Shopify Launch Checklist for Singapore Stores (Before Going Live)

1. Domain, email and store basics

Start with the things everything else depends on. Shopify's private mode documentation notes that a new store is restricted to private mode by default, with a password page, until you choose to make it public. Use that time to get the foundations right.

Connecting a domain can disturb existing email if records are overwritten, so copy MX, SPF and DKIM records before changing anything. A Domain & DNS Setup (S$99) is the low-cost way to have it done properly.

2. Payments: cards, PayNow and payouts

Singapore shoppers expect cards, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and PayNow. Shopify Payments covers cards and wallets but does not list PayNow on its Singapore payment methods page, so most local stores add PayNow through a third-party provider.

• Cards and wallets: Shopify Payments is usually the cheapest inside Shopify checkout.
• PayNow and local wallets: add HitPay or another provider. Third-party providers attract Shopify's transaction fee on top of their own; our Shopify Payments vs HitPay guide works through the numbers.
• Business verification: complete identity and bank details early. Payouts are held until verification is done.
• Manual methods: if you accept bank transfer, write clear instructions and a payment deadline, and do not ship until paid.

3. GST and tax settings

Only GST-registered businesses may charge GST. Registration is compulsory if taxable turnover exceeded S$1 million in a calendar year or is expected to in the next 12 months, according to IRAS). If you are not registered, make sure Shopify is not adding tax to your prices.

If you are registered, set up 9% GST, show GST-inclusive prices as IRAS requires for consumers, and decide how overseas orders are handled. Our Shopify GST setup guide covers each setting and the price display rules.

4. Shipping, delivery and store policies

Shipping is where many new stores lose money: free shipping thresholds set too low, or rates that ignore parcel size. Work out real costs per order size, then build zones and rates in Shopify.

For courier price ranges, see our e-commerce shipping costs guide. Then publish your policies. Shopify lets you manage return and refund, privacy, terms of service, shipping and contact information policies in Settings, and can generate automated versions; its store policies page warns that automated policies may not include everything your business needs. Read and edit each one so it matches what you actually do. The PDPC's free data protection notice generator is a useful starting point for the privacy notice.

5. Test orders: the step people skip

Shopify's test order guide recommends placing at least one test order during set-up, to check checkout, inventory, shipping, notifications and taxes. You can use the test payment gateway or Shopify Payments test mode, which only work once you have chosen a paid plan, or place a real order and refund it, which may incur processing fees.

1. 1

   Card order with real money

   Buy a low-priced item, then refund it. Confirm the order email, the payout entry and the refund.

2. 2

   PayNow order

   Pay with a banking app and confirm the order is marked as paid automatically, not left pending.

3. 3

   Local delivery and self-collect

   Check the right rate appears for a Singapore address and that self-collection shows the pickup details.

4. 4

   Discount code

   Apply a code and check the total, tax line and the email.

5. 5

   Mobile checkout

   Repeat one order fully on a phone, including Apple Pay or Google Pay.

6. 6

   Check where the emails land

   Look at the order confirmation in Gmail and Outlook. If it is in spam, fix email authentication before launch.

6. Abandoned checkouts, analytics and consent

Shopify's abandoned checkout documentation says a checkout counts as abandoned when it stays incomplete for more than 10 minutes after the customer gives an email address, and abandoned checkouts older than three months are deleted. Recovery emails work for the Online Store and Buy Button channels. Turn the automatic email on and write it in your own voice.

Connect Google Analytics and the Meta channel if you advertise, and decide on cookie consent. Shopify's customer privacy settings show a cookie banner automatically for UK and EEA visitors where you have active markets there; outside those regions it is off by default. Our cookie banner and Google Consent Mode guide explains when a Singapore store should show one anyway.

7. Launch day and the first week

When everything above is ticked, make the store public from the Online Store page in Shopify admin. Then watch closely for a few days.

Do it yourself or get help?

A small catalogue is very manageable to launch yourself using this checklist; set aside a full day for payments, shipping and test orders. Getting help pays off when you have many products or variants, need PayNow and GST set correctly first time, or want marketplace connections.

IT Sorted's Shopify Store (S$1,890) sets up the theme, up to 30 products, cards and PayNow, shipping zones, policy pages and branded order emails in your own Shopify account. Online Store Pro (S$3,490) adds up to 150 products with variants, discounts, reviews, abandoned cart emails and one marketplace connector.