How to Make Money on Shopify for Beginners: 15 Proven Ways

Are you ready to tap into the immense potential of eCommerce and make money online? Shopify, one of the fastest-growing eCommerce platforms in the world, offers you the perfect launchpad. Over 4.36 million websites (Demandsage) use Shopify worldwide (over 175 countries), a testament to its unrivaled growth in the industry. 

If you're a beginner looking to start your entrepreneurial journey, you're in the right place. In this guide, we'll unveil 15 proven ways for beginners to make money on Shopify. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or just curious about the possibilities, this blog will set you on the path to eCommerce success. Stay tuned!

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an all-in-one eCommerce platform that enables individuals and businesses to create, manage, and grow online stores. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and services to simplify starting, running, and scaling an eCommerce business. 

Shopify’s Features

Here are some key features and aspects of Shopify:

• Website Creation: Shopify allows users to build branded eCommerce websites easily. Users can choose from various professionally designed templates or customize websites according to preferences. It doesn't require extensive technical skills to set up a store.
• Product Management: Users can effortlessly add, edit, and organize products within their online stores. They can categorize products, set prices, manage inventory, and showcase product details to attract customers.
• Secure Shopping Cart: Shopify provides a secure and user-friendly shopping cart for customers. It supports multiple payment gateways, meaning customers can purchase using their preferred payment methods.
• App Integration: Shopify's App Store offers a wide range of third-party apps and plugins that users can integrate into their stores. These apps extend the store's functionality, enabling features like email marketing, SEO optimization, and more.
• Inventory Management: Users can effectively track their inventory and receive notifications for low stock levels. Shopify's system can also be integrated with suppliers for dropshipping.
• Marketing Tools: Shopify provides built-in SEO features, making it easier for users to optimize their websites for search engines. It also includes tools for email marketing, social media promotion, and discount codes.

In summary, Shopify is a versatile eCommerce platform catering to beginners and experienced entrepreneurs. It simplifies setting up an online store, provides many features and integrations, and ensures a secure and reliable shopping experience for customers. Whether you're looking to sell products or services online, Shopify offers a comprehensive solution to get your eCommerce business up and running.

Why should you choose Shopify to make money online?

Choosing Shopify to make money online has many advantages that make it a preferred platform for entrepreneurs and businesses.

User-Friendly Platform

Shopify's interface is designed with beginners in mind. It offers an easy-to-navigate dashboard to manage your store, products, and sales without needing extensive technical skills.

Comprehensive eCommerce Solution

Shopify is a one-stop shop for eCommerce. It provides everything you need to set up and run your online store, from hosting and domain registration to payment processing and inventory management.

Customization Options

Shopify offers a vast selection of templates and themes. You can personalize these to match your brand's aesthetics without requiring coding knowledge. You can dive deeper and make custom changes if you have coding skills.

Mobile Responsiveness

With the increasing number of mobile shoppers, Shopify ensures that your online store is responsive and functions well on mobile devices. This mobile-friendliness enhances the user experience and can improve your SEO ranking.

App Store

The Shopify App Store is a treasure trove of applications and plugins that extend your store's functionality. You can add features like email marketing, social media integration, and customer reviews to enhance the shopping experience.

Payment Options

Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways. This includes popular choices like PayPal, credit cards, and digital wallets, making it convenient for customers to complete transactions.

Security and Compliance 

Shopify takes security seriously. It's Level 1 PCI DSS compliant, which means it meets the highest security standards for processing payments and safeguarding customer data. This reassures your customers and builds trust.

SEO-Friendly

Shopify includes built-in SEO features such as customizable title tags, meta descriptions, and URLs. It also generates a sitemap.xml file, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site. These tools help improve your store's visibility in search engine results.

Scalability

Shopify offers a range of plans to accommodate businesses of all sizes. You can start with a basic plan and upgrade as your business grows without changing platforms or migrating data.

24/7 Customer Support

The availability of round-the-clock customer support ensures you have assistance whenever needed. You can contact Shopify's support team via live chat, email, or community.

In summary, Shopify's versatility, user-friendly interface, scalability, security, and extensive feature set make it a top choice for those looking to create and grow their online businesses. 

15 Great ideas to make money on Shopify effectively

1. Run a Shopify eCommerce store

Running a Shopify eCommerce store is the traditional way to make money on Shopify. It involves creating and managing an online store where you sell products or services. Shopify provides all the tools and features you need to do this, including a website builder, shopping cart, payment processing, and more. 

Shopify makes starting and managing an eCommerce store easy, even if you have not gained prior experience. It provides all the tools and features you need to create a professional-looking website, sell your products and services, and process payments. Shopify also has a large community of users and developers who can offer support and advice.

What to prepare

To start a Shopify eCommerce store, you must choose a niche, source products, sign up for a Shopify account, and create a website. You will also need to market your store and provide customer support.

Shopify provides an exclusive offer for all new users - selling online for only $1/month in the first 3 months. Sign up for a Shopify account now to get a special deal than ever.

The most crucial thing to a Shopify store’s success is a Stunning online presence that captivates customers' attention at first sight. You can make sales if you can impress customers with beautiful images and excellent customer experience.

It’s highly recommended you use the Shopify Page Builder App to build your store’s pages. EComposer is the top-notch Shopify Page Builder that helps you create a professional store with stunning pages; you can build any page type with this app. Especially, you don’t need to know coding knowledge to customize the pages. All the things will be done with the powerful live drag-drop editor. Moreover, you can also leverage the rich library page and section templates built by EComposer experts that attract visitors.

Besides, EComposer provides outstanding features such as cross-selling, Color Swatches, AI-Content Generator, etc. These excellent functions optimize your Shopify stores, enhance customer experience, and generate high sales. 

The EComposer Free Plan is available. Don’t hesitate to try this app and get the best page-building experience.

Difficulties

Competition is the thing you need to think about when doing online business. Millions of Shopify stores are out there, so it is essential to find a way to differentiate your store and attract customers. Another challenge is marketing your store. You need to drive traffic to your website to generate sales.

Read more:

How to design a Shopify store

2. Build a Shopify Dropshipping business

A Shopify dropshipping business is an eCommerce business where you do not need to carry any inventory. When a customer orders, you simply contact your supplier, and they will ship the product directly to the customer. This is a great way to start an online store with minimal upfront investment. 

Shopify makes it easy to start and manage a dropshipping business. It provides integrations with popular dropshipping suppliers, so you can easily add products to your store and start selling. Shopify also has various features to help you market your store and process orders.

What to prepare

To start a Shopify dropshipping business, you will need to choose a niche, find reliable suppliers, and create a website. You will also need to market your store and provide customer support.

Read more:

Best Shopify Dropshipping Suppliers

Top Shopify Dropshipping Store Design

Difficulties

Finding reliable suppliers is a hard step in running a Shopify dropshipping business. It is important to choose suppliers who offer high-quality products and fast shipping. 

3. Set up Shopify Print-on-demand website

A Shopify print-on-demand website is a website where you sell custom-printed products, such as t-shirts, mugs, and posters. When a customer orders, you simply contact your print-on-demand supplier, who will print and ship the product directly to the customer. This is a great way to sell creative products without worrying about inventory management or shipping. 

Shopify provides apps with popular print-on-demand suppliers so you can easily add products to your store and start selling. It also has various features to help you market your store and process orders.

What to prepare

To start a Shopify print-on-demand website, you will need to choose a niche, design products, and create a website. You will also need to market your store and provide customer support.

Read more: How to Create a Shopify Print-on-Demand Store

Difficulties

Creating high-quality designs is one of the biggest challenges of running a Shopify print-on-demand website. Your designs need to be eye-catching and unique to attract customers. 

4. Create a Shopify Affiliate Landing Page

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing arrangement in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate's marketing efforts. The affiliate promotes the business's products or services and earns a commission on each generated sale. Affiliate marketing can be done through various channels, including blogs, social media, email marketing, and paid advertising. You can create a stunning affiliate landing page to attract customers and boost conversion.

Affiliate landing pages allow you to focus your messaging and increase conversion rates by dedicating a specific page to promote a single product or service. Besides, They give you complete control over the visitor experience, allowing you to choose what content to display, how to design the page, and where to place the affiliate links. 

This helps to ensure that visitors are focused on the offer and are more likely to convert. You can track results and measure the success of affiliate campaigns easily. Moreover, a well-designed affiliate landing page can help build trust with visitors and make them more likely to click on affiliate links. 

With Shopify, you can create an attractive affiliate landing page fast and easily; moreover, many apps support you in managing affiliate campaigns effectively.

Read more: Best Landing Page for Affiliate Marketing 

What to prepare

To make money with affiliate landing pages, you must choose a niche and an offer, create a well-designed landing page, drive traffic to your landing page, and track your results. You can also use high-converting keywords, split testing, and email marketing to optimize your campaigns and improve conversion rates.

Difficulties

Making money through affiliate landing pages on Shopify can be difficult, but it is possible. Some difficulties you may face include competition, traffic generation, conversion optimization, product selection, tracking, and analytics.

5. Flip Shopify stores

Flipping Shopify stores is buying a Shopify store, improving it, and selling it for a profit. This can be a great way to make money, but it is important to research and understand the risks involved.

• Find a Shopify store to buy: You can find Shopify stores for sale on various marketplaces, such as Exchange Marketplace, Shopify Exchange, and Flippa.
• Evaluate the store.: Once you have found a store you are interested in buying, you must carefully evaluate it to ensure it is a good investment. This includes looking at the store's financials, traffic, products, and overall potential.
• Negotiate a price: Once you have evaluated the store and decided that you are interested in buying it, you need to negotiate a price with the seller.
• Buy the store: Once you have agreed on a price, you can purchase the store from the seller. This process typically involves transferring store ownership and making the necessary payments.
• Improve the store: Once you have purchased the store, you need to improve it to sell it for a profit. This may involve changing the store's design, products, marketing strategy, etc.
• Sell the store: Once you have improved the store, you can sell it to a buyer for a profit. You can use the same marketplaces you used to find the store in the first place to sell it.

What to prepare

Before flipping a Shopify store, it is important to prepare for the process by gaining knowledge about Shopify and eCommerce, securing funding, developing a plan, and budgeting time. Additionally, it is essential to identify a niche, research stores for sale, set a due diligence process, network with other Shopify store owners and flippers, and join a Shopify flipping community. By taking these steps, you can increase your chances of success when flipping Shopify stores.

Explore here: Best Shopify Store Examples

Difficulties

Flipping Shopify stores can be complex because finding good stores to buy, evaluate them accurately, improve, and sell them can take time. Risks include overpaying for a store, buying a store with hidden problems, needing help finding a buyer, and selling a store for less than you paid.

6. Go online with your brick-and-mortar store

Going online with your brick-and-mortar store means creating an eCommerce presence for your business. This involves creating a website or online storefront where customers can browse and purchase your products or services.

There are many benefits to going online with your brick-and-mortar store. By going online, you can reach a wider audience, increase sales, improve customer convenience, reduce costs, and collect valuable data.

Shopify can help you go online with your brick-and-mortar store in a number of ways. It can help you create a website and online storefront, manage your products and inventory, accept payments, ship your products, and market your online store. Shopify also offers a variety of add-ons and integrations that can help you expand the functionality of your online store.

In addition to these core features, Shopify can help you sync your online and offline inventory, offer in-store pickup for online orders, run omnichannel marketing campaigns, and get insights into your customers.

What to prepare

To prepare for going online with your brick-and-mortar store, you will need to sign up for a Shopify account, set up your online store, organize your inventory, and promote your online store.

Difficulties

Going online with your brick-and-mortar store can be a great way to grow your business, but it also presents some challenges. These challenges include competition, driving traffic, conversion optimization, product selection, shipping and fulfillment, and customer service.

7. Boost your social selling channels

Selling via social channels, or social commerce, is using social media platforms to promote and sell products and services. Social commerce has become increasingly popular in recent years, allowing businesses to reach a large and engaged audience with minimal effort.

You can create shoppable posts and stories on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This allows customers to browse and purchase products directly from social media without leaving the platform. Shopify Starter plan is a great option to start selling online with social media. It is the most affordable Shopify plan, costing just $5 monthly. For this price, you get various features that can help you make money via social channels and manage your sales easily.

Read more: Shopify Starter Plan Review

What to prepare

To prepare for selling via social channels, you should choose the right social media platforms for your business, create high-quality content that showcases your products or services, and use Shopify Starter features to make it easy for people to buy from you.

Difficulties

Selling via social channels can be a great way to reach a wider audience and grow your business. However, there are some challenges that you need to be aware of, such as competition, driving traffic, converting followers into customers, and measuring success.

8. Become a Shopify Expert

Becoming a Shopify Expert can be a great way to make money because there is a high demand for Shopify services. Businesses of all sizes use Shopify to power their online stores, and many need help setting up, customizing, and managing their stores. Shopify Experts can provide these businesses a wide range of services, from basic setup to complex development and consulting.

There are a few ways that you can make money on Shopify by becoming a Shopify Expert. Here are some additional ways:

• Write blogs and make videos about Shopify: You can create informative and helpful content that teaches Shopify users how to use and optimize their stores. You can then monetize your content through advertising, affiliate marketing, or attracting Shopify users to your products and services.
• Provide Shopify setup and development services: Shopify Experts can help businesses set up and customize their Shopify stores and develop custom features and integrations. This can be a lucrative service, especially for businesses that need a lot of help getting started with Shopify or have complex needs.
• Offer Shopify consulting services: Shopify Experts can also offer consulting services to help businesses improve their Shopify stores and sales. This could include services like SEO, marketing, and conversion optimization.
• Provide Shopify training and support: Shopify Experts can also offer training and support to businesses new to Shopify or needing help using the platform. This could include one-on-one training, group workshops, or online courses.

What to prepare

To become a Shopify Expert, you need to learn the necessary technical skills, gain experience with Shopify, develop your expertise in a specific area, build a portfolio of your work, network with other Shopify experts, and provide excellent customer support. You should also stay up-to-date on the latest Shopify developments, be proactive, focus on a niche, and provide excellent customer service.

Difficulties

Becoming a Shopify Expert to make money is difficult because of the competition, technical skills required, time and effort required, pricing your services, and providing customer support.

9. Join the Shopify affiliate community

Shopify affiliate marketing is a way to earn money by promoting Shopify products and services to other businesses. When a business clicks on your affiliate link and signs up for a Shopify plan, you earn a commission on the sale.

There are a few different ways to promote Shopify as an affiliate. You can write blog posts about Shopify, create videos about Shopify, or promote Shopify on social media. You can also join the Shopify Partner Community Forum to connect with other Shopify Partners and learn about new ways to promote Shopify.

When you promote Shopify, focus on its benefits, such as its ease of use, wide range of features, and scalability. You should also target your marketing efforts to businesses likely interested in using Shopify, such as businesses new to eCommerce or businesses looking to upgrade their eCommerce platform.

What to prepare

To become a Shopify affiliate, you need to create a Shopify Partner account and apply to the Shopify Affiliate Program. Once you're accepted into the program, you'll be given a unique affiliate link that you can use to promote Shopify.

Difficulties

The Shopify affiliate market is very competitive. Also, it can be difficult to generate traffic to your affiliate links, and it is challenging to convert traffic into customers. Furthermore, tracking your results and determining which marketing strategies are working well can take time.

10. Develop Shopify Apps & Themes

Shopify apps and themes are extensions that can be added to Shopify stores to add new features and functionality or to change the look and feel of a store. Apps can be used to add features such as product reviews, social media integration, and abandoned cart recovery. Themes can be used to change a store's colors, fonts, and layout.

To make money by developing Shopify apps and themes, you need to create apps and themes that Shopify merchants are willing to pay for. This means that your apps and themes need to be high quality, easy to use, and provide value to Shopify merchants.

Once you have developed a Shopify app or theme, submit it to the Shopify App Store or Shopify Theme Store for review and approval. If your app or theme is approved, it will be available for Shopify merchants to install and use in their stores.

What to prepare

To prepare to develop Shopify apps and themes to make money, learn the necessary technical skills, choose a niche, build a portfolio, get feedback, price your products competitively, and plan to provide excellent customer support. Consider getting certified as a Shopify Expert, networking with other Shopify app and theme developers, and staying up-to-date on the latest Shopify developments.

Difficulties

Developing Shopify apps and themes to make money requires technical skills, time, and effort. It can be difficult to stand out in a competitive market and to price your products competitively. Additionally, providing excellent customer support can be challenging.

11. Create a Shopify knowledge resource

A Shopify knowledge resource is a website, blog, podcast, or video channel that provides information and training about Shopify. The demand for Shopify knowledge is increasing as more and more businesses are moving to Shopify. Shopify provides a variety of resources to help you create a Shopify knowledge resource, such as the Shopify Academy, the Shopify Blog, and the Shopify Partners Program.

After gaining a large amount of traffic from visitors who care about Shopify, you will do Shopify affiliates or run ads on your channels to make money.

What to prepare

To create a Shopify knowledge resource, you will need to have expertise in Shopify and be able to create high-quality content.

Difficulties

The difficulty of creating a Shopify knowledge resource is creating informative, engaging, and up-to-date content. You also need to be able to market your knowledge resource and attract readers or viewers.

12. Provide Store Design Service

A Shopify store design service is a service that helps Shopify merchants design and set up their Shopify stores. Shopify store design services can help Shopify merchants create professional-looking and user-friendly stores.

The demand for Shopify store design services is growing rapidly, as more and more businesses want to create professional-looking online stores. Shopify provides various resources to help you provide Shopify store design services, such as the Shopify Partner Program, the Shopify Expert Directory, and the Shopify Design Library.

What to prepare

To provide Shopify store design services, you will need to have design skills, a good understanding of the Shopify platform, and be able to work with Shopify merchants.

Difficulties

Finding clients is the most difficult thing if you want to provide Shopify store design services. You also need to be able to deliver high-quality work on time and within budget.

Explore more: Trending Shopify Design Ideas for Online Stores

13. Sell Digital products

Selling digital products on Shopify is a great way to make money because it has low startup costs, high-profit margins, and the potential to be automated. Digital products include e-books, online courses, software, music, and videos.

Shopify offers a variety of apps that can help you sell digital products on your store. For example, you can use the Digital Downloads app to deliver your digital products to customers after they purchase them.

What to prepare

To sell digital products on Shopify, you need to create a Shopify account, create or source digital products, choose a payment processor, and create marketing materials. It is also helpful to choose a niche, do your research, create high-quality products, invest in your store, and market your store.

Difficulties

Creating high-quality products people are willing to pay for is a challenge. You also need to be able to market your products and reach your target audience.

14. Sell handmade and custom goods

Selling handmade and custom goods is a great way to make money on Shopify if you are a skilled artisan. There is a significant demand for handmade and customized goods, and you can sell your products to people worldwide.

Shopify provides various features that make it easy to sell handmade and custom goods online. For example, Shopify allows you to upload and sell high-quality product photos and videos and to create custom product pages. Shopify also provides a variety of payment processing options so that you can sell your products to customers all over the world.

What to prepare

To sell handmade and custom goods successfully on Shopify, you will need to create high-quality products, price your products competitively, and market your store.

Difficulties

You must create high-quality products people are willing to pay to sell handmade and custom goods online. You also need to be able to market your products and reach your target audience.

15. Sell Apparel & Accessories

The apparel and accessories market is huge and growing. Get started to find a niche within the apparel and accessories market. This could be anything from selling women's clothing to selling men's accessories. Once you have chosen a niche, you need to find suppliers who can provide high-quality products at a reasonable price.

Shopify helps you sell apparel and accessories products online more effectively. It offers a variety of features, themes, and apps specifically designed for this industry. You can create stunning apparel stores with premade templates and manage your stores with excellent features.

What to prepare

To prepare to sell apparel and accessories, you should choose a niche, find suppliers, create a business plan, set up a business structure, open a business bank account, create a website and online store, set up a payment processing system, set up a shipping system, and market your business. You should also take high-quality photos of your products, write clear and concise product descriptions, and offer excellent customer service.

Difficulties

Selling apparel and accessories products on Shopify can be challenging due to the competition, product photography, size and fit, returns, and shipping costs.

How to start your business on Shopify

• Choose a business name and register your business. If you operate in the US, you can register your business name with your state's Secretary of State. If you operate outside the US, you can consult with your local government to learn the requirements for registering a business name.
• Choose a Shopify plan. Shopify offers a variety of plans to choose from, so you can select the one that is right for your business. You can start with a free trial to test the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Read more: Shopify Plans & Pricing

• Design your online store. Shopify provides a variety of themes and templates that you can use to design your online store. You can also customize your store to match your brand and style.
• Add products to your store. You can either add your products to your store or use Shopify's app store to find and add products from third-party suppliers.
• Set up your shipping and payment methods. Shopify supports a variety of shipping and payment methods, so you can choose the ones that are right for your business and your customers.
• Launch your store! Once you have completed the above steps, you are ready to launch your Shopify store. Shopify will provide you with a unique URL to share with your customers.

Tips to make your Shopify store successfully 

Choose the right niche and products to sell

Choosing the right niche and products to sell is essential for the success of your Shopify store. When choosing a niche, consider your interests, expertise, and the potential market size. Once you have chosen a niche, you need to identify the specific products that you want to sell. Consider factors such as demand, profit margins, and competition. You can use tools like Google Trends and Amazon Best Sellers to get insights into product demand.

If you are interested in fashion, you could sell clothing and accessories for a specific niche, such as women's sportswear or men's business attire. Once you have chosen a niche, you can identify the specific products you want to sell, such as running shoes, yoga pants, or dress shirts.

Build a stunning online presence

Your Shopify store's online presence is essential for attracting customers and making sales. Make sure your store is well-designed, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly. Use high-quality images and videos to showcase your products. You should also create engaging content to attract and retain customers, such as blog posts and product descriptions.

Invest in a professional Shopify theme and Page Builder to create a custom look for your store. Write engaging blog posts and product descriptions highlighting your products' benefits and convincing customers to buy.

Optimize for mobile

More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to shop online. Make sure your Shopify store is optimized for mobile devices. Your store should be easy to read and navigate on a small screen. You should also make sure that your checkout process is mobile-friendly.

Ensure your store's fonts are large enough to read on a small screen and that your buttons are easy to tap. Simplify your checkout process by reducing the steps required to complete a purchase.

Offer excellent customer service

Excellent customer service is essential for the success of any business, but it is especially important for online businesses. Ensure you are responsive to customer inquiries and go the extra mile to make your customers happy. This could involve anything from sending a handwritten thank-you note to offering free shipping on a return.

Respond to customer inquiries promptly and courteously. Offer multiple ways for customers to contact you, such as email, live chat, and phone support. Go the extra mile to make your customers happy, such as offering free shipping on orders over a certain amount or sending a handwritten thank-you note with each order.

Market your store

Once you have built a stunning online presence and optimized your store for mobile, you need to start marketing your store to attract customers. There are various ways to market your Shopify store, such as social media marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising.

Create social media accounts for your store and start sharing engaging content, such as photos and videos of your products, as well as blog posts and articles related to your niche. Collect email addresses from customers and send out regular email newsletters with exclusive discounts and promotions. Run paid advertising campaigns on Google, Facebook, and other platforms to reach a wider audience and promote your Shopify store.

By following these tips, you can increase your chances of success with your Shopify store.

Final thought

In conclusion, Shopify presents many opportunities for beginners looking to make money online. The platform's versatility is evident in the 15 proven ways discussed, from eCommerce and dropshipping to affiliate marketing and store flipping. 

To succeed, leverage Shopify's user-friendly features, stay informed about market trends, and understand the nuances of each strategy. Whether you're exploring print-on-demand, affiliate marketing, or selling handmade goods, Shopify provides the tools for success. Commit to continuous learning, adaptability, and customer-centric approaches to maximize your Shopify store's potential.