Start with people who already know you
Most small stores start with existing relationships: market customers, friends, and followers. Put your store link on your social profiles, business cards, and market signs. Shopify includes email marketing tools; only email people who agreed to hear from you.
Sales channels and apps
A sales channel is another place your products appear, like social shops or marketplaces connected to Shopify. Apps add features but may have monthly costs and access your store data. Add one at a time, only when you have a clear reason, and remove ones you do not use.
Reading simple analytics
Analytics are numbers about your store. Start with three: sessions (visits), conversion rate (the share of visits that end in an order), and top products. Many visits but few orders may mean prices, photos, or shipping costs need attention. Few visits means more people need to find you.
Improve one thing at a time
Change one thing, like better photos on your top five products, then compare results over a few weeks. Results vary and no tactic guarantees sales.
A real-world example
Dana sees many visits to her 1960s dolls but few sales. She adds clearer close-up photos and states shipping costs in the description. A month later she compares orders on those products.
Steps to take
- Add your store link everywhere you already show up.
- Use email only with consent.
- Add sales channels or apps one at a time.
- Check sessions, conversion rate, and top products monthly.
- Change one thing and compare.
Marketing and analytics check
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Go deeper in related modules
Not sure what a word means? Check Business Words Made Simple.
Official guidance
Use these official sources for current rules and details. They do not replace advice for your particular business.
- Shopify Help: Analytics (opens in a new tab)
Official guide to store reports.
- Shopify Academy (opens in a new tab)
Free official Shopify courses for store owners.