You are looking to launch an online store in 2025, but you’re not sure where to begin.  Shopify is one of the most powerful and beginner-friendly ecommerce platforms, trusted by over 5.2 million online stores. 

Whether you’re starting from scratch or turning a side hustle into something bigger, Shopify gives you all the tools you need—from customizable themes and secure payment gateways to built-in marketing features and scalable apps. The best part? You don’t need to be a developer to get your store up and running.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of starting a Shopify store in 2025—from setting up your account to launching your first product. By the end, you’ll have a fully functional online shop, ready to attract customers and generate sales. Let’s get started.

Before Starting a Shopif Store: What You Should Do?

Starting a Shopify store can be exciting, but there are a few important things you need to think through before diving in. I’m going to share some of the key considerations that will help you get off to a strong start and avoid common mistakes when you try to create a Shopify store:

• Define Your Niche and Target Audience: Identify what you’re selling and who you’re selling it to. A clear niche helps you position your brand effectively and makes product sourcing, marketing, and store design much more strategic.
• Validate Your Product Idea: Use tools like Google Trends, TikTok search, or Amazon Best Sellers to gauge demand. Consider running small test campaigns or surveys to get early feedback before investing heavily in inventory or branding.
• Research Your Competition: Analyze other stores selling similar products. Look at their pricing, website design, customer reviews, and marketing tactics. This gives you insight into what works—and what gaps you can fill.
• Choose a Business Name and Secure a Domain: Pick a name that reflects your brand and is easy to remember. Use Shopify’s business name generator by Avada Commerce or a domain-checking tool to ensure the name is available for both your store and social handles.
• Prepare Your Branding Assets: Create a logo, select your brand colors, and define a simple brand voice. These elements will help you build a cohesive, professional-looking storefront from day one.
• Plan Your Product Listings: Gather high-quality images, write clear product descriptions, and decide on your pricing strategy. Having this content ready will make your store setup much faster and smoother.
• Understand the Costs: Review Shopify pricing plans and consider additional costs like apps, themes, a custom domain, and marketing. Planning your budget upfront ensures you’re not caught off guard.
• Set Up Essential Accounts: Create a business email, sign up for a payment processor (like Shopify Payments or PayPal), and set up social media accounts.

How to Start a Shopify Store: A Detailed Guide

Starting a Shopify store can feel like a big leap, especially when you’re not sure where to begin or what steps to take. I’m going to walk you through how to launch a Shopify store in 9 steps, breaking it down in a simple way so you can get your business up and running without feeling overwhelmed:

Step 1: Sign Up Your Shopify Account

• Go to the free trial page to sign up for a Shopify account. Click the ‘Start free trial‘ button. 
• Enter your email address, password, and store name to begin setup.

• When you establish your first Shopify account, answer Shopify’s initial setup questions accurately to receive personalized store-building support and you will be prompted to name your Shopify store.

• Choose a sign-up method (e.g., email, Apple, Facebook, or Google). Here, I’ll choose to sign up with Google. 

• Shopify will present the pricing plan page. Select “Skip, I’ll decide later” to continue without choosing a plan immediately.

• Shopify will now set up your store, which takes a few moments. Once setup is complete, you’ll be taken to the Shopify Dashboard.

That is how to launch a shopify store. Remember, the trial will last for 3 days, so make sure to try as many functions as possible. Below is the video of how to start a store on Shopify:

Note: The free trial lasts for 3 days, giving you time to explore Shopify’s features and settings. After that, you can continue using the platform for the next 3 months at just $1 per month, making it an affordable way to fully test and grow your store.

Step 2: Choose a Shopify Plan 

You can start with the free trial, but once you’re ready to launch, you’ll need to select a plan:

• Basic ($39/month) – great for solo entrepreneurs 
• Shopify ($105/month) – best for small teams 
• Advanced ($399/month) – ideal for scaling businesses

However, if you choose to pay annually, you can save 25% on any plan. That means instead of paying month-to-month, you pay once for the whole year and get an exclusive discount. 

To see more details, refer to our article “Shopify Pricing Plans 2025: Find the Best Fit for Your Business.”

Step 3: Choose and Customize a Theme

When exploring themes in the Shopify Theme Store, utilize the drop-down options at the top of the page to sort them by collection or industry. Here are the steps to choosing a theme: 

How to choose the theme 

• Go to the Shopify Theme Store. At the top of the page, click Collections or All Themes > Industry to browse by category.

• Use the sidebar filters to refine your search results. In this example, select the Dawn theme and click “Try theme.”

How to customize your theme

Once you’ve chosen a theme, follow these steps to customize it:

• Access the Theme Editor:
  • Go to Online Store > Themes in your Shopify admin.
  • Select the theme you want to customize and click “Customize”.

• Duplicate Your Theme: Before making changes, duplicate your theme to preserve the original version. This can be done by clicking the “…” next to “Customize” and selecting “Duplicate.”

• Edit General Settings: Navigate to Theme settings in the editor to adjust elements such as Logo, Color palette, Typography, Layout, and Animations.

• Advanced Customization: For deeper changes, you can edit Liquid code directly using Shopify’s code editor. Ensure you duplicate your theme before editing.

>>View more: 

• How to Choose the Right Shopify Theme?
• How to Buy a Theme From the Shopify Theme Store

Step 4: Add Products to Your Store

Adding products to your Shopify store is a straightforward process. Follow these steps to set up your product listings effectively:

Manual Addition of Products

Navigate to the Products Section: Go to your Shopify admin and click on “Products” > “Add product.”

Enter Product Details:

• Title: Choose a concise and memorable name for your product.
• Description: Write a detailed and engaging description highlighting features, benefits, and uses. Optimize it with relevant keywords for SEO.
• Media: Add high-quality images, videos, or 3D models that showcase your product effectively. Ensure images follow Shopify’s recommended size guidelines.
• Pricing: Set the price and compare-at price (if applicable).
• Inventory: Specify stock levels, SKU numbers, and barcode details.
• Shipping: Add weight and shipping options if necessary.

Click “Save” at the bottom right to publish the product.

Bulk Upload Products

• Upload the file via Shopify admin under the Products > Import section.
• Prepare a CSV file containing product details such as titles, descriptions, prices, and images.

Step 5: Organize The Products in The Collection

From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Collections. Click the name of the collection that you want to update. Or you can create a new collection. Here, I’ll create a new one.  So, I’ll choose the “Create Collection.”

On the collection details page, enter a new title or a new description. At this step, you need to pay special attention to the Collection Type:

• A manual collection only includes the goods you select separately. As a result, the collection will always include the same goods until you manually add or delete them.
• An automated collection includes matching goods based on selection circumstances. You may specify up to 60 selection criteria. You may optionally indicate whether the goods must fulfill all or any of the parameters to be included in the collection.

After setting, click “Save.”

>>See more:

• How to Create an Automated Collection on Shopify
• How to Create & Manage Manual Collections on Shopify
• How to Add Collections to Your Shopify Page: Step-by- step Guide

Step 6: Configure Payment Gateways

Setting up payment gateways is essential for enabling transactions on your Shopify store. Here’s how you can configure them:

Shopify Payments

Shopify Payments is Shopify’s built-in payment gateway. It allows you to accept major credit cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more without additional transaction fees. Follow these steps:

• Go to Settings > Payments in your Shopify admin.

• Click “Activate Shopify Payments.”
• Enter your business details, banking information, and tax details.
• Save changes to start accepting payments instantly. 

Third-Party Payment Gateways

If Shopify Payments is unavailable in your region or you prefer a different provider:

• Navigate to Settings > Payments.
• Under Third-Party Providers, click “Choose a provider.”

• Select a payment gateway from the list.
• Enter your account credentials for the chosen provider.
• Click “Activate” to enable the gateway.

>> More details: 

• How to Set Up Shopify Payments & Additional Payment Methods
• How to Set Up Manual Payment Methods in Shopify
• How To Change Shopify Payment Method

Step 7: Set Up Shipping Settings

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

In the General shipping rates section, click the New profile.

For each shipping zone that you want in your shipping profile, complete the following steps:

• Create a name for the shipping profile.
• Add products to the shipping zone.
• In the Shipping zones section, choose Add shipping zone. Choose the nations or areas that are part of the zone, then click Done.
• For each shipping rate you wish to include in the zone, click Add rate, enter the rate’s parameters, and click Done.

Don’t forget to hit Save at the end.

Step 8: Add Essential Pages

From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Pages > Click Add page.

Now, you need to provide a title and content for the page. Remember to choose a descriptive and clear page title. Your page title appears in the tab or title bar of browsers, as well as in search results.

In the Visibility section, specify when the page should be published. When you click Save, your new page appears by default. When you want your new page to be hidden from your online store, select the Hidden option; otherwise, click Set a specific publish date to decide when it is published.

Click Save to finish the process.

Step 9: Manage Sale Taxes

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Taxes and duties.

In the Countries/regions section, click your region.

In the Sales tax section, do the following:

• Add the region and Sales tax ID of that region
• Add Shipping and Product overrides with the percentage

Step 10: Optimize Your Store for SEO

Building a brand takes time and effort, especially when you’re just starting out with Shopify. Make sure your site is optimized for search engines to help it rank better on Google. There are several things you can do, like getting backlinks from other websites, optimizing your page titles with the right keywords, and making your product descriptions and image alt text SEO-friendly. 

• Edit page titles and meta descriptions for your homepage, product pages, and collections: Go to Online Store > Preferences for homepage SEO. Edit SEO settings on individual product and collection pages.

• Use keyword-rich URLs: Shopify auto-generates URLs, but you can customize the handle for better SEO (e.g., /organic-cotton-t-shirt instead of /product123).
• Add alt text to all product images: Go to each product image and add a short, descriptive alt tag to help with image search ranking.
• Create an SEO-friendly navigation structure: Keep menus simple and organized. Make sure important pages are accessible within a few clicks from the homepage.
  Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console: Shopify automatically generates a sitemap at yourstore.com/sitemap.xml.
• Use keywords naturally in product titles and descriptions: Avoid keyword stuffing; focus on clarity and user intent.
• Install an SEO app: Apps like Avada SEO Image Optimizer or Sherpas: Smart SEO can help automate checks and suggestions.

Step 11: Test Your Store

• Place a test order using Shopify’s built-in test mode or a discount code to simulate a real purchase.
• Check the customer journey: Browse like a shopper—from landing on the homepage to checking out.
• Verify payment methods and ensure everything works smoothly (Shopify Payments, PayPal, etc.).
• Test mobile and desktop versions of your site to ensure full responsiveness.
• Review email notifications to make sure order confirmations, shipping updates, and abandoned cart emails are working.
• Check shipping settings to confirm correct rates and zones are applied.

Step 12: Launch and Market Your Store

• Remove password protection: Go to Online Store > Preferences and disable “Password protection” to make your store public.
• Announce your launch: Post on social media, send emails to your list, and let your audience know your store is live.
• Set up basic marketing tools:
  • Connect Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel to track performance.
  • Set up email marketing tools (like Klaviyo or Shopify Email) to engage visitors.
• Run a small promotion or giveaway to drive initial traffic and sales.
• Monitor your store performance using Shopify Analytics and make data-driven improvements.

How much does it cost to start a Shopify Store?

The cost to start a Shopify store can vary, but at a basic level, you’ll need at least $39/month for the Shopify Basic plan.

Currently, Shopify pricing plans include 4 main options for you to create a Shopify store:

• Basic: $39/ month
• Standard: $105/ month
• Advanced: $399 /month
• Basic: $2300 /month

On top of that, you should budget for things like domain registration (around $10-$15/year), themes (free to $200+), and any paid apps you need, which can add anywhere from a few bucks to hundreds each month depending on what features you want. It’s all about starting small and scaling up as your store grows.

Overall, you should only focus and charge the fees that you require at first to build your store without wasting too much money on something you do not really need right now.

How Long Does It Take to Set Up A Shopify Store?

Setting up a Shopify store can be surprisingly quick—if you’re well-prepared, it may only take a few hours to one full day. For a basic store with ready-to-go product photos, descriptions, and pricing, most users can select a theme, customize their storefront, set up payment and shipping options, and go live within 6–8 hours. 

However, if you’re building a more complex store with custom design, larger product catalogs, third-party app integrations, or migrating from another platform, the process can take 2–5 days. Your total setup time depends on how much content you already have, whether you’re hiring help, and how detailed you want your store to be at launch. 

The good news is that Shopify’s 3-day free trial plus the $1/month plan gives you time to build and test your store without pressure.

Our Expert Tips for Starting Your First Shopify Store

Taking the time to set things up well from the start will make a world of difference as you work to open an online store that attracts and keeps customers. Here are some practical tips I’ve learned along my first online store building experience that can help make your launch smoother and more successful:

• Start with a Clear Plan: Take the time to nail down your product and target audience; in my experience, having a clear direction makes everything else—like marketing and design—much easier.
• Choose the Right Shopify Plan: Start small with the plan that fits your needs now, and don’t rush into upgrading until you’re sure your store can handle more; growing step by step worked well for me.
• Focus on Branding from the Start: Consistency is key—stick to your colors, tone, and logo everywhere; I found that even little things like matching social media posts with my store colors made my brand more recognizable.
• Use Quality Images and Descriptions: Don’t underestimate the power of good visuals and detailed descriptions; they make your products more appealing, and I’ve noticed customers are more likely to buy when they get a clear sense of what they’re getting.
• Enable Multiple Payment Options: Offering multiple payment methods has definitely helped me avoid losing customers during checkout—people like having a choice, so it’s worth adding the most popular options.
• Offer Responsive Customer Support: The faster you can reply, the better; when I respond quickly, even a small issue can turn into a positive review and repeat sales, which is great for building loyalty.

FAQs

Final words

This article provided a detailed step-by-step guide on how to start a Shopify store in 2025, covering everything from setup to launching your first product. Now that you have a solid understanding, take action by following each step carefully, and don’t be afraid to experiment as you build your store—learning as you go is part of the journey!

Related posts:

• How Many Products/Items Should You Start With on Shopify?
• Shopify Domain Checker: Find Your Perfect Domain Name
• How to Find Products to Sell Online?
• Building A 6-Figure Shopify Store