How To Start an Online Store in 2025 (10-Step Guide)
Follow this step-by-step guide to set up an ecommerce website and start selling to customers today.
Every day, millions of people use Shopify to power their businesses. From online side hustles to global retail giants, Shopify makes commerce better for everyone.
So what is Shopify, and how does it work?
Explore the essential Shopify features that help you make sales and manage your store.
Shopify is a commerce platform that helps you sell online and in person. Entrepreneurs, retailers, and global brands use Shopify to make sales, run stores, and grow their businesses.
With Shopify, you can create your first ecommerce website or manage a world-leading retail business.
Start your business journey with a free trial.
Shopify’s tools and products work together as a unified system to help you sell everywhere.
Use AI to design your store and create product pages. 
Build a store in minutes with the online store editor. Use AI to generate custom store themes by describing your brand or products.
Or, choose from more than 900 pre-built industry themes that spark joy with dynamic scrolling and hover effects. Themes are mobile-friendly and customizable without coding.
Add features to your website with apps and use Sidekick to write product descriptions and original content.
Sell your crafts or browse supplier inventory. 
Find products to sell by connecting with verified suppliers. Design custom goods using print-on-demand, source products with a dropshipping app, or stock independent brands from the wholesale marketplace Faire.
Browse Collective for products your customers will love from other Shopify brands. Import items into your store, then ship orders directly from the supplier once you make a sale.
Find out more about product sourcing.
With the world’s highest-converting secure checkout. 
When you’re ready to start selling, Shopify Checkout gives your customers a safe, ultra-fast checkout experience that maximizes conversion rates. Accept all major payment methods as soon as your store launches.
Adding Shop Pay, the internet’s highest-converting checkout option, lets shoppers place orders in a single tap.
When orders come in, get them out the door. 
Shipping with Shopify is simple, fast, and cost-effective. Print labels, collect import taxes, provide order tracking, and receive discounts of up to 88% on shipping rates.
As orders increase, use the Shopify Fulfillment Network to connect with trusted 3PL partners who handle inventory storage and returns. Offer local delivery to nearby shoppers, and give customers extra delivery reassurance with Shop Promise.
Selling products through your website is just the beginning. 
Use Shopify to promote and sell on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Extend your reach by serving international customers and listing items on marketplaces including Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Etsy.
For in-person sales, Shopify POS keeps inventory synced across your online and physical storefronts.
Know your audience to boost shelf appeal. 
Use reports to understand what leads people to your website—and what converts them into customers.
Generate audience lists for marketing campaigns and abandoned cart emails, or partner with influencers through Shopify Collabs to make your products go viral.
Find out more about marketing tools.
Everything from dropshipping to AI-powered customer support. 
Expand your stores’ features with third-party apps developed by Shopify partners.
A business account built into Shopify. 
Shopify helps manage your business finances, ensuring you’re collecting the right sales tax and monitoring expenses.
Keep bestsellers stocked and ads running with funding from Shopify Capital. Or boost your cash flow with Shopify Credit for up to 3% cash back on eligible marketing, shipping, or wholesale purchases.
Find out more about financial services.
Entrepreneurship is an infinite game where there’s always room to grow. 
Unlock scalable, flexible commerce with Plus and Enterprise plans, designed for the biggest retailers.
Brands like Glossier, Mattel, and Converse manage direct-to-consumer (DTC), business-to-business (B2B), retail, and international sales from a single platform.
Find out how Shopify helps you grow.
Four Shopify plans, each designed to support different business needs:
How To Start an Online Store in 2025 (10-Step Guide)
Follow this step-by-step guide to set up an ecommerce website and start selling to customers today.
Compare Shopify to other commerce platforms.
With the internet’s best-converting checkout, AI commerce tools, and deep shipping discounts, Shopify helps businesses give the ultimate shopping experience to customers everywhere.
From self-made TikTok stars to heritage brands, Shopify works for everyone. See plans and pricing.
With Shopify, it’s easy for beginners to create an online store using drag-and-drop templates and AI. Start accepting payments immediately with the built-in payment processor.
Shopify’s free trial lets you test most plans and features. Following the free trial, you can try Shopify for $1 per month for three months, allowing you to get your business up and running for minimal cost. After this period, you can choose from various Shopify plans, each priced to accommodate different types of businesses.
Shopify has several pricing plans, starting at $5 per month for the Starter plan. The most popular Shopify plan is Basic, which includes everything needed to run a business and costs $29 per month when billed annually. Shopify users can expand their stores’ features with third-party apps, which may carry additional costs.
Shopify Plus is a plan designed for high-growth businesses that need advanced features, scalability, and access to specialized apps and services. It includes features like B2B tools, Launchpad for automated sales, POS Pro, and support for multiple locations and markets.
Businesses choose Shopify for its flexibility and the ability to manage multiple commerce tasks from a single place. With Shopify, you can launch a business, create a dedicated space for your brand, and sell across multiple platforms, including in person and on social media. As your business expands, Shopify offers features for enterprises, eliminating the need for costly migration to another platform.
Shopify for enterprise refers to Shopify’s enterprise-grade solution, which is designed for large-scale businesses needing maximum flexibility, performance, and global reach. It provides a flexible architecture (including headless and modular options), managed infrastructure, unified sales channels (DTC, B2B, retail), and premium enterprise support. It is built for massive scale and offers the best total cost of ownership and conversion rates in commerce.
Shopify powers online stores and retail businesses in more than 175 countries. You can use Shopify in more than 20 languages and accept payments with Shopify’s native payment processor in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Business owners in countries where Shopify Payments is not available can use Shopify with approved third-party payment gateways.
You can sell a range of products and services on Shopify, including physical products, digital products, memberships, subscriptions, ticketed experiences, and consulting services. Certain products are prohibited from sale on Shopify. Consult Shopify’s acceptable use policy to see which products and services are not permitted.
With Shopify, you can sell everywhere your customers are, including through an online store, on the Shop App, in person at a retail store, on marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy, on social media channels like TikTok and Instagram, and via wholesale.
Shopify is a cloud-based and hosted platform, which means you can safely access your admin and data from any compatible device with an internet connection.
