A launch can feel overwhelming, so we have broken it into ten short steps. Tick them off in order and your store will be ready to take real orders by the end.
The ten steps
- 1
Name your store
Pick a friendly store name. It shows up at the top of your storefront, in emails to customers, and on receipts. You can change it later if you change your mind.
- 2
Upload your logo
A square or wide PNG works best. If you do not have one yet, your store name in text looks great too.
- 3
Set your brand colors
One main color and an accent are usually enough. Use the brand colors that match your social media so customers recognize you.
- 4
Pick a theme
Themes change the layout and feel of your storefront. Browse, preview, and pick the one that fits your products best.
- 5
Add your first product
Start with your hero product. Once you can see one item in your storefront, the rest gets easier and faster.
- 6
Set up payments
Activate payments so customers can check out. Your store sets you up with Stripe or Paystack automatically based on the country on your profile — you just complete the guided flow.
- 7
Add your store policies
Refund, shipping, and privacy policies build trust. We provide friendly templates you can review and edit in a few minutes.
- 8
Add shipping rates
Tell your store where you ship and how much it costs. Create one or more Shipping Areas with flat rates or free-over-threshold rates, and add Collection Points if you offer pickup.
- 9
Connect a custom domain (optional)
Pointing your own domain at your store makes the URL match your brand. Skip if you are happy on your default Shopstar address — you can add it any time.
- 10
Preview your store
Click through your storefront like a customer would. Try the checkout, view the order confirmation page, and read the emails that get sent.
- 11
Share the link
Your store is reachable to anyone with the URL from day one. Share it with friends, post it on socials, and start telling customers it is open.
Your dashboard tracks the essentials
The Setup checklist on your merchant dashboard shows the essential items — store name, logo, connected payments, at least one product, shipping, store policies, and a custom domain — and a percentage progress bar against them. Brand colours, theme, and preview steps are not tracked there but matter just as much for a polished launch.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to finish every step before sharing my link?
No. You can start sharing as soon as you have a product, payments connected, and shipping set up. Everything else can be polished after.
What if I miss a step?
The dashboard's Setup checklist surfaces required items at the top with a progress bar. If something is missing — like payments or a policy — you'll see a friendly nudge to finish it.
How do I stop accepting orders if I need to pause?
There is no single "store off" toggle today. To pause new orders, set your products to Draft or Archived from the Products list — they disappear from your storefront while you sort things out, and they go back live the moment you switch them to Active again.