While we’ll be taking care of the design, layout, and overall user experience of your Shopify website, there are a number of operational and backend tasks that fall under your responsibility as the store owner. This page offers a helpful checklist of the most common areas you’ll want to review and set up—such as payments, taxes, shipping, and legal policies—to ensure your store is fully functional and ready to launch.

Please note: This list is meant as a general guide and may not cover every setting or requirement specific to your business. Be sure to review Shopify’s documentation or consult with a professional (like an accountant or legal advisor) if you need further guidance.

1. Business Info & Settings

These are the basic settings for your account and can be confirmed or edited by logging into Shopify and clicking on Settings in the bottom left corner.

1. Under Store Details, confirm your store name, email, phone number, and address
2. In Store Defaults, confirm your currency, units, and time zone
3. If desired, edit the formatting of your Order IDs
4. Confirm the Order Processing settings

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2. Payment Gateway Setup

This step will enable your store to accept credit cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and any others you choose.

Manage all your store’s payment methods in the Payment providers area of Shopify.

Payment Checklist:

• Choose and set up a payment processor (e.g., Shopify Payments, PayPal, Stripe)
• Connect bank account for payouts
• Test payment methods to ensure transactions process correctly

Learn more about payments →

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3. Shipping Settings

This is where you’ll ensure your store calculates the correct shipping rates at checkout.

Shipping Checklist:

• Add shipping zones (e.g., U.S., Canada, International)
• Set shipping rates (flat rate, calculated, free over $X)
• Decide on carrier options (e.g., USPS, UPS, DHL) or use Shopify Shipping
• Set up local delivery or pickup (if applicable)

Read more about shipping and order fulfillment settings →

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4. Taxes

As part of your tax liability, you’ll want to make sure your store collects sales tax where required.

Tax Checklist:

• Set up tax regions based on where you do business
• Enable automatic tax calculation (Shopify can auto-calculate in most U.S. states)
• Register for a sales tax ID if needed (check local/state laws)

More information on setting up taxes →

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5. Legal Pages & Policies

Set up your policies, add terms, and confirm contact information to protect your business and inform customers. This information will automatically be linked in the footer of your website.

Utilize templates or enter your:

• Return & Refund Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Shipping Policy
• Contact Information

Learn more about policies →

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6. Automated Emails

You may want to customize customer communication and alerts to make it clear they’re from your store.

Notifications Checklist:

• Review and edit Shopify’s automated email notifications (order confirmation, shipping, etc.)
• Consider setting up a branded email address (e.g., info@yourdomain.com) for customer service

Read more about customizing notifications →

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7. Product Setup & Inventory

This is the big one! If you’ll be uploading your own products, this step is all about ensuring your products are properly loaded and ready to sell.

Product Checklist:

• Upload all product photos, descriptions, pricing, SKUs, and inventory levels
• Set up variants (size, color, etc.)
• Assign products to the correct collections
• Add relevant tags for filtering/search

Learn more about adding products to your Shopify store →

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