# Web Merchants: every guide in full # Create your store and find your way around the admin URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/create-your-store. Stage: Launch. Checked 2026-10-08. Go to shopify.com, click **Start for free**, create or pick an account, and your Shopify admin opens [1]. Then go to **Settings** > **General** to set your store name, address, currency, time zone and units before your first order [5]. The sidebar holds orders, products, customers, analytics, marketing, discounts, sales channels, apps and **Settings** [4]. ## Before you start This guide takes you from no account to a Shopify admin with the basic business settings in place. It suits a hypothetical candle shop that plans to sell 40 products in the US and Canada, or any new store. - Shopify's pricing page says new stores start with a free trial and that no credit card is needed to begin. The trial length and any introductory offer are shown on that page, so read it before you sign up [2]. - While you are on the trial, your store starts in private mode or with checkout inactive. Customers cannot buy until you choose a paid plan and set up a payment provider [3]. - Work you do during the trial is kept when you pick a paid plan [3]. - Shopify publishes separate setup guides for some countries, including Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain. Check them if your business is based in one of those countries [1]. ## Steps 1. **Start the sign-up.** Go to shopify.com and click **Start for free** [1]. 2. **Create or choose an account.** Enter an email address and password, or sign up with Google, Apple or Facebook. If you already have a Shopify account, click **Log in** and select it [1]. 3. **Decide on billing now or later.** You can add a payment method so the store stays open after the trial ends, or click **Skip** and add it later. Billing details you add here apply only to this store [1]. 4. **Answer or skip the setup questions.** Shopify offers a short questionnaire that gives setup suggestions for your industry. Complete it, or select **Skip customized setup**. Your new Shopify admin then opens [1]. 5. **Learn the sidebar.** The sidebar is the main navigation. It holds orders, products, customers, analytics and reports, marketing, and discounts. A separate area lists your sales channels and apps, including **Online Store**. **Settings** is also in the sidebar [4]. 6. **Use search and Home.** Press `ctrl` + `K` (Windows) or `command` + `K` (Mac) to search from any page. Depending on your admin design, the search bar is in the sidebar or the top bar. The **Home** page shows sales and traffic, task reminders and urgent actions such as unpaid orders [4]. 7. **Set your store name.** Go to **Settings** > **General**. In the **Store contact details** section, click your store name, edit the **Store name** field, and click **Save**. The default name is "My Store". Changing it does not change your myshopify.com domain [5]. 8. **Add your store address.** In **Settings** > **General**, in the **Store contact details** section, click **Store address**, enter your company name and address, and click **Save**. Store contact details are public and appear on your store and policy pages [5]. 9. **Set the store currency.** In the **Store defaults** section, click the **...** menu, click **Change store currency**, select a currency, and click **Save**. Do this before your first order. After the first order, you must tick **I understand the risk of changing the store currency** to change it [5]. 10. **Set the time zone and units.** In the **Store defaults** section, select a **Time zone**, then a **Unit system** and **Default weight unit**, and click **Save**. You can still change the weight unit on single products later [5]. 11. **Check your plan and billing.** Shopify's trial article names **Settings** > **Plan** as the place to see your current plan [3]. Bills, payment methods and your billing address are under **Settings** > **Billing** [6]. ## Check your work - Open **Settings** > **General** and confirm the store name, address, currency, time zone and weight unit read the way you want [5]. - Press `command` + `K` or `ctrl` + `K` and search for "Products" to confirm you can reach any section from search [4]. - Open **Settings** > **Plan** and note whether you are still on the trial [3]. ## Common problems - **"My store name changed, but my web address still says the old name."** Changing the store name does not change the default myshopify.com domain [5]. - **"I can't change the store's country."** If you use Shopify Payments, Shopify Balance, Shopify Capital or Shopify Credit, you must deactivate them before you can change the country in your store address [5]. - **"The currency setting won't let me save."** After your first order, tick **I understand the risk of changing the store currency** first. If you use Shopify Payments, change the currency through the bank account and currency settings for Shopify Payments instead [5]. - **"My store is paused."** When the trial ends before you choose a paid plan, Shopify prompts you to pick a plan and pauses the store until you do [3]. - **"Customers can't check out."** During the trial the store is private or checkout is inactive. To take orders you need a paid plan and a payment provider [3]. - **"I can't find the search bar."** It is in the sidebar in the refreshed admin design and in the top bar in the current design. The keyboard shortcut works in both [4]. ## Further reading - Shopify's plan list and current trial offer [2]. - How the trial ends and what happens to your work [3]. Sources: [1] Signing up and starting a new store, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/initial-setup/sign-up [2] Shopify pricing, https://www.shopify.com/pricing [3] Free trial, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/pricing-plans/free-trial [4] Shopify admin overview, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-admin/shopify-admin-overview [5] Adding business settings for your store, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/initial-setup/setup-business-settings [6] Managing your Shopify bills, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/manage-billing/your-invoice/change-plan --- # Add products, variants and inventory URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/add-products-and-variants. Stage: Launch. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to **Products** and click **Add product**, then fill in the title, description, media, price and shipping details and click **Save** [1][2]. To add variants, open the product and click **+ Add options like size or color** in the **Variants** section [3]. To track stock, turn on **Track quantity** in the **Inventory** section and enter the **Available** quantity [4]. ## Before you start A product is one item you sell. A variant is a version of it, such as a size or a color. Each product can have up to three options (for example Size, Color and Material) and up to 2,048 variants [3]. - Some themes, apps and sales channels might not support more than 100 variants on one product. Check before you build a product with that many [3]. - If your store has more than 50 locations, save the product first, then add inventory quantities [1]. - Gather photos, prices, weights and stock counts first. A hypothetical candle shop would need these for each scent and jar size. ## Steps 1. **Open the product page.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Products**, then click **Add product** [1]. 2. **Enter the title and description.** The title is the name customers see. Write the description in the rich text editor. If you resell, Shopify advises against copying the manufacturer's exact description [2]. 3. **Add media.** In the **Media** section, add images, 3D models or video that show the product [2]. 4. **Pick a category.** Choose a **Category** from Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy. The category unlocks category metafields and helps with filtering, channel requirements and tax rates [2]. 5. **Set the price.** Enter the **Price**. Add a **Compare-at price** if you want to show the original price after you lower it. Enter the **Cost per item** to see profit and margin for the product [2]. 6. **Add SKU and barcode.** In the **Inventory** section, enter a unique SKU and, if you have one, a barcode in the **Barcodes** field. A product or variant can have up to 20 barcodes [1][2]. 7. **Fill in shipping details.** In the **Shipping** section, turn on **Physical product** for items you ship, then enter the **Weight**. Shopify uses the weight to calculate shipping rates [2]. 8. **Add options and variants.** In the **Variants** section, click **+ Add options like size or color**. Enter an **Option name**, such as Size, and each value in **Option values**, such as Small, Medium and Large. Click **+ Add another option** if you need Color or Material. Click **Done**, then **Save** [3]. 9. **Turn on inventory tracking.** If the product has variants, click a variant first. In the **Inventory** section, turn on **Track quantity**, enter the number in the **Available** field, and click **Save**. Repeat for each variant [4]. 10. **Decide what happens at zero stock.** To keep selling when stock runs out, click **Sell when out of stock** and select **Continue selling when out of stock** [4]. 11. **Organize the product.** In **Product organization**, set the product type, vendor, collections and tags. Each product can have up to 250 tags, and each tag up to 255 characters [1][2]. 12. **Set status and channels, then save.** Set the **Status** to Active when the product is ready to sell, or leave it as Draft. In **Publishing**, click the **Adjust** icon, choose the sales channels, click **Done**, then click **Save** [1][2]. ## Check your work - Go to **Products** > **Inventory** and confirm the quantities for each product and variant [4]. - Open the product and read the **Search engine listing** preview. It shows the product title, its URL on your online store and part of the description [2]. - Check that the **Status** is Active and that the right channels appear under **Publishing** [2]. ## Common problems - **"I can't find the price field after adding sizes."** Once a product has variants, the **Price** section is no longer shown on the product page. Open each variant to edit its price [2][3]. - **"I need more than three options or 2,048 variants."** Shopify's admin stops at those limits. Going past them needs an app or custom theme code [3]. - **"Customers can still buy an item with zero stock."** **Continue selling when out of stock** is turned on for that product or variant. Turn it off in the **Inventory** section [4]. - **"Shopify POS sold an item we don't have."** The out-of-stock setting does not apply to Shopify POS. POS warns staff but still allows the sale [4]. - **"The product doesn't show on my store."** Check the **Status** and the sales channels in **Publishing**. A draft product is not ready to be sold [1][2]. - **"My tags were cut off."** Tags can be at most 255 characters. Shopify Plus stores can have unlimited tags per product [1]. ## Further reading - Every section of the product page, including metafields and purchase options [2]. - Bulk inventory updates with the bulk editor or a CSV import [4]. Sources: [1] Adding and updating products, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/add-update-products [2] Product details page, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/details/product-details-page [3] Adding variants, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/variants/add-variants [4] Setting up inventory tracking, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/inventory/getting-started-with-inventory/set-up-inventory-tracking --- # Pick a theme and edit it in the theme editor URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/edit-your-theme. Stage: Launch. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to **Online Store**, add a theme from **Discover themes** or the Theme Store, and it appears in **Draft themes** [1]. Click **Edit theme** to open the theme editor, where you add sections and blocks and change colors, fonts and your logo under **Theme settings** [4][6]. When it looks right, click **Publish** [7]. ## Before you start A theme controls how your online store looks. The theme editor lets you change content, layout, typography and colors without editing code, and shows each change in a preview as you make it [3]. - **Plan limits.** Basic, Grow and Advanced plans can hold up to 20 themes in the theme library. Shopify Plus can hold up to 100. The Starter plan can use only the Spotlight theme [1]. - **Paid themes.** You can try a paid theme before you buy. Buying needs the **Themes**, **Manage and install apps and channels** and **Approve app charges** permissions. Purchases are final sale, the license covers only the store that bought it, and the theme developer provides support and updates [1]. - **Publishing.** You can publish only free themes or paid themes you have bought [1]. ## Steps 1. **Browse themes.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Online Store**. In the **Discover themes** section near the bottom, look at the top free themes, or click **Visit theme store** [1]. 2. **Add a free theme.** Click a theme name to see its details, then click **Add**. The theme appears in the **Draft themes** section [1]. 3. **Or try a paid theme.** In the Theme Store, open a paid theme and click **Try theme**. Back in **Online Store**, it appears in **Draft themes** with a **Theme trial** label. You can preview up to 19 paid themes at once, and edits you make on trial are kept if you buy. While a theme is on trial you cannot edit its code [1]. 4. **Make a backup copy.** In **Online Store**, click the **...** menu next to the theme and click **Duplicate**. The copy is named "Copy of" plus the theme name. Shopify recommends a backup before you edit, so you can discard changes and start over [2][3]. 5. **Open the theme editor.** In **Online Store**, find the theme and click **Edit theme** [4]. 6. **Choose a page to edit.** Use the **Home page** drop-down menu at the top to open another template, or edit the home page directly [4]. 7. **Add and arrange sections.** Click **Add section** in the sidebar and pick or search for a section. To add a block, hover over a section, click **Add block**, and pick one. Drag the handle next to a name to reorder it. Use the **Hide** and **Delete** icons to hide or remove items [4]. 8. **Edit from the preview.** Click any outlined element in the preview to load its settings in the sidebar. The preview inspector also has buttons to move, hide, duplicate and delete the selected section or block. Use the undo button in the menu bar to reverse a change [5]. 9. **Set your brand in Theme settings.** Click the settings icon labeled **Theme settings**. Depending on your theme, set a color palette or color schemes, heading and body fonts, and a **Font size scale** from 100% to 150% [6]. 10. **Add your logo, favicon and social links.** In **Theme settings**, upload a logo (max 300 px wide) with alt text, and a favicon (32 x 32 px recommended). Enter full profile links in the **Social accounts** fields; they show in your store footer [6]. 11. **Save your work.** Click **Save** in the theme editor [4]. 12. **Publish the theme.** In **Online Store**, find the theme in **Draft themes** and click **Publish**. Or click **Publish** on the top bar of the theme editor, then **Publish** again in the window that opens [7]. ## Check your work - In **Online Store**, open the **...** menu for a draft theme and click **Preview**. The preview bar shows the theme name and a **Draft** status [1]. - After publishing, confirm your previous theme moved to **Draft themes**. Shopify says none of its changes are lost [7]. - Open your store and check the logo, colors and footer social links [6]. ## Common problems - **"I can't add another theme."** You have reached your plan's theme limit. Remove a theme first [1]. If you have 20 themes, you must also delete one before you can duplicate [2]. - **"I published my theme, but customers still see a password page."** Publishing does not change store access. If your store is private, it stays private [7]. - **"I can't add more sections or blocks."** Each template allows up to 25 sections and up to 1,250 blocks across all sections, and each theme sets how many of each block type you can use [4]. - **"I hid a section and can't get it back from the preview."** You cannot unhide from the preview inspector. Click undo in the menu bar, or click the hide button next to the item in the sidebar [5]. - **"I can't edit the code of a theme I'm trying."** Code editing is not available while a paid theme is on trial [1]. ## Further reading - How sections, blocks and template limits work [4]. - All theme settings, including color schemes and typography [6]. Sources: [1] Adding themes, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/adding-themes [2] Duplicating themes, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/managing-themes/duplicating-themes [3] Theme editor, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/customizing-themes/theme-editor [4] Sections and blocks, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/theme-structure/sections-and-blocks [5] Preview inspector, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/customizing-themes/theme-editor/preview-inspector [6] Customizing theme settings, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/customizing-themes/theme-editor/theme-settings [7] Publishing themes, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/managing-themes/publishing-themes --- # Set up Shopify Payments or another payment provider URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/set-up-payments. Stage: Launch. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Payments** and click **Activate Shopify Payments** in the Shopify Payments section, then submit your details for verification [3]. Shopify Payments works only for businesses based in supported countries [1]. Otherwise, click **Choose a provider** to add a third-party provider, or add a manual method such as Bank Deposit [7][8]. ## Before you start You need at least one payment provider before customers can pay. Shopify gives you three routes: Shopify Payments, a third-party credit card provider, and manual methods such as Bank Deposit. - **Country.** Shopify Payments is available only if your business is located in a supported country. Shopify lists 40, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Mexico and most EU countries. Your business type must also be eligible [1]. - **Security.** You must turn on two-step authentication for your account to use Shopify Payments [2]. Payouts may be held until it is on [3]. - **Owner only.** Only the store owner can activate Shopify Payments or add or change a third-party provider. Staff cannot [3][7]. - **Currency.** Choose your store currency before your first sale. After that, changing it needs Shopify Support [3]. - **Plans.** Shopify's Shopify Payments pages do not state which plans include it. ## Steps 1. **Open payment settings.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Payments** [3]. 2. **Start Shopify Payments.** In the Shopify Payments section, click **Activate Shopify Payments** [3]. 3. **Enter your personal details.** Provide your personal, address and identification details, then click **Next** [3]. 4. **Enter your business details.** Provide your business information. Enter the phone number customers will see on their bank statement, then click **Next** [3]. 5. **Confirm and submit.** Check your **Business type** and **Store details**, click **Confirm**, then click **Submit for verification**. If Shopify asks for documents, upload them only through the secure banners in your admin. Photograph ID in color, with all four borders visible. Review can take up to 24 hours [3]. 6. **Connect your payout bank account.** After verification, go to **Settings** > **Payments**, click **Connect a bank account** in the Shopify Payments section, enter your bank details, and click **Save** [3]. 7. **Set your statement names and cards.** In the Shopify Payments section, click **Manage**. In **Customer billing statement**, enter a **Statement name** (2 to 19 characters) and a **Phone number**. In the **Cards** section, select the cards you accept, then click **Save** [4]. 8. **Run a test payment.** In **Manage**, go to the **Test mode** section, select **Enable test mode**, and click **Save**. Place an order on your store with test card 4242424242424242, any future expiry date, a two-word name and any 3-digit code. Turn test mode off when you finish [5]. 9. **Or add a third-party provider.** In **Settings** > **Payments**: if Shopify Payments is active, click **Manage**, then **Switch to a third-party provider**. If it is not active, click **See all other providers**. If it is not available in your country, click **Choose a provider**. Select the provider, enter your account credentials, click **Activate**, then **Save** [7]. 10. **Add manual methods if you need them.** In the **Payment providers** section, select Cash on Delivery (COD), Bank Deposit or Money Order. Fill in **Additional details** and **Payment instructions**, then activate it. For anything else, click **Create custom payment method** in **Manual payment methods** [8]. ## Check your work - Place a test order in test mode with 4242424242424242 and confirm it succeeds. Then try the declined card 4000000000000002 to see the failure message [5]. - Open **Settings** > **Payments** and confirm the right provider is active and test mode is off [5][7]. - For a manual method, place an order and check that your payment instructions show on the order confirmation screen [8]. ## Common problems - **"Shopify Payments isn't offered to me."** Your business is not in a supported country, or your business category is not supported. Use a third-party provider instead [1]. - **"My payouts are on hold."** Turn on two-step authentication for your account [3]. - **"I can't add a second card provider."** Only one credit card provider can be active at a time. Click **Choose another provider** to replace it [7]. - **"The provider I want isn't in the list."** Check that your store address in **Settings** > **General** matches the provider's region. Some buy now, pay later and regional methods, such as PayPal Express Checkout, sit under **Additional payment methods** instead [7]. - **"Why am I paying extra fees?"** Third-party transaction fees apply to every transaction through a third-party or alternate gateway. If Shopify Payments is your primary provider, PayPal transactions are exempt [6]. - **"My custom method name is rejected."** Bank Deposit, Cash on Delivery (COD) and Money Order are reserved names. Add those through the **Payment providers** section [8]. ## Further reading - The full list of supported countries [1]. - Payout name and payout email settings [4]. Sources: [1] Shopify Payments supported countries and regions, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries [2] Setting up Shopify Payments, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/setting-up-shopify-payments [3] Setting up your Shopify Payments account, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/onboarding/account-setup [4] Configuring Shopify Payments, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/configuring-shopify-payments [5] Testing Shopify Payments, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/testing-shopify-payments [6] Third-party payment providers, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/third-party-providers [7] Configuring third-party payment providers, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/third-party-providers/configuring-providers [8] Manual payment methods, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/manual-payments --- # Store SEO basics URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/store-seo-basics. Stage: Launch, Grow. Checked 2026-10-08. Shopify creates your sitemap, robots.txt file and canonical tags for you [1]. Your job is to write good titles and descriptions: set the home page title in **Online Store** > **Preferences**, and edit each product's **Search engine listing** section from **Products** [4][5]. Then verify your store in Google Search Console and submit `sitemap.xml` [3]. ## Before you start Search engine optimization (SEO) helps people find your products in search results. Shopify handles the technical base for you. It adds canonical tags to prevent duplicate content in search results, and it generates your `sitemap.xml` and `robots.txt` files automatically [1]. Themes also build title tags that include your store name [1]. That leaves the words. This guide covers the fields you control: page titles, meta descriptions, image alt text and URL handles, plus telling Google where your sitemap is. Two limits to know first: - Search engines don't index trial stores. Your store needs a Shopify plan before it can appear in search results [2]. - Google Search Console can't read your sitemap while your store is in private mode (the password page). You can turn private mode off to verify, then turn it back on [3]. Worked example: a candle shop selling 40 products in the US and Canada. Before you start, list the words a customer would type, such as "soy candle" or "unscented pillar candle", and use them in the fields below. ## Steps 1. **Set your home page title and description.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Online Store** > **Preferences**. In the **Social sharing image and SEO** section, enter a title and a meta description, then click **Save** [4]. 2. **Keep titles and descriptions to length.** A page title can be up to 70 characters, but 60 or fewer avoids it being cut off in search results. Aim for a meta description of about 160 characters [4]. 3. **Use keywords in product titles.** Shopify uses the title of a product, collection or blog post as the page's H1 heading. Put the words customers search for in the **Title** field and click **Save** [4]. 4. **Edit each product's search engine listing.** Go to **Products** and click a product. In the **Search engine listing** section, click the pencil icon. Enter a **Page title** and a **Meta description**, then click **Save** [5]. 5. **Leave product URL handles alone after launch.** In the same section, the **URL handle** field changes part of the product's web address. Shopify creates a handle automatically. You can edit it to match the product title, but don't edit it often, or the product might not display in search results [5]. 6. **Edit SEO for your other pages.** Go to **Online Store** > **Pages** and click a page, such as About. In the **Search engine listing preview** section, click **Edit website SEO**. Enter a **Page title** and a **Description**, then click **Save** [4]. 7. **Add alt text to product images.** Go to **Products**, click a product, then click an image. Click **Edit alt text**, describe the image in plain words, and click **Save alt text** [4]. For a collection or blog post image, click **Update** under the image, click **Edit image**, enter the text and click **Save** [4]. 8. **Redirect old web addresses.** If you moved from another platform or removed a page, go to **Content** > **Menus** and click **View URL Redirects**. Click **Create URL redirect**, fill in **Redirect from** and **Redirect to**, then click **Save redirect** [6]. 9. **Verify your store in Google Search Console.** In Search Console, add a **URL prefix** property with your full domain, including `https://`, and choose the **HTML tag** method. In Shopify, go to **Online Store**, open the menu for your theme and click **Edit code**. Under **Layout**, open `theme.liquid`, paste the tag on a blank line directly below the opening `` tag, and click **Save**. Then click **Verify** in Search Console [3]. 10. **Submit your sitemap.** In Search Console, go to **Indexing** > **Sitemaps**. Under **Add a new sitemap**, enter `sitemap.xml` and click **Submit** [3]. ## Check your work - Open `yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml` in a browser. Your sitemap sits at the root of each of your domains [3]. - In Search Console, use the URL inspection tool on a product page to see how Google renders it [2]. - Search Google for your store after a few days. Google indexes a site within 48 to 72 hours after you add or update information [2]. - Open a product and read the **Search engine listing** section. The title and description you entered should show there [5]. ## Common problems - **My store doesn't show up on Google at all.** The store may still be in private mode, or on a trial. Search engines don't index trial stores, so choose a plan and launch the store [2]. - **Search Console can't verify my store or read the sitemap.** A sitemap reader can't access a store in private mode. Turn private mode off, verify, then turn it back on if you need to. If verification fails, wait 15 minutes and click **Verify** again [3]. - **Google shows an old page, or my changes aren't there yet.** You can't force Google to re-index your site. Submitting your sitemap in Search Console can speed it up [2]. - **A product stopped showing in search after I changed its handle.** Changing the handle changes the web address. Avoid frequent handle changes [5], and add a URL redirect from the old address to the new one [6]. - **My redirect won't save.** You can only redirect a broken URL, not one that still loads a page. Some paths can't be redirected, such as `/products`, `/collections` and `/cart` [6]. - **My title is cut off in search results.** Shorten it to 60 characters or fewer [4]. ## Further reading - Shopify's SEO overview lists what the platform does automatically [1]. - Shopify's sitemap guide covers stores with more than one domain [3]. Sources: [1] SEO overview, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/seo/seo-overview [2] Frequently asked questions about SEO, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/seo/frequently-asked-questions [3] Finding and submitting your sitemap, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/seo/find-site-map [4] Adding keywords for SEO to your Shopify store, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/seo/adding-keywords [5] Adding and updating products, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/add-update-products [6] URL redirects, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/menus-and-links/url-redirect --- # Sell in person with Shopify POS URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/sell-in-person-with-pos. Stage: Launch, Scale. Checked 2026-10-08. Shopify POS is an app for iOS or Android that syncs in-person orders and inventory with your Shopify admin [1]. Add a location in **Settings** > **Locations**, choose POS Lite or POS Pro for it in **Sales channels** > **Point of Sale**, then log in to the app and turn on card payments [4][2][3]. All paid plans include basic in-person selling; POS Pro costs extra per location [2]. ## Before you start Shopify POS is a point of sale app for iOS and Android. You build a cart for each customer, take payment, and the order and inventory sync with your Shopify admin, your online store and your other sales channels [1]. What must be true first: - **Multi-location is turned on.** Shopify POS needs multi-location activated in your store settings [1]. - **You know which subscription you need.** All paid Shopify plans include some in-person selling features at no extra cost. POS Pro is an add-on for any plan, billed monthly per POS location, and adds features such as staff permissions, exchanges and inventory transfers [2]. Shopify Plus includes the first 20 POS Pro locations [2]. - **Card payments through Shopify need Shopify Payments.** Your store must be eligible, have Shopify Payments set up in the admin, and have two-step authentication on [3]. Shopify Payments for POS is available in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States [3]. Worked example: a candle shop selling 40 products online in the US opens a weekend market stall and wants to take cards there. ## Steps 1. **Add your shop as a location.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Locations** and click **Add location**. Enter a **Name** and **Address**. Turn on the **Physical storefront** setting if customers visit, then click **Save** [4]. 2. **Decide if the location's stock sells online.** **Inventory at this location is available to fulfill online orders** is on by default for new locations. Turn it off if stall stock should not be sold online [4]. 3. **Confirm the Point of Sale channel is installed.** Look for **Point of Sale** under **Sales channels** in your admin. It is installed on most stores by default; if not, install it from the Shopify App Store [5]. 4. **Choose POS Lite or POS Pro for the location.** Go to **Sales channels** > **Point of Sale**, then **Settings** > **POS Pro Subscription**. Click the location. To upgrade, click **Add POS Pro** > **Approve subscriptions** [2]. Only the account owner can do this [2]. 5. **Install the app.** Download Shopify POS on your iOS or Android device from its Shopify App Store listing [1]. 6. **Log in as the store owner.** On the login screen, tap **Log in**, then **Log in manually**. Enter your admin email and password, tap **Log in**, enter your authentication code, and select your store and location [5]. 7. **Turn on card payments.** In the POS app, open the menu and go to **Settings** > **Payments**. Confirm that **Credit/debit** is activated [3]. 8. **Connect a card reader.** Supported readers include the Chip & Swipe reader, Chipper 2X BT, Shopify POS Terminal, BBPOS WisePad 3, Verifone Victa Mobile, and the Tap & Chip reader for US merchants [6]. If a reader isn't connected when you take a card, POS prompts you to connect it [7]. 9. **Add your staff.** Every staff member with POS access gets a unique PIN [8]. Staff added in the Shopify admin are assigned to all locations unless you unassign them; staff added in the app are assigned only to that device's location [8]. On POS Pro you assign each person a POS role; on POS Lite, admin users with POS access get full access [8]. 10. **Ring up a test sale.** Tap the product icon, search for a product and tap it, choosing a variant if asked [9]. Tap **Checkout** or **Charge**, then choose a payment type [7]. 11. **Print a receipt.** Tap the order icon, tap the order, then tap **Receipt** > **Print receipt** [9]. ## Check your work - In your Shopify admin, open **Orders** and find the test sale. POS orders sync with your admin [1]. - Check the product's stock at the stall location dropped by one. Inventory syncs across locations and channels [1]. - In the app, reopen **Settings** > **Payments** and confirm **Credit/debit** is still activated [3]. ## Common problems - **A staff member can't log in with their PIN.** Staff with limited admin permissions and POS-only staff can't use POS on a device until the store owner, an organization owner or a user with the **POS device setup** role logs in first [5]. - **I can't add POS-only staff.** POS app only staff are available only on POS Pro, and can log in only to POS Pro locations [8]. - **There is no card option at checkout.** Check that Shopify Payments is set up in the admin, your country is supported, and two-step authentication is on. Then confirm **Credit/debit** is activated in the app [3]. - **I can't add another location.** Each plan has a location limit, such as 2 on Starter and 10 on Basic, Grow and Advanced. Deactivated locations don't count [4]. - **The card reader is not working at the counter.** Follow the connection prompt in POS, or tap **Manual card entry** after reviewing its requirements and fraud risks [7]. - **The customer will pay later.** Tap **Mark unpaid**. The order is recorded as a 0.00 payment [7]. - **An item isn't in my product list.** Tap the **Add custom sale** tile, enter the price, then tap **Add to cart** [9]. Sources: [1] Shopify POS, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/sell-in-person/shopify-pos [2] Comparing POS Lite and POS Pro subscriptions, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/sell-in-person/getting-started/pos-subscription-overview [3] Setting up Shopify Payments for POS, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/sell-in-person/getting-started/setup-payment-method/shopify-payments-pos [4] Setting up your locations, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/locations/setting-up-your-locations [5] Log in to Shopify POS, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/sell-in-person/shopify-pos/login [6] Card readers, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/sell-in-person/hardware/card-readers [7] Selecting a payment method, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/sell-in-person/shopify-pos/payment-management/select-payment-methods [8] Shopify POS staff management, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/sell-in-person/shopify-pos/staff-management/manage-staff [9] Processing a sale, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/sell-in-person/shopify-pos/process-sales-transaction --- # Set up shipping zones and rates URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/set-up-shipping-rates. Stage: Launch. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Shipping and delivery** and open a shipping profile. Add a zone for the countries you ship to, then click **Add shipping option** to set a flat, order amount, weight or carrier rate [1]. Stores upgraded to shipping options by market manage shipping from **Markets** instead [2]. ## Before you start Shipping rates are what customers pay for delivery at checkout. In Shopify, a shipping profile holds the rules. Inside it, a shipping zone groups countries or regions that share the same rates [1]. **Check which setup your store has.** Shopify is gradually moving stores from shipping profiles to shipping options by market [1]. Go to **Settings** > **Shipping and delivery**. If you see a **Shipping options** section organized by market, your store has been upgraded, and you manage shipping from **Markets** [2]. Shipping options by market is in early access and available only to certain stores [3]. The steps below are for shipping profiles, which most stores still use [1]. What must be in place first: - **An active market for each country.** To sell to a country, it must be in an active market [4]. Customers in inactive markets can't place orders [1]. - **Product weights**, if you plan to charge by weight. Missing weights cause wrong rates at checkout [1]. Plan notes: Shopify's built-in carrier rates, such as USPS or Canada Post, are on all plans. Using your own carrier accounts, such as UPS or FedEx, needs certain Shopify plans or an extra monthly fee. Flat rates in local currency need Shopify Payments in a supported country [1]. Worked example: a candle shop selling 40 products in the US and Canada wants one rate for each country, plus free shipping on larger orders. ## Steps 1. **Open your shipping profile.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Shipping and delivery**. In the **Shipping profiles** section, click the profile you want to edit [1]. 2. **Add a shipping zone.** In the **Shipping zones** section, click **Add zone**. Enter a **Zone name**, select the countries and regions under **Regions**, click **Done**, then click **Save** [1]. A country can belong to only one zone in a profile [1]. The candle shop would make one zone for the United States and one for Canada. 3. **Add a flat rate.** In the zone, click **Add shipping option**. Enter a **Name** that customers will see at checkout. Select **Flat** from the **Rate type** menu, enter a **Price**, click **Done**, then click **Save** [1]. A flat rate applies once per order by default [1]. 4. **Add a delivery estimate, if you want one.** When you add a flat rate, choose a time from the **Transit time** menu so checkout can show an estimate [1]. 5. **Set free shipping over an order amount.** On the rate, select **Offer free shipping** and enter a minimum order amount. To change an existing rate, click the menu icon next to it, click **Edit shipping option**, then do the same. Click **Done** and **Save** [1]. 6. **Use tiers for order amount or weight, if you need them.** Click **Add shipping option**, then select **Order amount** or **Weight** as the **Rate type**. For each tier, enter a **Minimum**, a **Maximum** and a **Price**. Click the plus icon to add tiers, then **Done** and **Save** [1]. Leave **Maximum** empty on the highest tier so large orders still get a rate [1]. 7. **Add carrier-calculated rates, if you use a carrier.** Click **Add shipping option** and select **Carrier or app calculated**. Click **Choose carrier and apps**, pick a carrier, select the services to show, and optionally enter a **Handling fee**. Click **Done**, then **Save** [1]. 8. **Give physical products a shipping weight.** In **Products**, enter a **Shipping weight** for each physical product, in the same unit as your weight rates [5]. Weight-based rates also add the default package weight; set it to zero to charge on product weight alone [5]. 9. **Edit or delete a zone or rate.** Click the menu icon next to it. Click **Edit zone** or **Edit shipping option** to change it, or **Delete** to remove it. Click **Save** [1]. ## Check your work - Start a new checkout and enter an address in each zone. Abandoned checkouts keep the rates from when they were created, so always use a new one [5]. - Test your lightest and heaviest products, and a cart just above and below your free shipping amount. Gaps in tiers are a common cause of surprise rates [5]. - Go to **Markets** and confirm each country you ship to is in a market [5]. ## Common problems - **Checkout says "Your order cannot be shipped to the selected address."** No rate is assigned to the zone that covers the address. Add a rate to that zone [5]. Also check that the product is marked as a **Physical product** [5]. - **A customer was charged far more than expected.** This is often a gap in your tiers. Make sure the tiers cover every order total or weight [5][1]. - **Free shipping didn't apply after a discount.** Price-based rates use the discounted cart total, so a discount can move a cart into a different tier [5]. - **Weight rates look wrong.** Product weights are missing, or their units don't match your rates. Fix the **Shipping weight** in **Products** [5]. - **No rates for orders from one location.** In **Settings** > **Locations**, check the location is active, has a valid address, and has **Inventory at this location is available to fulfill online orders** turned on [5]. - **My settings page looks different from this guide.** Your store may have been upgraded to shipping options by market. Your rates were migrated for you, and you now manage them from **Markets** [2]. During an opt-out window you can switch back in **Settings** > **Shipping and delivery** [2]. Sources: [1] Setting up shipping zones and rates, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-rates/setting-up-shipping-rates [2] What's changing with shipping, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-options/whats-changing-with-shipping [3] Shipping options by market, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-options [4] Shipping rates, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-rates [5] Troubleshooting and testing shipping rates, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/shipping-rates/troubleshooting --- # Taxes, store policies and legal pages URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/taxes-and-store-policies. Stage: Launch. Checked 2026-10-08. Register with the tax authority first, then start collecting tax in **Settings** > **Taxes and duties** [3]. Add your return, privacy, terms of service and shipping policies in **Settings** > **Policies**, where Shopify can insert a template you edit [2]. Shopify links published policies in the checkout footer; add them to your store menu too [2]. ## Before you start This guide covers two jobs that sit side by side before launch: charging the right tax, and publishing the policies customers read before they buy. **Tax is your responsibility.** Shopify doesn't file or remit tax for you unless you use Shopify Tax with automated filing [1]. Shopify suggests you check with a local tax authority or a tax accountant that your rates and filings are correct [1]. Where you must collect tax, you must first register your business with the tax authority [1]. **Which tax service you get depends on your country** [1]: - United States, European Union, United Kingdom and Canada: Shopify Tax, or Manual Tax if you set rates yourself. - Norway, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore: Basic Tax. - All other countries and regions: Manual Tax. **Policy templates are English only.** Shopify can generate policy templates only in English, for checkouts set to English. For other languages you write your own [2]. You are responsible for following what you publish, so read every template before you save it [2]. Worked example: a candle shop selling 40 products in the US and Canada, registered for sales tax in one US state. ## Steps 1. **Work out where you must collect tax.** This usually starts with where your business operates and your default location. Register with each state or country where you are liable [3]. 2. **Open your tax settings.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Taxes and duties** [3]. 3. **Start collecting US sales tax, if you sell in the US.** In the **Manage sales tax collection** section, click **United States**. In **Regional settings**, click **Add new state**, select a state where you are registered, and enter your **Sales tax ID**. Click **Collect taxes** [4]. Click **Collect sales tax** to add more states [4]. 4. **Set rates for other regions, if you use Manual Tax.** In the **Tax regions** section, click the region. In **Base taxes**, enter rates or click **Reset to default tax rates**, then click **Save** [5]. Default rates don't update by themselves when the law changes, so click **Reset to default tax rates** again later [5]. 5. **Decide whether prices include tax.** By default, Shopify shows prices without tax and adds it at checkout [6]. To include tax, select **Include sales tax in product price and shipping rate** on the **Taxes and duties** page and click **Save** [7]. This is set per market [7]. 6. **Decide whether to tax shipping.** In the **Global settings** section, select **Charge tax on shipping rates** and click **Save** [8]. In the US, Canada, the EU, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland, shipping is taxed where it applies regardless of this setting [8]. 7. **Open your policy settings.** Go to **Settings** > **Policies** [2]. 8. **Add each written policy.** In the **Written policies** section, click a policy: return, privacy, terms of service or shipping. Type your text, or click **Insert template** and fill in the placeholders. Click **Save** to publish it [2]. 9. **Check the automated privacy settings.** New stores have automated privacy settings turned on by default. On older stores you can turn on automated updates for the privacy policy, cookie banner and data sharing opt-out page [2]. 10. **Add a contact page.** Go to **Online Store** > **Pages** and click **Add page**. Enter a title such as "Contact us" and your content, keep **Visible** selected, and click **Save** [9]. 11. **Link your policies in the footer.** Go to **Content** > **Menus** and open your footer menu. Click **Add menu item**, enter a **Name**, choose the policy or page in **Search or paste a link**, click **Add**, then **Save menu** [10]. Footer menus show only top-level items [10]. ## Check your work - Open each policy at your domain: `/policies/refund-policy`, `/policies/privacy-policy`, `/policies/terms-of-service` and `/policies/shipping-policy` [2]. - Start a checkout and look for your policy links in the checkout footer. Shopify adds them there once published [2]. - On **Settings** > **Taxes and duties**, confirm each place you are registered is listed as collecting tax [4]. - Add a taxable product to a cart with an address in a registered state and confirm tax appears at checkout [6]. ## Common problems - **Customers see a different total at checkout than on the product page.** Prices exclude tax by default, so tax is added at checkout. Turn on tax-inclusive pricing if you want the final price shown up front [6][7]. - **Tax-inclusive pricing doesn't work for some customers.** Including or excluding tax by country isn't supported with post-purchase upsell apps, and accelerated checkout buttons aren't supported with this feature [7]. - **A product isn't being taxed.** Open the product and make sure **Charge tax on this product** is selected [7]. - **Shipping tax isn't charged under Manual Tax.** Manual Tax doesn't calculate shipping tax automatically. Set shipping tax rates for each region [5]. - **There is no template in my language.** Templates exist only in English. Write your own, and Shopify suggests contacting a local law expert for help [2]. - **Tax rates are out of date.** Manual rates don't update automatically. Click **Reset to default tax rates** to load current defaults [5]. Sources: [1] Taxes, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/taxes [2] Adding store policies, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/refund-privacy-tos [3] General tax set-up steps, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/taxes/general-steps [4] Setting up US taxes, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/taxes/us/us-tax-setup [5] Manual tax settings, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/taxes/manual-tax-settings [6] Understanding the impact of tax collection on displayed prices, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/taxes/tax-collection-impact-on-pricing [7] Include taxes in product prices, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/taxes/include-exclude-taxes [8] Shipping tax, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/taxes/shipping-tax [9] Adding and editing pages, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/theme-structure/pages [10] Adding menu items, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/menus-and-links/drop-down-menus/adding-menu-items --- # Place a test order and make your store public URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/test-order-and-go-live. Stage: Launch. Checked 2026-10-08. Turn on Shopify Payments test mode in Settings > Payments, or activate the Test payment gateway, then buy something on your storefront with test card details and review the order in your admin [1][2]. Turn test mode off afterwards, because customers can't place live orders while it is on [3]. Then go to Online Store, click Private, select Public and click Launch store [4][5]. ## Before you start A test order checks your checkout, order processing, inventory, shipping, email notifications and taxes in one pass. Place at least one during setup, and again whenever you change your payment settings [3]. Test orders through Shopify's test modes aren't charged, and they don't appear in payouts or reports [3]. - **Plan.** You need a paid plan before you can test a payment gateway [3]. Selecting a plan is also one of the steps Shopify requires before launch. If you pick a plan during a free trial, you don't pay subscription fees until the trial ends [4]. - **Store address.** Add it in **Settings** > **General**, under **Business details** [4]. - **Live orders stop while you test.** Customers can't place live orders while a payment provider is in test mode [3]. Don't turn test mode on in a store that is already selling [1]. - **New stores are private.** New Shopify stores start in private mode, which shows a password page to visitors and search engines [5]. Worked example: a candle shop with 40 products, selling in the US and Canada, about to launch. ## Steps 1. **Pause anything that ships orders for you.** Turn off fulfillment services or apps that fulfill orders automatically, so the test order isn't sent out [2]. 2. **Turn on test mode for Shopify Payments.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Payments**. In the **Shopify Payments** section, click **Manage**. In the **Test mode** section, select **Enable test mode**, then click **Save** [1]. You can only do this after Shopify Payments setup is complete [1]. 3. **Or activate the Test payment gateway.** If you don't use Shopify Payments, deactivate your live credit card provider first. Then in **Settings** > **Payments**, click **See all other providers** (or **Choose a provider** if Shopify Payments isn't offered in your country), select **Test payment gateway**, activate it and click **Save** [1]. Every order is a test order while it is active, and the purchase must be worth more than the equivalent of $1 USD [1]. 4. **Add products to the cart as a customer would.** Open your storefront, add a few products to the cart and go to checkout [2]. Use an email address that ends in `@example.com` [2]. For the candle shop, add one candle shipped to a US address and repeat with a Canadian address to check both shipping rates. 5. **Pay with test card details.** For Shopify Payments test mode, enter `4242424242424242` (Visa) with any future expiry date, any 3-digit security code and a name of at least 2 words [1]. For the Test payment gateway, enter `Test payment gateway` as the name, `1` as the card number, any 3-digit CVV such as `111` and any future date [1]. If several payment methods are active, choose the one in test mode [2]. 6. **Try a declined payment.** In Shopify Payments test mode, `4000000000000002` simulates a generic decline [1]. With the Test payment gateway, card number `2` simulates a declined transaction [1]. This shows you what a customer sees when a card fails. 7. **Review the order in your admin.** Open the order in your Shopify admin and confirm that totals, taxes, shipping and inventory look right [2]. Check that the confirmation email arrived at the address you used [3]. 8. **Archive or delete the test orders.** Archive from **Orders** > **More actions** > **Archive** [2]. Only orders paid through the Test payment gateway or Shopify Payments test mode can be deleted [2]. 9. **Turn test mode off.** Go back to the **Test mode** section in **Settings** > **Payments** and turn it off, or deactivate the Test payment gateway, so customers can place live orders [1][2][4]. Turn your fulfillment services back on. 10. **Preview the store.** Go to **Online Store** > **Preview store** to see the storefront as customers will [4]. 11. **Make the store public.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Online Store**. Click the **Private** label, select **Public**, then click **Launch store** [4][5]. You can also go to **Online Store** > **Preferences**, turn off **Private mode** in the **Store access** section and click **Save** [5]. A **Launch store** button also appears on the admin **Home** page and in the theme editor [4]. ## Check your work - Open your store address in a private browser window. The password page should no longer appear [5]. - In **Settings** > **Payments**, confirm that test mode is off and the Test payment gateway isn't active [1]. - Confirm that the test orders are archived or deleted, so they don't confuse your first real orders [2]. ## Common problems - **"I can't find test mode."** Test mode only appears once Shopify Payments setup is complete [1]. If you use a third-party provider, use the Test payment gateway instead [1]. - **"I can't test my payment provider at all."** A paid plan is required to test a payment gateway [3]. Development stores can't process real transactions [2]. - **"I need to test cash on delivery or bank transfer."** Manual payment methods can't be tested in test mode. Place a real order with them instead [2]. - **"My third-party provider has no test mode."** Pay with a real card, check the funds in your provider account, then cancel and refund the order right away. Third-party transaction fees aren't refunded, so read your provider's terms first [2]. - **"Test mode isn't available on my card reader."** Shopify Payments test mode doesn't cover Shopify POS card readers, Shop Pay Installments or PayPal Wallet [1]. The Test payment gateway doesn't work with Shopify POS either, so use a cash payment for POS tests [1]. - **"I was charged duties on a test order."** Duties and import tax transaction fees apply to test orders. Consider turning off duty collection at checkout while you test [2]. - **"The test order isn't in my sales report."** Test orders and simulated transactions don't appear in payouts or reports [3]. ## Further reading - [Placing test orders](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/test-orders) [3] - [Preparing to launch your store](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/initial-setup/setup-prepare-for-launch) [4] Sources: [1] Activating a payment gateway in test mode, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/test-orders/payments-test-mode [2] Processing a test order, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/test-orders/processing-test-order [3] Placing test orders, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/test-orders [4] Preparing to launch your store, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/initial-setup/setup-prepare-for-launch [5] Making your online store private or public, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/password-page --- # Read your analytics and reports URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/read-your-analytics. Stage: Grow. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to Analytics to see the dashboard of metric cards, set the date range and compare it with an earlier period [1][2]. Click a card title to open its report, or go to Analytics > Reports for the full list grouped by category [2][3]. Analytics > Live View shows visitors and orders as they happen [4]. ## Before you start Shopify Analytics has three parts. The **Analytics** page is a dashboard of metric cards. **Reports** give deeper data on one metric or set of metrics, as a chart and a table. **Live View** shows your online store traffic as it happens [1]. - **Plan.** Shopify says the main features of Shopify Analytics are available on any subscription plan [1]. The Advanced plan adds custom reports and predicted values for some reports [5]. - **Staff access.** Staff members need **Analytics** permissions to see reports and dashboards [1]. - **How fresh the data is.** Dashboard data is updated within about 1 minute [6]. - **How sessions are counted.** Sessions and visitors are based on cookies, and a session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity [2]. Worked example: a candle shop selling 40 products in the US and Canada wants to know whether last month beat the month before, and which candles sold best. ## Steps 1. **Open the dashboard.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Analytics** [2]. On desktop, the dashboard shows the last 90 days by default. In the Shopify app, it shows today compared with yesterday [2]. 2. **Set the date range.** Click the date range menu (calendar icon). Choose a preset in the sidebar, select **Custom range** for fixed dates, or use the **Last** section for a rolling range. Click **Apply** [2]. For the candle shop, pick last month. 3. **Compare with an earlier period.** Open the comparison menu, select **Previous period** or **Previous year**, or click **Custom** to set your own dates, then click **Apply** [2]. Select **No comparison** to remove it [2]. 4. **Open the report behind a card.** On desktop, click the title of a metric card to go to its report [2]. Each report shows its data as a chart and a table [3]. 5. **Browse all reports.** Go to **Analytics** > **Reports**. Reports are grouped by subject, and you can filter the list by category [3]. Shopify's default categories are Acquisition, Behavior, Customers, Finance, Fraud, Inventory, Marketing, Order, Profit, Retail sales and Sales [7]. To see only Shopify's own reports, filter by **Created by** and select **Shopify** [7]. 6. **Change a report's dates.** In a report, click the calendar icon, or click the **Date range** value in the **Filters** menu of the configuration panel. Choose a range and click **Apply** [8]. 7. **Compare a report with the past.** Click the **Compare to** or **No comparison** indicator in the upper-left corner, then click **Comparison to past**. Select **Previous period**, **Previous year** or **Custom range**, then click **Apply** [8]. 8. **Make the dashboard yours.** On a desktop computer, go to **Analytics** and click the horizontal menu icon > **Customize** [9]. Drag cards to move them, drag the lower-right corner to resize, drag a card in from the metric library sidebar to add it, and click **X** on a card to remove it. Click **Save** when you're done [9]. Changes show on desktop and mobile [9]. 9. **Group cards into sections.** In the dashboard editor, click **Add section**, type a name and press Enter, then add cards to it and click **Save** [9]. The candle shop could keep one section for sales and one for traffic. 10. **Watch Live View on a busy day.** Go to **Analytics** > **Live View** [4]. Live View needs the Online Store sales channel [4]. It shows visitors right now (active in the past 5 minutes), total sales, sessions and orders since midnight, and customer behavior in the last 10 minutes [4]. 11. **Export a report.** Go to **Analytics** > **Reports**, click the report, then click the horizontal menu icon > **Export**. If the **Export report** dialog offers a choice, pick a file format, then click **Export** [10]. Formats include CSV, XML, JSONL and Parquet [10]. ## Check your work - Your dashboard shows the cards you chose, in the order you set, after you reload the **Analytics** page [9]. - A report with a comparison shows both periods for the same dates you picked on the dashboard [2][8]. - An exported file opens in a spreadsheet program and has more rows than the report shows on screen when the report is large [3][10]. ## Common problems - **"My report stops at 1,000 rows."** Reports show at most 1,000 rows on screen, though totals cover all rows. Export the report to get every row [3]. - **"Sessions and conversion rate changed but my traffic didn't."** Shopify rolled out a session measurement update from September 21 to 23, 2026. Session-based metrics such as sessions and conversion rate might change after it reaches your store, even if traffic and orders didn't [6]. - **"My visitor count doesn't match another analytics tool."** Counts differ because of counting windows, bot filtering, JavaScript or cookie settings and time zones [4]. - **"Live View shows lots of visitors in Kansas."** Visitors whose location can't be resolved within the US may appear at a default point in Kansas. This usually reflects bots, crawlers or VPN traffic [4]. - **"I can't customize the dashboard in the app."** Customizing is only possible in the Shopify admin on a desktop computer [9]. - **"I don't see insights at the top."** Insights are generated daily only for stores that average at least 10 orders a week over the last 6 months [2]. - **"A staff member can't see reports."** Give them **Analytics** permissions [1]. ## Further reading - [Using the Analytics overview dashboard](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/overview-dashboard/using-the-overview-dashboard) [2] - [Default Shopify reports](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/report-types/default-reports) [7] Sources: [1] Shopify Analytics, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports [2] Using the Analytics overview dashboard, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/overview-dashboard/using-the-overview-dashboard [3] Reports, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/report-types [4] Live View, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/live-view [5] Advanced Shopify plan, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/pricing-plans/plans-features/shopify-advanced-plan [6] Analytics overview dashboard, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/overview-dashboard [7] Default Shopify reports, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/report-types/default-reports [8] Setting and comparing time ranges for your reports, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/using-reports/time-ranges [9] Customizing the Analytics overview dashboard, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/overview-dashboard/customizing-overview-dashboard [10] Exporting reports, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/reports-and-analytics/shopify-reports/using-reports/export-reports --- # Email marketing with Shopify Messaging (formerly Shopify Email) URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/email-marketing-with-shopify-email. Stage: Grow. Checked 2026-10-08. Shopify Email is now called Shopify Messaging, and it sends email, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns from your Shopify admin [1]. Set your sender address in Settings > Notifications, then go to Apps > Messaging, click Create campaign, pick a template and a segment, send a test and click Review to send or schedule it [2][3]. Each store gets 10,000 free emails a month [4]. ## Before you start Shopify Messaging, formerly Shopify Email, lets you create and send email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing campaigns from your Shopify admin, plus marketing automations [1]. This guide covers one email campaign. - **Plan.** Shopify Messaging is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans [1]. Your store must be on an active, paid plan, have the Online Store sales channel and have a payment provider set up [5]. On a free trial or the Pause and Build plan, you can build campaigns and send tests to yourself, but not send to subscribers [5]. - **Network Intelligence.** Shopify Network Intelligence must be turned on in your privacy settings [1]. - **Cost.** All stores on these plans get 10,000 free emails at the start of each month. After that, it costs $1 USD per 1,000 emails up to 300,000, then less at higher volumes [4]. Abandoned checkout automations are free and don't count toward the limit [4]. Extra charges appear on your next Shopify invoice as Marketing emails [4]. - **Consent.** Send promotional email only to customers who agreed to receive marketing from your store. Buying an email list is prohibited by Shopify's Terms of Service [6]. Worked example: a candle shop selling 40 products in the US and Canada sends a fall launch email to everyone who subscribed. ## Steps 1. **Set your sender address.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Notifications**. In the **Sender email** section, enter your email address and click **Save** [2]. Avoid addresses with "no-reply", "do-not-reply" or "noreply" [2]. 2. **Authenticate your domain.** In the **Sender email** section, click **authenticate your domain** and add every CNAME record shown at your domain provider. Changes can take up to 48 hours [2]. If your domain is with Cloudflare, GoDaddy or IONOS, you can click **Authenticate automatically** instead [2]. 3. **Add a DMARC record.** At your domain provider, add a TXT record with the host `_dmarc` and the value `v=DMARC1; p=none;`. Your domain can have only one DMARC record [2]. Automatic authentication doesn't add this for you [2]. 4. **Open the app.** Shopify Messaging is installed by default [7]. Go to **Apps** > **Messaging** [3]. If it is missing, install it from its Shopify App Store page with **Add app** and **Install app** [7]. 5. **Set a spending alert.** In the app, click **Settings**. In **Monthly spending alert**, click **Add threshold**, enter an amount and click **Save** [7]. The alert emails the account owner but doesn't stop billing [7]. 6. **Start a campaign.** Go to **Apps** > **Messaging**, click **Create campaign**, then select an email template [3]. 7. **Choose who gets it.** In the **To** field, click the segment drop-down menu and choose **All email subscribers** or a customer segment [3]. The candle shop picks **All email subscribers**. 8. **Write the subject and preview text.** Enter a subject line. Optionally, enter preview text, which shows after the subject in the inbox [3]. 9. **Edit the content.** Click a section to edit it. To add a section, hover where you want it and click **+**. To remove one, click it and then the trash can icon [3]. Shopify doesn't check spelling, so proofread [3]. 10. **Send a test.** Click **Send test**, enter up to five email addresses one at a time, then click **Send** [3]. Open the test on your phone and computer. 11. **Review and send or schedule.** Click **Review**, then **Schedule send**. Select the suggested time and click **Schedule**, select **Now** and click **Send**, or select **Custom date and time**, set the date and time and click **Schedule** [3]. An estimate of the cost appears before you send [3]. ## Check your work - In **Settings** > **Notifications**, your sender address shows as your own domain, not `store+123@shopifyemail.com` [2]. - Your test email arrived and every link opens the right page [3]. - In **Customers**, the **Email subscribers** segment has the number of people you expected to reach [6]. ## Common problems - **"My emails come from a shopifyemail.com address."** Your domain isn't authenticated, so Shopify rewrites the sender to `store+123@shopifyemail.com`. Add the CNAME and DMARC records [2]. Removing the CNAME records later resets the sender the same way [2]. - **"The app says fewer people than my customer list."** Shopify Messaging only emails customers who accepted marketing, so the count can differ from the **Customers** page [6]. - **"My campaign went to fewer subscribers than I expected."** Smart delivery is on by default and sends only to engaged subscribers. Find it under **Apps** > **Messaging** > **Settings**, in the **Delivery** section [8]. Turning it off can raise bounces, spam complaints and costs [8]. - **"My scheduled email went back to draft."** If a segment has 0 subscribers when the email is due to send, it reverts to a draft [3]. - **"I can't send to my list."** You can't send to subscribers on a free trial or the Pause and Build plan [5]. - **"I need to stop a scheduled email."** Open the campaign, click **Edit send date**, then **Remove send date** [3]. - **"I want to attach a PDF."** Attachments aren't supported. Upload the file to your store and link to it [3]. ## Further reading - [Create email marketing campaigns using Shopify Messaging](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-messaging/email/create-email/create-campaigns) [3] - [Shopify Messaging email pricing](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-messaging/email/pricing) [4] Sources: [1] Shopify Messaging, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email [2] Setting up your sender email address, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/initial-setup/setup-your-email [3] Create email marketing campaigns using Shopify Messaging, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-messaging/email/create-email/create-campaigns [4] Shopify Messaging email pricing, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-messaging/email/pricing [5] Requirements for using Shopify Messaging, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-messaging/requirements [6] Email subscriber list management, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-messaging/email/subscriber-list-management [7] Set up the Shopify Messaging app, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-messaging/setup [8] Optimizing your marketing campaign delivery and deliverability, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-messaging/delivery --- # Discount codes and automatic discounts URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/discounts. Stage: Grow. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to Discounts, click Create discount and pick a type such as Amount off products [1]. Under Method, choose Discount code (customers type it at checkout) or Automatic discount (applied in the cart when conditions are met), set the value, eligibility, combinations and dates, then click Save [2][1]. A store can have at most 25 active automatic discounts [3]. ## Before you start Shopify has three built-in discount types: amount off (a percentage or a fixed amount), buy X get Y, and free shipping [4]. Each can run as a **discount code**, which customers enter at checkout, or as an **automatic discount**, which applies in the cart and at checkout once the conditions are met [2]. Discounts apply to the order subtotal before tax, and tax is calculated afterwards [5]. - **Plan.** Shopify's discount pages don't list which plans include discounts. Some options are Shopify Plus only, such as stacking several product discounts on the same line item and building a custom discounts app [5][3]. - **Limits.** You can have at most 25 active automatic discounts, including app-based ones [3][6]. A customer can use at most 5 product or order discount codes and 1 shipping discount code on one order [3]. - **In person.** Discount codes work online and with Shopify POS [7]. Automatic discounts apply at retail locations only with POS Pro [1]. - **Sale prices are different.** Discounts are not the same as sale prices set with compare-at prices [8]. Worked example: a candle shop selling 40 products in the US and Canada runs 15% off its Fall collection, with the code FALL15 for its email list. ## Steps 1. **Start a new discount.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Discounts** and click **Create discount** [1]. 2. **Pick the type.** From the **Select discount type** menu, choose **Amount off products** or **Amount off orders** [1]. The candle shop picks **Amount off products**. 3. **Choose the method.** Under **Method**, select **Discount code** or **Automatic discount** [1]. For a code, enter a name such as FALL15 or click **Generate code**. Avoid special characters in the name [1][7]. For an automatic discount, enter a **Title** customers will see [1]. 4. **Set the value.** In the **Value** section, select **Percentage** or **Fixed amount** and enter the amount [1]. Amount off discounts don't reduce shipping costs [1]. 5. **Choose what it applies to.** Under **Applies to**, select **Specific products** or **Specific collections** and add them [1]. The candle shop adds its Fall collection. 6. **Add a minimum if you want one.** Under **Minimum requirements**, choose **Minimum purchase amount** or **Minimum quantity of items** [1]. Minimums count product prices only, not shipping or taxes [1]. 7. **Choose who can use it.** Under **Eligibility**, choose **All customers**, **Specific customers**, **Customer segments** or **Markets**, and click **Add** if needed [1]. 8. **Limit uses for a code.** Under **Maximum discount uses**, check **Limit number of times this discount can be used in total**, **Limit to one per customer**, or both [1]. Automatic discounts don't have this section [1]. 9. **Decide what it combines with.** Under **Combinations**, check the discount classes it can combine with [1]. Discounts don't combine unless both of them allow it [3]. 10. **Set the dates and save.** In **Active dates**, set a start date. Click **Set end date** to add an end, or leave it blank so the discount doesn't expire [1]. Times follow your store's time zone [1]. Click **Save** [1]. 11. **Share the code with a link.** Click the discount's name, click **Promote**, then select **Get a shareable discount code**. Choose the page, product or collection the link opens, then click **Copy link** or download the QR code [9]. Links and QR codes work only for active discounts [9]. ## Check your work - Add an eligible product to your cart and enter the code at checkout. The discount should appear, and the total should match the value you set [1][7]. - Add only products that aren't eligible and enter the code. You should see a message that the code isn't valid for the items in your cart [8]. - On the **Discounts** page, the discount shows as active, and its **Timeline** records when you created it [9]. ## Common problems - **"Customers see 'Enter a valid discount code'."** The code doesn't exist or isn't active yet. Check the spelling and the **Active dates** [8][1]. - **"There's no discount code box at checkout."** The field appears only when you have at least 1 active discount code available to customers [8]. - **"Two discounts don't stack."** Both discounts must allow the other's class under **Combinations** [3]. If they can't combine, Shopify applies the best discount for the cart [3]. Combinations work only on the Online Store, the Storefront API and Shopify POS, not on external checkouts such as Facebook, Instagram or Google [3]. - **"The automatic discount didn't apply."** Customers must add every eligible item to the cart, including the items needed to qualify and any free items [6]. - **"A Buy X get Y product won't take another discount."** On stores not on Shopify Plus, products in an active Buy X get Y discount can't get extra product discounts [3]. - **"I need to end a sale early."** Open the discount and click **Deactivate**, then **Deactivate** again to confirm [9]. Deleting a discount is permanent [9]. - **"A customer reused a one-per-customer code."** If you delete such a discount and create it again, customers who used the first one can use the new one [7]. ## Further reading - [Combining discounts](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-combinations) [3] - [Managing and editing your discounts](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/managing-discounts) [9] Sources: [1] Amount off discounts, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-types/percentage-fixed-amount [2] Discount methods, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-methods [3] Combining discounts, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-combinations [4] Discount types, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-types [5] Discounts, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts [6] Automatic discounts, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-methods/automatic-discounts [7] Discount codes, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-methods/discount-codes [8] Discount codes FAQ, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discounts-faq [9] Managing and editing your discounts, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/managing-discounts --- # Recover abandoned checkouts URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/recover-abandoned-checkouts. Stage: Grow. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to **Orders** > **Abandoned checkouts** to see checkouts where a customer entered an email but did not pay [1]. Turn on automatic recovery emails in **Apps** > **Messaging** > **Automations**, choose who gets them and how long to wait, and send a single recovery link by hand from the checkout's page when a customer asks [1][2]. ## Before you start Shopify counts a checkout as abandoned when a customer has entered an email address but has not finished paying, and the checkout stays incomplete for more than ten minutes after that [1]. The items in the cart are not saved after the checkout is abandoned [1]. Keep these limits in mind: - Recovery works only for the **Online Store** and **Buy Button** sales channels. Checkouts from Shopify POS, Shop or third-party channels do not get recovery emails [1][2]. - Abandoned checkouts older than three months are deleted automatically, and you cannot delete a single one by hand. To keep one, create a draft order with the same details [1]. - Shopify's pages on this feature do not say which plans include it. For Shopify B2B, abandoned checkouts are off by default, and the store or organization owner must contact Shopify Support to turn them on [1]. - Recovery emails are now set up in the **Shopify Messaging** app. An older abandoned checkout email in **Settings** > **Checkout** keeps working until Shopify removes it. Switching to the new automation is permanent; you cannot go back to the legacy email [2]. ## Steps 1. **Open the abandoned checkouts list.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Orders** > **Abandoned checkouts** [1]. Each row shows the customer, an **Email status** and a **Recovery status** [1]. Checkouts that Shopify Payments blocked as high risk appear in the **Blocked** view [1]. 2. **Read why a payment failed.** Click a checkout, then open **Timeline** on its details page. Click a payment event to expand it and read the **Message** field. It tells you what to pass on to the customer, such as a declined card [1]. 3. **Open the recovery automation.** Go to **Apps** > **Messaging** > **Automations** [1]. If you already have the **Abandoned checkout emails by Shopify** automation, click its actions menu (**...**) > **Edit settings** [1]. If you are setting it up for the first time, click **View templates**, select the **Abandoned checkout** template, and click **Turn on automation** > **Continue** [2]. Your earlier legacy settings carry over when you switch [2]. 4. **Turn on automatic sending.** In the **Abandoned checkout emails** section, select **Send abandoned checkout emails automatically** [1]. 5. **Choose who receives the email.** Under **Send to**, pick the recipients [1]. By default only customers subscribed to email marketing get the email; you can choose **All customers** to include everyone [2]. 6. **Set the wait time.** Under **Send after**, choose how long Shopify waits before sending, then click **Save** [1]. The wait time and workflow run in Shopify Flow; you can change them from the automation with **Edit** and then **Turn on workflow** [2]. 7. **Edit the email.** Click **Customize email**, or select the automation and click **Edit** > **Edit email** > **Continue** [1][2]. You can change the **To**, **Subject**, **Preview text** and **From** fields, and use the section editor to change text, logo and colors or add a discount [2]. Click **Save**. 8. **Send a recovery link by hand when needed.** Go to **Orders** > **Abandoned checkouts** and click the checkout's number. Click the customer's email address under the customer information, and your email program opens with the recovery link [1]. Send it only to that customer. Anyone with the link can continue the checkout, and you cannot turn a link off after you send it [1]. 9. **Recreate checkouts you cannot recover by email.** If Shopify Payments blocked a payment as high risk and you know the customer, create a draft order and send them an invoice [1]. If a third-party gateway captured the payment but Shopify did not record it, recreate the order as a draft order, mark it as paid, then fulfill it [1]. 10. **Find shoppers who abandoned a checkout.** To see these customers as a group, build a customer segment with the condition `abandoned_checkout_date IS NOT NULL` [3]. The guide to customer segments on this site walks through the segment editor. ## Check your work - Open **Orders** > **Abandoned checkouts** a day after you turn the automation on and look at the **Email status** column. Hover over the tooltip on any email that was not delivered to see why [1]. - Go to **Automations** > **Marketing automation**, select the automation, then open **Workflow** > **View recent activity** and click a **Run ID** to see the result of each send [2]. - Open the **Abandoned checkouts emails report by Shopify** in the **Growth** section of your reports. It shows sessions, completed orders, conversion rate, sales, average order value and first-time customers [1]. - A checkout counts as recovered once the customer completes the order, whether through the link or on their own [2]. ## Common problems - **"Some abandoned checkouts never got an email."** Shopify does not send one when the customer bought before the send time, a payment processing error occurred, you do not ship to the customer's address, the customer entered a phone number instead of an email, no products are available, the order is free with no shipping fee, or Shopify Payments blocked the payment as high risk [1]. With the default settings, customers who are not subscribed to email marketing are also skipped, and no email goes out while a newer abandoned checkout's wait time has not passed [2]. - **"Checkouts from my POS or marketplace channel are missing."** Recovery covers only the **Online Store** and **Buy Button** channels [1]. - **"I see checkouts that look like bots."** Shopify filters most card testing and bot checkouts, but some can still appear in the list [1]. - **"A customer paid, but I only see an abandoned checkout."** With a third-party payment gateway, this can happen when the customer leaves before returning to the store, the return URL is wrong or the confirmation does not reach Shopify. Recreate the order as a draft order and mark it as paid [1]. - **"I want the old email back."** Once you turn on the new automation, you cannot return to the legacy abandoned checkout email [2]. ## Further reading - Abandoned checkouts, Shopify Help Center [1] - Migrating to the new abandoned checkout automation, Shopify Help Center [2] Sources: [1] Abandoned checkouts, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/orders/abandoned-checkouts [2] Migrating to the new abandoned checkout automation, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/migrate-abandoned-checkout [3] Customer segment reference guide: components, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation/reference-guide/components --- # Sell internationally with Markets URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/sell-internationally-with-markets. Stage: Grow, Scale. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to **Markets**, click **Create market**, name it and add the countries under **Includes** > **Add condition** > **Regions** [4]. Then open the market to set a local currency, a language and a domain or subfolder, and change its status to **Active** once shipping rates cover every country in it [4][3][5]. Regional markets are free on all plans [2]. ## Before you start A market is a group of customers, defined by conditions such as their country, that you can give their own currency, product availability, theme content, domain, language, taxes and, where your store has it, shipping options [1]. This guide sets up a regional market: one or more countries outside your home country. What to check first: - **Plan.** Creating regional markets is free on all Shopify plans [2]. Currency, domain, language, discount and duty and tax settings per market are on every plan. Theme customization and checkout and accounts pages per market need the Advanced plan or higher; checkout page blocks and business entities per market need Shopify Plus [2]. - **Payments.** Customers can pay in their local currency only if you use Shopify Payments or Adyen. With any other payment provider, every market pays in your store's default currency [2][3]. - **Shipping.** You need shipping rates for every country in a market before you can activate it [2][4]. - **Staff access.** A staff member needs several permissions to use the **Markets** page, including all order, product, analytics and discount permissions and the shipping, taxes and domains store settings [2]. Your store already has a domestic market, created from your store address and currency, and may show a suggested international market that is inactive by default [4]. A worked example: a candle shop in the US that wants to sell to Canada creates a market called "Canada", adds Canada as its region, sets Canadian dollars with rounding, and keeps English as the language. ## Steps 1. **Add shipping rates for the new countries.** Make sure every country you plan to include already has a shipping rate. A market with countries you do not ship to stays inactive [4]. 2. **Create the market.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Markets** and click **Create market**. In the **Name** section, enter a name, then set the status next to it to **Draft** so you can preview before customers see it [4]. 3. **Choose the countries.** In the **Includes** section, click **Add condition** and select **Regions**, then select the countries or regions [4]. To target only some states or provinces, open the country and select them [4]. 4. **Review inherited settings.** The **Inherited** section shows settings that come from your store defaults. Click the plus-circle icon next to a setting to change it for this market; it moves to the **Customized** section. Click **Save** [4]. 5. **Set the currency.** Open the market and click the plus icon next to **Currency**. Select the currency, then choose an exchange rate setting [3]. A dynamic rate tracks the market rate and adds a conversion fee of 1.5% or 2%, depending on your store's location, to the price the customer sees [3]. A manual rate is one you enter and keep up to date; the fee then comes out of your payout instead [3]. Optionally activate **Rounding**, click **Done**, then **Save** [3]. 6. **Add a language, if you need one.** Go to **Settings** > **Languages**, click **Add language**, select it and click **Save** [5]. A language must be added to the store before you can assign it to a market [5]. 7. **Assign a domain and language.** In **Markets**, open the market and click the plus-circle icon next to **Domain / language** [5]. Choose **Subfolder** (for example `yourstore.com/fr/`), **Subdomain** (`fr.yourstore.com`) or **Separate domain** (`yourstore.fr`, which must already be connected in **Settings** > **Domains**). Select the **Language**, click **Done**, then **Save** [5]. 8. **Turn on automatic redirection.** Go to **Online Store** > **Preferences**. In the **Automatic redirection** section, activate **Country/region** and, if you offer more than one language, **Language**. Click **Save** [6]. 9. **Add country and language selectors.** Go to **Online Store**, click **Edit theme** on your published theme, open the header or footer section, and activate the **Country/region selector** and **Language selector**. Click **Save** [6]. Shopify recommends keeping these even with redirection on, because location by IP address can be wrong for shoppers on a VPN or some mobile networks [6]. 10. **Activate the market.** Go to **Markets**, click the market, change the status from **Draft** to **Active**, and click **Save** [4]. ## Check your work - On the **Markets** page, confirm the new market shows as active. A draft market, or one with a country you do not ship to, stays inactive, and its customers cannot complete a purchase [4]. - Use the country selector on your storefront to switch to a country in the new market and check that prices show in the expected currency, with rounding if you turned it on [3][6]. - Visit the subfolder, subdomain or domain you assigned and check that the store opens in the language you chose [5]. - Pick a fixed-amount discount and check it at checkout in the new currency. Fixed-amount discounts are created in your default currency and converted at checkout [2]. ## Common problems - **"Customers in a country can't check out."** Only customers in countries within an active market can check out [2]. Customers in an inactive market get the backup region experience [4]. Add shipping rates for every country, then activate the market [4]. - **"Prices still show in my home currency."** Local currencies need Shopify Payments or Adyen [2]. In a multi-country market, check that **Local currencies** is still activated in the market's currency settings [3]. - **"The language I want isn't in the list."** Add it first in **Settings** > **Languages** [5]. - **"My separate domain isn't offered."** Connect it in **Settings** > **Domains** before you assign it to a market [5]. - **"I can't change the theme for one country."** Theme customization per market needs the Advanced plan or higher. Only one theme can be published at a time [2]. - **"A refund came out to a different amount."** Refunds on foreign-currency orders convert at the rate on the refund date, and the original conversion fee is not refunded [3]. - **"Post-purchase offers don't show abroad."** They work only in your default currency and are not shown in markets that use another currency [2]. ## Further reading - Markets, Shopify Help Center [1] - Requirements and considerations for Markets, Shopify Help Center [2] Sources: [1] Markets, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/markets [2] Requirements and considerations for Markets, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/markets/getting-started/requirements-and-considerations [3] Setting up currencies for markets, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/markets/customizations/local-currencies [4] Creating and activating markets, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/markets/getting-started/set-up-markets [5] Assigning domains and languages to markets, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/markets/customizations/domains-and-languages [6] Setting up localization, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/markets/getting-started/localization --- # Customer accounts and segments URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/customer-segments. Stage: Grow. Checked 2026-10-08. Turn on customer sign-in in **Settings** > **Customer accounts** with **Show sign-in links** [4]. Then go to **Customers** > **Segments** > **Create segment**, build the conditions in the query editor, click **Run** and **Save segment** [5]. From a saved segment, **Use segment** sends an email or creates a discount for just those customers [3]. ## Before you start This guide covers two related jobs. First, customer accounts let shoppers sign in to see their orders and details. By default they sign in without a password: they enter their email and receive a one-time 6-digit code [1]. Sign-in with Shop needs Shop Pay activated, and connecting your own identity provider needs Shopify Plus [1]. Second, customer segments are rule-based customer lists. You write the rules as a query, and Shopify adds or removes customers as they start or stop matching [2][3]. A customer can be in more than one segment, and test orders and deleted orders are left out of the calculations [3]. Shopify's pages on these features do not state which plans include customer accounts or segments, or how many segments you can create. The only plan limits stated are the Shopify Plus requirement for your own identity provider and that saved payment methods in accounts are only for stores on Shopify's Enterprise offering [1][4]. A worked example: a candle shop wants to thank customers who have ordered five or more times and agreed to receive emails. It builds that segment, then sends those customers a discount. ## Steps 1. **Show sign-in links on your store.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Customer accounts**. In the **Sign-in links** section, turn on **Show sign-in links**, then click **Save** [4]. How the link looks depends on your theme; it is often a person icon or a label such as "Sign in" [4]. 2. **Choose extra account options.** On the same page you can turn on other settings, such as self-serve returns, store credit, an account URL on a subdomain, social sign-in with Google and Facebook, and **Sign in with Shop** [4]. Branding for the account pages is set in the checkout and accounts editor, where you can work in a draft before publishing [4]. 3. **Open the segment editor.** Go to **Customers**, click **Segments**, then click **Create segment** [5]. Click in the query editor to show the default query. It starts with `FROM customers` and a `SHOW` line, which you cannot change, and a `WHERE` line that holds your rules [5]. 4. **Start from a template, if one fits.** Click the **Templates** icon, optionally narrow the list by **Categories**, and click a template card. Its filters, operators and values fill the editor, and you can edit them [5]. 5. **Write the conditions.** In the `WHERE` clause, pick a filter, an operator and a value from the suggestions, or type them [5]. For the worked example, enter `email_subscription_status = 'SUBSCRIBED' AND number_of_orders >= 5` [6]. Without brackets, `AND` is applied before `OR`, so use brackets when you mix them [6]. 6. **Run the query.** Click **Run**. Matching customers appear below the editor and the count appears above it [5]. If the query has an error, the line is underlined in red; hover over it to see a suggested fix [5]. 7. **Save the segment.** Review the AI-generated description and edit it if needed. Click **Save segment**, enter a name, and click **Save** [5]. 8. **Email the segment.** Open the segment and click **Use segment** > **Email**, then create the campaign in Shopify Messaging [3]. If the app is not installed, you are asked to install it the first time [3]. 9. **Give the segment a discount.** Open the segment and click **Use segment** > **Discount**, then choose **Amount off products**, **Amount off orders**, **Buy X get Y** or **Free shipping** [3]. 10. **Export the list if you need a record.** Open the segment, click **More actions** > **Export**, choose a CSV format and click **Export customers** [3]. Shopify suggests exporting to keep a record of who received an email campaign [3]. ## Check your work - Open your online store in a private browser window and look for the sign-in link in the header. Sign in with an email that belongs to a customer profile; you should receive a 6-digit code [1][4]. - On **Customers** > **Segments**, find your segment and check the share of all customers it holds. Hover over the count to see when it was last updated [3]. - Open the segment and run it again. The list and count update each time [5]. ## Common problems - **"Customers can't find where to sign in."** Sign-in links are off, or your theme hides the account icon. Turn on **Show sign-in links** in **Settings** > **Customer accounts** [4]. If the links are hidden, customers cannot sign in at all [4]. - **"I want to switch off one customer's account."** You cannot deactivate a single account. You can delete the customer profile, but a new one is created if they sign in again with the same email [4]. - **"Two profiles belong to the same person."** Customers cannot merge profiles by changing their email. Merge them yourself in the admin [1]. - **"My email reached fewer people than the segment count."** Only subscribed customers with valid email addresses receive Shopify Messaging campaigns [3]. - **"I can't rename my segment."** Check that no other segment shows **Draft**, then use **More actions** > **Rename** [3]. - **"I changed a default segment by mistake."** When you edit an existing segment, use **Save as new segment** to keep the original unchanged [5]. ## Further reading - Customer segmentation, Shopify Help Center [2] - Managing customer segments, Shopify Help Center [3] Sources: [1] Customer accounts, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-accounts [2] Customer segmentation, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation [3] Managing customer segments, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation/manage-customer-segments [4] Setting up and managing customer accounts, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-accounts/manage [5] Creating customer segments, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation/create-customer-segments [6] Customer segment reference guide: components, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation/reference-guide/components --- # Sell on social and marketplace channels URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/sales-channels. Stage: Grow. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Sales channels**, click **Shopify App Store**, search for the channel and click **Install** [4]. All existing products become available on a new channel, so open any product you want to hold back and change its channels in the **Publishing** section [4][8]. Each channel has its own eligibility rules and terms [4]. ## Before you start A sales channel connects your Shopify store to another place where people shop. Once connected, you manage the channel's products and orders from your Shopify admin [1]. Shopify lists social channels such as Facebook and Instagram, TikTok Shop and Roblox, and marketplace channels such as Google & YouTube, Shopify Marketplace Connect (for marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart), Faire, Whatnot, Temu, DoorDash, StockX and Newegg [2][3]. What to check first: - **Eligibility.** Some channels have eligibility rules, and you might need to change store settings before adding them. A channel you cannot add shows as **Unavailable** [4]. - **Terms.** Read each channel's terms first. Some require or forbid certain product information, and some require you to ship within a set time [4]. - **Plan.** Shopify's channel pages do not state plan limits for channels in general. The Facebook & Instagram channel is free on all Shopify plans, subject to store eligibility [5]. - **Taxes.** Since August 26, 2025, Meta is no longer a marketplace tax facilitator. You collect and remit sales tax on Facebook and Instagram orders, so check **Settings** > **Taxes and Duties** before you start [5][6]. This guide uses Facebook & Instagram as the worked example, because Shopify documents its setup step by step. A candle shop that already sells on its online store adds this channel and keeps two seasonal candles off it. ## Steps 1. **Remove your store password.** The Facebook & Instagram channel needs an online store that is not password protected, and a valid sender email address [6]. 2. **Prepare the accounts the channel asks for.** For Facebook & Instagram, you need a published Facebook Page connected to a business portfolio, and your personal Facebook account needs full control of both [6]. To sell on Instagram, your account must be a professional account linked to that Page [6]. Your business must be in a country Meta supports for shops [6]. 3. **Find the channel.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Sales channels** and click **Shopify App Store** [4]. Search for the channel, here **Facebook** [7]. 4. **Install the channel.** Click **Install**, or **Add channel** or **Add app**, depending on the listing [4][7]. 5. **Connect your accounts.** Click **Start set up** on the feature you want first, then **Connect account** and sign in to Facebook. Connect the Page and other assets the feature needs, accept the terms and click **Finish setup** [7]. The business portfolio you choose must own the Page, and the Page must not be connected to another Shopify store [7]. 6. **Choose which products the channel sells.** When you add a channel, all existing products become available on it [4]. To hold one back, go to **Products**, click the product, click the **Adjust** icon in the **Publishing** section, deselect the channel, click **Done** and then **Save** [8]. For many products, use a bulk action [8]. 7. **Check markets, if you use channel markets.** If a channel belongs to a channel market, a product shows on that channel only when it is in the catalogs assigned to that market and is published to the channel [8]. 8. **Wait for product review.** Products on Facebook and Instagram go through Meta's review, and products that break Meta's Commerce Policy can be removed [6]. Only Meta can approve use of the channel. For status updates, use the **Get Support** link inside the channel [7]. 9. **Add more channels the same way.** Repeat steps 3 to 6 for each channel. For Google & YouTube, Shopify syncs products to Google Merchant Center, and setup guides are in Google Merchant Center Help, since Google runs the channel [9]. The channel is available only in some countries and currencies [9]. 10. **Remove a channel you no longer use.** Go to **Settings** > **Sales channels**, click the **Horizontal menu** icon for the channel, click **Uninstall**, select **I understand the risks of uninstalling this sales channel**, and click **Uninstall** [4]. ## Check your work - Go to **Settings** > **Sales channels** and confirm the new channel is listed [4]. - Open a product you held back and check that the channel is not selected in its **Publishing** section [8]. - In Shopify Home, choose the channel from the drop-down menu to see its sales and traffic summary [4]. - Open your shop on Facebook or Instagram and add an item to the cart. Checkout there sends the shopper to your online store with **Checkout on seller's website** [6]. ## Common problems - **"The channel says Unavailable."** Your store does not meet its requirements. Click **You can't add this channel** to see why [4]. - **"My Facebook Page doesn't appear during setup."** The business portfolio you selected must own the Page. Check Page ownership or connect a different portfolio [7]. - **"A product disappeared from Facebook, Instagram and my ads at once."** Shops, shopping and ads share one product catalog, so making a product unavailable to the channel removes it from all three [6]. - **"A staff member can't use the channel."** Each staff member connects it in their own admin with their own Facebook account that has full control of the portfolio and Page [7]. - **"A channel stopped working after an update."** Contact the channel's developer. If you cannot reach them, uninstall the channel; Shopify cannot update third-party channels [4]. ## Further reading - Sales channels, Shopify Help Center [1] - Marketplace sales channels, Shopify Help Center [3] Sources: [1] Sales channels, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels [2] Social commerce sales channels, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/social-commerce [3] Marketplace sales channels, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/marketplaces [4] Managing sales channels, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/manage [5] Facebook & Instagram by Meta, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/social-commerce/facebook-instagram-by-meta [6] Facebook & Instagram by Meta: requirements and considerations, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/social-commerce/facebook-instagram-by-meta/requirements-and-considerations [7] Setting up Facebook & Instagram by Meta, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/facebook-instagram-by-meta/setup [8] Adding and updating products, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/add-update-products [9] Google & YouTube, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/marketplaces/google --- # Keep your store fast: images, apps and theme code URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/keep-your-store-fast. Stage: Grow. Checked 2026-10-08. Check your Core Web Vitals in the performance summary on the **Online Store** page, or search the web performance reports in **Analytics** > **Reports** [1][2]. Then remove apps you don't need, resize large images, cut extra sections and animations, and audit tracking tags [3]. Shopify's reports use real visitor data, so changes can take a while to show [2]. ## Before you start Shopify measures store speed with three Core Web Vitals [1]: - **Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)** measures loading speed. Good is 2,500 ms or less [2]. - **Interaction to Next Paint (INP)** measures how fast the page responds to clicks and taps. Good is 200 ms or less [2]. - **Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)** measures how much content jumps around. Good is 0.1 or less [2]. The numbers come from real visitors, not a simulated test. Your score combines your home page, your most visited product page and your most visited collection page [1]. Shopify reports the 75th percentile, because search engines like Google want at least 75% of page loads to be Good on all three metrics [1]. You need the **Reports** staff permission to see the reports. A store in private mode (password protected) or a brand-new store may show no data [2]. Shopify does not say which plans include these reports. Theme code, apps, images, videos, carousels, social media feeds and analytics tags can all slow a store down [3]. This guide works through them in that order of effort. ## Steps 1. **Read your performance summary.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Online Store**. The Themes page shows the summary. Use the date picker to choose **Today**, **Last 7 days** or **Last 30 days** [2]. Note which metric is Moderate or Poor. 2. **Open the report for the weak metric.** Click the metric, for example **LCP P75 (ms)**, to open its Over Time report. The chart marks store changes such as app installs and theme updates, so you can see if a drop followed one of them [2]. 3. **Find the slow templates and pages.** Go to **Analytics** > **Reports** and type a colon (:) in **Search reports** to list every web performance report. Open the Page Type report to find slow templates, then the Page URL report to find slow pages [2]. If your traffic is low and the numbers jump around, switch to a weekly or monthly view [2]. 4. **Make a backup copy of your theme.** Go to **Online Store**, click the three-dot menu next to your theme and select **Duplicate** [4]. The copy appears as "Copy of" plus the theme name. A store can hold 20 themes, so delete one first if you are at the limit [4]. 5. **Remove apps you don't need.** For each app, ask whether it adds enough value to cover its speed cost [3]. To remove one, go to **Settings** > **Apps**, open the app's three-dot menu, select **Uninstall** and confirm [5]. Uninstalling does not remove code the app added to your theme, so check the app's listing or ask its developer for removal steps first [5][3]. 6. **Review app embeds in your theme.** Go to **Online Store** > **Edit theme**, then click the **App embeds** icon in the sidebar [6]. Each embed has a toggle, and embeds can be turned on or off in the theme editor. Click **Save** after any change [6]. 7. **Resize and replace large images.** Upload images sized to how they are shown, use JPG for photos and PNG for graphics that need transparency [3]. To swap a file, go to **Content** > **Files** and click the **Replace** icon next to it. The new file must be the same format [7]. Shopify accepts images up to 20 MB and 25 megapixels, but smaller files load faster [7][3]. 8. **Cut extra sections and animations.** Templates with many sections can perform worse. Remove sections that don't help sales, and compare your reports before and after you turn on page transitions or other animations [3]. 9. **Turn on pagination for large collections.** If a collection has many products, use pagination so fewer products load at once [3]. The setting is in your theme, so where it appears depends on the theme. 10. **Audit tracking and third-party code.** Check your tag manager and remove unused or low-value tags. Review any third-party code you pasted into the theme by hand [3]. Poor INP usually comes from too much JavaScript in theme, app or tag code [3]. 11. **Consider a newer theme.** If your theme itself is the problem, Shopify suggests an up-to-date Online Store 2.0 theme or one from its Horizon family [3]. Re-activate your app embeds in the new theme, because they are not on by default after a switch [6]. ## Check your work - Open the Over Time report for the metric you worked on. Look for your change in the annotations and watch the line over the following days. Data can be up to 36 hours late [2]. - Run a slow page through PageSpeed Insights, which Shopify lists as a tool for checking single pages [3]. - Load your slowest pages on a phone and on a different connection, and ask someone else to try too [3]. - Click through the pages that used a removed app and confirm nothing is broken or blank. ## Common problems - **"The performance summary is empty."** Your store may be in private mode or have too little traffic. Remove password protection to collect real visitor data [2][1]. - **"My score didn't change after I fixed things."** Metrics may not change right away, and data can be delayed by up to 36 hours [2]. Your device, network and location also affect results and are outside your control [2]. - **"PageSpeed Insights shows a different number."** PageSpeed Insights uses Chrome data from opted-in users. Shopify's reports use a broader set of browsers. Safari visitors are not measured yet [1]. - **"I uninstalled an app but the store is still slow."** The app may have left code in your theme. Contact the app developer for removal steps [5][3]. - **"The page stays blank, then loads all at once."** A slow script is likely blocking it. Use your browser's developer tools to find it, then contact the app or theme developer [3]. ## Further reading - [Improving your online store performance](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/web-performance/improving-web-performance) [3] - [Web performance reports](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/web-performance/web-performance-reports) [2] Sources: [1] Overview of web performance, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/web-performance/overview [2] Web performance reports, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/web-performance/web-performance-reports [3] Improving your online store performance, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/web-performance/improving-web-performance [4] Duplicating themes, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/managing-themes/duplicating-themes [5] Uninstalling apps, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/uninstalling-apps [6] Apps in themes: app blocks and app embeds, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/theme-structure/extend/apps [7] Uploading and managing files, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-admin/productivity-tools/file-uploads --- # Stock across multiple locations URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/multiple-locations. Stage: Scale. Checked 2026-10-08. Add each warehouse, shop or pop-up in **Settings** > **Locations**, then stock products at each location from the product's **Inventory** section [2][4]. Choose which locations fulfill online orders, and rank them in **Settings** > **Shipping and delivery** > **Order routing** [3][6]. Move stock between them with **Products** > **Transfers** [7]. ## Before you start A location is any physical place where you sell products, fulfill orders or stock inventory, such as a warehouse, a retail store or a pop-up. Some apps, like dropshipping apps and third-party logistics services, also count as locations [1]. With more than one location, Shopify tracks stock separately at each one [1]. Your plan sets how many active locations you can have [2]: - Starter: 2 - Basic, Grow and Advanced: 10 - Shopify Plus: 200 Deactivated locations don't count toward the limit. Neither do apps that stock inventory for you; they appear under **App and custom fulfillment locations** [2]. You always need at least one active location [2]. Example: a candle shop with a warehouse in Ohio and a small shop in Toronto. Both hold stock, but only the warehouse ships online orders. ## Steps 1. **Add the location.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Locations**. In **All locations**, click **Add location** [2]. 2. **Enter the name and address.** In **Location details**, click the edit icon next to **Name**, enter a name and click **Done**. Click the edit icon next to **Address**, enter the address and click **Save** [2]. Google verifies the address. An unverified address can block local delivery and shipping label purchases [2]. 3. **Decide whether it ships online orders.** The setting **Inventory at this location is available to fulfill online orders** is on by default. Turn it off for a location that should only sell in person [2]. If you sell in person, you can also turn on **List this location as a physical store to help customers find it** under **Physical storefront**. Click **Save** [2]. 4. **Change the online setting later if needed.** Go to **Settings** > **Locations**, click the location and use the **Use inventory at this location to fulfill online orders** toggle in the **Fulfillment** section. Click **Save** [3]. When it's off, that stock no longer counts toward the product's online quantity, but draft orders and other sales channels can still use it [3]. 5. **Stock products at the new location.** A new location starts with no inventory [4]. Go to **Products**, click a product, and in the **Inventory** section click **Edit locations**. Select the locations that stock it, enter a quantity for each, click **Done**, then **Save** [4]. For many products, use the bulk editor (up to 50 products at a time) or an inventory CSV file, which Shopify recommends for more than 100 products [4]. 6. **Set your default location.** Go to **Settings** > **Locations**. In the **Default location** section, click **Change**, select a location and click **Save** [3]. Only an active location can be the default. If you have not moved to shipping profiles, the default location also sets your shipping rates [3]. 7. **Rank which location ships first.** Order routing needs at least two active locations [5]. Go to **Settings** > **Shipping and delivery**. In the **Shipping** section, click **Order routing**, then the right arrow icon. Click **Add rule**, then **Use ranked locations** [6]. 8. **Arrange the ranking.** Drag the new rule's handle to the top of the list. Click its pencil icon, drag your preferred warehouses into the top group and leave the rest in the bottom group. Click **Done** [6]. With several warehouses, add **Ship from closest location** at the end to break ties, then click **Save** [6]. 9. **Move stock between locations.** Go to **Products** > **Transfers** and click **Create transfer**. Choose a location in **Select origin** and **Select destination**, add products with **Search products**, and enter quantities in the **Move** column. Click **Save** [7]. The transfer is saved as a draft. 10. **Send and receive the transfer.** Open it from the **Transfers** page. Click **Move to in transit** to show the stock as incoming at the destination, or use **Mark as transferred** only if the items have already moved [7]. You can't change the origin or destination after processing [7]. ## Check your work - Open a product and confirm the **Inventory** section lists a quantity at each location that stocks it [4]. - Go to **Settings** > **Locations** and check how many active locations you use against your plan's limit [2]. - Place a test order to an address near each warehouse and confirm it is assigned to the location your routing rules rank first [6]. ## Common problems - **"The product shows a dash at one location."** The product is inactive there. Click **Edit locations** again and select that location [4]. - **"I received a transfer but can't sell the stock there."** Receiving adds quantity but doesn't make the product sellable at that location. Activate the product there or stock the items when you receive them [7]. - **"I can't add another location."** You've reached your plan's limit. Deactivate a location you don't use, since deactivated locations don't count [2]. - **"I can't deactivate my main location."** You can't deactivate the default location. Change the default first [2]. - **"One order is split across two warehouses."** If no single location can fulfill the whole order, Shopify splits it or assigns it to the highest-priority location [3]. **Ship from closest location** also ships from the nearest location even if the order splits [6]. - **"I can't remove a product from a location."** It has unfulfilled orders or active transfers there. Finish those first [4]. ## Further reading - [Setting up order fulfillment for locations](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/inventory-and-locations/locations/fulfillment) [3] - [Setting up order routing](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/order-routing/setting-up-order-routing) [6] Sources: [1] Locations, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/locations [2] Setting up and managing locations, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/inventory-and-locations/locations/setup [3] Setting up order fulfillment for locations, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/inventory-and-locations/locations/fulfillment [4] Multi-managed inventory, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/inventory-and-locations/setup/multi-managed-inventory [5] Order routing, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/order-routing [6] Setting up order routing, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/setup/order-routing/setting-up-order-routing [7] Creating and processing inventory transfers, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/inventory/transfers/create-transfer --- # Metafields and metaobjects URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/metafields-and-metaobjects. Stage: Scale. Checked 2026-10-08. Metafields add your own fields to products, customers, orders and collections; metaobjects hold structured content with several fields that you can reuse [1][3]. Create definitions in **Settings** > **Metafields and metaobjects**, fill in values on each product, and connect them to your theme with the **Connect dynamic source** icon in the theme editor [2][6][5]. ## Before you start **Metafields** add your own data to existing store records. Shopify supports them on products and variants, customers, orders and draft orders, and collections [1]. Each metafield has a definition: a name, a type, a namespace and key (for example `custom.color`), and optional validation rules [2]. **Metaobjects** hold structured content made of several fields, such as an FAQ, a product highlight or a profile. Use one when your data is best shown as multiple fields. A metaobject has a definition (its fields) and entries (the content) [3]. A metafield can point to a metaobject, so one entry can be reused on many products [4]. Example: a candle shop adds a "Burn time" metafield to every product, and a "Scent profile" metaobject with a name, top notes and an image. Each candle picks its scent profile from a list. Staff need permission for the resource, such as **View** and **Create and edit** under Products [1]. To show values on your store, your theme must support metafields; check its documentation [5]. Shopify does not say which plans include metafields or metaobjects. Shopify's pages name the settings page in two ways: **Settings** > **Metafields and metaobjects** and **Settings** > **Custom data** [4][3]. Use whichever your admin shows. ## Steps 1. **Open the metafield settings.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Metafields and metaobjects** and select the resource, such as **Products** [4]. You can also open a product and click **Add definition** in its **Metafields** section [2]. 2. **Create a metafield definition.** Click **Add definition** and enter a **Name**, such as "Burn time". If Shopify suggests a matching standard definition, you can pick it instead [2]. Click **Select type** and choose a type, such as **Single line text** or **File** > **Image** [2]. 3. **Set validation and access.** If a **Validation** section appears, set rules such as a character limit or a minimum and maximum [2]. Select **Storefronts** only if a custom storefront needs the value. For product and variant metafields, select **Smart collections** if you want to build collections from it. Click **Save** [2]. 4. **Fill in values on your products.** Open a product and go to its **Metafields** section. Click the metafield, enter the value and click **Save** [6]. If you don't see the metafield, click **View all** [6]. 5. **Build a metaobject definition.** Go to **Content** > **Metaobjects** and click **Add definition**. Enter a **Name**, then click **Add field** for each field, give it a **Field label** and click **Select field type** [7]. Click the asterisk beside a label to make that field required. Click **Save** [7]. 6. **Choose where the metaobject appears.** Before saving, check the **Access** section: **Storefronts** is selected by default; deselect it to turn off storefront access. To publish each entry as its own page, select **Web pages** under **Features** [7]. 7. **Add entries.** Go to **Content** > **Metaobjects**, click your definition, then **Add entry**. Complete the fields and click **Save** [8]. New entries are **Active** by default. **Draft** entries can't be published to your store [8]. 8. **Link the metaobject to products.** In **Settings** > **Metafields and metaobjects**, select **Products** and click **Add definition**. Click **Select type**, choose **Metaobject**, pick **One value** or **List of values**, select **Storefronts** and click **Save** [4]. 9. **Pick an entry on each product.** Open a product. In **Metafields**, click the new definition, click **Select entry** and choose one. Click **Create new** if the entry doesn't exist yet [4]. 10. **Show the data on your store.** Open the theme editor and add a section or block that supports dynamic sources, such as **Product info** [5]. In a setting, click the **Connect dynamic source** icon, search for the metafield and select it [5]. A single template can hold up to 20 metafields [5]. ## Check your work - Open a product in the admin and confirm each metafield shows a value in the **Metafields** section [6]. - Preview a product page from the theme editor and confirm the value or metaobject content appears where you connected it [5]. - Go to **Content** > **Metaobjects**, open your definition and confirm every entry you need is **Active** [8]. ## Common problems - **"The metafield isn't on the product page."** Adding a value doesn't show it on the store. Connect it in the theme editor, and check that your theme supports metafields [5]. - **"I can't find the dynamic source option."** The section or block doesn't support dynamic sources. Use one that does, such as **Product info** [5]. - **"The value won't save."** It breaks a validation rule on the definition. Change the value or edit the rule [2]. - **"My entry doesn't appear on the store."** Draft entries can't be published. Set the entry to **Active** [8]. - **"I deleted a metaobject and lost content."** Deleting a metaobject deletes all its entries and can't be undone. Before deleting, check it isn't connected to your live theme [7]. - **"I need to show a list of related products."** Product reference lists need a custom section or a theme that uses product list settings [5]. ## Further reading - [Metaobjects](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metaobjects) [3] - [Displaying metafields on your online store](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metafields/displaying-metafields-on-your-online-store) [5] Sources: [1] Metafields, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metafields [2] Creating custom metafield definitions, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metafields/metafield-definitions/creating-custom-metafield-definitions [3] Metaobjects, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metaobjects [4] Referencing metaobjects, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metaobjects/referencing-metaobjects [5] Displaying metafields on your online store, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metafields/displaying-metafields-on-your-online-store [6] Adding values to metafields, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metafields/adding-values-to-metafields [7] Building a metaobject, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metaobjects/building-a-metaobject [8] Creating metaobject entries, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metaobjects/creating-entries --- # Automate store tasks with Shopify Flow URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/automate-with-shopify-flow. Stage: Scale. Checked 2026-10-08. Shopify Flow is a free app that watches your store for events and runs actions in response. It is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans [1]. Go to **Apps** > **Flow**, click **Create workflow**, pick a template or a trigger, add conditions and actions, test it, then click **Turn on workflow** [3]. ## Before you start Shopify Flow is Shopify's automation app. It watches your store for events and runs a sequence of actions in response [1]. Every workflow has three parts [1]: - **Trigger:** the store event that starts the workflow, such as a change in inventory. - **Conditions:** checks that decide whether the workflow continues. - **Actions:** what the workflow does, such as tagging an order or sending an email. Flow is free on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans. The **Send HTTP Request** action needs Grow, Advanced or Plus. Tasks created by custom partner apps are Plus only [1]. Usage limits vary by plan and follow Shopify's API rate limits [1]. Example: a candle shop wants an email when any scent drops below 5 in stock, so it can reorder before it sells out. Shopify offers a template for this, called "Get notified when product inventory is low" [2]. ## Steps 1. **Install Flow.** Install the free Shopify Flow app from the Shopify App Store [1]. Once installed, it appears in your admin under **Apps** > **Flow** [3]. 2. **Start a new workflow.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Apps** > **Flow** and click **Create workflow** [3]. 3. **Pick a template.** Click **Browse templates** and select one, such as "Get notified when product inventory is low" [3][2]. Review it to confirm it fits, then click **Install** [3]. Templates cover orders, customers, inventory, fulfillment, risk and more [2]. 4. **Fill in your values.** Edit the template's steps with your own values, such as tags and recipient email addresses [3]. In the low-stock template, the trigger is **Inventory quantity changed**. Its conditions compare the current and prior quantity, so the workflow runs only when stock first drops below your threshold [2]. 5. **Or build one from scratch.** Click **Create workflow**, then **Select a trigger** and choose the event that starts it. Click **+**, then **Condition**, and define the check [3]. A workflow has only one trigger, but it can have any number of conditions and actions [4]. 6. **Add the actions.** Click **+** > **Action** on the **True** branch and select an action. Optionally click **+** on the **False** branch for steps that run when the condition is false [3]. 7. **Name the workflow.** Click **New Workflow** (or the template's name) and enter a clear title [3]. To leave a note for your team, click **More actions** > **Add note** [3]. 8. **Test before you turn it on.** At the trigger, click **Test your workflow**. Click **+ Add event** > **Create event**, select the store data the trigger needs and click **Save** [5]. Click a condition or action, then the **Preview** tab, to check what it would do [5]. A test stops at the first action that would change your store [5]. 9. **Turn it on.** Click **Turn on workflow** [3]. 10. **Watch the first runs.** Go to **Apps** > **Flow** and click **Recent runs**. Click a run to see its status, the path it took and any errors [6]. Use **Add filter** > **Errors** to find failed runs [6]. ## Check your work - Trigger the event in your store, then open **Recent runs** and confirm the run shows **Completed** in the **Run status** column [6]. Results can take a few minutes to appear [6]. - Open the run and check the highlighted path matches what you expected [6]. - Open an order or product the workflow touched, click **More actions** > **Search Flow runs** and confirm the run is listed [6]. - Export a copy as a backup: select the workflow and click **More actions** > **Export** [7]. ## Common problems - **"I can't test my workflow."** Every step must be complete and valid before you can test [5]. - **"The test didn't send the email."** Tests stop at the first action that would change your store or send a notification. Turn the workflow on to run it for real [5]. - **"My test run isn't in Recent runs."** Test runs don't appear there [5]. - **"An older run has disappeared."** Runs are stored for 14 days after they finish, then removed [6]. - **"The workflow runs too often."** Add or tighten a condition. In the low-stock example, checking the prior quantity stops repeat alerts [2]. To stop it at once, select the workflow and click **Turn off workflow** [7]. - **"I can't delete a workflow."** Only inactive workflows can be deleted. Turn it off first, and export it if you may need it later [7]. - **"Send HTTP Request is missing."** That action needs the Grow, Advanced or Plus plan [1]. ## Further reading - [Workflow examples](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/getting-started/workflow-examples) [2] - [Testing a workflow in Shopify Flow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/manage/test-workflow) [5] Sources: [1] Shopify Flow, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow [2] Workflow examples, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/getting-started/workflow-examples [3] Creating workflows manually or from a template, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/create/create-workflow [4] Creating workflows, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/create [5] Testing a workflow in Shopify Flow, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/manage/test-workflow [6] Finding and monitoring workflow runs, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/manage/monitor [7] Manage, duplicate, copy, import, export, or delete workflows in Shopify Flow, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/manage/manage --- # Customize checkout with the checkout and accounts editor URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/customize-checkout. Stage: Scale. Checked 2026-10-08. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Checkout**, duplicate your active configuration, and click **Edit** on the draft to open the checkout and accounts editor [1][2]. Change the logo, colors and fonts in the **Settings** sidebar and add app blocks from the **Sections** or **Apps** sidebar [3][4]. Preview the draft, then click **Publish** [2]. Branding and apps on the Thank you and Order status pages work on Basic and higher; apps on the information, shipping and payment pages need Shopify Plus [5]. ## Before you start Shopify's checkout is customized in the checkout and accounts editor. It is separate from the theme editor and covers checkout, the Thank you page, the Order status page and customer account pages [1]. Shopify groups this under checkout extensibility: apps add features through UI extensions, Shopify Functions, web pixel extensions and payments extensions instead of edits to checkout code [6]. What your plan allows [5][4]: - **Basic and higher:** access to the editor, branding on all pages, and eligible apps on the Thank you, Order status and customer account pages. - **Shopify Plus only:** apps on the information, shipping and payment pages, custom apps built with Shopify Functions, and the Checkout Branding API. Other limits to know: - The **Configurations** area in **Settings** > **Checkout** stays hidden until you choose a plan and create your first product [3]. - Since February 5, 2026, you can't add background images to the checkout header or main content area. You can only remove existing ones [3]. - Non-Plus stores had to upgrade their Thank you and Order status pages by August 26, 2026, and the additional scripts box in checkout settings has been view-only since August 28, 2025 [7]. If you still see an upgrade notice, finish that first. Work on a draft copy so your live checkout doesn't change until you publish. Basic, Grow and Advanced stores can keep up to 20 drafts; Shopify Plus stores up to 99 [2]. ## Steps 1. **Open your checkout settings.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Checkout** [1]. 2. **Make a draft copy.** In the **Configurations** section, click the **Menu** icon (three dots) next to your active configuration, then click **Duplicate**. The copy appears in the **Drafts** section marked **Just added** [2]. 3. **Open the draft in the editor.** Click **Edit** next to the draft configuration. The checkout and accounts editor opens [1]. 4. **Choose the page to work on.** Click the page selector in the top bar. Pick **Checkout** (one-page checkout) or **Information**, **Shipping** and **Payment** (three-page checkout), or **Thank you**, **Order status** and the other customer account pages [1]. 5. **Add your logo.** Click the **Settings** icon (gear). In the **Logo** section, click the **Image** field, click **Select from library** and choose your logo. Optionally set **Width** in pixels and **Alignment**, then click **Save** [3]. 6. **Set your colors.** In the **Settings** sidebar, add your brand colors under **Color palette** with **+**. Then set colors in the **Header**, **Main**, **Accent and buttons**, **Order summary** and **Input fields** sections. You can enter a hex code in each color field. Click **Save** [3]. 7. **Change the fonts.** In the **Typography** section of the **Settings** sidebar, choose a font from the **Headings** and **Body** drop-downs, then click **Save** [3]. 8. **Add an app block.** Click the **Sections** icon, click **⊕ Add block** in the section where the app belongs, and click the block. Or click the **Apps** icon, click **⊕** next to a block, and pick a page in the **Add to** pop-out. Configure the block's settings and click **Save** [4]. 9. **Arrange the page.** With the **Preview inspector** on (it is on by default), reorder, hide or duplicate sections and blocks directly in the preview. You can also drag blocks in the **Sections** list [1][4]. 10. **Save your work.** Click **Save**, or press **CTRL + S** on Windows or **⌘ + S** on macOS. Undo and redo only cover unsaved changes [1]. 11. **Preview the draft.** Back in **Settings** > **Checkout**, in the **Drafts** section, click the **Menu** icon next to the draft and click **Preview** [2]. 12. **Publish the draft.** In the **Drafts** section, click **Publish** next to the draft, then click **Publish** again to confirm. Your previous active configuration becomes a draft [2]. ## Check your work - In the editor, step through every page with the page selector, and click the **mobile** button to see the phone layout [1]. - Click the Shop Pay icon in the menu bar to preview the Shop Pay version of checkout pages [1]. - Remember that the editor uses a simulated checkout: you can't place orders there, and **Pay Now** and **Buy Again** are turned off [1]. - After publishing, check that your old configuration now sits in the **Drafts** section. Publishing it again is how you roll back [2]. ## Common problems - **"I can't find Configurations in checkout settings."** The section is hidden until the store has a plan and at least one product [3]. - **"I can't add an app to the shipping or payment step."** Apps on the information, shipping and payment pages need Shopify Plus. On Basic, Grow and Advanced, apps can only go on the Thank you, Order status and customer account pages [5][4]. - **"There is no option to add a background image."** Since February 5, 2026, new background images can't be added to the header or main content area. Existing ones can only be removed from the store default settings [3]. - **"Undo doesn't bring back my old version."** Once you save, undo and redo no longer cover those changes. Publish an older draft instead, or start again from a new duplicate [1][2]. - **"Preview shows a blank page in Safari."** Turn off **Prevent cross-site tracking** and **Block all cookies** under Safari **Settings** > **Privacy** [2]. - **"I removed an app block but the app is still installed."** Removing a block only takes it off checkout. To remove the app itself, uninstall it from your apps settings [4]. - **"Checkout looks wrong when an order has shipped and pickup items."** On Plus, customizations might not display correctly in the ship and pickup in one order test drive. Test that case before you publish [4]. ## Further reading - Using the checkout and accounts editor [1] - Customizing the style of your checkout [3] - Apps in checkout, for developers [6] Sources: [1] Using the checkout and accounts editor, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations/checkout-editor [2] Managing your active and draft checkout configurations, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations/active-and-draft-checkouts [3] Customizing the style of your checkout, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations/checkout-style [4] Customizing your checkout and customer accounts with apps, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations/checkout-apps [5] Customizing checkout and accounts pages, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations [6] Apps in checkout, https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/checkout [7] Non-Plus - Upgrading and replacing your Thank you and Order status pages, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/checkout-extensibility/checkout-upgrade --- # Sell wholesale with B2B on Shopify URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/b2b-wholesale. Stage: Scale. Checked 2026-10-08. B2B is built into the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans at no extra cost, though some features are Plus-only [1][2]. Create each wholesale customer under **Customers** > **Companies**, build a price list under **Markets** > **Catalogs**, set payment terms on each company location, then add the buyers and send them the B2B access email [3][4][5][6]. ## Before you start B2B on Shopify lets wholesale buyers sign in and order at their own prices and payment terms. It is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans, and B2B features cost nothing extra on those plans [1][2]. Some features differ by plan [1]: - **All four plans:** companies and company locations, quantity rules and price breaks, net payment terms, draft orders, PO numbers and Shopify Flow automations. - **Basic, Grow and Advanced:** up to 3 active B2B catalogs across all B2B markets, and your store must use the new Shopify Markets. - **Advanced and Plus:** checkout and storefront content that changes by market. - **Plus only:** unlimited catalogs, catalogs assigned directly to a company or location, deposits, partial payments and payment requests per fulfillment. Check these requirements first [2]: - Customer accounts must be turned on. Legacy customer accounts can't be used for B2B customers or orders. - Checkout customizations made in the `checkout.liquid` file don't work with B2B. - Accelerated checkouts such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Amazon Pay don't work for B2B orders. - Local delivery, pickup points, tipping and subscriptions aren't available at B2B checkout. Pickup in store, abandoned checkouts and gift cards are off by default and need a request to Shopify Support. - An order can have at most 500 line items. Decide whether you want a blended store (wholesale and retail in one store) or a separate wholesale-only store before you start [7]. As a worked example, picture a candle shop that sells retail online and wants to give 12 gift shops a 40% wholesale discount on Net 30 terms. ## Steps 1. **Create a company.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Customers** > **Companies** and click **Add company**. Enter the company name, choose a main contact with an email address, and enter the shipping and billing addresses [3]. 2. **Fill in the company's settings.** On the same form, pick catalogs under **Catalogs**, terms under **Payment terms**, and order options under **Checkout**. Optionally add a tax ID and **Tax settings** under **Taxes**, then click **Save** [3]. 3. **Add more locations if needed.** For a buyer with several stores, open the company, click **Create new location** in the **Locations** section, enter the addresses and location name, and click **Save** [3]. 4. **Create a catalog.** Go to **Markets** > **Catalogs** and click **Create catalog**. Enter a **Title** (buyers don't see it), choose **All products** or **Specific products**, click **Continue**, and click **Save** [4]. 5. **Set the wholesale prices.** In the catalog, use the **Overall adjustments** drop-down to choose **Price decrease** and enter a percentage. For set prices, click **Manage** > **Manage products and pricing** and enter prices in the **Price** column. Fixed prices override the percentage [4]. 6. **Activate the catalog.** In the **Status** drop-down, select **Active**, then save [4]. 7. **Assign the catalog to buyers.** On Shopify Plus, open the catalog, select **Company location** from the drop-down under the title, click **Add a company location**, pick the locations and click **Done** [4]. On Basic, Grow and Advanced, add the catalog to a B2B market instead: open the market, click the **+** icon next to **Catalogs**, select the catalog, click **Save** and then **Done** [8]. 8. **Set payment terms.** Open the company, click the location, click the **Edit** icon in the **Payment terms** section, choose **No payment terms**, a **Net** period (7 to 90 days) or **Due on fulfillment**, and click **Save** [5]. 9. **Choose how orders arrive.** On the location, under **Orders submission** in the **Customizations** section, choose **Submit all orders as drafts for review** if you want to approve each order, or **Automatically submit orders**. Click **Save** [3]. 10. **Add the buyers.** Open the company, click the vertical menu in the **Customers** section, and click **Add customer**. Pick the location and the permission (**Ordering only** or **Location admin**), then click **Save** [6]. 11. **Test as a buyer.** Create a test company with one location and a test customer, log into your store as that customer, and place a test order. Check the prices, payment terms and checkout settings [9]. 12. **Invite your buyers.** Open the company, click **Send B2B access email** in the **Customers** section, select the customers, click **Preview email**, then click **Send email** [6]. ## Check your work - The test order from step 11 shows the catalog price, not your retail price, and the payment terms you set [9]. - Each buyer shows a location and a permission on the company page. A buyer with no locations shows as "No access" [6]. - Each company location has no more than 25 catalogs, counting market and direct assignments [8]. - If you chose draft submission, test orders arrive as drafts for you to review [3]. ## Common problems - **"Buyers see retail prices."** The order must be linked to a company location when it is placed, or retail rates apply [2]. Check that the buyer is added to a location and that the location's catalog or market catalog is active [6][4]. - **"I can't assign a catalog straight to a company."** Direct assignment is Plus-only. On other plans, assign catalogs through a B2B market [1][8]. - **"I can't add a fourth catalog."** Basic, Grow and Advanced allow 3 active catalogs across all B2B markets. Remove or draft one before adding another [1]. - **"Shop Pay doesn't show for wholesale buyers."** Accelerated checkouts don't work with B2B [2]. - **"I need a deposit up front."** Deposit requirements on company locations are only on Shopify Plus [5]. - **"An app stopped working for wholesale orders."** Some third-party apps don't support B2B. Contact the app developer [2]. - **"Old buyers are regular customers."** Move existing customers and their order history to companies with Shopify's built-in migration tool, or select **Add customer's orders to this location** when adding them [7][6]. ## Further reading - Shopify B2B features by plan [1] - Setup checklist for blended B2B stores [7] Sources: [1] Shopify B2B features by plan, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/plan-features [2] Requirements and considerations for using B2B, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/considerations [3] Creating companies, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/companies-and-customers/creating-companies [4] Creating and managing B2B catalogs, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/catalogs/creating-catalogs [5] Payment terms for B2B, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/checkout-and-orders/payment-terms [6] Adding customers to companies, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/companies-and-customers/adding-customers [7] Setup checklist for blended B2B stores, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/blended-store-checklist [8] Creating and managing B2B catalogs with Markets, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/markets/catalogs [9] Testing your B2B setup, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/testing --- # Moving to Shopify Plus: what changes URL: https://webmerchants.net/guides/moving-to-shopify-plus. Stage: Scale. Checked 2026-10-08. Shopify Plus is not a self-serve plan switch: you contact the Shopify Plus team, agree to the Shopify Plus Terms, and Shopify upgrades the store within 24 business hours [1][2]. The Help Center lists $2,500 USD a month on a 1-year term and $2,300 USD a month on a 3-year term, with a possible variable platform fee [1]. After the upgrade you manage expansion stores from **Settings** > **Organization**, and you can add apps to every checkout step and use Plus-only B2B features [3][4][5]. ## Before you start Shopify Plus is Shopify's plan for high-volume businesses. It adds admin, API, growth and support features on top of the standard plans [1]. Cost, as published by Shopify on 2026-10-08: - **Help Center (USD):** $2,500 a month on a 1-year term, or $2,300 a month on a 3-year term. Prices also vary by billing currency and are subject to change [1]. - **Variable platform fee:** more complex, higher-volume businesses may pay one on top of the plan [1][2]. - **Term:** Plus is a 1-year or 3-year subscription, billed monthly [2][6]. Who can sign: the person who upgrades must be the signing authority, the person whose name is on the credit card on file. The business needs a legal name, such as one ending in Inc., LLC or Ltd. Sole proprietors can use a format like "Name, a Sole Proprietor" [2]. What changes on Plus, compared with Basic, Grow and Advanced [1][6]: - Checkout customization goes from limited to full. - B2B catalogs go from up to 3 to unlimited. - Up to 9 free expansion stores. - Unlimited staff accounts and custom user groups. - Up to 200 locations, up to 100 themes and unlimited staging stores. - Shopify Functions, enhanced discounting, Launchpad for scheduled promotions, and bot protection. - Priority 24/7 support by phone and chat. As a worked example, picture a candle shop selling in the US and Canada that wants a separate wholesale store and checkout upsells on the shipping step. ## Steps 1. **List what you would use.** Compare your needs with the Plus feature list on the Help Center and on Shopify's pricing page. If you only need one of the features above, check first whether your current plan already covers it [1][6]. 2. **Get in touch with the Plus team.** On Shopify's upgrade page, choose **Get in touch** to reach a Shopify Plus sales rep about pricing, variable fees and timing [2]. 3. **Sign the Shopify Plus Terms.** The signing authority agrees to the terms. Shopify upgrades the existing store within 24 business hours and emails you to confirm [2]. 4. **Claim your annual-plan credit.** If you had already paid for a year of your current plan, contact support through your admin after the upgrade. Shopify applies a credit toward your Plus fees [2]. 5. **Open your organization settings.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > **Organization**. Plus stores have organization features by default; this is where you manage stores, users and billing [7][8]. 6. **Prepare the main store for expansion stores.** Add a payment method under **Settings** > **Billing** and a full address under **Settings** > **General** > **Store Details** > **Store address**. The billing currency must be USD or INR [3]. 7. **Create an expansion store.** In **Settings** > **Organization**, click **Create store**. Under **Store type**, choose **Staging** or **Production**, enter a name and store URL in **Profile**, and click **Create Store**. To copy themes, products, collections or files, use **Import data from an existing store**, which only works at creation [3]. 8. **Move your checkout apps to every step.** On Plus, apps can go on the information, shipping and payment pages, not only the Thank you and Order status pages. Add them in **Settings** > **Checkout** with **Edit** on a draft configuration [4][9]. You can also keep up to 99 draft configurations instead of 20 [10]. 9. **Switch on Plus-only B2B features.** Assign catalogs directly to company locations, create unlimited catalogs, and require deposits or partial payments [5]. 10. **Review your automations.** Shopify Flow is free on every plan, but tasks from custom partner apps need Plus [11]. Custom apps built with Shopify Functions also need Plus [9]. ## Check your work - You have Shopify's email confirming the upgrade and the introduction email with onboarding and Priority Support details [2]. - Your first Plus bill should come 30 days after you agreed to the Shopify Plus Terms, charged to your current payment method [2]. - In the checkout and accounts editor, the **Apps** sidebar now lets you add blocks to the information, shipping and payment pages [4][9]. - Each new expansion store appears under **Settings** > **Organization** in the **Stores** section [8]. ## Common problems - **"I want an existing store as an expansion store, not a new one."** That is a manual request. Check the store meets the rules, contact Shopify Plus Support, and get confirmation from both store owners [3]. - **"Shopify says my second brand doesn't qualify."** An expansion store must extend the main brand, match its name and branding, and sell the same types of goods. A different brand may need a multi-brand agreement with its own Plus subscription [3]. - **"Creating a store made a trial store."** You went past the stores in your contract (one main store and nine expansion stores). Approve the extra fee and Shopify upgrades the store within a few days [3]. - **"My apps and theme cost more now."** Apps are billed per store, and each live expansion store needs its own theme license [3][1]. - **"I can't see a store a colleague created."** Owners and administrators don't get access to stores others create. Log in to a store you can access, go to **Settings** > **Organization**, and click the new store in the **Stores** section [8]. - **"Shopify won't let me create an expansion store because of my billing currency."** Expansion stores need USD or INR billing. Go to **Settings** > **Billing**, click **Billing currency**, then **Change billing currency**, choose USD or INR, and click **Confirm**. Pending charges are billed right away [3]. ## Further reading - Shopify Plus plan [1] - Expansion stores for Shopify Plus organizations [3] Sources: [1] Shopify Plus plan, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/pricing-plans/plans-features/shopify-plus-plan [2] Upgrading to Shopify Plus, https://www.shopify.com/plus/upgrade [3] Expansion stores for Shopify Plus organizations, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/organization-settings/expansion-stores [4] Customizing checkout and accounts pages, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations [5] Shopify B2B features by plan, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/plan-features [6] Pricing, https://www.shopify.com/pricing [7] Organization settings, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/organization-settings [8] Creating stores in your organization, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/organization-settings/stores/create-store [9] Customizing your checkout and customer accounts with apps, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations/checkout-apps [10] Managing your active and draft checkout configurations, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/customize-checkout-configurations/active-and-draft-checkouts [11] Shopify Flow, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow ---