HOW TO SET UP AN ONLINE SHOP ON THE FLY

Everyone has the potential to own their business.

Whether you’ve been dreaming of opening an online shop as a side hustle, as a way of ditching your nine-to-five or to truly bring something revolutionary to the world, now is the time to grab the proverbial bull by the horns. Setting up a shop has never been easier. The only choice you have to make now (before you keep reading) is whether you want a developer to carefully craft a store on a platform such as Magento (if you do, speak to Orange Collar about getting your dream shop up and running for less than you think), or to pay a monthly subscription and DIY it.

The do-it-yourself option is not as daunting as it may sound. Not with eCommerce made easy sites, such as Shopify.

Shopify is, quite literally, a one-stop-shop. For a monthly subscription fee, you get access to themes, templates, app and add ons, management and marketing tools, and 24-hour, seven-days-a-week support. Aside from that, selling on Shopify is incredibly simple, and setting up an online store can be done in a few easy steps. It’s so easy, you can set up that business you’ve been dreaming of on the train, during your lunch break, even on your mobile phone. Everyone loves a freebie, and Shopify offers a free 14-day trial. 

So stop dreaming and start selling.

1. Set up your startup
   

To sell on Shopify you first need to sign up. It will walk you through some basic information points, starting with your name, email and what you want your store name to be (so make sure you have that ready to rock and roll). You want to select ‘online shop’ rather than bricks and mortar and complete all the fields as fully as possible.

2. Populate with products

Once you’ve signed up, Shopify will direct you to upload your first product. The process is simple and you’re not just guided through it, there are also handy step-by-step tutorials in case you get stuck. Choose to upload just one, for now, or a nice selection of products, so you can see how they will all look on your beautifully designed website.

Keep things tidy by grouping your products into ‘Collections’. This is Shopify terminology for categories. It’s advisable to do this from the beginning. It makes it easier to keep track of your products as you grow your eCommerce site, and helps to organize your customer data for better marketing.

3. Design without the designer

You don’t need a designer to create a stunning website in minutes. Shopify has done the hard work for you. ‘Customize the look of your site’ is in the Shopify admin panel, and this is where you give character to your store. Setting up in a hurry? Head to ‘Themes’ and browse the plethora of pre-designed templates. These are all optimized for mobile, so your store will be customer and device friendly from the get-go. There are literally hundreds to choose from. If you’re on the indecisive side or want to try a few out, Shopify lets you do just this (yes, even on your free trial). Chop and change and see what works for you.

If you need help with website design, don’t hesitate or dawdle, give Orange Collar a call for expert web design guidance and keep the momentum going… 

4. Enable payments 

The ‘Payments’ tab will take you to a page where you can set up how you’d like your store to handle customer payments. This is one of the most important parts of your website set up, as this is how you’ll be paid for your products. It may also affect how you deliver and issue returns.

You can choose from third-party payment processors or choose Shopify’s own payment system.

5. Make it official 

Once you’ve added your products and designed your website, it’s time to launch your site. You do this by buying (or connecting an already existing) domain. So, this is the part you’ll need your payment details for. Go to ‘Add Domain’ and follow the steps to launch a new domain or connect one you already own. At this point, Shopify will ask you to choose a monthly plan.

That’s it. You’re ready to hit that button: Launch website. You’re ready to start selling on Shopify.

It’s that easy.

Your business could open doors of opportunity you never knew were there.

Shopify is easy to use, but there are so many ways you can get it to work harder for you. If you want to have an informal chat with a Shopify expert at Orange Collar, we can help you on the road to eCommerce success. Drop us a line today.