Shopify

How to Start a Shopify Site

A Beginner’s Guide – Get Selling like Gymshark and Heinz

Starting an online store might sound daunting, but Shopify has made it possible for almost anyone to launch a professional-looking site with little technical experience. From side hustlers selling handmade candles to global brands like Gymshark and Heinz, Shopify has become the go-to platform for ecommerce.

This guide will walk you through the practical steps of setting up your own Shopify store, with some insights into what the big players do well and how you can learn from them.

The Marketing Made Clear Podcast

This article features content from the Marketing Made Clear podcast. You can listen along to this episode on Spotify:

Why Choose Shopify?

Shopify is one of the world’s most popular ecommerce platforms, powering over 4 million websites. Its main advantages are:

  • Ease of use – No coding knowledge required.
  • All-in-one solution – Hosting, payment gateways, and analytics are built in.
  • Scalability – Start small and grow. It can handle both one-person shops and global operations.
  • Trusted by brands – Companies like Red Bull, Allbirds, and Kylie Cosmetics use Shopify.

In other words, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel – you just need to set it up properly.

Step 1: Sign Up and Pick a Plan

Shopify offers a 3-day free trial (often extended through promotions). This lets you test the platform before committing.

Plans include:

  • Basic – Good for beginners and side hustles.
  • Grow – For growing businesses with small teams – adding more features.
  • Advanced – For scaling businesses – a higher monthly fee but lower transaction costs.
  • Plus – For established stores needing detailed reporting and lower transaction fees.

Click here for more info on pricing.

MMC tip: Start with the Basic plan. Don’t overinvest in features you won’t use on day one. As Philip Kotler would argue, marketing resources are best allocated efficiently – spend where you’ll see results.

Step 2: Choose Your Domain Name

Your domain is your shop window on the web. Your options include:

  • Buy a new domain through Shopify
  • Buy a new domain through a provider like GoDaddy
  • Connect an existing one
  • Or start with a free myshopify.com address (though upgrading to a custom domain quickly makes you look more professional)

MMC Tip: Gymshark didn’t start as a global powerhouse – it began as a small Shopify store with a clear, memorable domain that matched its brand identity.

Step 3: Select a Theme

Themes determine the look and feel of your site. Shopify’s theme store has both free and paid options.

  • Free themes like Dawn or Craft are flexible and beginner-friendly.
  • Paid themes offer more design features, often with built-in options for customisation.

MMC Tip: Look at brands you admire. For instance, Allbirds uses a clean, minimalistic design that lets its storytelling and eco-friendly products take centre stage.

Step 4: Add Products

This is where the real fun begins. To set up a product, you’ll need:

  • Product title
  • Description
  • Images (high quality is essential)
  • Pricing
  • Variants (sizes, colours, etc.)
  • Inventory levels

MMC Tip: Don’t just list specs – sell the story. Heinz, when it launched its direct-to-consumer store during the pandemic, didn’t just list “Tomato Ketchup 460g” – it offered “Heinz to Home,” a bundle designed for families, making the experience as important as the product.

Step 5: Set Up Payments and Shipping

Shopify Payments lets you accept credit cards directly, while also integrating with PayPal, Apple Pay, and others.

For shipping:

  • Define rates (free shipping can boost conversion).
  • Decide which regions you’ll deliver to.
  • Use Shopify’s built-in shipping label tools if needed.

MMC Tip: Kylie Cosmetics uses Shopify Plus with worldwide shipping options, proving that the platform isn’t limited to local-only stores.

Step 6: Configure Legal Pages

Customers expect to see:

  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund Policy
  • Terms of Service

Shopify provides templates, but personalise them for your business. This builds trust and keeps you compliant.

Step 7: Optimise for Marketing

This is where many beginners forget the basics. A Shopify site isn’t just a shop, it’s a marketing tool.

  • SEO basics: Edit page titles, meta descriptions, and URLs for clarity and keywords.
  • Email capture: Add a simple signup form for newsletters.
  • Social proof: Include reviews, testimonials, or user-generated content.
  • Analytics: Use Shopify’s built-in reports and connect to Google Analytics for deeper insights.

MMC Tip: Red Bull’s online store is slick, but what makes it powerful is how it ties seamlessly into their broader content strategy – events, videos, sponsorships – all feeding into their ecommerce.

Step 8: Launch and Test

Before going live, run through your site as if you were a customer:

  • Add a product to cart
  • Go through checkout
  • Check mobile view (over 70% of ecommerce traffic is mobile – 2025)
  • Make sure everything feels smooth

Once tested, hit “Launch”.

Step 9: Market Your Store

Now the real work begins. A Shopify site without marketing is like opening a shop in the desert. Drive traffic through:

  • Social media ads (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram are popular starting points)
  • Content marketing (blogs, video tutorials, email newsletters)
  • Influencer marketing (partner with micro-influencers in your niche)
  • Google Shopping Ads (especially if you’re selling physical products)

TL;DR

  • Shopify is beginner-friendly and trusted by brands like Gymshark, Heinz, and Kylie Cosmetics.

  • Key steps: sign up, choose a domain, pick a theme, add products, set up payments/shipping, and launch.

  • Don’t just build the store — market it. SEO, social proof, and content are essential.

  • Start small, test thoroughly, and scale as you grow.