Established in 2006, Shopify has evolved into a comprehensive, cloud-powered eCommerce platform, empowering businesses to build and manage online stores seamlessly. By 2024, Shopify-powered stores achieved an impressive milestone, surpassing $700 billion in total sales. Some famous platforms, such as Netflix’s online shop, Red Bull, and Heinz Co., are run on Shopify.
More than 4 million active websites run on Shopify. As an entrepreneur, you may have a brilliant product line, but you might need help choosing a platform to develop your online store. Wherever you are in your business journey, this post will provide ideas for starting your online Shopify business.
In this post, we will introduce the intricacies of the Shopify platform and the steps to implement toward building a profitable online store. We will help you develop your online store from scratch, market it, and meet the business goals.
Advantages of Building Online Shopify Business
Shopify is known for providing a secure and reliable online platform with enriched built-in themes. The themes are user-friendly, and page designs add products with prices and images. There are features to track inventory levels and manage stock. Shopify integrates with third-party payment gateways to ensure security. On top of that, Shopify offers many options for launching your online business. Some of the benefits of adopting Shopify include:
- Easily accessible with drag-and-drop functionality
- Built-in -Editor allows you to customize the themes as per your business requirements
- Different subscription plans are available for small businesses to start their online business successfully.
- Shopify stores have mobile responsiveness.
- Shopify store has built-in marketing tools to reach your target audiences, such as email templates and social media integration, and marketing tools are built-in.
Steps to build Online Shopify Business
Many other platforms, like WooCommerce and Big Commerce, offer the same option as Shopify, but it is one of the easiest ways to start an online business. Let’s know the steps to build a successful Shopify Store without comparing too much.
➭Start Your Free Trial
The first step toward building a Shopify store is registering a web domain with the Shopify free trial by visiting the official website. After entering the valid email address, create a login with a secured password for eStore. After completion, you’ll be redirected to the admin panel to start.
➭Explore the Admin Panel
The admin panel is the main panel to set up the online store, and it includes the main features such as:
- Orders: Check order details, placement, price, shipment and delivery
- Products: create a product panel to add, edit, and manage a product list with the latest images with the latest prices
- Customers: Customer interface with the customers’ contact details can be managed online.
- Content: The Shopify platform suggests content edits to optimize the content as per the SEO
- Finances: There is no need to buy extra financial planning and management software. Shopify themes have built-in features for tracking revenue, expenses, and profits.
- Analytics: Shopify allows to track and monitor performance metrics like sales and product trends.
- Marketing: The Shopify platform allows the configuration of multichannel campaigns, including email, social media, and SMS marketing.
- Discounts: You can quickly enter the discount codes to the individual product line
- Apps: Built-in themes allow us to integrate the online platform with other software, such as a customer care service interface or ERP.
➭Select a Theme
Shopify provides a default theme, but you can explore others by going to Online Store > Themes. Browse free themes or visit the Shopify Theme Store. Add your chosen theme to your admin, preview it, and customize it to reflect your brand.
➭Add Navigation
Access the Navigation section to customize navigation. Edit the footer menu or create nested menus for product categories or additional pages. This ensures seamless navigation for your visitors.
➭Add Products and Content
To manage your products:
- Add a product by navigating to Products > Add Product. Provide a title, description, and pricing.
- Duplicate or edit products for updates.
- Assign or remove tags to organize inventory.
- Edit SEO details for better search visibility.
- You can include or exclude products from specific sales channels under Manage Sales Channels.
➭Set Up Payments and Checkout
Activate Shopify Payments under Settings > Payments. Provide business and banking details and ensure eligibility based on your location. Customize checkout settings to align with your preferences.
➭Create Customized Pages
Add new pages from Online Store > Pages. Use the rich text editor to include images, links, or videos. Set visibility settings, save, and add links to the navigation menu for easy access.
➭Configure Shipping Rates
Under Settings > Shipping and Delivery, you can include:
- New shipping rates with specific conditions (e.g., weight-based or price-based).
- Calculated rates for more accurate pricing.
- Localized shipping rates (if using Shopify Payments.)
➭Set Up Taxes
The eCommerce platform allows you to set up taxes per area and country, a significant advantage that has increased worldwide popularity. To do tax settings, go to
Settings > Taxes and Duties, register tax regions, and add tax numbers. You can also manage exemptions, overrides, and other details to ensure compliance.
➭Connect Your Domain
If you have a registered domain already purchased or are running another eCommerce platform, you can quickly start or migrate to the Shopify platform. For domain linking:
Go to Settings > Domains. You can buy a new domain or connect to an existing one. You will be able to verify the domain within 48 hours.
➭Test Your Store
Place a test order by enabling test mode under Settings > Payments. Use test credit card details to simulate a successful transaction without actual charges.
➭Launch Your Store
Remove password protection from Online Store > Preferences to make your store publicly accessible. This step completes setting up the Shopify store. You can now go live.
➭Shopify Pricing Plans
- Essential $32/month – Ideal for small businesses.
- Shopify: $92/month – Great for growing teams.
- Advanced: $399/month – Suited for medium to large businesses.
- Shopify Plus: $2,000/month ($2,500/month from March 2024) – Best for high-volume stores.
- Custom pricing is available based on component usage.
Transaction Fees
- Basic: Domestic online fees: 2.9% + $0.30; Third-party fees: 2%.
- Shopify: Domestic online fees: 2.7% + $0.30; Third-party fees: 1%.
- Advanced: Domestic online fees: 2.4% + $0.30; Third-party fees: 0.5%.
What is Required to go live with a Shopify Store?
Building a Shopify store is a minor deal in the cluttered eCommerce market. The struggle starts with developing the marketing plan to create the business’s online presence successfully. That’s why you need to hire a full-stack Shopify site development and digital marketing agency that can assist you in launching your online business. While you are on your way to choose an agency, keep the following points in mind
- Consider a company that has expertise in Shopify site development and branding.
- Find a company that can reduce the chaos and bring quick returns.
- Talk to the team, and collaborate with an agency that can work on your project dedicatedly.
- Choose a company that has experience working with the same market niche.
- Don’t get stuck on minor issues; clarify your objective to the agency you hire and keep reminding them by providing timelines.
- Above all, spend time with your partner agency to create a financial and marketing plan, so the Shopify store development doesn’t exhaust your budget.
For reference and to initiate talks with an agency, you can check their portfolio, track their business details, and even talk to their previous clients to ensure you partner with the right agency.
Final Words- Unlock Retail Growth Potential with Shopify Store Development
Do you dream of launching a unique retail store to expand your competitive edge in the retail market? Choosing Shopify will be the right decision for a startup store, with built-in options like co-selling, a customer care interface, and the ability to upgrade to Shopify Plus.
Also, Shopify is the only eCommerce platform offering a collaborating model to strengthen agency-client relationships. The revenue model provided by the Shopify theme can pave the way for sustainable growth.
Further, choosing an agency with the POS-specific certification will authenticate the agency’s capabilities to build a functional online store with minimum flaws. Additionally, Shopify’s referral program provides a strategic advantage, helping agencies expand their client base and enhance their market credibility.
To explore the immense potential of the eCommerce marketplace, embrace omnichannel retail strategies, and harness Shopify’s robust platform to set up your new online business. Shopify’s robust platform will help you deliver value-driven solutions that redefine success in this ever-evolving marketplace.
At IndeedSEO, we have the expertise and experience to set up an online Shopify business. Get ready to launch your online store!
Emily Carter
