Brief Summary
Shopify — a platform for launching your own online store, suitable for sellers who want to move away from relying on marketplaces. This article explains, how to start selling on Shopify: from choosing a niche and registering a store to setting up payments, shipping, analytics, and promotion.
Who is this article for
- For sellers looking to move from Etsy or eBay to their own store.
- For beginners launching their first Shopify store.
- For small businesses wanting to automate sales and scale e-commerce.
The essence of the article
- Shopify — a convenient store builder with a large number of apps and automations.
- Before launching, it is important to test the niche and find reliable suppliers.
- To get started, you need to register a store, fill in the data correctly, and prepare for possible verification.
- It is critically important to properly set up the theme, products, PayPal/Stripe payments, and delivery.
- To grow the store, you need SEO, analytics, Google Shopping, social media, and email marketing.
What You Need to Start Selling on Shopify
| Stage | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Choosing a niche | Test the niche and find suppliers |
| Creating a store | Register the store and correctly enter the data |
| Design | Choose a theme and adapt the design to the product and brand style |
| Products | Fill out product cards, photos, videos, and descriptions |
| Payment and shipping | Connect PayPal/Stripe and set up delivery options |
| Store growth | Connect SEO, analytics, Google Shopping, social media, and email |
Niche selection
First, test the niche you are going to trade in and find reliable suppliers. Shopify allows trading in physical and digital products, as well as print-on-demand.
Registration and Store Setup on Shopify
This is the easiest way. Enter data, fill in product cards, select a plan – usually, they start with the basic. Make sure you have entered all the data correctly according to your documents – this is important for verification, which may be required.
Shopify Store Settings
- Theme
Themes are paid and free. Usually, a free theme with a neutral color palette is chosen so that the design does not overshadow the products. - Design adaptation
Choose the design that requires the least work to modify to your style or niche. - Products
Descriptions, photos, and videos should ideally be created in a consistent style. There are many AI tools now that stylize various photos in a single style. Remember, products costing up to $50 should appeal to the emotional component. And one more thing – the customer is purchasing not just a product, but the result of its use. - Payment methods PayPal and Stripe
Contact support or create a ticket in your account, and our manager will coordinate with you the time to connect your store to the Western Bid platform. This takes no more than 10 minutes. - Delivery
Configure product delivery according to available options. You can specify multiple methods, such as express and economy. From Ukraine, we will deliver your parcels without any issues.
Store management
Select a method for inventorying and accounting for goods, as well as managing stock levels. There are many methods, and the simplest one is a Google sheet.
Go through all processes in your mind and automate everything that can be automated. Trust me, you won’t have time for routine later.
To support customers, you can use CRM systems. Also remember that Western Bid provides a return acceptance service from your buyers.
Development and Analytics
- Use Shopify’s built-in tools to track sales. There are also free analytics apps available in the Shopify App Store.
- Perform a free SEO test for your store — there are many online services for this.
- Optimize product descriptions for your target customer. Create a list of keywords that your store should rank high for in Google Search results.
- Connect Google Analytics and other tracking tools to monitor sales progress.
- Link your store to Google Shopping.
- Utilize social media, influencers, blogs, and email campaigns.
Shopify offers you unique advantages: ease of store management, a user-friendly interface, and an intuitive backend in your language. Here is a small comparison table of Shopify with competitors:
Comparison of Shopify with competitors
| Platform | Characteristic | vs Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Very easy to use, intuitive interface | – |
| WooCommerce | Requires WordPress knowledge, complex for beginners | More complex |
| BigCommerce | Moderate complexity, intuitive | Slightly more complex |
| Wix eCommerce | Easy to use, intuitive | Just as simple |
| Shopify | From $29/month to $299/month | – |
| WooCommerce | Free + plugins/hosting | Cheaper to start |
| Platform | Feature | vs Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Wide selection of themes, easy setup | – |
| WooCommerce | Many themes/plugins, complex setup | More flexible, but more complex |
| BigCommerce | Wide selection of themes, simple | Same |
| Shopify | Fully optimized | – |
| WooCommerce | Depends on themes/plugins | Less reliable |
| Shopify | Excellent SEO tools | – |
| WooCommerce | Depends on plugins | Weaker |
| Platform | Characteristic | vs Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Over 4000 apps and integrations | – |
| BigCommerce | Over 600 apps | Much less |
| Shopify | 24/7 chat, phone, email | – |
| WooCommerce | Depends on hosting, forums | Worse |
| Shopify | High scalability for large stores | – |
| Wix/Squarespace | Small/medium business | Limited |
Why Shopify wins the comparison
Shopify leads in ease of use, mobile optimization, and SEO tools — perfect for quick setup without technical knowledge. 24/7 support and over 4000 integrations make it versatile for any business. WooCommerce is cheaper but requires WordPress skills and hosting. BigCommerce is a close competitor but lags behind in integrations. Wix and Squarespace are suitable for small businesses with limited scale. For medium to enterprise e-commerce, Shopify is the gold standard thanks to stability, scalability, and simplicity.
Integration
Shopify allows you to integrate your store with other platforms. For example, with Pinterest. Also, Shopify Connect enables you to accept payments through Shopify on other platforms. Information about integrations is available on the official Shopify website, as well as in the form of videos on YouTube.
To successfully start on Shopify, it is important to use all available resources. There are many free courses on YouTube, as well as quite a few e-books on Amazon. You can also use official Shopify training materials. Be sure to join user communities on FaceBook and follow advice from experienced sellers.
The shortest answer to the question How to sell on Shopify is advice: don’t postpone everything until tomorrow.
Key Thought
The customer is not just buying a product, but the result of its use, so a Shopify store should be built not only around the catalog, but also around the correct presentation of value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Shopify suitable for?
Who is Shopify suitable for?
Shopify is suitable for beginners, small businesses, and sellers who are already trading on marketplaces and want to launch their own store and build an independent sales channel.
Where to start selling on Shopify?
Where to start selling on Shopify?
It’s worth starting with choosing and testing a niche, finding suppliers, and then moving on to creating the store, filling it with products, and setting up payments and shipping.
What needs to be set up after creating the store?
What needs to be set up after creating the store?
After registration, you need to choose a theme, customize the design, create product cards, connect PayPal and Stripe, and also set up delivery methods.
How to set up delivery in a Shopify store?
How to set up delivery in a Shopify store?
The article suggests adding several delivery options, such as Express and Economy, to give customers a choice and better adapt the store to various ordering scenarios.
What helps to develop a store after launch?
What helps to develop a store after launch?
For the development of the store, the article recommends SEO, Google Analytics, Google Shopping, analytical applications, social networks, influencers, a blog, and email newsletters.
Start launching your Shopify store
Planning to move from marketplaces to your own store? Start with a niche, set up Shopify correctly, connect payment and delivery options, and build a sales system that scales.
