Ask me anything about...launching and growing an online store

What are the must-have pages every new online store should have? 

It’s important to put your consumer hat on and cover the essentials shoppers are looking for. For example, clear product pages with strong photos and honest descriptions, an About page, your contact details and shipping, returns, refunds and privacy policies. Add your payment options and a custom domain so the store looks established and make sure you place a test order from start to finish before you open to customers.

What makes a new store feel trustworthy before it has reviews?

Trust comes from looking complete and professional. A custom domain, consistent branding, quality product photos and clear policies all signal that you’re a real business. Make your contact details easy to find, show recognised payment options at checkout and make your returns policy visible. All of this reassures people even before you have a single review. Also, don’t overlook telling shoppers who you are and why you started, as the story behind a brand builds trust in the person.

What information should be clear before a customer reaches checkout?

Shoppers want three things before they commit: delivery costs, how long it will take and where you ship. Show this on the product page and in the cart rather than saving it for the final step. Make your returns window and process easy to find, too. Unexpected shipping costs at the last moment are one of the most common reasons carts get abandoned. 

How can I prepare for my first order?

Test the full journey yourself first: a live transaction, an order confirmation, a refund and a cancellation. Have your packaging, shipping labels and carrier sorted, and your confirmation and shipping emails switched on. Know how you will handle a return and where customer questions will land. That way your first real order is exciting rather than stressful. 

How can Shopify support brands as they scale?

Shopify scales with your success, so whether you are a side hustle or a large global brand, you’re not rebuilding as you grow. Tools like Shop Pay, customer log-ins and built-in marketing help turn first-time buyers into repeat customers. AI features such as Sidekick take care of busywork like writing product descriptions or enhancing promotions, freeing your time for product and customers. The same setup also lets you add new sales channels as you grow, like social, marketplaces, in-person or AI chats – all without starting over.

What online shopping trends are you seeing across Australia?

From traditional channels like desktops, phones and retail locations to agentic AI channels, mediums are evolving and the ways people find brands and products are multiplying. Now more than ever, you need to be conscious of where and how you show up so you can meet consumers where they are shopping. For example, over the recent holiday period, most Australian consumers said they planned to use AI to shop, particularly to hunt for deals. To show up well, it helps to know that LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini trust verified sources. Clean, complete product and brand data is critical to allow these platforms to surface your products accurately.