Last updated: April 3, 2020 at 12:37pm EST
The current situation has all businesses feeling the pain to varying degrees, but it’s independent retailers that are hurting the most. At Shopify, our immediate priority is to help retailers shift from brick-and-mortar to online, so they can weather this storm and build a more resilient business.
Even lightweight solutions, like creating a simple Shopify store to offer curbside pickup or local delivery options to your customers, can eventually lead to a more holistic shift to selling all or most of your products online.
Below, we’ll outline the essential steps to get your brick-and-mortar business online. You’ll learn how to treat your homepage like your storefront and transition some of your physical store experience onto your product pages—and we’ll include additional resources to help you every step of the way.
The first step is to visit shopify.com to start your online store with an extended 90-day free trial.
Here you’ll choose your store name, which will become the URL or domain name that your customers will use to shop from your store. We recommend the Basic plan to start with, but you can always upgrade as you see fit.
Note: You’ll need to add your credit card or PayPal address. Since you’re on a 90-day free trial, you won’t be billed for the duration of the trial period, and we’ll send you a reminder before your trial ends.
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Find the right theme, or website template, for your online store in the Shopify Theme Store. You can start with a free theme built by Shopify, or you can purchase a theme developed by one of our Partners.
You want synchrony between your brick-and-mortar store and online presence, so try browsing themes by collection or industry and choosing one that best-fits your brand. Of course, no theme is restricted to any industry, it’s just helpful to get you started quickly. You can always customize your theme later.
The faster you make your online store available, the sooner customers will be able to continue purchasing your products. Focus on the basics: make sure your store features recognizable aspects of your business (like your logo or brand colors) and makes it easy for people to browse and buy.
No need to worry about the frills. Your priority is to get your products online and sell your in-store inventory. Here are the pages we recommend creating before you launch:
Treat your homepage like your retail storefront. Shoppers use the homepage to discover new offers and promotions, and navigate to product pages. Consider having a banner or notification bar that shares crucial information with customers, like what purchase or shipping options you’ve made available, or how they can support you with a gift card purchase.
Recent supply chain challenges have been affecting shipping services in unpredictable ways, your customers may have a few shipping-related questions for you. Ask around to see how other local businesses are dealing with their Shipping FAQ at this time. It’s important to share any extra steps you’re taking to keep customers safe as you ship orders to their door, such as added precautions when you prepare or package your products.
A written return policy allows you to establish clear, consistent guidelines for how customers can replace or refund their purchase. Dealing with return and exchange requests on a case-by-case basis isn’t sustainable, and can add unnecessary complexity (and cost) to your operation.
A good Contact Us page sets the right expectations with customers and makes it clear where and when they can reach you. Consider including a map of your store location for local shoppers, as well as a contact form so people don’t have to leave your website to get in touch with you.
Your product pages are where you sell the value of your products, so it’s important to make them detailed and compelling. Below we’ve listed resources to help you build high-converting product pages, write compelling product descriptions, shoot good-looking product photography with the tools you have available.
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Adding your products can take some time if you have a large catalog, but there are ways to quickly get started. We’ve recently rolled out updates to make this process faster and easier, and we’re now offering free data migration services for customers launching their online store for the first time.
Here are a few ways you can add products:
?Tip: List your in-store inventory first. If you have a SKU-heavy business and the thought of adding your entire catalog feels daunting, use your inventory management or reporting tool to identify top-performing products and upload those first. If you don’t have a system in place, perform ABC analysis instead to identify your best products.
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Selling digital gift cards is one of the fastest ways for a brick-and-mortar business to start selling online and secure immediate cash flow. Here’s how it works:
?Tip: Make your gift card program discoverable by submitting it to community directories that organize offers from local businesses. For example, the town of Cornwall, Ontario set up the Main Street gift card directory and is encouraging the community to purchase local gift certificates for future use.
Shoppers are stuck at home and many need order to reach their doorstep, which means providing an affordable and convenient shipping experience is now crucial. Here are some recommendations to keep your business moving during these uncertain times—while staying safe.
Shipping costs can quickly eat away at independent retailers’ margins, so be strategic about the way you approach shipping and fulfillment. Here are a few suggestions:
Shopify Shipping works with USPS, UPS, and DHL in the United States, and Canada Post in Canada, and offers multiple mail classes with each carrier, so you can access features like overnight delivery, package pick-ups, tracking information, international shipping, and more depending on the carrier and mail class you choose.
We’ve also worked with carriers directly to negotiate competitive rates for each shipping service, and those rates are automatically included on every plan at no extra cost to you.
Curbside pickup allows your local customers to buy something online and pick it up outside your store—without ever having to leave their car. This “drive-through” option not only minimizes person-to-person interactions, it’s also faster and reduces shipping costs. Here are the steps:
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There are a few things to consider when you’re choosing which payment methods to offer online. If you want to let your customers pay using a credit card, then you can use Shopify Payments or a third-party provider. There are also several ways for customers to pay online without using a credit card, like PayPal, Amazon Pay, and Apple Pay. Finally, accelerated checkouts like Shop Pay save shipping and payment information for returning customers to help them check out faster.
Read these considerations and instructions to make sure you choose the right payment methods for your business.
After you’ve set up your online store, your first priority is to inform current customers that you’re still open for business. Here’s how to announce that you’ve launched an online store, along with a few places you can likely reach your customers:
Remember, your customers are likely feeling just as isolated and disconnected as you are, so communicate with them often and make it easy for them to get in touch with you. Independent retailers rely on the personal connections they develop with their loyal customers, so the contact page should serve as a reminder to your customers that you’re still there for them.
Independent business owners like you are the heart of Shopify, and we‘re doing everything we can to support you. For more information about the actions we’re taking, answers to your questions, or access to resources to help you navigate your business during these uncertain times, read our COVID-19 response.
Shopify’s global support team remains available 24/7 to offer help, anything from getting your retail business online to advice on navigating the current situation. Shopify’s Expert Marketplace and Shopify’s App Store is also available if you need specialized work or urgent turnaround. We’ve even curated experts and apps that will be the most helpful in response to COVID-19 demands. Whatever you need, we’re here to help you get through these tough times and get you set up for future success.
This article originally appeared in the Shopify blog and has been published here with permission.
