Build Your First Ecommerce Store

Set up a fully configured Shopify store with products, themes, and payments.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Every day, millions of people buy things online. Behind every online store is a platform that handles products, payments, shipping, and design. Setting up your own store used to mean hiring a developer, but today you can do it all yourself.

In this project, you will build a complete ecommerce store on Shopify. You will add products, customize your storefront theme, configure payments and shipping, and prepare your store for launch.

What You'll Build

A fully configured Shopify store with a small product catalog, a customized free theme, organized collections, and payment and shipping settings ready to accept orders.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A Shopify store with at least 3 products listed with images, descriptions, and pricing.
A customized free theme with your brand colors, fonts, and content sections.
Configured payment and shipping settings so your store is ready for customers to browse and purchase.
Secret Mission: Connect a sales channel and optimize your store for search engines with SEO metadata.

Are there any prerequisites?

None. This project includes full setup instructions for everything you need. All you need is a web browser (Safari or Chrome) and an email address to sign up for Shopify's free trial.

Create Your Shopify Account

Every online store needs a home base. Shopify gives you a complete ecommerce platform to build, manage, and sell products from a single admin dashboard.

In this step, you'll create your Shopify account using the free trial, configure your store's basic settings, and learn what's possible before choosing a paid plan.

In this step, get ready to:

Sign up for the Shopify free trial.
Configure your store name, currency, and time zone in Settings.
Understand the free trial limitations before building your store.

Sign up for the free trial

Shopify offers a 3-day free trial that lets you build your entire store without entering payment details. You can add products, customize your theme, and configure settings during this period.

In your browser, navigate to https://www.shopify.com/free-trial.
Enter your email address in the signup field.
Click Start free trial.

Shopify asks a series of onboarding questions about your business. These help Shopify recommend features, but they are not required.

Answer the onboarding questions about your business, or click Skip All to move past them.
Specify your business location when prompted.
Create your Shopify account by entering an email and password.

After completing signup, you land in the Shopify admin dashboard. This is your store's control center for managing everything from products to payments.

What is the Shopify admin?

The Shopify admin is a web-based dashboard where you manage your entire store. The left sidebar has links to Products, Orders, Customers, Online Store, and Settings.

Your store also gets a default myshopify.com domain based on the store name you provided during signup. This is the address customers use to find your store.

Having trouble signing up?

If you see a message that your email is already associated with an account, try logging in instead or use a different email address.

If the page is not loading, try clearing your browser cache or switching to a different browser.

Help me troubleshoot my Shopify signup

Configure your store's basic settings

Your store name, currency, and time zone affect how your store displays to customers. Setting these correctly now saves you from fixing inconsistencies later.

In the Shopify admin, click Settings at the bottom of the left sidebar.
Click General in the Settings menu.

The General settings page contains your store's identity and regional configuration. Your store name defaults to "My Store" if you did not change it during signup.

Update the Store name field to the name you want displayed on your store.
Confirm your legal business name and address in the Billing information section.
Set your time zone in the Time zone dropdown.
Set your default currency in the Store currency dropdown.
Set your default weight unit (e.g., kg or lb) in the Unit system section.
Click Save at the top of the page.

Your Settings > General page now shows your configured store name, time zone, currency, and weight unit.

What about my myshopify.com domain?

Shopify assigned a myshopify.com domain to your store based on the name you entered during signup. This is your store's web address (e.g., your-store-name.myshopify.com).

You can only change this myshopify.com domain two times total. Choose carefully if you decide to change it.

Settings not saving?

Make sure you scroll to the top and click the green Save button. Changes are not applied until you save.

If you see a validation error, check that your address fields are complete and your currency selection is valid for your region.

Help me fix my Shopify General settings

Understand the trial limitations

The free trial lets you build your entire store, but there are a few things that only unlock once you select a paid plan.

Your store has a storefront password or inactive checkout during the trial. Customers cannot browse or purchase yet.
To accept real orders, you need to select a paid plan and set up a payment provider.
All your work (products, designs, settings) is preserved when you upgrade to a paid plan.

Will I be charged?

No charges during the 3-day free trial. You can complete this entire project without paying.

If you decide to continue after the trial, Shopify currently offers $1/month for 3 months on the Basic plan ($39/month at regular price). You will not be charged unless you actively select a plan.

Your store foundation is set. Next, you'll add products to start building your catalog.

Add Products to Your Store

Your Shopify store is configured and has a name, currency, and business address. Now it needs something to sell.

In this step, you'll create product listings with images, pricing, and descriptions. You'll also organize your products into a collection so customers can browse your catalog easily.

In this step, get ready to:

Create your first product listing with images, pricing, and SEO details.
Add more products to build a small catalog.
Organize your products into a collection for easy browsing.

Create your first product

Every product in your store needs at least a title and a price. You'll also add images, a description, and SEO metadata so search engines can find your product.

In your Shopify admin, click Products in the left sidebar.
Click Add product.
Enter a product title in the Title field. Keep it concise with important keywords at the beginning.
Write a product description in the description field. Describe what makes the product appealing to your target customer.
In the Media section, click Upload new and select at least one product image from your computer.
Set the price in the Pricing section.
Add a product category and type in the Product organization section.
Scroll down to the Search engine listing section.
Edit the SEO title and meta description for your product.
Click Save.

What is a search engine listing?

The Search engine listing section controls how your product appears in Google search results. The SEO title becomes the clickable headline, and the meta description is the short summary underneath it.

Writing keyword-rich titles and descriptions helps customers find your products when they search online.

Your first product now appears on the Products page with a title, image, price, and description.

Don't see your product listed?

Make sure you clicked Save at the bottom of the product page. Unsaved products won't appear in your product list.

If your product shows as Draft status, that's normal. It means the product exists but is not yet visible on your storefront. You can change it to Active in the product's status dropdown.

Help me troubleshoot my product listing

Add at least 2 more products

A single product does not make a store. Repeat the product creation process to build a small catalog of at least 3 products total.

Click Products in the left sidebar.
Click Add product.
For each new product, include a descriptive title, at least one product image, a price, and a product description.
For at least one of your products, scroll to the Variants section and click + Add options like size or color.
Enter an option name (such as Size) and option values (such as Small, Medium, Large).
Click Done to confirm your variants.
Edit the Search engine listing section for each product with a unique SEO title and description.
Click Save after completing each product.

What is a product variant?

A variant is a specific version of a product that comes in multiple options. For example, a t-shirt might come in Small, Medium, and Large sizes, or in Red, Blue, and Black colors.

Each variant can have its own price, inventory count, and image. This lets you sell different options under a single product listing instead of creating separate products for each combination.

Your Products page now shows 3 or more products. At least one product displays variant options.

Organize products into a collection

Collections group related products together so customers can browse your store by category. Think of them like aisles in a physical store.

In the left sidebar, click Products.
Click Collections.
Click Create collection.
Enter a title for your collection.
Add a description that tells customers what they'll find in this collection.
Choose a Collection type.
Select Smart to automatically include products matching conditions you define (for example, product type equals a specific category).
Or select Manual to hand-pick which products to include.
If you chose Smart, set your conditions using the dropdown menus.
If you chose Manual, search for and select the products you want to add.
Click Save.

Smart vs. manual collections

A smart collection automatically adds products that match rules you set (like product type equals "T-shirt"). New products matching those rules get added automatically in the future.

A manual collection gives you full control. You pick exactly which products belong. This works well for curated selections like seasonal features or staff picks.

Your collection is created and shows the matching products. You can confirm it by clicking Products in the sidebar, then clicking Collections.

Collection showing zero products?

If you created a smart collection, double-check that your conditions match your products. For example, if you set "product type equals T-shirt" but your products have a different type, no products will match.

If you created a manual collection, make sure you searched for and selected your products before saving.

Help me fix my empty collection

Your store now has a catalog of products organized into a collection. Next up, you'll choose a theme and customize the look and feel of your storefront.

Choose and Customize Your Theme

Your store has products and a collection ready to go. Now it needs a design that matches your brand and makes those products look professional.

Every Shopify store starts with the Dawn theme by default. In this step, you'll select a different free theme (or generate one with AI), customize it with your brand identity, and publish it as your live store design.

In this step, get ready to:

Select a free theme or generate a personalized one with AI.
Customize your theme with brand colors, fonts, and content sections.
Publish your customized theme as the live store design.

Select a free theme

Shopify offers several free themes designed for different types of stores. You can browse these and pick one that fits your products, or let AI generate a theme based on a description of your business.

In your Shopify admin, click Online Store in the left sidebar.
Click Themes.
Scroll down to the Free themes section near the bottom of the page.
Click Explore free themes.
Browse the available themes and click any theme to read about its features.
Click Add on the theme you want to try.

The theme now appears in your Draft themes section on the Themes page.

What about AI-generated themes?

If you'd prefer a personalized theme, look for the Design your store in seconds section on the Themes page. Write a short description of your business, then click Generate themes to get up to 3 free personalized themes.

These AI-generated themes are also free and appear in your Draft themes section just like manually added themes.

Don't see the Free themes section?

Make sure you've scrolled past the current live theme section. The free themes area sits near the bottom of the Themes page, below your currently published theme.

Help me find the free themes section on my Shopify Themes page.

Customize your theme

Adding a theme is just the starting point. The theme editor lets you adjust everything from colors and fonts to the layout of your homepage sections.

In the Draft themes section, click Customize next to your chosen theme.

The theme editor opens with a live preview of your store on the right and a settings panel on the left.

What is the theme editor?

The theme editor is a drag-and-drop visual builder. Changes you make on the left panel update the preview instantly on the right. Nothing is published until you explicitly save and publish the theme later.

Now customize each area of your store. Work through the following settings:

Set your global theme settings

Click the Theme settings icon (paintbrush) at the bottom of the left panel.
Open the Colors section.
Choose primary and secondary colors that match your brand.
Open the Typography section.
Select fonts for your headings and body text.

The live preview updates immediately as you pick colors and fonts. Experiment until you're happy with the look.

Click the back arrow at the top of the left panel to return to the main sections view.

Next, configure your store header and homepage content:

Click the Header section in the left panel.
Upload your store logo (or leave the text-based logo if you prefer).
Confirm the navigation menu is set to display your main links.
Click on the homepage sections below the header (such as Image banner, Featured collection, or Rich text).
Edit each section's content, images, and text to showcase your products.
Add or remove sections using the Add section button at the bottom of the sections list.
Click the Footer section at the bottom of the left panel.
Add useful links, contact information, and social media icons.

Feature your collection on the homepage

Add a Featured collection section to your homepage and link it to the collection you created in the previous step. This gives visitors an instant view of your product catalog.

Click Save in the top right corner of the theme editor.

Your customized theme is saved as a draft. The live preview in the editor should now show your brand colors, fonts, logo, and homepage content sections.

Publish your theme

Your customized theme is still a draft. Publishing it makes it the active design visitors see when they land on your store.

Return to Online Store > Themes in the left sidebar.
In the Draft themes section, find your customized theme.
Click the actions menu (three dots) next to the theme.
Click Publish.
Confirm the change when prompted.

Your customized theme is now the live theme for your store. The previous Dawn theme moves to the Draft themes section.

Preview your live store by navigating to the Sales channels section in the left sidebar.
Hover over Online store and click the eye icon to open a preview.

You should see your store with the new theme applied, displaying your brand colors, logo, and homepage content sections.

Still seeing the old Dawn theme?

Double check that you clicked Publish and confirmed the change. Your customized theme should now appear at the top of the Themes page as the live theme, not in the Draft themes section.

Help me publish my customized Shopify theme as the live store design.

Your store now has a professional, branded look that showcases your products. Next up, you'll configure payments, shipping, and policies so your store is ready to accept real orders.

Configure Payments, Shipping, and Policies

Your store looks great with a customized theme and products organized into collections. But a store that looks good still needs to work for customers who want to buy something.

In this step, you will set up the operational backbone of your store. That means configuring how you accept payments, how products get shipped, and what legal policies protect you and your customers.

In this step, get ready to:

Set up a payment provider so your store can process transactions.
Configure shipping zones and rates for your delivery regions.
Add store policies and essential pages to build customer trust.

Set up payments

Before your store can accept money, you need to connect a payment provider. Shopify Payments is Shopify's built-in option and the simplest to configure.

In your Shopify admin, click Settings in the bottom left corner of the sidebar.
Click Payments in the Settings menu.
In the Shopify Payments section, click Complete account setup.
Enter your banking details and business information as prompted.
Click Save.

What if Shopify Payments is not available in my region?

Shopify Payments is not available in all countries. If you do not see the Shopify Payments section, you can enable a third-party payment provider or use the Bogus Gateway for testing purposes during the free trial.

To set up the Bogus Gateway: in Settings > Payments, click Choose a provider in the Payment providers section, select (for testing) Bogus Gateway from the list, then click Activate (for testing) Bogus Gateway and Save.

Why Shopify Payments?

Shopify Payments is fully integrated into the platform. It eliminates the need for a third-party payment gateway and reduces transaction fees compared to external providers.

Your payment provider is now configured. You will see the Shopify Payments section updated in Settings > Payments.

Don't see Complete account setup?

If Shopify Payments is already partially configured, you may see a Manage button instead. Click it to review and complete your account details.

If Shopify Payments is not available in your country at all, you will not see this section. Use the Bogus Gateway or a third-party provider as described above.

Help me set up my payment provider.

Configure shipping

Customers need to know how much shipping costs and where you deliver. Shipping settings tell Shopify which regions you serve and what to charge for delivery.

In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.
In the Shipping section, click Manage next to your shipping profile.
Click Add shipping zone to create a zone for the region you want to ship to (for example, your home country or continent).
Give the zone a name (such as Domestic or United States) and select the countries or regions it covers.
Click Add rate to set shipping rates for this zone.
Choose your rate type: a flat rate (fixed price), free shipping, or calculated rates from a carrier.
Click Done after adding the rate.

Next, set up a default package so Shopify can estimate shipping correctly.

Scroll down to the Packages section on the same page.
Click Add package.
Enter a name, package type, and dimensions (length, width, height) along with the package weight.
Click Save.

What are shipping zones?

A shipping zone is a group of countries or regions that share the same shipping rates. You might have one zone for domestic orders (lower cost, faster delivery) and another for international orders (higher cost, longer delivery).

You should now see at least one shipping zone with rates configured, and a default package type saved in Settings > Shipping and delivery.

Not seeing the Add rate button?

Make sure you have saved a shipping zone first. The rate options only appear after a zone is created and its countries are selected.

Help me configure shipping zones and rates in Shopify.

Add store policies and pages

Customers expect to see refund, privacy, and terms of service policies before making a purchase. Shopify can auto-generate these for you as a starting point.

Go to Settings > Policies.
For the Refund policy field, click Insert template to generate a starter policy.
Review the generated text and edit it to match your business.
Repeat for the Privacy policy and Terms of service fields.
Click Save.

Where do policies appear?

Store policies are displayed as links at the bottom of the checkout page. Customers can review them before completing their purchase, which builds trust and protects your business legally.

Now, create two essential pages for your store.

Go to Online Store > Pages in the left sidebar.
Click Add page.
Enter About Us as the page title.
Write a short description about your store and what you sell.
Click Save.
Click Add page again to create a second page.
Enter Contact as the page title and add your contact information or a contact form message.
Click Save.

Finally, add these pages and policies to your store navigation so customers can find them.

Go to Content > Menus in the left sidebar.
Click on the menu you want to edit (for example, Footer menu).
Click Add menu item.
Enter a name for the link (such as About Us) and select the corresponding page from the link dropdown.
Repeat to add links for your Contact page, Refund policy, Privacy policy, and Terms of service.
Click Save.

Why Content > Menus instead of Online Store > Navigation?

Shopify recently moved menu management to Content > Menus. If you see references to the older Online Store > Navigation path in other guides, it points to the same feature.

You should now see your policies saved in Settings > Policies, your About and Contact pages published under Online Store > Pages, and links visible in your store's navigation menu.

Pages not showing in navigation?

Make sure you added the menu items to the correct menu (usually the Footer menu). Also confirm that each page has a Visibility status of Published on the page editor.

Help me add pages and policies to my Shopify store navigation.

Your store now has the operational foundation to accept payments, ship products, and communicate important policies to customers. Next up, you will test the entire checkout flow to make sure everything works together before launch.

Test and Prepare for Launch

Your store has products, collections, a customized theme, payment and shipping settings, and policies all configured. The final step before sharing your store with the world is making sure everything works together from the customer's perspective.

In this step, you will place a test order to verify your checkout flow works correctly. Then you will review your storefront to confirm that every element displays as expected on both desktop and mobile.

In this step, get ready to:

Place a test order using a test credit card number to verify checkout.
Review your storefront for visual and functional issues on desktop and mobile.

Enable test mode and place a test order

Before you can simulate a purchase, you need to enable test mode in Shopify Payments. Test mode lets you use fake credit card numbers to verify your checkout process without any real charges.

In your Shopify admin, click Settings in the bottom-left corner.
Click Payments in the left sidebar.
In the Shopify Payments section, look for the option to manage or edit your payment settings.
Find the Test mode section and select Enable test mode.
Click Save.

What is test mode?

Test mode is a feature of Shopify Payments that lets you simulate customer transactions without processing real payments. While test mode is active, real credit cards are not accepted. You use special test card numbers provided by Shopify instead.

What if Shopify Payments is not available in my region?

If you set up the Bogus Gateway earlier instead of Shopify Payments, you can skip enabling test mode. The Bogus Gateway already simulates transactions without real charges.

When checking out with the Bogus Gateway, enter Bogus Gateway as the name on the card, any 3-digit CVV, and any future expiry date.

Now you will place a test order to verify the full checkout flow.

Open your storefront preview by navigating to the Sales channels section in the left sidebar, hovering over Online store, and clicking the eye icon.
Browse your store and click on any product.
Click Add to cart.
Click Check out or navigate to your cart and proceed to checkout.
Fill in a test shipping address (any valid-looking address works for testing).
In the payment section, enter the following test credit card details:

Card number: 4242424242424242 (Visa test card).
Name on card: any name with at least 2 words (e.g. Test Customer).
Expiry date: any future date (e.g. 12/30).
Security code: any 3 digits (e.g. 123).

Click Pay now to complete the order.
Return to your Shopify admin and click Orders in the left sidebar.
Verify that your test order appears in the orders list.

Test card numbers for other card types

Shopify provides test card numbers for other networks too. Mastercard uses 5555555555554444 and American Express uses 378282246310005. The Visa number above is the simplest to use for a quick test.

Order not appearing?

Make sure test mode is enabled in Settings > Payments. If you see a message about real credit cards not being accepted, test mode is working correctly. Double check you entered the test card number 4242424242424242 exactly as shown.

If checkout is completely inaccessible or shows a password page, this is normal during the free trial. Your store's checkout is password-protected until you select a paid plan. You can still confirm your payment settings are saved correctly and preview the storefront.

Help me troubleshoot my test order

Review your storefront on desktop and mobile

A professional store needs to look great on every screen size. Before considering your store launch-ready, you will walk through the entire storefront and check each element.

Open your storefront preview by navigating to the Sales channels section in the left sidebar, hovering over Online store, and clicking the eye icon.
On your homepage, confirm your hero banner and featured collection display correctly.
Click on at least one product and verify the image, title, price, and description all appear.
Navigate to your collection page and confirm the correct products are grouped together.
Click through each navigation menu link (header and footer) to verify they lead to the correct pages.
Check that your policies are accessible from the footer.
Test the mobile view by resizing your browser window to a narrow width (around 375 pixels wide).
Confirm the theme still looks professional and readable on the narrow screen.

What should I look for on mobile?

On mobile, your navigation should collapse into a hamburger menu. Product images should resize without being cropped awkwardly. Text should remain legible without horizontal scrolling.

If anything looks broken, return to Online Store > Themes and click Customize to adjust the problematic section.

Something looks broken on mobile?

Most Shopify free themes are fully responsive by default. If an element looks wrong on mobile, it is usually a custom section with an image that has fixed dimensions. Try using responsive image settings or adjust the section padding in the theme editor.

Help me fix my mobile layout

Your store is now verified and launch-ready. You have confirmed that the checkout process works, products display correctly, collections are accessible, navigation links resolve, policies are visible, and the theme is responsive.

Secret mission

SEO and Sales Channels

Your store looks great and works perfectly. But can customers actually find it? In this bonus mission, you'll optimize your store for search engines and connect an additional sales channel to reach customers beyond your storefront.

Clean Up Your Resources

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely. This project uses a Shopify free trial, so you will not be charged unless you select a paid plan.

Cost warning

You will NOT be charged during the 3-day free trial. Charges only begin if you select a paid plan ($1/month for 3 months, then $39/month on Basic).

App charges may continue after pausing or deactivating your store until you uninstall the apps. If you installed any sales channel apps during the Secret Mission, keep this in mind.

Resources you used:

Shopify store (free trial account with products, theme, collections, and settings).
Sales channel apps installed via Settings > Apps and sales channels (e.g., Shop channel).

Keep everything running

No action needed right now. Choose this if you are still actively building or want to continue after the trial.

After the 3-day free trial ends, select a paid plan to keep selling. The Basic plan is $39/month (or $29/month billed annually).
Your store data, products, theme customizations, and settings are all preserved when you upgrade.
Any sales channel apps you installed (e.g., Shop channel) will remain connected.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

If your trial ends without selecting a plan, your store is automatically paused. Your data is preserved and you can resume later by selecting a paid plan.

If you are still on the free trial, no action is needed. The store pauses automatically when the trial expires and you will not be charged.
If you already selected a paid plan and want to pause, go to Settings > Plan in your Shopify admin to review your options.
Uninstall any sales channel apps you do not need during the pause to avoid recurring app charges. Go to Settings > Apps and sales channels, select the app, then uninstall it.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove your store entirely. If you have not selected a paid plan during the trial, no action is required. The account will simply freeze when the trial ends and you will not be charged.

If you are still on the free trial and have not selected a paid plan, no action is required. The account freezes when the trial ends.
If you selected a paid plan and want to cancel, go to Settings > Plan in your Shopify admin.
Follow the prompts to cancel your plan. You will not be charged further after cancellation completes.
Uninstall any sales channel apps before or during cancellation to stop any recurring app charges. Go to Settings > Apps and sales channels, select each app, then uninstall it.

That's a Wrap!

Nice work! You just built a complete ecommerce store on Shopify from scratch. Your store has products, a professional theme, configured payments and shipping, and a verified checkout flow.

You've learned how to:

Built a product catalog with images, descriptions, pricing, and variants, then organized products into collections for easy browsing.
Selected and customized a free Shopify theme with brand colors, fonts, a logo, and content sections to create a professional storefront.
Configured payments, shipping zones, and store policies, then placed a test order to verify the entire checkout flow works.
Secret Mission: Optimized your store for search engines with homepage metadata and keyword-rich product listings, and connected an additional sales channel.

Ready to quiz yourself?