How to Set Up a Shopify Store in 2026 (Step-by-Step)

Short answer

Set up a Shopify store in 6 steps: start a free trial, pick a theme, add products, connect a domain, set up payments, and go live. Most people have a working store within a day. Start your Shopify free trial here.

Step 1: Start your Shopify free trial

Go to Shopify and enter your email. You get a 3-day free trial, then $1/month for the first 3 months on Basic.

During signup, Shopify asks what you're selling and your current revenue — answer honestly, it tailors your setup recommendations.

What you need at signup:

• Email address
• Business name (you can change this later)
• Country (determines available payment methods)

Step 2: Choose and customise your theme

From your Shopify admin: Online Store → Themes. The free Dawn theme is clean, fast, and what most new stores start with.

Other good free themes:

• Craft — handmade or artisan products
• Sense — beauty, wellness, clean layout
• Crave — food and beverage businesses

Click "Customise" to open the drag-and-drop editor. You can change colours, fonts, layout sections, header, footer, and upload your logo — no code required.

Don't buy a paid theme until you've made your first few sales. Dawn converts well and costs nothing.

Step 3: Add your products

Products → Add product. For each product:

• Title — descriptive, include the main search keyword (e.g. "Handmade Soy Candle — Vanilla Lavender, 8oz")
• Description — answer the buyer's question: what is it, who is it for, why should they buy it?
• Images — minimum 3 photos: front, back, lifestyle shot. Shopify resizes automatically
• Price — add a "compare-at price" if you're running a sale
• Inventory — set SKU and stock quantity so sold-out items are tracked
• Variants — add size, colour, or material options

Shopify AI in 2026: Shopify's built-in AI can generate product descriptions from a title and keywords. In the description field, click "Use AI" — edit the result before publishing.

Step 4: Connect a custom domain

Your store starts on yourstore.myshopify.com. Connect a real domain to look professional and build SEO.

If you already own a domain: Go to Settings → Domains → Connect existing domain. Change your domain's DNS A record to Shopify's IP (they show the exact value). Takes 24–48 hours to propagate.

If you need a domain: Buy directly through Shopify, or from Namecheap ($10–$15/year) and connect it manually. Either way works.

Step 5: Set up payments

Settings → Payments → activate Shopify Payments (built-in, no extra monthly fee):

• Online card rate: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (Basic plan)
• Accepts Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay
• Payouts in 2 business days

If you use a third-party processor instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a 2% fee per transaction on Basic. Avoid this by using Shopify Payments where available.

To add PayPal: scroll to "Third-party providers" and add it alongside Shopify Payments.

Step 6: Set up shipping and go live

Settings → Shipping and delivery — configure at minimum:

1. Shipping zones — which countries you ship to
2. Rates — flat rate, free shipping above a threshold, or carrier-calculated

A simple starting setup: free shipping on orders over $50, flat $5.99 under that.

To go live:

1. Do a test order using Shopify's Bogus Gateway (Settings → Payments → Use test mode)
2. Check your confirmation email and admin order view
3. Remove password protection: Online Store → Preferences → Disable password
4. Set your custom domain as primary: Settings → Domains

Shopify plan comparison

| Plan | Monthly cost | Best for | |------|-------------|----------| | Starter | $5/mo | Sell via links or social media only, no storefront | | Basic | $39/mo | New stores, 1–2 staff accounts | | Shopify | $105/mo | Growing stores, better reports, 5 staff | | Advanced | $399/mo | High volume, custom pricing, advanced analytics |

Start on Basic and upgrade when you outgrow it. Most new stores stay on Basic for the first year.

Important for 2026: Shopify Scripts deadline

If you're migrating an existing Shopify store that uses Shopify Scripts:

Shopify is removing Shopify Scripts on June 30, 2026. Scripts were used for custom discounts, BOGO logic, and checkout modifications. All Scripts must be migrated before that date.

What to do:

1. Check Apps → Develop apps — if you see any Shopify Scripts listed, migration is required
2. Discount/cart logic → migrate to Shopify Functions (same capability, more flexible)
3. Checkout UI customisations → migrate to Checkout Extensibility

Shopify's migration guides are in the Partner Dashboard under "Shopify Functions migration." If you use a Shopify Plus agency or developer for your store, flag this to them now — June 30 is a hard deadline.

New stores starting in 2026 are not affected. Scripts are not available on new stores; Checkout Extensibility is the default from day one.

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