Creating a Shopify store in 2026 is straightforward, but knowing the exact steps saves hours of frustration. This guide walks you through every stage — from signing up to processing your first order — with real costs and practical advice at each step.
Step 1: Start Your Free Trial
Go to shopify.com and click “Start free trial.” You need only an email address. Shopify currently offers a 3-day free trial followed by £1/month for the first three months. No credit card is required upfront.
Step 2: Choose Your Store Name
Your store name becomes your default myshopify.com subdomain. Choose something short and memorable. You can connect a custom domain later, but the subdomain stays permanently — pick wisely.
Step 3: Answer the Setup Questions
Shopify asks what you plan to sell and your current revenue. Answer honestly — these responses personalise your dashboard and recommended apps. They do not restrict what you can do.
Step 4: Add Your First Product
Navigate to Products → Add product. Fill in title, description, price, and at least one image. Set inventory tracking on if you stock physical goods. Add SKUs for warehouse management from day one — retrofitting them later is painful.
Step 5: Set Up Collections
Collections are your store’s categories. Create manual collections for small catalogues or automated collections (rules-based) for 50+ products. Shopify applies rules like “tag contains men’s” to auto-assign products.
Step 6: Choose and Customise a Theme
Go to Online Store → Themes. Dawn is the free default and scores well on Core Web Vitals. Paid themes cost £140–£350 one-time. Customise colours, fonts, and layout using the drag-and-drop editor — no coding required.
Step 7: Configure Payments
Go to Settings → Payments. Enable Shopify Payments if available in your country (UK, US, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and others). For India, activate Razorpay. For UAE, use Telr or PayTabs. Shopify Payments waives the transaction fee; third-party gateways incur 0.5%–2% on top of card fees depending on your plan.
Step 8: Set Up Shipping
Go to Settings → Shipping and delivery. Create shipping zones (domestic, international) and add rates. Start with a flat rate or free shipping threshold. You can integrate calculated rates from Royal Mail, UPS, FedEx, or Shiprocket once volumes grow.
Step 9: Connect Your Domain
Go to Settings → Domains. Buy directly through Shopify (£11–£15/year) or connect an existing domain. Point your domain’s A record to 23.227.38.65 and add a CNAME for “www” pointing to shops.myshopify.com. SSL activates automatically within 48 hours.
Step 10: Remove Password and Go Live
Go to Online Store → Preferences and disable the storefront password. Your store is now public. Place a test order using Shopify’s Bogus Gateway before announcing your launch. Working with a professional team for custom development? See our Shopify development services for bespoke builds.
Shopify Plan Costs at a Glance
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Transaction Fee (no Shopify Payments) | Staff Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 / £29 | 2% | 2 |
| Shopify | $105 / £79 | 1% | 5 |
| Advanced | $399 / £299 | 0.5% | 15 |
| Plus | From $2,300 | 0.15% | Unlimited |
Most new stores start on Basic and upgrade to Shopify when monthly revenue exceeds £5,000 — the transaction fee saving offsets the higher subscription cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to set up a Shopify store?
A basic store with up to 20 products can be ready in a single day. A fully customised store with custom theme work, integrations, and a large catalogue typically takes two to four weeks.
Do I need technical skills to create a Shopify store?
No. Shopify’s admin is designed for non-technical users. You only need a developer if you want custom theme code, complex app integrations, or a headless storefront.
Can I migrate my existing store to Shopify?
Yes. Shopify has importer tools for WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, and others. Product data, customer records, and order history can be migrated with varying degrees of automation depending on your source platform.
Ready to Grow Your Shopify Store?
Our Shopify experts at OneOnic have helped hundreds of brands launch, optimise, and scale. Let’s talk about your project.
