Sell on Shopify has years of experience selling online, yes that's right we have run and are currently running multiple online stores for ourselves. We understand how to grow a store from nothing to something. We're not an consultancy that just uses theory, we use techniques and methodologies the have been tested over 12 years of being a online retailer. We have made the mistake along the way so you don't have to. This is also why we know Shopify is hands down the best tool around to build a business online.
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Shopify is an all-in-one platform that makes creating and growing online stores easy and scalable. Whether you're a small start-up wanting to sell a product online or a large retailer wanting an infinitely scalable solution to sell online and have an integrated in-store point of sale, Shopify's your answer. With its extensive features and apps, Shopify offers the flexibility to create a store that truly reflects your brand and is fully customisable to your needs.
Getting started with Shopify is pretty straightforward. Head over to Shopify's website to sign up for a free 14-day trial. This trial period lets you have a good look under the bonnet before committing to a plan. And don't worry if it doesn't make sense at first, it will take you a little while to get you head around everything but rest assured once you do the world is your oyster!
Once you've signed up, it's time to select the right plan for your business—there are options to suit businesses of all sizes.
If you're first starting out we suggest signing up for the Basic plan. It is pretty much the same as Shopify for small teams and Advanced. If your a larger retailer Shopify Plus allows you to have a huge amount of scalability and has more options around customising the customer experience at each stage of the buyer’s journey and so much more.
After selecting your plan, set up a domain name thats the www.mystore.co.nz part. Your domain is the address customers use to find you online, and having a easy to remember domain is important as well as one that simple to spell. You can see from the image below where you can set up your domain. To find this from the home page of the dashboard click on the cog icon at the very bottom left next to the word Settings to see your options and then click on Domains. Shopify makes it easy to purchase a new domain by clicking on the Buy new domain or link an existing one if you have already bought one.
Finally, choosing a theme is a pretty important step. There are a number of free themes available which are perfectly suitable for a basic online store. Having said that, we find it's better to use a paid theme most of the time as they are easier to work with to get your store optimised to perform the best. You can try any paid theme first before having to commit to buying it.
When we are asked to create a store for a client we often try multiple themes to work out which will be most suitable. It does require a little trial and error testing to find the best theme but it's always worth it in the end.
There is quite a bit to think about when selecting and customising your theme, below is a quick check list for you:
Customising your Shopify store is where the magic happens. This is your chance to stand out and create a real connection with your customers. Start by adjusting your theme settings to reflect your brand—choose colours and fonts that scream 'you' and tweak the layout to make sure everything flows smoothly.
Next, make sure you create essential pages like Home, About Us, Contact, and FAQ. These pages aren't just placeholders; they help tell your story and give your customers the confidence to shop with you. A clear, easy-to-use navigation menu will make your customer's journey as smooth as possible.
Don't be afraid to add some extra power to your store with apps from the Shopify App Store. There are apps for pretty much everything—from marketing to inventory management. The right apps will supercharge your store's functionality and make running your business a breeze.
Managing products effectively is key to a successful Shopify store. Add detailed product listings with high-quality images and descriptions that showcase your items. If you have variations, such as different sizes or colours, make sure to include them so customers can easily select what they need.
Organise your products into collections to make browsing easier for your customers. You can create collections for seasonal items, best sellers, or anything else that makes sense for your brand.
Shopify's inventory tracking features help you stay on top of stock levels. Set up alerts so you're notified when inventory is running low, and avoid disappointing customers by overselling items.
Setting up payments is very straight forward. We suggest that our clients use Shopify payments, it's simple to set up. Shopify also can integrate with a variety of other payment gateways like PayPal, and Stripe and Windcave which is popular in New Zealand.
Shopify makes it easy to set up different shipping options—whether you want to offer flat rates, weight-based rates, or even free shipping as an incentive to boost sales. Several NZ based courier companies have integrations into Shopify that make it a breeze to ship your products. It will automatically send all relevant shipping info to the courier app so you can print labels and fulfill your orders.
To grow your store, you need to attract customers. Shopify's built-in marketing tools make it easier to drive traffic and boost sales. Optimising your store for search engines (SEO) will help potential customers find you. Use relevant keywords in your product titles and descriptions, and make use of Shopify's automatically generated sitemaps.
Consider using email marketing tools like Klaviyo to reach your audience. Whether you're sending out newsletters or targeted campaigns, email can be a powerful tool to connect with customers and bring them back to your store.
Social media integration is also key. Connect your store to Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms to showcase your products and reach a wider audience. Discounts and promotions can also help entice potential customers to make a purchase—everyone loves a good deal!
Knowing how your store is performing is essential to making informed decisions. Shopify’s dashboard provides an overview of key metrics like sales and average order value, while more detailed reports can help you dive into customer behaviour and marketing effectiveness.
A/B testing is a great way to experiment with different aspects of your store, like product descriptions or layout. By testing and analysing what works best, you can continuously improve the customer experience and maximise sales.
Great customer support can set you apart from the competition. Consider adding live chat functionality to your store—customers appreciate getting their questions answered in real time. The one that we have used below has a number of pre-populated answers to commonly asked questions to save time and improve customer experience.
An FAQ page can save time for both you and your customers by addressing common questions upfront. A clear and simple contact form is also a must-have, so customers can easily reach out with enquiries.
Your customers need to trust that their information is safe when shopping with you. Shopify helps by providing SSL encryption, which secures data between your store and your customers. To further protect your store, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your admin account.
When adding apps, stick to those from reputable developers to minimise potential security risks. Regularly monitoring your store’s activity will help catch anything suspicious before it becomes a problem.
As your business grows, it's important to be ready to scale. Shopify makes upgrading to a higher-tier plan easy, providing more features and capabilities as you need them.
Site performance is crucial as traffic grows—compress images, minimise the number of apps you use, and consider upgrading your hosting if necessary. Outsourcing tasks like customer service and fulfilment can also help free up your time, allowing you to focus on strategy and growth.
With mobile shopping on the rise, it's essential that your store looks and works great on phones and tablets. Choose a responsive theme that automatically adapts to different screen sizes. Compress images and limit the number of apps running to ensure quick load times.
Regularly test your store on different mobile devices to ensure everything works smoothly. A well-optimised mobile store can help you capture more sales and create a positive experience for your customers.
This guide walks you through the basics of using Shopify—from setting up your store to scaling it. Shopify provides the tools you need to create a standout e-commerce experience, whether you’re just starting or looking to optimise your existing store. By focusing on continuous improvement and meeting your customers' needs, you can set your store up for long-term success.