How to Set Up Your First Shopify Store: A Step-by-Step Guide

A jewelry maker once showed me her half-finished Shopify store with visible frustration. She'd been "setting it up" for six weeks. Every tutorial she found either skipped critical steps or overwhelmed her with advanced features she didn't need yet.

I spent two hours with her focusing on essentials. Her store went live that afternoon. She made her first sale the next day.

Setting up Shopify isn't complicated, but it's easy to get lost in options. Here's what actually matters for launch.

Before You Start

Have these ready:

• Business name
• Product photos (decent phone photos work for launch)
• Product descriptions and pricing
• Basic policies (shipping, returns—can adapt templates)
• Business email address

You don't need perfect branding, professional photos, or elaborate content. You need functional store selling products. Polish comes later.

Step 1: Sign Up and Basic Settings

Go to Shopify.com and start free trial. You get 14 days before payment required.

During signup, Shopify asks about your business. Answer honestly—this helps customize your experience.

Store Details

Settings → General

• Store name (appears on customer emails, can change later)
• Contact email (customer inquiries go here)
• Store currency
• Timezone
• Unit system (metric or imperial)

Step 2: Choose a Theme

Online Store → Themes

Shopify offers free themes that work well. Don't buy premium themes initially—free themes are sufficient for launch.

Dawn is Shopify's default theme. It's fast, clean, mobile-optimized. Start there unless you have specific reason for different theme.

Install theme, then customize it (button next to theme). This opens visual editor where you change colors, fonts, layout without code.

Basic Customization

• Upload logo (if you have one; if not, use text name—fine temporarily)
• Choose brand colors (primary color for buttons, backgrounds)
• Select fonts (usually two: one for headings, one for body text)
• Configure homepage sections (featured products, about section, etc.)

Don't obsess over perfection. Functional and clean beats delayed and perfect.

Step 3: Add Products

Products → Add Product

For each product:

Title

Clear, descriptive product name. "Handmade Silver Pendant Necklace" not just "Necklace."

Description

Describe the product, materials, dimensions, care instructions. Be specific. Answer questions customers would ask.

Good description: "Handcrafted sterling silver pendant on 18" chain. Pendant measures 1" diameter. Features hammered texture catching light beautifully. Arrives in gift box. Sterling silver requires occasional polishing—polishing cloth included."

Price

List price. Can add 'compare at' price if you're running sale.

Photos

Upload multiple photos showing product from different angles. First photo is most important—it appears in collections and search.

Minimum photo requirements: white or neutral background, good lighting, in focus, shows product clearly. Don't need professional photography immediately.

Inventory

Set quantity available. Check "Track quantity" so Shopify prevents overselling.

If you make products to order, set high quantity (999) and mention lead time in description.

Shipping

Check "This product requires shipping." Enter weight and dimensions—critical for accurate shipping rates.

Variants

If product comes in sizes, colors, or other options, add variants. Each variant can have different price, inventory, photos.

Step 4: Set Up Collections

Products → Collections

Collections organize products into categories. "Necklaces," "Earrings," "Rings" for jewelry. "Men's," "Women's," "Kids" for clothing.

Create collections, then add products manually or set automatic conditions (all products tagged "necklace" automatically added to Necklaces collection).

Collections appear in your navigation menu, helping customers find products.

Step 5: Configure Shipping

Settings → Shipping and delivery

This confuses many beginners but it's straightforward:

Shipping Zones

Define where you ship: domestic, international, specific regions.

Shipping Rates

For each zone, set rates:

• Flat rate ($X per order)
• Weight-based (price increases with weight)
• Carrier-calculated (real-time rates from Canada Post, USPS, etc.)

Starting out, flat rate is simplest. "Shipping: $8 Canada, $15 USA, $20 International" covers most small businesses.

Can offer free shipping over threshold: "Free shipping on orders over $100."

Processing Time

Set realistic handling time. If you ship within 2 business days, say so. Underpromise and overdeliver.

Step 6: Set Up Payments

Settings → Payments

Shopify Payments is integrated solution. If available in your region, use it—simplest option, no transaction fees beyond credit card processing.

Activation requires business information, bank account for payouts. Approval typically instant or within 24 hours.

Alternative Payment Methods

Consider enabling:

• PayPal (customers without credit cards)
• Shop Pay (faster checkout for returning customers)
• Apple Pay / Google Pay (one-click mobile checkout)

More payment options = fewer abandoned carts.

Step 7: Essential Pages

Online Store → Pages

Create these pages:

About Page

Who you are, why you make/sell products, what makes you different. Personal story builds connection and trust.

Contact Page

How customers can reach you. Email, phone if applicable, contact form.

FAQ Page

Common questions: shipping time, returns, sizing, materials, custom orders, etc.

Step 8: Policies

Settings → Policies

Shopify generates policy templates. Customize them for your business:

• Refund policy
• Privacy policy
• Terms of service
• Shipping policy

Don't skip policies. They're legally important and build customer trust.

Step 9: Navigation Menu

Online Store → Navigation

Edit your main menu to include:

• Shop (dropdown with collections)
• About
• Contact
• FAQ

Keep navigation simple. Too many menu items overwhelms customers.

Step 10: Checkout Settings

Settings → Checkout

Configure:

• Customer contact method (email or phone)
• Require account creation or allow guest checkout (guest checkout reduces friction)
• Tipping (if applicable for your business)
• Email marketing opt-in (can ask customers to join your list during checkout)

Step 11: Domain Name

Settings → Domains

Your Shopify store starts with yourstore.myshopify.com address. This works but looks unprofessional.

Buy custom domain through Shopify or connect existing domain. Custom domains cost $15-20 annually.

yourstore.com looks more legitimate than yourstore.myshopify.com. Worth the small investment.

Step 12: Test Everything

Before launching:

• Place test order (Shopify provides test payment methods)
• Verify email confirmations arrive and look correct
• Check mobile display—most customers shop on phones
• Review all pages for typos or broken links
• Test navigation and product pages
• Confirm shipping calculator works correctly

Fix any issues before directing customers to your store.

Step 13: Launch

Settings → Plan → Choose Plan

Select Shopify plan (Basic $39/month is sufficient for most starting stores). Enter payment info. Your store goes live.

Remove password protection: Online Store → Preferences → Uncheck "Restrict access to visitors with the password."

Your store is now public and ready to accept orders.

Post-Launch Essentials

Set Up Google Analytics

Settings → Apps and sales channels → Enable Google Analytics. This tracks visitor behavior, helping you understand what works.

Install Essential Apps

Shopify App Store has thousands of apps. Initially, you need very few:

• Email marketing (Shopify Email is built-in and free for first 10,000 emails monthly)
• Reviews app (Shopify Product Reviews is free)

Add other apps only when you identify specific needs. Too many apps slows your store and complicates management.

Start Marketing

Your store won't generate sales automatically. Drive traffic through:

• Social media (share products, behind-the-scenes content)
• Email list (if you have existing audience)
• Friends and family (word of mouth for initial traction)
• Local markets or events (if applicable)

Common Setup Mistakes

Over-Customizing Before Launch

Perfecting design delays launch. Ship functional store, improve iteratively based on actual customer feedback.

Too Many Products Initially

Start with 10-20 products. Adding products properly takes time. Better to have 15 well-presented products than 50 rushed ones.

Complicated Shipping Strategies

Flat rate shipping is simple and works. Don't overcomplicate with zone-based weight calculations initially.

Ignoring Mobile

Most traffic comes from phones. If your store doesn't work well on mobile, you're losing sales.

No Clear Photos

Blurry, dark, or confusing photos kill conversion. Photos don't need to be professional, but they must be clear.

Growing Beyond Basics

Once your store is generating sales, focus on:

• Professional photography
• More detailed product descriptions
• Customer reviews
• Email marketing automation
• SEO optimization
• Paid advertising

But launching comes first. That jewelry maker who was stuck for six weeks? Once she launched, sales gave her confidence and revenue to invest in improvements.

Perfect later. Launch now.

Need Help Building Your Store?

Shopify is user-friendly, but getting expert guidance accelerates setup and avoids costly mistakes. Our eCommerce workshops provide hands-on training for Vancouver entrepreneurs launching online stores.

Get in touch to discuss your eCommerce plans.