How to Start a Shopify Store: Beginner's Guide

In the world of e-commerce, there is a dizzying array of options for anyone looking to build an online storefront. Thankfully, some companies make this process easier than others, and Shopify is one.

Shopify provides all the tools necessary for online commerce, including inventory management, payment processing, and shipping label printing. Shopify also offers a user-friendly dashboard and suite of customization tools that make starting your own store easy and rewarding.

In this post, you'll learn who can start a business on Shopify, why you should, and how to go about opening and running a Shopify store.

Who Can Start a Shopify Store?

Anyone can start a shop on Shopify, making it one best ways to start an online store for startups. It's as simple as creating an account, designing a storefront, and adding products. Shopify also has a slew of pre-made templates to get you started. Once you have your storefront ready to go, you're ready to start selling.

Why Start a Shopify Store?

Shopify is the easiest way to set up an online store and begin taking orders. Hosting and domain registration can all be taken care of through Shopify itself, meaning no third-party companies are required to kick off the launch of your new website.

Shopify is user-friendly and can be customized to fit any business' needs. There are thousands of customizable themes and templates available, and Shopify makes it easy to tweak and experiment with a website's layout as you see fit.

How to Set Up a Shopify Store

Wondering how to set up your Shopify website? It’s fairly straightforward with these steps:

1. Create an account Visit Shopify.com and either start a free 14-day trial or shoot for one of the full Shopify subscription options.
2. Designate your store's name and logo When you're ready, login to your new Shopify account. When signing up, you'll need to designate a name for your store. Although, if you'd like to change it, now's the time. To do this, from the dashboard, select "settings", "general", and edit the name with the "store name" text box.
3. Choose a theme and customize it to your liking From the dashboard, select "online store", scroll down and select the "explore free themes" button, and then choose the theme that you think best suits your business's style and branding. Once you've made a choice, go back to the "themes" option under "online store" and click the "customize" button. This will open the online store editor. From here, you can make just about any changes you'd like.
4. Add your chosen products To begin adding products from the dashboard, select the "products" option. Then, in the top right-hand corner, click the "add product" button.
5. Create product pages and enter relevant product descriptions Now, enter the product name, description, photos, price, and other relevant information. Once finished, click the "save" button and repeat these steps to add additional products.
6. Choose your target market and open your store to the world Congratulations, you're now well on your way to starting your Shopify e-commerce store. All you have to do now is click launch and start marketing to your target audience.

Shopify Pricing

• Free trial: 14 days
• Basic plan: $29 USD/month
• Shopify Plan: $79 USD/month
• Advanced Plan: $129 USD/month

Shipping

Shopify offers a range of different shipping rates for merchants and customers to choose from, such as:

• Flat rate shipping Flat rates charge a set amount based on their order. The shipping rate is determined by a few different factors and is charged as general rates, price-based rates, and weight-based rates.
• Free shipping rates This is just as it sounds, either a customer isn't charged anything for shipping, or merchants can offer free shipping on orders over a set price.
• Calculated shipping rates Calculated shipping rates are set from different factors like shipping origin, shipping destination, order value, order weight, and order dimensions.
• Local delivery method rates Local shipping rates can be designated for customers that are located close to your business's physical location.

Your Shopify Store Is a Work in Progress

Sure, Shopify is one of the best ways to start an online store. But now that you've completed your Shopify store's initial setup, you'll need to be willing to continuously learn and adapt as the e-commerce world changes.

While your store's appearance should be aesthetically pleasing, customers should find all the features you've added intuitive and easy to use. Find the right balance here and you’re sure to find success. As you become more comfortable with the Shopify interface, feel free to start experimenting with the best Shopify apps.