Shopify launch checklist: A step-by-step guide

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Launching a new Shopify store is exciting, but it can also be a daunting task for first-time shop owners. As you prepare to make your online business live, you might be wondering if you’ve covered all the bases. This is when a comprehensive Shopify launch checklist is invaluable.

A checklist keeps you from overlooking key elements that could make or break your store’s debut. From design and functionality to marketing and legal requirements, there’s a lot to consider.

To help you navigate this crucial process confidently, we’ve compiled the ultimate Shopify launch checklist so your ecommerce business is ready to go.

Why a Shopify launch checklist is important

As the old saying goes, “To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail.” A Shopify launch checklist may not be the first thing you think of when planning a new store, but it can be the difference between success and failure.

A good checklist goes beyond simply setting up on Shopify. It covers other important details to give you the best overall chance of success — such as your story, how you’ll promote the store, and ensuring a seamless user experience.

The best Shopify setup checklist will:

• Streamline processes
• Review legal compliance
• Plan your time and resources
• Consider pre- and post-launch
• Ensure you don’t forget anything

Shopify launch checklist

To help you, we’ve created a Shopify checklist to get your business ready for a grand opening. Because success is much more than just launching a store that looks nice, the checklist incorporates lots of additional elements to really give you the tools you need:

• Choose the right sales channels
• Add a custom domain
• Optimize product images
• Review the buying experience
• Have a system for collecting customer feedback
• Have a basic email marketing strategy
• Build a marketing plan
• Check your customer support
• Add a data analytics app
• Set up taxes
• Create an About Us page
• Check your content
• Launch your Shopify store

1. Choose the right sales channels

There’s a popular belief that you need to be everywhere to generate sales. But unless you’ve got a dedicated team to help out, that can quickly lead to burnout and losing the desire to continue.

Instead, you only need to be where your customers already are. After all, if your customers aren’t on a particular platform, how can you hope to get sales from it?

Your first step is to conduct customer research, which will teach you where they are. If they’re mainly on Facebook, it makes sense to use the Facebook channel app, with a steady presence there. Likewise, if they’re on Google, you should use the Google Shopping app.

2. Add a custom domain

As Shopify itself says, a domain name isn’t just the place people go to visit your store — it’s “how you express your identity and build a brand.” A custom domain is important for brand recognition, so don’t miss this vital step.

The first thing you want to do is make sure your domain name is both short and memorable. It also needs to be on brand, creating the appropriate emotion in your visitors. Also be mindful of how it will read as one long word in the address bar — the internet is filled with examples of domain names that inadvertently spell out something rude or embarrassing.

Simplicity is important, too, so avoiding hyphens and numbers will make it easier for your audience to remember and spell. And if you find that there’s not a .com available for your preferred name, you may be able to register it with other top level domains like .shop, .store, or .co.

3. Optimize product images

You probably already know that images can be the reason people buy, but did you also know they can be the reason people leave your site?

There are obvious considerations here, like people leaving if the images have heavy pixelation or don’t properly show the item. But there’s also the fact that large images can increase your site’s load time — and the chance of people leaving increases by 32% when page load time increases from one second to three (three seconds doesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough time to cost you a lot in lost sales!)

The easiest way to avoid this is to compress your images. It reduces the size of your image files, which will then reduce the amount of hosting space you use, as well as your load time and bounce rate. There are plenty of Shopify apps to choose from for this, including TinyIMG and Crush.pics.

To optimize further, we recommend:

• Including alt attributes
• Using concise and accurate image descriptions
• Using smaller and widely-used file formats like PNG or JPG

4. Review the buying experience

Once your store has been designed and your products added, you’ll want to run through the checkout process yourself. This way, you’ll ensure everything is running smoothly and if there are any problems, you’ll spot them before launch.

The last thing you want is for customers to be unable to complete a purchase.

When conducting the review, look out for:

• Product images: Do they load quickly with the correct formatting?
• Security: Can visitors see a safe payment trust badge?
• Information: Can visitors find shipping, returns, and refund policy links?
• Payment methods: Can visitors find common options like Apple Pay and credit cards, and guest checkouts for easier purchasing?
• Shopping cart: Can you edit and remove items?
• Special offers: If applicable, are your discounts applied automatically?
• Order confirmation: Did your email arrive immediately? Did it load quickly and correctly?

5. Have a basic email marketing strategy

When you launch your Shopify store, you’ll need to think beyond the store itself and consider how to maximize your sales. A particularly effective way to do this is with automated email marketing, which can send confirmation emails, put new subscribers through a welcome sequence, send special offers and updates to your buyers, and even recover abandoned carts.

Welcome emails are sent to all new subscribers and can introduce them to your brand, offer discounts, and encourage them to make a first purchase.

Transactional emails are sent to buyers once a specific action has occurred — such as making a purchase or their item dispatching. They’re important for keeping your buyers updated, and because they have high open rates, they’re an excellent place to show additional products or offers to your customers. 

Here’s an example of a dispatch email sent by Onyx Coffee Lab:

Cart recovery emails are essential to increasing your sales and revenue. When someone adds items to their cart but doesn’t complete the purchase, an automated email or SMS can be sent out to encourage them back.

Marketing emails help to turn subscribers into buyers and buyers into repeat customers. They can showcase new items, offer special promotions, create enthusiasm with pre-orders and VIP deals, and a whole lot more.

If you’re overwhelmed by the many options available, this guide to choosing an email marketing app will help you get started.

6. Have a system for collecting customer feedback

Research has found that 90% of consumers read online reviews, and if a business’s reviews are excellent, customers are likely to spend 31% more money. While there are several ways you can gather reviews on autopilot, helping your business grow more quickly, email is one of the most effective.

Start boosting your Shopify store’s visibility and credibility with Omnisend’s powerful Product Reviews feature. This tool goes beyond basic review collection to automatically gather customer feedback through strategically timed emails.

You can also set up an automated workflow that triggers after purchase to request reviews when the purchase is at the top of your customers’ mind.

Omnisend’s Product Reviews feature doesn’t just collect feedback. It also helps you leverage it through smart segmentation, where you can segment customers based on their reviews to send highly targeted follow-up emails. You can then feature these customer reviews around your website.

With Omnisend’s Product Reviews, you can streamline the review collection process and gather valuable customer insights. Elevate your Shopify store’s reputation, boost search rankings, and drive more sales and customer loyalty.

7. Build a marketing plan

A good Shopify store launch checklist will include a marketing plan, because awareness of your store is the difference between having customers and nobody knowing it exists. The most effective approach is to split the plan into pre-launch and post-launch.

The pre-launch marketing activities will focus on building awareness and excitement and could include things like:

• Social media campaigns
• Collaborating with influencers
• Promotional videos and teasers
• Offering discounts or free products to people who join your email list

The post-launch activities will be all the marketing you do to bring in customers, drive sales, and raise awareness after the store is live. It may include:

• Running ads
• Automated emails
• Social media posts
• An affiliate program
• Onsite marketing e.g. popups (including exit-intent popups)

You can also use your blog to share your brand’s story and promote your products, such as this example from Highway Robery:

8. Check your customer support

To truly succeed in ecommerce, you need to create a positive experience for your customers. Your store’s usability, products, branding, and communication all play an important role in doing so, but the experience isn’t complete without adequate customer support.

Utilize email to receive and respond to customer inquiries and address concerns. Email, by nature, is instant, but it also provides wiggle room should there be small delays in your communication.

Live chat is also gaining traction as a preferred support method. It lets customers get instant (or almost instant) answers to their questions. Shopify has multiple live chat options, such as eDesk.

Social media apps and instant messaging have become the norm for many brands providing customer support. And, as always, if you provide customer support over the phone, be sure to have options that will improve customer satisfaction — like adequate hold times and callbacks.

9. Add a data analytics app

If you want to know how well your store is attracting and retaining visitors, which pages are your most popular, and your conversion rate, you need to use a data analytics app.

Armed with this information, you can identify what’s working, double down on it, and improve the things that aren’t working. This is much quicker and cheaper than trying to figure it out through trial and error.

Google Analytics integrates directly with Shopify and features ecommerce tracking, showing you data about your transactions and revenue as well as information about visitor behavior.

Getting started is as simple as following this official setup guide.

10. Set up taxes

There’s a lot that Shopify can do, but there’s one big thing it doesn’t do: file or remit taxes. Given how much tax rates and rules can change by location, it’s something that you’ll need to do yourself.

However, Shopify does have a lot of helpful information on taxes that make your life easier, including steps to set up taxes in your store.

11. Write an About Us page

It’s easy to get so focused on your product pages and marketing funnel that you forget about the other information your website needs. One such need is an About Us page.

The About Us page is one of the most visited because it’s where visitors learn more about the business. What they find there can prompt them to buy from you or leave and go elsewhere. It’s where they will learn if you have specific values and whether they align with theirs.

But it’s possible to get an About Us page very wrong: if it’s boring, lacking detail, too focused on yourself rather than what you do, and corporate instead of human in its language, the page is likely to turn people away quickly.

To create a compelling page, you’ll want to include the following:

• Your brand story
• Images of the team
• Contact information
• Positive reviews or awards
• How you help your customers
• A call to action to make a purchase
• Relatable language

Allbirds‘ About page is an example of a great one for a clothing store. It uses appealing imagery and video with a concise paragraph about the brand’s origin and the creator behind it. The page also includes a picture of the team, an animation of the product with top-level notes on what makes it different, and its sustainability credentials.

12. Check your content

At this point, you’re close to launching your store, and it’s time to do a content check. This is more than just a proofread: your site has content everywhere, including images, videos, and alt-tags.

Take some time to check the site thoroughly. Something as simple as a typo or a sentence that isn’t clear enough can make bad first impressions and prompt visitors to leave.

Use tools like Grammarly and have peers or trusted colleagues review it to ensure everything reads well and there aren’t any errors. Just make sure to also check your images, alt-tags, and meta descriptions, which are often the first thing visitors see.

13. Launch your Shopify store

That’s it, you’re done! You’ve gone through each item on your Shopify launch checklist, and it’s time to open the doors to the public. Don’t forget to ask your friends and family to help spread the word, and check your analytics to make any necessary tweaks to improve performance.

Wrap up

Creating an ecommerce store is exciting, and it’s natural to want to open the doors to buyers as soon as possible. While that can still work, it’ll require a lot more time to make adjustments and correct problems later on than if you followed a Shopify checklist before launching.

A good checklist will cover all bases, from domain to marketing and taxes, giving you everything you need to create a thriving store.

Shopify launch checklist: FAQs

How do you successfully launch a Shopify store?

Start by selecting a niche and sourcing quality products. Design an attractive, user-friendly website optimized for search engines and set up secure payment gateways and efficient shipping methods.

Develop a marketing strategy, including social media and email campaigns, and create compelling product descriptions and high-quality images to attract and convert through your marketing efforts.

How many products should you launch with Shopify?

The ideal number of products depends on your niche and capacity. Generally speaking, starting with 10 to 20 high-quality products is a good balance.

This range allows for variety without overwhelming your customers — or yourself. You can expand your store as you grow.

How much does it cost to launch Shopify?

Shopify costs range from $29 to $2,300 per month, depending on the plan. Basic starts at $29/month, Shopify starts at $79/month, Advanced is $299/month, and the Plus plan is $2,300/month.

You’ll also want to consider additional costs like domain registration, premium themes, and apps, as well as your inventory and marketing expenses.

How do you test a Shopify store before launch?

To test your Shopify store before launch, create a test account and add products to the cart. Go through and review the checkout process, payment, and shipping settings.

Then, ensure all pages and products are set up correctly. As you launch, ask trusted friends or family to test the store and monitor analytics for any issues.

How long does it take for Shopify to launch your website?

Launching a Shopify website can take up to five days and as little as 24 hours for a basic store with minimal customization. But for a standard ecommerce store with some customization, it can take between two and four weeks.

More complex stores with extensive features may take up to eight weeks, so your timeline will depend on your store’s complexity and customization needs.