4 Tips for Setting Up a Shopify Store From a Shopify Seller

As a small business, it can be very intimidating when creating an online shop. I know for us, we wanted Ruby Love Baby to be modern, relevant, professional, and easy-to-use. We researched many different e-commerce platforms and set up multiple trial-shops to determine which we liked best. By far, Shopify blew us away! Not only was their store builder simple to navigate, but also their integrated apps seamlessly provide the customer and the seller with the best e-commerce experience possible.

Here are my big four pieces of advice for those of you running a Shopify store:

1) Utilize apps!

Shopify has so many different apps that will help simplify the process of selling online. We didn’t want to have to manually count inventory or update inventory across different marketplaces where we sell our products. Stitch Labs has been a huge help to us for that. Shippo has been a lifesaver for streamlining our shipping process.

2) Get familiar with Ads

Trying to understand SEO, advertising, and marketing as a small business can be a full-time job in and of itself. We have contracted an ad manager to work a few hours a week on our marketing and it has paid off tremendously; not only in sales, but also for my own peace of mind, so I don’t have to navigate completely unfamiliar waters.

3) Take advantage of Shopify’s business articles

Shopify sends daily news articles on improving your shop and they are quite helpful. I was skeptical of subscribing to *another* mailing list, but every single article that I have read has been helpful, enlightening, and interesting. From basic how-tos for running a Shopify store to more complex branding issues, Shopify’s ecommerce article database can be a useful tool for your business.

4) Keep your content fresh!

An easy way to increase traffic to your shop is to constantly create new content. Using key words and images not only helps give your buyers a better picture of your brand, but it also encourages you to stay involved in the process of growing your shop. Start a simple blog, update your product images regularly, deepen your product descriptions and craft your brand with stories about your business – there are lots of options!

So there you have it – We love Shopify! Now we encourage you to jump in and explore all that they have to offer – you will not be disappointed. Happy selling!

—–

This post is contributed by Julie Martin, owner & designer of Ruby Love Baby. Ruby Love makes baby books to chronicle a newborn’s first year of life.

Shippo is a multi-carrier API and web app that helps retailers, marketplaces and platforms connect to a global network of carriers. Businesses use Shippo to get real-time rates, print labels, automate international paperwork, track packages and facilitate returns. Shippo provides the tools to help businesses succeed through shipping.