Online Store Setup Process
OVERVIEW
We use Shopify.com to power your e-commerce store.
We build, design, and maintain your online store.
We handle all order fulfillment services.
We help you with inventory planning.
We provide full-time email customer support services.
We collect and report sales tax.
We take a percentage of your online sales.
We pay you a royalty.
WHAT IS THE SETUP PROCESS?
You sign a merchandising agreement.
You select the Shopify plan that best suits your needs.
You provide us with essential information to build the store.
You approve our proposed store design.
Produce & prep products for sale.
Store goes live & you get paid.
1. YOU SIGN A MERCHANDISING AGREEMENT
We require a signed contract giving us the right to sell your products online. Your account manager will need to know the following from you in order to get you a proposed merchandising agreement:
Who is signing the agreement?
An individual? A group of individuals? A corporation or LLC?
What are their names, email, phone, and direct mailing address?Who will be the day-to-day contact on the account?
Provide their email, phone, and mailing address.We need some basic tax paperwork on file.
We need a current W9 Form or W-8BEN Form (if you’re outside the US).
Shopify charges you to use their platform. We require you to fill out our Shopify credit card authorization form for these specific charges.
If you already have an online store, we recommend you cancel your existing plan and request a prorated refund from Shopify. Transferring ownership of an existing store in Shopify can take weeks and is not a smooth process with Shopify. If you have questions about this and how it may affect you, please ask your account manager.
Shopify offers different plans, please review their pricing here. Most of our clients opt to pay Shopify annually as it’s cheaper than their month-to-month pricing.
Their “BASIC” plan works for most clients; however, if you need any of the following, you’ll need to be on their “SHOPIFY” level plan:
5 Staff accounts (“BASIC” does not include any additional staff accounts)
More affordable international shipping options for customers
USPS Media Mail shipping (requires monthly app subscription)
Shopify supports many third-party apps in their marketplace. Some apps are free while others bill monthly or per sale, depending on their purpose. Any additional charges incurred by these apps will be billed directly to your card on file with Shopify.
2. YOU SELECT THE SHOPIFY PLAN & FEATURES THAT BEST SUIT YOUR NEEDS
| Apps Commonly Used by AKT Customers | ||
| App Name | Purpose | Pricing Method |
| Single.xyz | Billboard.com reporting | Monthly subscription + per sale fee |
| Advanced Shipping Rules | Media mail shipping option | Monthly subscription |
| Candy Rack | Product Up-sell & add-on | Monthly subscription |
3. YOU PROVIDE US WITH ESSENTIAL INFORMATION TO BUILD THE STORE
In order to set up your online store, our team requires a handful of important information and materials. It’s important that we receive these things as quickly as possible to move things forward swiftly.
A. STORE DESIGN INSPIRATION AND GRAPHIC ASSETS
For our creative team to design a store that fits your brand’s aesthetic, please send your account manager as much of the following as possible:
High resolution logo(s) (include horizontal, vertical, & square versions).
- Current brand colors or any official style guides you have.
- High resolution photos, textures, patterns, or icons we can use.
- Share with us examples of online stores or elements you like.
B. DOMAIN NAME PREFERENCE
Your online store will need to live somewhere on the internet. It can have a standalone domain such as yourmerchstore.com or it can live on what’s called a “subdomain” such as shop.yourwebsite.com.
If you’d like us to register a domain for you, we can do so through Shopify and it will bill your credit card directly. Domains purchased through Shopify automatically renew annually.
If you own your own domain and plan to use that domain (or a subdomain of it) for your store, please tell your account manager and they will provide you with instructions on how to connect it to Shopify.
C. CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION TO PAY SHOPIFY.COM’S FEES
You will be responsible for all Shopify, Shopify App Marketplace, or associated app charges directly on your Shopify account. These charges are directly from Shopify and do not come to AKT.
In order to build your Shopify store, we’ll need you to fill out our Shopify credit card authorization form which lets us put your card on file with Shopify directly. In the event your card is disabled or declined, our team will reach out to you to provide us with updated card information for Shopify right away.
4. YOU APPROVE OUR PROPOSED STORE DESIGN
Once we have a signed merchandising agreement, store design inspiration, and graphic assets, we typically provide a store layout for your approval within a couple of weeks. Further revisions will take more time.
Our team will need confirmation from you that the store layout we designed is good to go.
Click here for some examples of online store layouts we’ve created.
5. PRODUCE & PREP PRODUCTS FOR SALE
All products sold in your online store will have barcode stickers affixed to them. This means you may be subject to additional fees if your apparel is not folded and bagged. For accessories or items that are not typically folded, please consult with your account manager.
Make sure you’ve considered production and delivery timelines for incoming products you intend to sell.
Turnaround time for production can vary greatly depending on the type of item being produced and the season. Folding, bagging, and receiving of these products will take additional time after the products arrive.
If you’re sending us your products, please make sure your account manager has confirmed we can accept it before you schedule its delivery to AKT. Typical requirements before we accept a shipment are as follows:
We have a fully executed merchandising agreement.
We received and approved an itemized packing list of the shipment.
We know the size of shipment (number of boxes, number of pallets, etc).
We have approved the delivery window proposed by your team.
6. STORE GOES LIVE & GET PAID
In order for your store to go live, all of the above needs to be locked in and organized. We always recommend launching online stores and new products during business hours (ET) so we can best support you and your customers.
Monthly royalty summaries are made available by the end of the following month and royalties become payable then, too.