0:00
[MUSIC PLAYING] It's time to create your e-commerce website. Before we get started, I'd like to point out that it's important to think about, where your ideal customer shops and make sure your products are eventually available for sale there. For example, in the case of our products, which are food products, the vast majority of customers still buy their groceries in supermarkets and find it much easier to be able to find their favorite brands, where they shop regularly.
0:27
So to be really successful, that's where we realize our products need to be sold. But in the beginning, we sold direct to consumers through craft shows or simply through our website for reorders, when we didn't have those retail partnerships. This may also be the case for your products or it could be that your online store will be the most important sales channel, which could be the case, for example for a fashion brand. In either case, your e-commerce website is extremely important.
0:54
This is your digital store front. So start to think about, what you want it to look and feel like to customers as they walk in? What information is most important to show and tell them as they enter? How do you communicate that your product does the job that they need it to? Jot down some notes now on those questions. I also want to note that if you currently sell in other marketplaces like Etsy or Amazon, I still strongly encourage you to create your own online shop.
1:23
You'll have the ability to share your story and so much more detail on your own website, which is super valuable, when you're working to differentiate the brand from everyone else. Now let's get started on creating your online store. With Shopify, it's easy to start and store in less than five minutes. Then we'll show you how to design a store to have the look that you want it to. If you haven't started your Shopify account yet, keep watching.
1:48
Here we are on shopify.com. Now let's set up a store together. To sign up for an account, click on Get Started at the top right of the page. Enter your email address and a password. And then you're going to choose a store name. Your store name is just another way of saying a user name. So if the username that you want is not available, you can modify it by adding spaces or numbers, your customers won't see it.
2:19
So we'll talk more about adding custom domains in another module. But here you can go ahead and choose a name for your store. I'm going to choose Jaswant's Kitchen, and then I'm going to click on Create your store. So as you can see, the store is being created.
2:51
So here you are going to tell Shopify a little bit about yourself, so that they can serve you better. So the first question is, are you already selling? So when we started out, we were selling but just not online. And in terms of when would I like to launch my store, I'm ready to go. And how would I want to sell.
3:15
I'm going to be selling both online and in-person. And it's asking, where do I mostly sell in person, so at markets, fairs and pop-ups, and then also in brick and mortar retail stores. And then what is your current revenue? So when we started out-- like if you're just starting out yourself, you can just indicate what level you're at. And then you hit on next and then here finally, you're going to enter in your address information.
3:46
So that you can get paid and really important part. And here, if you already had a website, this is where you would enter in the URL for it. And then next, you just hit on enter my store and it'll take you right into the admin. Congratulations.
4:10
You have officially activated your Shopify store. This is the first step into your entrepreneurial journey with Shopify. You've joined over half a million people who have committed to starting and growing their own businesses. In the next video, I'll show you how to choose a theme and edit the look and feel of your store. [MUSIC PLAYING]