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Free guide · PDF · 31 pages

Get your Shopify store ready for Christmas

Get your Shopify store ready for Christmas

Get your Shopify store ready for Christmas

Ten things we’d check first on any Shopify store, in the order we’d fix them. From the first five seconds on your homepage to the last tap at checkout.

Ten things we’d check first on any Shopify store, in the order we’d fix them. From the first five seconds on your homepage to the last tap at checkout.

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An inside page of the guide
The store health check page of the guide
Cover of the guide: 10 Steps to Get Your Shopify Store Ready for Christmas
Sticker of a fluffy cream cat

31 pages

10 steps in 4 parts

13-point store health check

Written by a Shopify studio in Rotterdam

Decorative pink pattern border

Why now

From Sinterklaas to Christmas, people shop differently

More visitors arrive looking for a gift, not for something for themselves.

They compare brands, shop on their phones and try to find something special for someone they care about. A beautiful store is a great start, but it takes more than good design to turn those visitors into customers.

the one question

the one question

Can I trust this store enough to buy from it?

Can I trust this store enough to buy from it?

Before you spend more on ads or plan your next campaign, take some time to look at the store itself. This guide shows you where to start, so you can fix the things that matter before the rush, not in the middle of it.

What’s inside

Ten steps, four parts

Organized in the order we’d tackle them, starting with the first impression and ending at checkout. You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the areas that need the most attention.

Organized in the order we’d tackle them, starting with the first impression and ending at checkout. You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the areas that need the most attention.

Part 1

The first impression

What visitors see, understand and feel in the first few seconds.

01

Make your first five seconds count

02

Give visitors a clear place to start

03

Treat your product photography as part of the shopping experience

Part 2

The product page

Where interest turns into a decision, or into doubt.

04

Sell the reason behind the product, not just its specifications

05

Answer customer questions where they make buying decisions

06

Put your strongest proof close to the buying decision

Part 3

The brand experience

How your store looks, feels and gifts during the season.

07

Make your Christmas design feel like your brand

08

Make gifting easy from the first click to delivery

Part 4

Trust and checkout

The last steps, where small doubts cost the most sales.

09

Make delivery and returns impossible to miss

10

Shop your own store on your phone

13

13

Store health check

Tick what’s true for your store, get your score and see what to prioritize first.

10

10

Quick checks you can do today

Every step ends with a test you can run on your own store in a few minutes, no tools needed.

A look inside

Practical, page by page

Each step tells you what to look for, what to do and how to check it, with real examples of a better headline, a better product page and a better delivery message.

Each step tells you what to look for, what to do and how to check it, with real examples of a better headline, a better product page and a better delivery message.

Contents page of the guide

Contents

Tap any line to jump straight to it.

Tap any line to jump straight to it.

Step 01: a homepage example with headline, supporting text and one button

Step 01

A first screen that says what you sell.

A first screen that says what you sell.

Step 06: a review placed next to the price and add-to-cart button

Step 06

Proof right next to the button.

Proof right next to the button.

Step 09: a delivery estimate under the add-to-cart button

Step 09

Will it arrive before Christmas?

Will it arrive before Christmas?

Try it now

How ready is your store for the holidays?

This is the health check from page 28 of the guide. Tick the statements that are true for your store. It takes about two minutes.

This is the health check from page 28 of the guide. Tick the statements that are true for your store. It takes about two minutes.

First impression
Product experience
Brand and gifting
Trust and checkout

Who it’s for

Made for independent Shopify brands

For brands that want to make shopping easier, build trust and turn more visitors into customers this season.

For brands that want to make shopping easier, build trust and turn more visitors into customers this season.

A good fit

If this sounds like you

+

The holidays are your busiest season.

And you’d rather fix the store now than discover a problem in December.

+

People buy your products as gifts.

So gift options, delivery dates and returns matter more than usual.

+

You want to improve the store before spending more on ads.

Because more traffic to a store that doesn’t convert only makes the problem more expensive.

Not inside

On purpose

−

Discount tricks or a Black Friday ad plan.

The guide is about the store itself: what visitors see, understand and trust.

−

A full redesign.

You don’t need one every season. The biggest improvements often come from fixing one customer problem properly.

Karina Paviotti in the street

Who wrote it

Hi, I’m Karina.

Hi, I’m Karina.

Hi, I’m Karina.

Design by Karina mascot sticker: Karina waving, in blue

I’ve put together ten things I’d check first when reviewing a Shopify store. They’re organized in the order I’d tackle them, starting with the first impression and ending at checkout.

Before I started Design by Karina, I worked as a product designer at Uber. Today we design and build Shopify stores for independent brands from our studio in Rotterdam.

Let’s get your store ready.

Karina

5.0 ★ on Google · Shopify studio in Rotterdam

Questions

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How do I get the PDF?

Fill in the form and we email it to you right away. Tap the button in that email and the PDF opens. If it isn’t there after a few minutes, check your Promotions or spam folder, because first emails sometimes land there.

D

How do I get the PDF?

Not at all. You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the areas that need the most attention, so even one or two fixes are live before the busiest weeks.

D

Is it too late to do this before Christmas?

Not at all. You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the areas that need the most attention, so even one or two fixes are live before the busiest weeks.

D

Is it too late to do this before Christmas?

Not at all. You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with the areas that need the most attention, so even one or two fixes are live before the busiest weeks.

D

Is it too late to do this before Christmas?

Most of the checks you can do yourself, on your phone and in your Shopify admin. A few things, like gift notes or wrapping options, may need theme settings or an app, and the guide tells you which ones.

D

Do I need a developer?

Most of the checks you can do yourself, on your phone and in your Shopify admin. A few things, like gift notes or wrapping options, may need theme settings or an app, and the guide tells you which ones.

D

Do I need a developer?

Most of the checks you can do yourself, on your phone and in your Shopify admin. A few things, like gift notes or wrapping options, may need theme settings or an app, and the guide tells you which ones.

D

Do I need a developer?

It’s written for Shopify, so the settings and examples are Shopify ones. Most of the advice works for any online store, because it’s about how people shop, not about the platform.

D

Is it only for Shopify stores?

It’s written for Shopify, so the settings and examples are Shopify ones. Most of the advice works for any online store, because it’s about how people shop, not about the platform.

D

Is it only for Shopify stores?

It’s written for Shopify, so the settings and examples are Shopify ones. Most of the advice works for any online store, because it’s about how people shop, not about the platform.

D

Is it only for Shopify stores?

Yes, a few short emails with practical Shopify tips during the season. Every email has an unsubscribe link, so you stay only as long as it’s useful.

D

Will you email me anything else?

Yes, a few short emails with practical Shopify tips during the season. Every email has an unsubscribe link, so you stay only as long as it’s useful.

D

Will you email me anything else?

Yes, a few short emails with practical Shopify tips during the season. Every email has an unsubscribe link, so you stay only as long as it’s useful.

D

Will you email me anything else?

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