How to Sell on Shopify: A Complete Guide

Online sales are the future of commerce. Whether you run a small business and want to boost your current sales or you're a savvy entrepreneur looking to capitalize on future trends with an online store, you need to know how to sell on Shopify.

We’ll help you learn more about selling on Shopify, including benefits and critical considerations. When you’re ready, use our step-by-step guide to launch your Shopify store.

Why sell on Shopify?

Shopify benefits range from easy entry into e-commerce markets to built-in consumer confidence. Here are just a few reasons to consider starting a Shopify store:

• No need to build a website from scratch. Shopify's website builder tool makes it easy to create an e-commerce site with little to no coding or web development skills. You can visit the theme store to choose from more than 100 themes, and the extensive customizations help you brand your site.
• It's easy to start a dropshipping business. Shopify makes it easy to sell physical products without getting bogged down in tedious inventory management and shipping processes.
• Multiple payment methods, even without a merchant account. You can set up various payment methods for your Shopify store, including your own merchant-related accounts. But you can also use Shopify's system to accept payments without a merchant account.
• Built-in security. Shopify is trusted by merchants and customers thanks to its high-quality security. Customers feel safe making purchases on the platform, meaning you won't have to overcome the trust hurdle to begin selling.
• Shopify support. As a Shopify merchant, you can access 24/7 support to help manage your store.

Key considerations before getting started

Before you learn how Shopify works and launch your e-commerce platform, take time to consider these essential factors for your business:

• What will you sell? Your product selection should be unique enough to find a foothold in an often saturated Shopify market while appealing to a broad enough audience to support significant sales.
• Do you have a brand name and logo? Shopify's default is a myshopify.com URL, but you can upgrade to a custom domain name. Even if you stick with the default, it's important to brand your storefront to better engage customers and build loyalty. Use branded elements, such as a store name, logo, and custom designs, whenever possible.
• What is your business model? Building a Shopify store may be easy, but it shouldn’t be done on a whim. Instead, carefully plan your business and ensure legal and financial structures are in place before you launch your online store.
• Do you have clear policies for business operations? Create a business plan and straightforward procedures for operating your Shopify store, even if it's a dropshipping business. Policies become increasingly important as your business grows and are absolutely essential for physical storefronts using a Shopify store as an additional sales channel.

7 steps to sell on Shopify

This step-by-step guide walks you through how to sell on Shopify. If you've already considered your offerings and set up your business structure, you can usually launch a Shopify store in a single day.

1. Sign up for Shopify

To create a Shopify store, you need a Shopify account. As of June 2023, you can sign up for a free 3-day trial of Shopify without a credit card. Once the trial is done, your first month of Shopify costs $1. Pricing after that depends on the plan you choose.

2. Choose from Shopify templates and customize yours

Shopify themes and templates make it easy to customize your shop, so don't skip this crucial step. Including branded elements and a theme that matches your business helps customers differentiate you from millions of other merchants on the platform.

3. Select desired sales channels

Your Shopify account automatically includes an online store, but you can increase sales opportunities by expanding into other channels. Shopify helps you sell via social media platforms, such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as your existing blog or website, physical locations, and online marketplaces like Amazon.

4. Add your products

Add products to your store and set up pricing. Create complete product description pages for each product to better engage consumers and boost search engine optimization (SEO) and conversion rates. Strong product pages include:

• Descriptive titles. Ensure customers can recognize the item by the title. Include potential keywords in the title to boost SEO.
• Item descriptions. Provide details customers may be interested in and use strong feature-benefit marketing copy to help them envision using the product.
• Photos and videos. Add images and videos. Customers want to see various viewpoints of products. Thoughtfully staged photos give a better impression of an item’s size or use cases.
• Details related to price, shipping, and inventory. Ensure the accuracy of details such as shipping weight, SKUs, stock quantities, and pricing. Supply chain visibility is critical for all types of e-commerce businesses.

5. Set up Shopify payment methods

An easy, seamless checkout process is essential to any online store’s success, and Shopify handles many details for you. You can manage your checkout settings in Shopify's admin view and add a variety of payment methods. Add your business bank account information to receive payments when you start selling.

6. Set up shipping options and rates

You can choose from several shipping options when building a Shopify store:

• Dropshipping: Items are managed and shipped by an outside business or warehouse.
• Retailer shipping: Manage inventory and ship the items yourself.
• Local delivery: Deliver items to local customers yourself.
• Local pickup: Customers may reserve items and pick them up at your physical location.

With the first two options, you may also need to decide which shipping methods customers can choose. Potential options include standard postal delivery, regular delivery via services like UPS and FedEx, expedited and overnight shipping, and freight shipping. Assign appropriate rate structures for each shipping option.

7. Test functions, including placing an order

Test all links and other functions via a web browser and mobile device to ensure you're providing an optimal customer experience across platforms. Place a test order to ensure your store is working. Now, you're ready to start promoting your products and Shopify store. If you already have an email list, invite your subscribers to be the first to shop at your new store. Consider offering a coupon code to encourage them to check it out.

Tips to succeed on Shopify

These tips will increase the chance of success with your Shopify endeavors:

• Add pages. One of the best SEO tips for Shopify is to add pages other than product pages. Include keyword-rich text in your About Us, FAQ, and policy pages to inform customers and boost performance in search engines.
• Sell via social media. Maintain multiple sales channels to increase conversion opportunities.
• Engage in email marketing. Keep building your subscriber lists and leverage email marketing to bring new and existing customers to your pages.
• Run promotions. Run seasonal and customer loyalty promotions by offering discounts or perks, such as free shipping.

FAQs about starting a Shopify store

Is selling on Shopify free?

No, merchants on Shopify pay a monthly fee depending on the type of account they have. They also pay a small percentage per sale in credit card fees.

Is Shopify good for beginners?

If you're launching your first e-commerce business, Shopify is an excellent platform. It includes tools and templates that help inexperienced store owners get started relatively quickly. Shopify also provides plenty of helpful resources and 24/7 merchant support.

Does Shopify work well for small businesses?

Shopify has options for business owners of all types, including small businesses. The platform removes some barriers to entry into e-commerce markets for small businesses and solopreneurs.

Can you sell on Shopify during your trial period?

You can sell on Shopify as soon as you set up your storefront and add products. This includes the trial period.

Orderful makes selling on Shopify easy

Shopify offers an easy option for setting up and launching an e-commerce store compared to other marketplaces, such as Etsy or Amazon. You can launch a Shopify store in just a few hours if you've done the legwork to set up your business beforehand. If you want to hedge your bets with more than one marketplace, learn how to sell on Amazon, too.

If you’re selling online, Orderful can ensure that every detail is perfect. Speak to our experts about implementing EDI to partner with Shopify.