How can I start my own ecommerce store and make it visible online?

Shopify Discussion
1

My name is Vikas. I am based in Bangalore city of Karnataka state of the country India. I am quite new to Shopify and do not have much knowledge about the features that it has got. If I want to build a simple ecommerce store of mine on Shopify.com and sell physical or digital products to customers and generate income from it, may I please know about the best way to do it?

How will people be able to find my ecommerce store on the internet once it is launched and how can I know more about it?

Does simply creating a business account on https://www.shopify.com allow me to build a full fledged ecommerce website of mine on the internet? If so, may I please know how and where can I access the shopping cart of my ecommerce store and how can I know more about it?

If not, may I please know what are the things that need to be taken care of by me in order to create a full fledged ecommerce website of mine on https://www.shopify.com and how can I know more about it?

For a sale to happen successfully on https://www.shopify.com on my business account, may I please know how can I add the product details on my business account on Shopify.com and how can I know more about it?

Can I indicate the price of the product that I am about to sell on https://www.shopify.com right on the webpage where the image of the product is displayed? If so, may I please know how will people access the description of the product that I am about to sell on https://www.shopify.com and how can I know more about it?

Is there an option to add shipping charges in my business account of shopify.com? If so, may I please know how can I add the shipping charges to various locations in the world on my https://www.shopify.com website and how can I know more about it?

2

Hi, Vikas.

Sophia here from Shopify. Welcome to the Shopify Community, and congratulations on getting started with your own online store!

We have a Regional Support hub for India right here in the community, so be sure to check out those threads for advice and resources on payments, shipping, taxes, and marketing in your region.

Setting up your online store

Once your free trial ends, selecting the Basic Shopify plan or higher will allow you to maintain an online store. I recommend checking in with a local authority to confirm whether you need any type of licence or registration for your business. As far as building a full ecommerce store, signing up through shopify.com will give you access to all the tools you need. We have a step-by-step guide as well as free courses and tutorials to help you build your store.

Adding products and designing your store

If you handle your own inventory, adding a product can be as simple as going to Products > All Products > Add product in your admin. This will allow you to add a title, description (details), and set a price for the product. You can also import products to your store if you’re sourcing products from a supplier rather than selling your own products.

All Shopify themes will include a product template that displays these details for customers, and customers can get to the product pages through your store’s home page and navigation. This free course may be of interest to you while you’re getting set up: How to Design Your Online Store (with Zero Design Experience).

Shipping settings and rates

Shipping settings and rates are handled under Settings > Shipping and delivery in the admin. It’s easy to set up flat rates or free shipping in the admin, and these rates will appear to your customers at checkout. If you have a specific carrier in mind, there may be an app that will help you easily integrate their services. Check out the app recommendations here in the Regional Support hub for India.

Marketing your store

This marketing thread has information on how you can promote your business in India. When you’re starting out, you can use free marketing methods like posting consistently to social media. For example, you can set up a Facebook Page for your business and post on a regular schedule to start building an audience around your store. Shopify also has built-in search engine optimization tools that will help your store’s discoverability online, though it can take some time to rank higher in search results.

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything I’ve mentioned here or anything detailed in these links. I’m happy to help!

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Hi Sophia,

Thank you for your information.

I am glad that you responded to my concern and helped me get clarifications for the concerns that I was having with my shopify.com account.

I am just writing to check with you whether I can write back to you for any technical concerns that I will be having with either the general or functional usage of my shopify.com account?

Can you pls let me know about it Sophia?