Shopify is a cloud-based e-commerce platform and it is one of the most popular and prestigious e-commerce platforms in the world that allows online sellers to set up their stores easily. With Shopify, sellers can save time and money. Shopify is an ideal platform for those who want full control over the structure and setup of their store. The best part of Shopify is that one doesn’t need any kind of coding or development skills. Anyone with a basic knowledge of computers and the internet can create beautiful, functional, and ready-to-use e-commerce stores. Here are the steps to develop an attractive Shopify store:
Shopify store: initial preparation
There are a few things you must do before starting your Shopify account. You should have a few things ready such as your business idea, the name of your business, products you would like to sell, and their pricing. A functional store must have all of the above in place and you must then do your research. To begin rolling, you also need to have high-quality, optimized images of your products as well.
Set up a Shopify store account
Next, if you do not have a Shopify account yet, you must create one. You will only need an email address and a password to go about it. However, you don’t have to confirm your email just yet. It means you can simply proceed to set up your store. Next, you’ll need to fill in a name for your store. This name must be unique.
1. Add products:
Once you’ve created a store, the next step is to add products. It’s not difficult to add products to Shopify. Simply click Add Products from the Products tab, then you can start listing your products. You’ll also need to add some information about your products once you’ve listed them. It includes:
- Products’ images
- Products’ title
- Products’ price
- Products’ description
You will need to organize your products with the help of labels. Some of the examples of labels that are available are product types, availability, vendors and pricing, etc.
2. Add Pages to Your Site:
As soon as you have added products, the next step is to add pages to your website. You can begin by adding the most important ones, such as Contact, About Us, FAQs, and Privacy Policy & Terms.
You should have a Contact page that allows your customers to reach out to you if they have any questions. An about us page that allows you to build a better and more personal relationship with customers. Your FAQ page should provide answers to the more common questions that customers have.
With Shopify’s free policy generator, you can generate a privacy policy with your address and email. Even If you plan on running Google Ads, you will need a Privacy Policy page.
3. Choose and play with themes:
Choosing a theme is a significant step while setting up your store. Themes are the foundation of your store design. Shopify allows you to choose from both free and paid themes. After choosing a theme you can further make your store better by playing with features and elements.
4. Check out the page:
As one of the final steps in setting up your Shopify store, you need to customize the checkout page. Click on the Theme Settings tab, then click on Checkout. Here you can adjust the imagery, the layout, and the background color as per your taste.
Beginners probably do not need to worry about implementing too many complicated settings on the checkout page. You may put up a setting to have your customers tip you or make it easier for them to drop their contact details including phone numbers and email. This will make it easier to reach them via email marketing.
7. Shipping Page setting:
The smooth shipping process is an important aspect of every successful e-commerce store. Set up your shipping options by clicking the Settings tab, then clicking Shipping. If you want, you can select a third-party delivery company. If you provide custom packaging to your customers, you can enable it here.
8. Payment Gateway setting:
To set up a payment gateway, visit Settings and then click on Payments. Here, you will need to input some personal and business information in this section, such as your name, address, the last four digits of your Social Security Number, and some other details. These details can differ according to your home country.
9. Domain name selections:
Adding a custom domain is one of the last things you must do. A domain is your web address. If you happen to have a domain name already, you may link it to your Shopify store. However, if you do not have one yet, you can buy one directly through Shopify.
Do note that when you buy a .com domain, it will automatically connect to your Shopify store. However, it is not mandatory, but without one, your store will run on a subdomain.
You will need to set up analytics as well. Shopify has a good analytics tool that you can utilize to track your sales, order quantity, tax, and profit. However, you probably want to track more than just that. You can also set up Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel to perform more in-depth analysis.
10. Launch your store:
Click Settings and then Preferences. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find a button to remove the password page. Click that, and you’re done!
Why outsourcing helps while creating a Shopify store
The above process seems very simple but if you want to create a successful store that is helpful to customers, has SEO elements, and can serve you without hassles, hiring Shopify professionals is a better option. Virtual Oplossing has a team of experienced professionals who go the extra mile while creating a Shopify store as per your expectations. Contact Virtual Oplossing Shopify professionals for Shopify website development services and consultation.