With the advent of modern innovations nowadays, more and more entrepreneurs are becoming interested in selling products online. Luckily, there are plenty of e-commerce platforms that you can use to set up your online store, and these include Shopify.
Shopify refers to a cloud-based e-commerce platform that allows any entrepreneur to build a website to sell their products without a hassle. All you need to do is pay for a monthly subscription, and, from there, you can freely utilize the platform’s features, which are necessary for growing your online business. However, just like other digital platforms, there are several things to consider when working with Shopify. This is especially true if you’re a beginner in the e-commerce industry.
So, if you’re starting your online business with Shopify, this article is offering you a beginner’s guide when working with this platform.
Set Up An Account
Once you’ve decided to use Shopify for your online store, the first thing to do is set up an account with Shopify. The account setup wizard on Shopify should guide you through the whole process, providing you with all the details you need to know. But, to help you better understand the process, below are the steps to keep in mind:
- Register an account on Shopify.com. If you’re a beginner, you can try the 14-day trial for free to allow you to explore and test the platform before you invest in it.
- Once you’ve decided to continue selling with Shopify, log in to your account. After logging in, you’ll find that a default username and password have been provided by Shopify. You should change them to something you can easily remember. If your preferred username and password have already been used by another user, you should consider changing them.
Create Your Website
After setting up your account, the next step is to publish your website. This is a very easy step to perform if you’re starting out with online retailing. Just click the Publish button located at the top left corner of your Shopify Store. When the Publish button is pressed, the publish form will appear. Here, you should provide the title, description, keywords, and title tagline.
Once you’re done, your website will, then, be published online. The visitors who’ll find your website will be redirected to your shop after clicking on your link, and they’ll be directed to the checkout page after purchasing the item.
Moreover, in order to earn money with Shopify, you should now manage your sales from a simple dashboard where in you can add items to your inventory, and mark them up or down at the most reasonable prices. However, if you want to attract more customers to buy items from your Shopify store, you can use tiered pricing to increase average order value by offering volume discounts. With these discounts in place, customers can avail of low per-item price when they purchase more products.
Finalize Your Site’s Settings
Before you can finally open your store in the online world, you should first configure some settings in your website, which can include the following:
- General – Be sure to provide all essential information of your business.
- Shipping – Be sure to decide on the delivery methods for your Shopify store. The more options you can provide, the more customers you can cater. Also, always see to it that the shipping rates and zones displayed on the website are relevant to the countries you’re shipping your products to.
- Checkout – This is the page wherein you accept orders safely and securely. Be sure to set this page up in a way that customers will not be worried about purchasing items from your site.
- Receiving Payments – Set up a variety of payment options for your customers’ convenience.
Market Your Shopify Store
After creating your Shopify store, it’ll be time to focus on your marketing efforts to ensure a steady flow of traffic into your website. You can do this by implementing effective digital marketing strategies to get your customers lined up. These strategies can include email marketing, social media marketing, and many more.
Apart from taking advantage of the marketing techniques mentioned above, be sure to optimize your product page with the help of search engine optimization. This is to ensure that you’ll not only get people to visit your online store, but also to get more conversions on your Shopify site as soon as possible. By doing this, you’ll be on your way toward making more money and growing your business.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of steps involved when it comes to creating and running a Shopify store. However, as mentioned earlier, Shopify gives you everything you need to get started. And, once you’ve set up your account, you’ll quickly start making money online with your own online business. Just make sure you’re knowledgeable about how to properly work with Shopify so that you can make informed decisions along the way.
