Your First 30 Days on Shopify: What to Do and in What Order

Shopify gives you 3 free days followed by your first month at a reduced rate. That window is critical: if you do not use it wisely, you end up paying for a store that never goes live.

Week 1: The Basics

The first few days are for setting up the foundation. Do not get distracted by design yet.

• Create your account and choose the Basic plan ($39 USD/month after the trial)
• Set up your business information (address, currency)
• Add your first 5-10 products with photos, descriptions, and prices
• Configure payment methods. Shopify Payments is not available in every country. If it is not available in yours, you will need a local gateway (like Webpay or Flow in Chile, Conekta in Mexico, or a PayPal/Stripe integration)

Week 2: Design and Structure

Now it is time for design. But do not obsess over it.

• Choose a free theme. Dawn is the default and it works well. Do not buy a premium theme yet.
• Build your navigation menu with your main categories
• Create the essential pages: About Us, Contact, Shipping Policy, and Return Policy
• Customize colors and logo. Keep it simple. If you do not have a professional logo, just use your brand name in clean text.

Week 3: Shipping and Details

• Set up shipping options. Define your zones and rates. A flat rate works fine to start.
• Test the full checkout flow. Place a test order from start to finish. Make sure the confirmation email arrives properly.
• Check on mobile. More than half of your visitors will be on their phone. If your store does not look good there, you have a problem.

Week 4: Launch

If all of that is ready, remove the password from your store and publish it. Share the link with friends, family, and on social media. Go after those first real sales.

What NOT to Do in the First Month

• Do not install 15 apps on day one. Each app adds complexity and can cause conflicts.
• Do not switch themes 5 times. Pick one and work with it.
• Do not wait until you have 200 products. Launch with what you have ready.
• Do not compare yourself to stores that have been around for years. Your goal is a functional store, not a perfect one.

The first month is for building the foundation and launching. Everything else — marketing, SEO, automations — comes after. First make it work, then make it shine.