What to prepare before your Shopify store build

The biggest factor in how quickly a Shopify store goes live isn't the build. It's how quickly the content arrives. Here's what to have ready, roughly in the order it gets used.

Your products

For each product, gather:

• A product name a customer would search for, not an internal code
• The price, and a compare-at price if it's on sale
• Variants: sizes, colours, materials, and the price of each if they differ
• A SKU if you track stock
• Weight, if you'll charge shipping by weight
• A description. Two or three short paragraphs covering what it is, who it's for, and the details people ask about (size, care, materials) is plenty to start

A simple spreadsheet with one row per product and one column per detail is the easiest thing to hand over.

Your photos

Good photos sell more than good descriptions. Aim for:

• At least one clear photo per product, ideally three or four
• The same background and lighting across your range, so the store looks consistent
• Square images work well in most Shopify themes
• The original files, not screenshots or images saved from social media

A phone camera, natural light from a window and a plain background will do more than you'd expect.

Your brand

• Your logo, ideally as a PNG with a transparent background or an SVG
• Your brand colours, if you have them
• A sentence or two about your business for the About page

No logo yet? You can launch with a clean text logo and replace it later.

How you'll ship

Decide before the build:

• Will you charge a flat rate, offer free shipping over a certain amount, or calculate by weight?
• Do you ship Australia-wide only, or internationally too?
• Will you offer local pickup?

You don't need a perfect shipping strategy. A simple flat rate is fine to start, and it's easy to change.

Your policies

Every store needs a refund policy, privacy policy, terms of service and shipping policy. Shopify can generate starting templates. You'll need to tell us your actual return window and conditions, and check the wording reflects how your business works and your obligations under Australian Consumer Law.

Your accounts

• An email address you check, for the Shopify account and customer notifications
• Your ABN and business details for Shopify Payments
• Bank account details for payouts (you enter these yourself in Shopify — never send them by email)
• Your domain, or a shortlist of names if you haven't bought one

What if something isn't ready?

Start anyway. Tell us what's missing in the start form and we'll work through it with you. The build can begin with what you have.