Most of what makes a store work properly happens in Settings, at the bottom left of the Shopify admin. Getting these right before launch avoids failed payments, wrong tax, confusing emails and support headaches later. Work through them in this order.
1. Store details
- Store name, contact email and phone
- Business address, used on invoices and for tax
- Store currency, unit system and default weight unit
- Time zone, so reports and discount schedules are correct
2. Payments
- Activate Shopify Payments if available, or connect your payment provider
- Enable wallets such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, plus local methods for your markets
- Check the payment capture setting: automatic, or manual if you review orders first
- Place a real test order and refund it
Costs differ by plan; see Shopify pricing.
3. Checkout
- Customer contact method: email, phone or both
- Whether company name and address line 2 are optional, required or hidden
- Marketing consent checkboxes for email and SMS
- Tipping, order notes and other options as needed
- Checkout branding: logo, colours, fonts
4. Shipping and delivery
- Shipping zones and rates; free shipping thresholds (guide)
- Separate profiles for bulky or special products
- Local pickup or local delivery if you have a location
- Package sizes for accurate carrier rates and labels
5. Taxes and duties
- Tax registrations for the regions where you're required to collect
- Whether prices include tax, which is common in the EU and UK
- Duties and import taxes for international markets
6. Markets
Set your primary market and add international markets with currency, language and domain settings if you sell abroad. See selling internationally.
7. Domains
Connect your domain and set it as primary (how to connect it).
8. Notifications
Customise order confirmation, shipping and refund emails with your logo and colours, and check that the sender email is your own domain, authenticated so emails don't land in spam.
9. Policies
Add refund, privacy, terms of service, shipping and contact information. Shopify links them at checkout; add them to the footer menu too (return policy guide).
10. Customer accounts and privacy
- Customer account settings and self-serve returns
- Cookie banner and privacy settings for regions that require consent
11. Users and permissions
Add staff with only the permissions they need, and give agencies collaborator access. Turn on two-step authentication for every account.
Prefer to have everything configured and tested for you? See our Shopify store setup service.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change my store currency later?
The store currency can be changed in some cases, but it's simpler to set it correctly at the start. Selling in other currencies is handled through Markets.
How do I give an agency or freelancer access?
Use collaborator access or staff accounts with only the permissions they need, rather than sharing your login.
Do I need to set up taxes myself?
Shopify can calculate many taxes automatically, but you're responsible for registering where required and checking the settings. Ask an accountant about your obligations.
Author
Uğur KeskinFounder @ShopiuzmanFounder of Shopiuzman. He builds, migrates and grows Shopify stores for brands in Türkiye, Europe and the US, and leads the development of our apps on the Shopify App Store.
