A launch can feel overwhelming, so we have broken it into a short checklist. Tick them off in order and your page will be ready to take real orders by the end.
The steps
- 1
Name your page
Pick a friendly store name. It shows up at the top of your page, 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 page 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 page. 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 page, the rest gets easier and faster.
- 6
Set up payments
Activate payments so customers can check out. Your page sets you up with Stripe or Paystack automatically based on the country on your profile — you just complete the guided flow.
- 7
Add your page 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 page 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 page 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 page
Click through your page like a customer would. Try the checkout, view the order confirmation page, and read the emails that get sent.
- 11
Share the link
Your page 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 tracks six required items — store name, logo, connected payments, at least one product, shipping, and store policies — plus the optional custom domain. A percentage progress bar shows how far you have come. 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?
Use Maintenance mode — go to Store > General, find the Store Availability section, turn the switch on, and click Save availability. Your store status changes to Offline and customers see a friendly message while you are paused. You can also set individual products to Draft or Archived from the Products list if you only want to hide specific items.