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Shopify Development – Everything You Need to Know Before Building Your Online Store

Shopify Development - Everything You Need to Know Before Building Your Online Store

Starting an online store can be a great way to make money, but it’s important to do your research before you get started. Shopify is one of the most popular platforms for building an online store, and it offers a wide range of features that can be customized to fit your needs. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about Shopify development so you can make the best decisions for your business.

If you are an owner of a certain service-based company that has a need for a web presence, you can switch to Shopify. This software is created especially for this purpose and it’s very easy to use. There are plenty of designs that may fit your business needs and also they come with detailed documentation attached to their usage.

What Is Shopify?

Shopify is a platform that helps you build and run your online store. It allows you to design, set up, and manage an eCommerce website or webstore with ease. The platform has many features such as checkout options for customers, built-in search engine optimization (SEO), and detailed analytics.

What Is Shopify

It is very easy to set up your online store on Shopify. You can either purchase one of the pre-designed templates or you can build a custom website with Shopify’s eCommerce web editor. Shopify also has apps for iOS and Android devices, which allow you to manage your store from anywhere.

Shopify’s Products and Services

Many different services can be built using Shopify’s API. In fact, there are many apps that have been created to extend the functionality of this platform.

If you’re familiar with WordPress, then you will feel right at home when it comes to working with Shopify. The architecture is very similar and both platforms allow for customization. You can add new features to your store using a simple point-and-click editor.

What Do You Get with Shopify’s Core Product?

There are several different products that Shopify offers. The different products vary in the amount of customization and flexibility they offer, but each one is geared towards a unique type of store.

Storefront

This is the basic product that Shopify offers. It includes a customizable eCommerce website and an online store to sell your products.

Payment Processor 

The payment processor is one of the most important pieces of software when it comes to setting up an online store. This product allows you to accept credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay.

What Do You Get with Shopify’s Core Product?

Shipping Partner

This product allows your eCommerce website to easily integrate with a shipping carrier of your choice. This includes services such as UPS, FedEx, and USPS.

Back Office

The back office offers advanced reports and tools for managing your online store. It is designed specifically for use by Shopify store owners, managers, and administrators.

Marketing HQ 

Marketing HQ is the newest product offered by Shopify. It integrates seamlessly with most major social media sites to make it easier for you to run your online store (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).

Checklist for Launching Your Shopify Store

Before you launch your Shopify store, you will want to make sure that everything is set up properly. Here’s a basic checklist of things you’ll need to do before the big day:

Add Available Sales Channels

You can sell products directly from your website or through another channel such as eBay. You will need to form relationships with each sales channel to be able to sell successfully on each platform. This will allow your customers to buy your products even if they don’t have an account on your eCommerce store.

Add a Custom Domain

The Shopify platform is unique in the sense that it is hosted by Shopify rather than being a standalone website. However, you can purchase your own custom domain name and point it at the Shopify website. This will allow your customers to type in your business name (instead of having to navigate to shopify.com/shopname).

Checklist for Launching Your Shopify Store

Check Your Payment Gateway Settings

Just like any other online store, you will need to make sure that all payment gateways are set up before the launch of your website. You can choose from over 20 different payment gateways, including Shopify’s own payment gateway.

Prepare Standard Pages

On your eCommerce store, you will need to have some standard pages in place before your launch. These include an about page, contact information page, and return policy page. You may also want to create marketing pages for specific products to boost sales.

FAQ Section

Another basic page that you will want to have on your online store is an FAQ section. This allows potential customers to quickly find the answer to their questions without having to contact you first. You may also want to try creating a “help” menu if they are still unsure of how the website works after checking the FAQ.

Check the Email Notification Settings

Before your online store is launched, you will want to make sure that all notification emails are set up properly. These include “welcome” email (sent to customers when they first sign up on your eCommerce website), order confirmation emails (sent after customers purchase a product on your site), and “pending” notification emails (notifications that are sent when the status of an order change).

Website Content Auditing

Before you launch your website, you need to make sure that all of the content is up to date and accurate. Content includes product descriptions, images, videos (if necessary), etc. You will also want to check your website structure and make sure that there aren’t any broken links.

Image Optimization

Another important part of setting up your eCommerce site is the images you use. Many online shoppers play what we like to call “the image game”, which means they will click on a product that has a high quality, professional image over a poorly created or low-resolution image. This won’t necessarily make or break the sale, but it could make you lose out on potential sales as your competitors improve their images before you do.

Pre-launch Marketing Plan

Before you launch your Shopify store, make sure to create a plan for marketing your online business. You can simply create a Facebook page and ask your friends and family to like it. However, this won’t attract new customers or get any exposure on social media. You will want to spend some money on posting ads, sending emails, etc. to attract the attention of potential customers in your area.

Conclusion

With these things in mind, you should have a pretty good idea of what needs to get done before you launch your Shopify store. It might seem like a lot of work for just one day, but it will be well worth it when the money starts rolling in!