Shopify is a popular service that lets even beginners build an e-commerce store cheaply and easily. In this article, we explain in a beginner-friendly way the concrete steps for launching an e-commerce store with Shopify. Whether you want to start your own online shop, or migrate an existing e-commerce site to Shopify, we hope this practical information is useful to you. Note that this article focuses on the minimum setup required to get to the point where you can sell products; please check separately for more advanced features and settings.
(Shopify is currently running a 3-month, ¥150 campaign)
Besides a 3-day free trial, Shopify is currently running a campaign where you can try it for 3 months for ¥150. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity.
※ This campaign information is current as of April 2026. Please note it may end without notice.
If you'd like to learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of Shopify, please refer to the article below.
If you'd like to find the Shopify plan that's right for you, please refer to the article below.
How to Start an E-Commerce Site on Shopify: Steps
Here are the steps for starting an e-commerce site on Shopify:
- Sign up for Shopify
- Register your products
- Create a contact page
- Create the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions page
- Use a Shopify theme to build your site design
- Set up consumption tax
- Set up shipping and payment methods
- Set up Shopify apps
- Connect your social media accounts
- Run an order (payment) test
Let's go over each in detail.
Sign up for Shopify
To get started with Shopify, first sign up for free.Shopify's official website — access it and click "Start free trial."
Source: Shopify official website
After answering a short survey, you'll move to the screen for creating your ID. Choose the type of ID you want to create. If you don't have an Apple ID, Google ID, or Facebook ID, select "Continue with email" and enter the email address and password you want to use.
Source: Sign-up screen|Shopify
Once ID creation is complete, your store's admin screen will be displayed. This means sign-up is complete.
A verification email will be sent to the email address you set for your ID, so complete verification right away, and be sure to bookmark your admin screen.
Source: Shopify admin screen
Regardless of plan, Shopify comes with a 3-day free trial period. You won't be charged the moment you complete sign-up, so there's no need to worry.
Shopify's plans are explained in detail in the article below. Please be sure to check it out.
Register your products
Once you've finished setting up your shop, next register the products you want to sell.
Select "Products" on the left side of the admin, then click "Add product."
Source: Shopify admin
The product editing screen will be displayed, so fill in the required information.
Source: Shopify admin
If you have a lot of products and entering them one by one is difficult, you can also import a CSV file to register them in bulk.
The article below explains, step by step, everything from registering and editing products to publishing, unpublishing, and even archiving them. Please use it as a reference.
Create a contact page
Next, let's create a contact page that customers can use to reach you.
From "Online Store" on the left side of the admin, select "Pages" and click "Add page."
Source: Shopify admin
From this screen, you can freely create pages other than product pages.
Using the "theme template" option on the right, you can also easily create a contact page.
Source: Shopify admin
Create the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions page
On an internet shop targeting Japan, you're required to include information under Japan's "Act on Specified Commercial Transactions," a law designed to prevent consumer disputes.
You can create the "Act on Specified Commercial Transactions" page by going to Shopify admin > Settings > Policies, and filling in the input form in the "Act on Specified Commercial Transactions notice" section.
Shopify also provides a template for this, and you can create it from the template by clicking "Replace with template" in the "Act on Specified Commercial Transactions notice" section.
The article below explains how to set up the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions notice. Please use it as a reference.
Use a Shopify theme to build your site design
Once you have the minimum required pages ready, next decide on your site's design.
Shopify offers a wide range of design themes you can use for free, letting even people with no IT knowledge easily build a site design.
Source: Shopify admin
Click "Themes" under "Online Store" on the left side of the admin. From here you can choose a design theme you like, or make simple customizations.
Shopify's design themes are explained in detail in the article below. Please be sure to check it out.
Set up consumption tax
Set up consumption tax appropriate to the countries you sell in and the products you offer.
As of 2025, Japanese consumption tax has two rates: a standard rate of 10% and a reduced rate of 8%. First, accurately determine which rate applies to the products your store carries.
The article below covers everything from the basics of consumption tax, to concrete setup steps, and even how to handle overseas sales and the invoice system. Please use it as a reference when setting up consumption tax on Shopify.
Set up shipping and payment methods
Let's set up shipping and payment methods.
Source: Shopify admin
From "Settings" in the bottom-left of the admin, select "Shipping and delivery," then click "Manage" under General settings.
Source: Shopify admin
By default, shipping is set to a flat ¥1,000 nationwide. If you want to change the shipping rate, click "Add rate."
Source: Shopify admin
From here, you can change the shipping rate by destination.
The article below introduces how to set up shipping on Shopify, along with recommended shipping apps for making your shipping operations more efficient. Please use it as a reference.
Next, let's set up payment methods. As with shipping settings, click "Settings" in the bottom-left of the admin and select "Payments."
Source: Shopify admin
From here you can choose and configure the payment methods you want to add. Shopify supports a variety of payment methods, but we recommend starting with Shopify Payments, since it has a low payment fee.
To add methods like PayPay or Rakuten Pay, you'll need to contract with an external payment provider such as SB Payment, GMO Epsilon, or KOMOJU.
Related Articles
The article below explains in detail the benefits of adopting Shopify Payments, along with its payment fees. Please use it as a reference.
The article below rounds up payment methods available on Shopify besides Shopify Payments. Please use it as a reference when adding a payment method.
Set up Shopify apps
Next, let's set up apps. By integrating with external apps, Shopify lets you add all kinds of features to your site.
Source: Shopify admin
Select "Add app" from "Apps" on the left side of the admin.
Selecting "Show more" in the bottom right of the screen that appears will take you to the Shopify App Store.
There are more than 8,000 Shopify apps, some of which are free to use.
Use the search bar in the Shopify App Store to find an app with the features your business needs.
Source: Shopify App Store
The article below introduces recommended Shopify apps by category. Please use it as a reference when choosing an app.
Connect your social media accounts
Shopify can also integrate with various social media platforms. Since social media has such a big impact these days, we recommend actively connecting your accounts.
Source: Shopify admin
Clicking "Sales channels" on the left side of the admin will display an app search screen. Enter the name of the social media platform you want to connect, and the integration app will appear — select the one you want.
Here are the main social media platforms Shopify currently supports integrating with:
- TikTok
To connect Instagram, you may need to switch your account to a business account. Be sure to check the connection steps for each social media platform before connecting.
Run an order (payment) test
Before actually publishing your Shopify store, let's run an order test.
Shopify Payments lets you run a test payment by switching it to test mode.
Go to Shopify admin > Settings > Payments > Shopify Payments, and you'll find a setting to switch to test mode at the very bottom of the Shopify Payments settings screen.
The article below introduces how to place a test order with Shopify Payments, along with 4 ways to place a test order on Shopify in general. Please use it as a reference.
Set up a custom domain
If you already own a custom domain, set it up so you can use it with your Shopify store before publishing your store.
Please also refer to the page below for how to set up a custom domain.
How to Set Up a Custom Domain: Connecting an External Domain to Shopify
Typical Cost of Outsourcing Shopify Site Development
If you have no IT knowledge at all, and are willing to spend money to reduce the work involved in building a site, outsourcing to a development agency is also an option.
When building a site with an ASP (a service for building an e-commerce site) like Shopify, here's the typical cost range:
Build cost
- Building it yourself: free
- Outsourcing to a development agency (a minimal-feature e-commerce site): several hundred thousand to under ¥1 million
- Outsourcing to a development agency (a highly designed, feature-rich e-commerce site): ¥1 million–¥5 million
- Outsourcing to a development agency (a large-scale or fully custom e-commerce site): ¥5 million or more
※ These are only typical figures — the price will increase if you add custom design or unique features
The article below explains how to build a Shopify site, typical cost ranges, and tips for reducing costs. If you're considering building a store, please use it as a reference.
What to Do After Building Your Shopify Site
Running an e-commerce site doesn't end once the site is complete. To reliably generate sales, be sure to do the following after building your site.
Set up Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager (hereafter, "Tag Manager") is a free "tag management tool" from Google that lets you manage a variety of tags in one place.
You can centrally manage not just measurement tags like Google Analytics and heatmap tools, but also ad tags for Google Ads and social media ads, and tags for adding web chat or chatbots.
Since Google Tag Manager lets you centrally manage the various tags needed for store analytics, it's one of the tools you'll definitely want to set up when running an e-commerce business.
Google Tag Manager is explained in detail in the article below. Please be sure to check it out.
Set up site analytics tools
To run an e-commerce site, it's important to track your visitor count and traffic sources through site analytics. You can do some customer analysis in Shopify's own admin, but be sure to also set up these two additional analytics tools.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a tool for tracking your site's visitor count, traffic sources, page views, and more. It's a free tool provided by Google, but since it lets you track quite detailed numbers, you should definitely use it.
Google Analytics is explained in detail in the article below. Please use it as a reference.
Clarity
A free heatmap analysis and behavior analysis tool provided by Microsoft.
By adding Clarity to your Shopify site, you can understand things like "why are visitors leaving?", "where are visitors getting stuck?", and "where are visitors reading closely (showing interest)?"
By using Clarity to continuously improve your site and content, you can also boost usability and improve your order rate.
How to set up Clarity is explained in detail in the article below. Please use it as a reference.
Customer Acquisition
Just as a physical store won't sell products if no one visits it, an e-commerce site won't sell products unless people visit the site. Once you've built your site, focus first on customer acquisition.
Customer acquisition is explained in detail in the article below. Please be sure to check it out.
SEO measures
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which in Japanese means "search engine optimization."
It refers to measures aimed at getting your site to appear high up, or in a prominent spot, in search results on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo when a user searches a given keyword — hence the term "SEO measures."
Getting your site to appear high up or in a prominent spot when users search for products leads to customer acquisition. SEO measures are explained in detail in the article below. Please be sure to check it out.
Social media
Social media's influence today is huge, and more and more people shop online through social media. Because it also has strong sharing power and helps with customer acquisition, we recommend that you be sure to run major platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
Blogging
Shopify's blog feature is available starting from the Basic plan.
There are 5 benefits to writing blog posts:
- Get closer to customers and build touchpoints with them
- Provide supplementary information about your products
- Increase site visitors
- Convert site visitors into product purchases
- Reuse the content on other platforms
Beyond helping with customer acquisition, a blog can also be a tool for growing fans of your shop and further conveying the appeal of your products to users. If you can spare the effort to run a blog, it's well worth actively pursuing.
Running a blog and how to make the most of it are explained in detail in the article below. Please use it as a reference.
How to write blog posts on Shopify is explained in detail in the article below. Please use it as a reference.
Advertising
If you want to increase your site's exposure, using ads for customer acquisition is another option.
Here are ways to use ads for customer acquisition on a Shopify store:
- Listing ads (search ads)
- Google Shopping ads (paid placement)
- Display ads
- Remarketing ads
- Affiliate ads
- Social media ads
Since each of these typically costs money, it's important to not just run the ad and stop there, but to actually analyze whether you're getting a good return on the money spent.
Ad management is explained in detail in the article below. Please be sure to check it out.
Boosting Sales and Repeat Purchases
Once people start coming to your site, it's important to turn that traffic into purchases, and turn those purchases into repeat purchases.
Boosting sales
Add a wide range of payment methods, and simplify the checkout screen
Even after adding a product to their cart, if a user's preferred payment method isn't available at checkout, or the checkout screen is overly complex, they'll give up right before paying and leave the site.
Be sure to add payment methods used by many customers, such as credit cards and major e-money options, and keep the checkout screen as simple as possible.
Simplifying the checkout screen is also an effective way to prevent cart abandonment. The article below explains the causes of cart abandonment and countermeasures for it. Please be sure to check it out.
Boosting repeat purchases
Add a points feature and a coupon feature
To get customers who've made one purchase to keep coming back, it's important to add value tied to purchasing from your shop repeatedly. Encourage repeat purchases by adding a points feature and a coupon feature.
The article below introduces the benefits and drawbacks of adding a points program to Shopify, along with how to set it up. Please use it as a reference.
Also, the article below introduces Shopify's coupon (discount) feature. Please use it as a reference.
Email marketing
As the name suggests, email marketing is a marketing method that uses email.
By sending email to your customer list, you can run initiatives that support customer acquisition, building a relationship with customers (turning them into fans), and encouraging repeat purchases.
Shopify has several email apps available. Recommended email marketing apps are explained in detail in the article below. Please be sure to check it out.
The article below introduces "Klaviyo" and "Omnisend," recommended Shopify apps for running email marketing on Shopify. Please use it as a reference.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shopify
What is a Shopify app?
A Shopify app is a tool (piece of software) you install on your Shopify site to extend its functionality. The "Shopify App Store," where you can search for and install Shopify apps, has over 16,000 apps, and plenty of them are free to use.
What is a Shopify theme?
A Shopify theme is a design template with an e-commerce site's design and functionality built in. Using a Shopify theme lets you build a beautifully designed e-commerce site just by entering images and product information, and adding, removing, or dragging and dropping design elements — no HTML, CSS, or other programming knowledge required.
Are there examples of stores built with Shopify?
Yakult Cosmetics Official Store
Source: Yakult Cosmetics Official Store
Yakult Cosmetics is a cosmetics brand that Yakult began developing about 70 years ago. Research began from an idea by Yakult's founder, Minoru Shirota: "if lactic acid bacteria are good for the gut, might they also be good for the skin?" It offers high-quality cosmetics backed by Yakult's research.
Yakult Cosmetics' official store is built on Shopify, and runs a variety of promotional initiatives, such as early pre-orders for new products and gift campaigns. It uses the Prestige Shopify theme.
Gogo Curry Official Store
Source: Gogo Curry Official Store
Gogo Curry is well known as a representative brand of Kanazawa curry. Its signature feature is a proprietary original roux, simmered over 55 processes for 5 hours and aged for 55 hours — one of the secrets behind Gogo Curry's addictive flavor. It also carefully selects rice, vegetables, meat, and other ingredients best suited to curry, offering a safe and reliable product.
Gogo Curry's official store is built on Shopify, and runs a variety of sales approaches beyond regular sales, such as bulk-purchase deals and subscription sales. It uses the Motion Shopify theme.
MOOMIN SHOP ONLINE
Source: MOOMIN SHOP ONLINE
MOOMIN SHOP ONLINE is the official online store for the popular Finnish character "Moomin." This shop carries only high-quality, officially licensed products aimed at Moomin fans in Japan. Its lineup is extensive, featuring mugs, clothing, accessories, home decor, toys, and more, all featuring Moomin characters.
MOOMIN SHOP ONLINE is built on Shopify, using the Flex Shopify theme.
If you'd like to see more Japanese Shopify store examples, please refer to the article below.
In Conclusion
We've explained in detail the steps for launching an e-commerce site with Shopify. Shopify is a platform that's relatively easy to use even for beginners, but running an e-commerce site effectively still requires ongoing effort and learning.
The steps introduced here are ultimately just the first step in running an e-commerce site. To actually grow your sales and build a sustainable business, the following will become important:
- Understanding customer needs and developing your products
- Planning and executing an effective marketing strategy
- Improving customer service
- Improving your site based on data analysis
- Keeping up with the latest e-commerce trends
Shopify offers a wealth of features and apps, so make use of them to build a unique e-commerce site that leverages your business's strengths.
If you run into trouble running your e-commerce site, please refer to Shopify's community forum, official support, and other articles on this site as well. We sincerely hope your e-commerce site succeeds.
So, why not use Shopify to start your very own online store?
(Shopify is currently running a 3-month, ¥150 campaign)
※ This campaign information is current as of April 2026. Please note it may end without notice.
