Shopify

How to Set Up a Shopify Starter Store

25 Jun 2026

11 Min Read

Vardhan Jain

Director of Product Program @ GoKwik

Vardhan leads product and growth initiatives at GoKwik, driving D2C e-commerce innovations, conversion optimization, and scalable growth programs for products. An ISB alumnus based in Bengaluru, he brings expertise from Unacademy, Ola, and Mahindra in building high-impact product strategies.

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Setting up a Shopify Starter store is your fastest path to selling online without building a full storefront. This guide is for merchants who want to start selling through social media, messaging apps, or custom landing pages before committing to a complete online store. You'll learn exactly what to configure, what you can skip, and how to start taking orders within hours.

What Is a Shopify Starter and Who Should Use It

Shopify Starter is the entry-level plan that lets you sell products without launching a traditional online store. You won't get a full website with this plan, but you can create buy buttons, product pages, and checkout links to embed anywhere or share directly with customers.

This plan makes sense if you're testing a product idea, selling primarily through Instagram or WhatsApp, or building a custom landing page. It doesn't make sense if you need a full website, blog, or storefront with navigation menus—for that, you'll need the Basic plan or higher.

Before You Start: What You'll Need

Have these ready before you begin setup:

A valid email address for your Shopify account
Product information including titles, descriptions, prices, and images
Payment details to receive customer payments
Your business address for tax and legal purposes
A domain name if you want custom branded links (optional)

Step 1: Create Your Shopify Account

Start by registering for a free trial at Shopify. You don't need to choose a plan immediately—Shopify gives you time to explore before selecting Starter.

Go to the Shopify homepage and click the free trial option. Enter your email address and create a password. You'll answer a few questions about your business, but you can skip these if you prefer by clicking "I don't want help setting up."

Source: Shopify

After creating your account, you'll land in your Shopify admin. This is where you'll manage everything from products to orders.

Step 2: Select the Shopify Starter Plan

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Plan. You'll see all available pricing plans. Look for the Starter option and click to select it.

Source: Shopify

When you select a plan, you'll need to add payment information even during the trial period. You won't be charged until your trial ends.

Step 3: Configure Your Business Settings

Essential business information affects how your store operates legally and how customers see your brand. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > General.

Enter your store name. This is what customers will see in emails and on receipts. You should also set your legal business name if it differs from your store name—this appears on invoices and legal documents.

Set your business address under the Store address section. This information is required for tax calculations and legal compliance. Enter your complete address including country, which determines your store's primary market.

Select your store currency under the Store currency section. This is the default currency for your product listings and can be changed from Admin, but choose carefully based on where most of your customers will be located.

Set your default weight unit under Standards and formats. Choose between pounds or kilograms based on what makes sense for your products and market.

Step 4: Add Your First Product

You can't sell without products. From your Shopify admin, go to Products and click Add product.

Enter a product title and description. Your title should be clear and specific. Your description should explain what the product is, why someone would want it, and any important details about size, materials, or use.

Set your price in the Pricing section. Enter the price customers will pay, and optionally add a compare-at price if you're running a sale.

Add product images by clicking Add media. Upload high-quality images that show your product clearly. The first image you upload becomes the main product image customers see.

Set inventory if you're tracking stock. Under the Inventory section, check Track quantity and enter how many units you have available.

Click Save when you're finished. You can always edit product details later.

Step 5: Set Up Payment Methods

You need to configure how you'll receive payments from customers. Go to Settings > Payments.

Shopify Payments is the default payment provider and the simplest option if available in your country. Click Complete account setup under Shopify Payments to enter your banking information where customer payments will be deposited.

If Shopify Payments isn't available in your location, activate a third-party payment provider from the available options. Common alternatives include PayPal, Stripe, or other local payment gateways.

You can also enable manual payment methods like bank transfers or cash on delivery if you plan to handle payments outside the platform, though this reduces automation.

Step 6: Configure Shipping Settings

Even with a Starter plan, you need shipping configured if you're sending physical products. Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.

Under Shipping, click Manage rates. You'll set up shipping zones—geographic areas where you'll ship—and the rates you'll charge customers in each zone.

For domestic shipping, your home country is already set up. Click to add shipping rates. You can offer flat rate shipping (one price regardless of order size), calculated rates based on carrier services, or free shipping.

Add international zones if you'll ship outside your country. Click Create zone, select the countries you'll serve, and set rates for that zone.

If you offer local pickup or local delivery, configure these under Delivery methods in the same section.

Step 7: Set Up Taxes

Tax configuration ensures you charge the correct amount based on where your customers are located. From Settings > Taxes and duties, review your tax settings.

Shopify automatically calculates taxes for most regions based on your business address. Verify that tax collection is enabled for your primary market.

If you have a tax registration number (like a VAT number in Europe or a GST number in other countries), add it in the relevant section. This appears on customer invoices.

You may need to consult with a tax professional to ensure you're collecting and remitting taxes correctly, especially if you sell internationally.

Step 8: Set Up Customer Communications

Configure how your store communicates with customers. Go to Settings > Notifications to review automated emails Shopify sends for orders, shipping, and customer accounts.

You can customize these email templates to match your brand voice, though the default templates work fine to start.

Under Settings > Store details, look for the sender email section. This email address appears in the "from" field when customers receive order confirmations and shipping updates. You can use your Shopify-provided email or add your own custom domain email after you set up email forwarding.

Step 9: Create Buy Buttons or Product Links

This is where Starter differs from other plans. Instead of building a full website, you'll create buy buttons or direct links to share with customers.

To create a buy button, go to Products and select the product you want to sell. Click More actions and look for options to generate a buy button or shareable link.

The buy button gives you an embeddable code you can add to any website, blog post, or landing page. When customers click it, they'll see your product and can purchase directly through Shopify's checkout.

The shareable product link is a direct URL to a standalone product page. You can share this link on social media, in messaging apps, in your email signature, or anywhere else you communicate with potential customers.

Step 10: Test Your Checkout

Before selling to real customers, place a test order to ensure everything works correctly.

Enable test mode by going to Settings > Payments and activating a test gateway or using Shopify's test mode for Shopify Payments.

Share your product link with yourself or use your buy button on a test page. Add the product to cart and complete the checkout process. Check that pricing displays correctly, shipping calculates properly, and you receive the order confirmation email.

After testing, disable test mode and remove any test orders from your order list.

Step 11: Review Legal Requirements

Display required legal information to comply with consumer protection laws. Go to Settings > Legal to generate policy templates for:

Refund policy
Privacy policy
Terms of service
Shipping policy

Shopify provides templates based on your location, but you should review and customize them to match your specific business practices. Some jurisdictions require these policies to be accessible to customers before they purchase.

Since Starter doesn't include a full website, you'll need to link to these policies in your product descriptions, social media profiles, or wherever you share your product links.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not testing checkout before launch. Always complete a test order to catch configuration errors before real customers try to buy.

Ignoring tax settings. Incorrect tax collection can create legal and financial problems. Verify your tax configuration matches your obligations.

Using low-quality product images. Since you won't have a full website to build trust, your product images carry more weight. Use clear, professional photos.

Forgetting to set inventory tracking. If you don't track inventory, you might sell products you don't have in stock, creating fulfillment problems and disappointed customers.

Skipping policy creation. Even simple businesses need clear policies about refunds, shipping, and privacy to protect both you and your customers.

What Happens After Setup

Once your Starter store is configured, you'll focus on driving traffic to your product links or buy buttons. Share links directly with customers, post them on social media, embed buy buttons in content, or use them in email campaigns.

Monitor orders as they come in through your Shopify admin. Go to Orders to see new purchases, process fulfillment, and track what's selling.

As your business grows, you might need features beyond what Starter offers—like a full online store, blog, or advanced marketing tools. You can upgrade to the Basic plan or higher at any time from Settings > Plan without losing your products, customer data, or order history.

💡 Tip from Reddit Community

“On Starter, you have no full website doing the selling for you, so your product image, title, and first line of description carry all the weight. Get those three right before you touch anything else. As some sellers put it, themes don't convert, positioning does.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Step

Create your first product and share its link with a potential customer today to test your complete setup end-to-end.

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AUTHOR

Vardhan Jain

Director of Product Program @ GoKwik

AUTHOR

Vardhan Jain

Director of Product Program @ GoKwik

How to Set Up a Shopify Starter Store

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Read this blog on your favourite platform

What Is a Shopify Starter and Who Should Use It

Before You Start: What You'll Need

Step 1: Create Your Shopify Account

Step 2: Select the Shopify Starter Plan

Step 3: Configure Your Business Settings

Step 4: Add Your First Product

Step 5: Set Up Payment Methods

Step 6: Configure Shipping Settings

Step 7: Set Up Taxes

Step 8: Set Up Customer Communications

Step 9: Create Buy Buttons or Product Links

Step 10: Test Your Checkout

Step 11: Review Legal Requirements

Common Mistakes to Avoid

What Happens After Setup

💡 Tip from Reddit Community

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Step

Vardhan Jain

Vardhan Jain