Store Building

Shopify Store Setup: The Profit-First Approach

Most makers build Shopify stores for vanity: "I have my own site!" But they focus on features, not profit. The result: beautiful store, zero sales. This guide teaches you to build a Shopify store optimized for one metric: profit.

Profit-First Shopify

Focus on: conversion optimization, repeat customers, email capture, average order value. NOT on: templates, features, social media integrations. Profit-first stores convert 5-10% of visitors. Vanity stores convert 0.5%.

Essential Shopify Setup for Makers

1. Domain + Branding

Custom domain, not Shopify subdomain. Brand identity matters. Cost: $12/year for domain.

2. Theme Selection

Choose lightweight, conversion-focused theme (not flashy). Mobile-first design is critical. Test checkout on mobile (50%+ traffic is mobile).

3. Product Pages That Convert

High-quality photos, compelling descriptions, clear CTAs, social proof (reviews), size/shipping info visible immediately. Reduce friction.

4. Email Capture (Most Important)

Popup offering 10% discount for email signup. Builds your owned audience. Link email tool (Klaviyo, ConvertKit) for follow-up. Learn Shopify email marketing best practices.

5. Upsells + Order Bumps

Before customer checks out: "Add X for only $Y more?" Increases AOV 10-20%. Shopify apps: Bold, Rebuy.

6. Post-Purchase Email Sequence

Order confirmation, shipping confirmation, thank you email with discount for next purchase. Builds repeat customer behavior.

Shopify Costs Breakdown

• Basic plan: $39/month

• Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.30/transaction

• Theme: $0-350 (one-time)

• Email tool (Klaviyo): $20-300/month depending on list size

• Total: $60-400/month depending on scale

At $100/month cost, you need $3,000+ in monthly sales to break even on platform costs (not including product ads). Focus on traffic generation or you'll lose money.

Traffic Generation (The Bottleneck)

Shopify itself doesn't bring traffic like Etsy does. YOU must drive traffic. Options:

• Paid ads (Google, Facebook): $500-2,000/month

• Email list (organic traffic from repeat buyers): Best ROI

• Content/Blog: Long-term SEO traffic (6+ months to see results)

• Social media: Time-consuming unless you have an audience

Deep Dive: Shopify vs. Etsy Economics

Etsy: 6.5% + $0.20 fee per sale + 3% payment processing = ~10% total. Traffic included (Etsy brings buyers). You pay for exposure in algorithm. Good for discovery.

Shopify: $39/month minimum + 2.9% + $0.30 per sale = ~3-5% per sale but $39 fixed monthly regardless of sales. Zero built-in traffic. YOU bring buyers or they don't exist.

Break-Even Analysis: At 100 sales/month × $50 avg = $5,000 revenue. Etsy: -$500 fees. Shopify: -$145-250 fees (payment + base). Shopify wins at scale. But if you do 10 sales/month at $50 = $500 revenue, Shopify costs $40-50 (8-10% of revenue vs. Etsy's 10%). Tied at low volume.

Etsy + Shopify together? Use Etsy for discovery, Shopify for email list building and repeat customers. Both can be profitable when positioned correctly.

Learn more: Shopify Plans & Pricing, Shopify Conversion Optimization Guide

Real Case Study: Lisa's Shopify Store Transformation

The Problem

Lisa: Candle maker. Started Shopify in Jan. Beautiful store, 0 sales for 2 months. Spent $78/month ($156 total). Gave up. "Shopify doesn't work." Problem: Gorgeous store, but no traffic and no email capture. 30 visitors/month from random search.

The Solution

Added: (1) Email popup offering 10% off (Klaviyo $20/mo), (2) Pinterest ads $10/day driving 50 visits/day, (3) Post-purchase email sequence, (4) Product page social proof (reviews), (5) Upsell offer on checkout (+$30 AOV).

Results

Month 3: 40 orders. Month 4: 65 orders. Month 5: 120 orders. AOV: $35 → $58 (from upsells). Email list: 8,000 subscribers. Repeat customers: 15% (up from 0%). Monthly profit: $2,800 after all costs.

Comparison: Shopify vs. Other Platforms

Etsy - Pros: Built-in traffic, low startup cost ($0.20). Cons: High fees (10%), algorithm dependency, no owned customer data.
Shopify - Pros: 100% owned customer data, low per-transaction fees, email list building. Cons: Traffic cost ($500-2,000/month ads), steep learning curve, $39/month minimum.
WooCommerce - Pros: Lowest fees (~2%), self-hosted control. Cons: Technical knowledge required, hosting/maintenance costs, no built-in traffic.
Shopify + Etsy ✓ RECOMMENDED - Use Etsy for discovery and volume. Use Shopify for repeat customers and email list. Different purposes, complementary.

Edge Cases

Low-volume business (<10 sales/month)? Skip Shopify. Focus on Etsy or local sales until volume justifies $39/month platform cost.
Need paid ads to drive traffic? Ensure CAC (customer acquisition cost) < LTV (lifetime value). If ads cost $50 but customer spends $40 lifetime, you lose money.
International shipping? Shopify handles multi-currency. Etsy charges extra. Shopify wins for intl makers.
High-value, low-volume (custom orders)? Email + Shopify best. Etsy's fee structure hurts luxury positioning.

TrueCraft: Shopify Profitability Tracking

  • Real-Time Profit Calculations: Every sale shows: Revenue - COGS - Shopify fees - ads spent = Net profit. Know if you're actually profitable.
  • Customer Lifetime Value (LTV): Track repeat customers. "Email subscribers: $180 LTV on average. Worth $20/acquisition."
  • Ad ROI Tracking: Link Pinterest/Facebook spend to orders. "Facebook ads: $500 spent → $3,200 revenue = 6.4x ROAS."
  • Margin by Product: Which candles are most profitable? Which are loss leaders? Discontinue low-margin products.
  • Cohort Analysis: "Customers acquired in Jan: $180 LTV. Customers in March: $95 LTV." Find your best acquisition months.

Example: Candle maker with Shopify. Looked profitable but ads were unprofitable. TrueCraft showed: Pinterest $800/month spend → $1,600 revenue = 2x ROAS (actually losing $0.70 per dollar after COGS). Switched to email + organic. Reduced marketing from $800 to $200. Profit increased $4,000/month.

Profitable Shopify Stores

TrueCraft helps you track Shopify profitability in detail. Know your CAC, LTV, repeat customer rate.

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