If you have decided to set up an online store, Shopify can help with solutions for everything from creating a social media store to integrating shipping and payment methods.
Once you have your product, suppliers, and an e-commerce marketing strategy, you must find the best way to build your site. There are two approaches you could take from this point forward:
These solutions are equally valid, and they both have their pros and cons.
Hiring an agency allows you to focus on the business side and leave the design and website planning to the professionals. On the other hand, you could save a bit of cash and learn a valuable skill by creating the website on your own.
This guide will quickly go through the crucial steps you need to take to build a Shopify website. Let’s get started!
You can begin your free trial at the Shopify homepage. Depending on where you are, you may be redirected to your local version of the site.
Once you click the button in the top-right, you will be asked to enter a few basic details. At this point, Shopify will ask you to choose a name for your store. Make sure your store name on Shopify reflects your business and is easy to remember.
Shopify offers multiple types of pricing plans that offer various features. The most affordable option at the moment is Shopify Lite, which starts at only $9 per month. The cost of succeeding plans then ranges from $29 to $299 every month, with a flat rate of 30 cents for each transaction. They also offer a premium plan called Shopify Plus, but this is intended for enterprise clients and rates start at a whopping $2000 per month. The good news is, you don’t have to jump in and sign up for a plan right away. You can take advantage of their 14-day free trial, so you can test out the features for yourself. But once the trial period is over, you’ll have to make a decision. Check out this helpful guide on how to select the best Shopify pricing plan for your online store.
The platform may ask you to change the shop's name if the one you choose is no longer available.
You will also need to provide Shopify with information about your business along with your personal contact information. The platform will ask you to state the business you’re in, billing details, expected revenue, and other info.
The site will redirect you to your admin page upon filling these out.
You will find everything you need to get your store started on the administrator page. Here, you can add products to your marketplace, individually or in bulk. Additionally, you can add services and digital, downloadable items, such as e-books and manuals.
A shop's aesthetic should reflect more than just its products. It should also reflect its ethos, its style, and so on. If you had a brick-and-mortar store, you would pay close attention to the interior to maximize foot traffic, so why would your virtual store be any different?
Choose a basic theme for your virtual storefront on Shopify and customize it further to suit your brand's design and look.
After deciding exactly how your website should look, it is essential to list all of the products you are selling or the services you offer.
There is a "Products" bar on the left side of your admin panel. Using this option, you can either list newly created products or choose from products already in your inventory. Product names, descriptions, images, and pricing can be added here. As part of the product catalog, you can also list variants of a particular product.
Also available is a way to add search engine optimization terms and shipping information and display product inventory. This will enable your customers to know what you still have in stock.
Ensure that all your products are appropriately categorized so your customers can easily find them. If you sell more than just apparel, you should list either the gender, the age group, or anything else that might be relevant. The same applies to homewares or any other type of item. You'll want to create a separate category for each.
You can access this option from the same admin page, below the dropdown menu.
Adding each product to a collection individually is not required, but you can do so if you want. You can also set it up to add products to specific groups when they meet certain criteria.
As far as creating a Shopify store is concerned, this is the most critical step. In addition to listing your products and setting up your e-commerce site, you have to ensure that you are receiving and processing payments. Shopify provides its own payment gateway; however, third-party solutions are also available.
Ensure you know the fees charged per transaction when selecting a payment gateway. Also, find out what kind of payment methods and cards are accepted. It would be best to start by carefully analyzing your demographics and user base. If necessary, conduct a survey to determine which modes of payment your customers prefer. Then, you can choose the best solution.
Developing a professional website for your company is only the beginning. Confirm that your products and services are presented well and run a quick user experience check. Ensure that no links or images are broken. Make sure your website loads efficiently and correctly on mobile devices and that it's mobile-friendly by sending it to colleagues, family, and friends.
You should be ready to launch your brand-new business website if you've followed this step-by-step guide carefully! If you're confident that everything looks okay, go ahead and click Publish. Congratulations and good luck!
After conducting his fair share of research and gaining relevant experience, Gab put up Page Kits to help others who were in his position grow their e-commerce stores and thrive.
