How to Start a Successful Shopify Store
Shopify is one of the most popular platforms to create and run an online store. It’s affordable, it’s easy to use, and you can even integrate it with a Shopify fulfillment service.
When you rely on Shopify fulfillment, you don’t have to worry about managing an inventory and shipping orders to your customers, as a team of professionals will take care of that for you. However, you will still need to create your online store and market it effectively if you want your business to succeed.
Learn how to start a successful Shopify store and prepare for this new venture.
1. Set a Goal for Your Shopify Store and Choose Products to Sell
You can’t operate a Shopify store if you don’t have any product to sell. Therefore, before you start your store, you need to figure out what you want to sell and who your ideal customers should be.
It’s a good idea to sell a product you’re familiar with. But you must first research to ensure some people want to buy it.
You also need to research your competitors. If several Shopify stores offer the same product, you might want to think of something else.
2. Create Your Shopify Account
You must also find a name for your Shopify store when you figure out what you want to sell and to whom. And then, you can go ahead and create your account. This will only take a few minutes, and the process is straightforward.
Next, you can familiarize yourself with your admin panel, choose your Shopify plan, pick the name of your store, and select different settings.
3. Set Up Your Shopify Store and Customize It
You don’t need experience creating a website to set up a Shopify store and make it look great. You can choose from different themes and templates and customize them to your liking. You can choose the features of your store and make it your own with your choice of colors and images.
Take your time to experiment with different designs and options before choosing what works best for your store.
4. Create a Unique Brand for Your Store
Whether you want to run a small or large business, you need a brand. This will make your Shopify store look professional and stand out.
Get a custom logo and select a color palette you will use throughout your store. Keep in mind that your branding should appeal to your ideal customer. If you want to sell products for children, for example, you could use bright colors and have a friendly cartoon character as a mascot.
5. Create the Main Pages of Your Store
You want your Shopify store to have a unique look and feel, but you also want it to look trustworthy. For this purpose, you must add different pages to your store and fill them with helpful and accurate information.
Your “About Us” page should tell potential customers about your business and display your contact information. You need a detailed “Shipping and return policies” page and a transparent “Terms and conditions” page.
You can also add an “FAQ” page to answer your customers’ questions.
6. Start Adding Products to Your Store
Now is the time to add products to your store. Each product you list will have its page, and you can organize them into different collections. Each product page should have an accurate description, clear photos and videos, and an “Add to cart” button.
As customers buy and review your products, consider adding flattering customer reviews to your product pages.
7. Optimize Your Product Titles and Descriptions
If you want your Shopify store to succeed, you must work on search engine optimization. This means that each product title and description you write should contain relevant keywords that will make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.
Each title and description should be optimized. But don’t just list many keywords: you must write accurate text presenting each product and its features while using at least one or two relevant keywords.
8. Find Different Ways to Market Your Store
No one will know if you don’t market your Shopify store. And remember that marketing doesn’t have to be complicated: it’s all about ensuring the people needing your products know your store.
So, use social media to get the word out. Create a newsletter. Run giveaways and launch a presale strategy. If your budget allows it, turn to paid advertising.
9. Entice Customers With Free Shipping Offers
Our last tip on how to start a successful Shopify store is to entice your customers with free shipping. A simple way to do this is to offer free shipping for any order over a certain amount to motivate customers to add more products to their cart.
