your specific component use.
Set Up Your Shopify Store With Zrafted
Our team specializes in Shopify design and development, as well as SEO optimization and marketing strategies. We are dedicated to producing a Shopify website that is both user-friendly and highly effective in search engine rankings.
Request a Quote by Contacting Us Now!
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