Complete Getting Started Guide - Launch Your Store

Welcome to doin9! This complete guide will walk you through setting up your online store from scratch. We'll cover everything from creating your account to launching your store and making your first sale.

What You'll Accomplish

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

Before You Start

What You'll Need

1. Business Information:

- Business name and address

- Contact email and phone number

- Tax ID or business registration number (if applicable)

2. Product Information:

- Product photos (high-quality, well-lit)

- Product descriptions

- Pricing information

- Inventory quantities

3. Payment Information:

- Bank account details for deposits

- Business credit/debit card for fees

4. Time Commitment:

- 2-4 hours to complete the initial setup

- Additional time for adding products and customizing design

Prerequisites

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Step 1: Create Your doin9 Account

1.1 Sign Up

1. Go to doin9.com

2. Click "Start Free Trial" or "Get Started"

3. Enter your email address and create a password

4. Choose your store name (this will be your temporary store URL)

5. Click "Create Your Store"

1.2 Verify Your Email

1. Check your email for a verification message from doin9

2. Click the verification link

3. You'll be redirected to your new store dashboard

1.3 Choose Your Plan

1. Select the pricing plan that fits your needs:

- Starter: Perfect for new stores with fewer products

- Professional: Great for growing stores with more features

- Enterprise: For large stores with advanced needs

2. Enter your payment information

3. Click "Start Your Trial" (you won't be charged until the trial ends)

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Step 2: Basic Store Configuration

2.1 Store Settings

1. From your dashboard, go to Settings → General

2. Store Details:

- Store Name: Your business name

- Store Email: Customer service email

- Store Phone: Customer service phone

- Store Address: Your business address

3. Store URL:

- Your temporary URL: `yourstore.doin9.com`

- You can add a custom domain later

4. Click "Save"

2.2 Configure Time Zone and Currency

1. Go to Settings → Regional

2. Time Zone: Choose your local time zone

3. Currency: Choose your primary currency

4. Weight Unit: Choose how you measure product weight

5. Language: Set your store's default language

6. Click "Save"

2.3 Set Up Taxes

1. Go to Settings → Taxes

2. Enable Automatic Tax Calculation (recommended)

3. Enter Your Business Location: This determines tax rates

4. Tax Registration Number: If you have one

5. Click "Save"

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Step 3: Add Your First Products

3.1 Create Product Categories

1. Go to Products → Categories

2. Click "Add Category"

3. Create main categories for your products:

- Example: "Clothing", "Electronics", "Home & Garden"

4. For each category:

- Category Name: Clear and descriptive

- Description: Brief description

- Category Image: Upload a representative image

5. Click "Save" for each category

3.2 Add Your First Product

1. Go to Products → Add Product

2. Basic Information:

- Product Name: Clear, descriptive name

- Description: Detailed description with benefits

- Product Type: Choose the appropriate type

3. Pricing:

- Price: Your selling price

- Compare at Price: Original price (if on sale)

- Cost Price: What you paid (for profit tracking)

4. Inventory:

- SKU: Unique product code

- Barcode: If applicable

- Quantity: How many you have in stock

- Allow backorder?: Yes or No

5. Shipping:

- Weight: Product weight

- HS Code: For international shipping

6. Images:

- Click "Upload Images"

- Add 3-5 high-quality photos

- Drag to reorder (first image is the main one)

7. Categories: Select the appropriate category

8. Tags: Add relevant tags for search

9. SEO:

- Page Title: SEO title

- Meta Description: Brief description for search engines

10. Click "Save Product"

3.3 Add More Products

Repeat the process for all your products. Pro tip: Start with 10-20 products to launch, then add more later.

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Step 4: Set Up Payments

4.1 Choose Payment Methods

1. Go to Settings → Payment Methods

2. You'll see several options. Start with these:

#### Credit/Debit Cards (Stripe)

1. Click "Activate" next to Stripe

2. Connect Stripe Account:

- Click "Connect with Stripe"

- Follow the prompts to create or connect your Stripe account

- Enter your business and bank details

3. Configure Settings:

- Currency: Should match your store currency

- Test Mode: Enable for testing, disable for live

4. Click "Save"

#### PayPal

1. Click "Activate" next to PayPal

2. Connect PayPal Account:

- Click "Connect with PayPal"

- Log in to your PayPal business account

- Grant permissions to doin9

3. Click "Save"

4.2 Test Your Payment Setup

1. Create a test product for $1.00

2. Go to your store frontend

3. Add the test product to cart

4. Proceed to checkout

5. Test both payment methods (use test mode for cards)

6. Verify payments appear in your DoingHub dashboard

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Step 5: Configure Shipping

5.1 Set Up Shipping Zones

1. Go to Settings → Shipping

2. Click "Add Shipping Zone"

3. Zone Name: "Domestic" (for your home country)

4. Countries: Select your country

5. Shipping Rates:

- Rate Name: "Standard Shipping"

- Price: $5.00 (or your standard rate)

- Estimated Delivery: "5-7 business days"

6. Click "Add Rate" then "Save Zone"

5.2 Add International Shipping (Optional)

1. Click "Add Shipping Zone"

2. Zone Name: "International"

3. Countries: Select countries you ship to

4. Shipping Rates:

- Rate Name: "International Standard"

- Price: $15.00 (or your international rate)

- Estimated Delivery: "10-15 business days"

5. Click "Add Rate" then "Save Zone"

5.3 Free Shipping Option

1. In your Domestic zone, click "Add Rate"

2. Rate Name: "Free Shipping"

3. Price: $0.00

4. Conditions: "Orders over $50"

5. Click "Save"

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Step 6: Design Your Store with Doing Studio

6.1 Access Doing Studio

1. From your dashboard, click "Doing Studio"

2. You'll see your store with a basic template

3. Take a moment to explore the interface

6.2 Customize Your Homepage

#### Add a Hero Section

1. At the top of your homepage, click "Add Section"

2. Choose "Hero"

3. Background: Upload a beautiful image of your products

4. Headline: Add your main message (e.g., "Welcome to Your Store")

5. Subheading: Add a brief description

6. Button: "Shop Now" that links to your products

7. Click "Save"

#### Add Featured Products

1. Scroll down and click "Add Section"

2. Choose "Featured Products"

3. Select Products: Choose 4-6 of your best products

4. Layout: 3 or 4 products per row

5. Click "Save"

#### Add About Section

1. Click "Add Section"

2. Choose "Text with Image"

3. Image: Upload a photo of your business or team

4. Title: "About Us"

5. Text: Write a brief story about your business

6. Click "Save"

6.3 Customize Colors and Fonts

1. Click "Design Settings" in the top toolbar

2. Colors:

- Primary Color: Choose your brand color

- Secondary Color: Choose an accent color

- Background: Usually white or light gray

3. Fonts:

- Heading Font: Choose a professional font

- Body Font: Choose an easy-to-read font

4. Click "Apply"

6.4 Add Your Logo

1. Click on your site header

2. Logo: Upload your business logo

3. Size: Adjust as needed

4. Site Title: Your store name

5. Click "Save"

6.5 Preview and Publish

1. Click "Preview" to see how your store looks

2. Test on mobile, tablet, and desktop views

3. When satisfied, click "Publish"

4. Publish Now: Make your design live

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Step 7: Set Up Legal Pages

7.1 Privacy Policy

1. Go to Pages → Add Page

2. Page Title: "Privacy Policy"

3. Content: Use the template provided or customize it

4. Show in Footer: Enable

5. Click "Save"

7.2 Terms of Service

1. Go to Pages → Add Page

2. Page Title: "Terms of Service"

3. Content: Use the template provided

4. Show in Footer: Enable

5. Click "Save"

7.3 Contact Page

1. Go to Pages → Add Page

2. Page Title: "Contact Us"

3. Content: Add your contact information and a contact form

4. Show in Footer: Enable

5. Click "Save"

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Step 8: Test Your Store

8.1 Customer Experience Test

1. Browse Your Store:

- Navigate through different pages

- Check that all links work

- Test the search functionality

2. Product Pages:

- Click on several products

- Check that images load properly

- Verify product information is complete

- Test product variants (if applicable)

3. Add to Cart:

- Add products to cart

- Check cart page functionality

- Test quantity updates

- Test removing items

4. Checkout Process:

- Proceed to checkout

- Test form fields

- Verify shipping options appear

- Test payment methods (in test mode)

- Complete a test order

8.2 Admin Experience Test

1. Order Management:

- Check that test orders appear in DoingHub

- Test updating order status

- Verify inventory updates automatically

2. Customer Management:

- Check that customer accounts are created

- Test sending customer emails

3. Analytics:

- Check that basic analytics are working

- Verify sales tracking

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Step 9: Launch Your Store

9.1 Final Checks

1. Review All Settings:

- Payment methods are configured

- Shipping zones are set up

- Taxes are configured

- Contact information is correct

2. Content Review:

- All products have complete information

- Images are high-quality

- No spelling or grammar errors

- Legal pages are complete

3. Design Review:

- Store looks professional

- Mobile-friendly

- Fast loading

- Brand consistency

9.2 Remove Password Protection

1. Go to Settings → General

2. Store Password: Remove any password

3. Store Status: Change to "Open"

4. Click "Save"

9.3 Go Live!

Your store is now live! 🎉

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Step 10: Post-Launch Tasks

10.1 Set Up Analytics

1. Google Analytics:

- Go to Settings → Analytics

- Enter your Google Analytics ID

- Enable e-commerce tracking

2. Facebook Pixel (if using Facebook ads):

- Go to Settings → Analytics

- Enter your Facebook Pixel ID

- Enable standard events

10.2 Configure Email Settings

1. Go to Settings → Email

2. Sender Email: Set your no-reply email

3. Email Templates: Customize order confirmation emails

4. Test Emails: Send test emails to verify delivery

10.3 Set Up Social Media

1. Go to Settings → Social Media

2. Add your social media profiles

3. Enable social sharing buttons

4. Connect social media login options

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What to Do First Week

Day 1-2: Monitor and Respond

1. Check Orders Daily: Look for new orders

2. Respond to Inquiries: Check email and customer messages

3. Monitor Inventory: Update stock levels as needed

4. Test Processes: Ensure everything works smoothly

Day 3-4: Promote Your Store

1. Tell Your Network: Announce your store to friends, family, and social media

2. Email Launch: Send an announcement to your email list

3. Social Posts: Share your launch on all social platforms

4. Offer Launch Discount: Create a special launch promotion

Day 5-7: Analyze and Optimize

1. Review Analytics: Check visitor behavior and sales data

2. Gather Feedback: Ask friends to test and provide feedback

3. Fix Issues: Address any problems that come up

4. Plan Next Steps: What products or features to add next

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Common Questions and Troubleshooting

Q: I'm not receiving orders

A: Check that:

Q: My store looks different on mobile

A: Go back to Doing Studio and:

Q: Customers are reporting checkout issues

A: Verify:

Q: I need help with something specific

A: Don't worry! Help is available:

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Next Steps

Congratulations! You've successfully launched your doin9 store. Here's what to focus on next:

Immediate Priorities (Week 1-2)

Short-term Goals (Month 1)

Long-term Goals (Months 2-3)

Additional Resources

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You're Ready for Success! 🚀

Your doin9 store is now live and ready to start making sales. Remember:

You're now part of the doin9 community of successful store owners. Welcome aboard, and here's to your success!

*Need help? We're here for you 24/7. Contact support@doin9.com or use the live chat in your dashboard.*