Shopify Singapore: Things You Should Know To Start Selling

Singapore is a rising star in the global eCommerce market. Its tech-savvy population, high consumer spending power, and supportive policies make the city-state an ideal setting for online businesses to flourish. 

In this article, we’ll guide you through the complexities of the Singaporean eCommerce landscape. Discover key market insights and crucial steps to set up a thriving Shopify Singapore storefront. Read on to unleash the full potential of your Shopify-powered business.

The eCommerce Landscape in Singapore

Despite having the smallest population in Southeast Asia, Singapore boasts a thriving eCommerce market. On average, an online order here costs 137.4 USD. What are the factors behind such incredible spending power?

Singapore is a rising star in the Southeast Asian region.

Overview

Singapore stands out as a digitally advanced nation. The Singaporean population demonstrates a high level of digital proficiency. With one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world, Singaporeans are quite comfortable shopping online. 

The high rate of smartphone ownership also contributes to the popularity of eCommerce. More mobile device owners mean more customers to target. Singapore's geopolitical location makes it a global trade hub. This allows merchants to reach overseas markets easily. 

The Singaporean government actively promotes digital commerce through policies and initiatives that stimulate innovation. 

Opportunity for Merchants to Thrive

Singapore offers a wealth of opportunities for eCommerce merchants. The revenue in the Singapore eCommerce market is forecast to reach 8.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2029. That’s a gigantic pie for online sellers to share. 

With high internet usage, businesses gain vast market access, reaching diverse consumer demographics. This digital engagement can significantly boost sales growth.

Singapore offers a wealth of opportunities for eCommerce businesses to thrive.

On top of that, Singapore's multicultural population opens the market for diverse products. Merchants can sell from electronics to groceries to tap into the varied preferences of local consumers.

The prevalence of digital payments is another critical opportunity. Smooth & secure online transactions make shopping convenient, increasing consumer trust and sales.

Additionally, government incentives for digital commerce, its geographical location, and established logistics services, make Singapore a dream destination for aspiring sellers to build lucrative businesses.

How to Set up Your Shopify Store in Singapore?

With its clear advantages over traditional brick-and-mortar shopping, more and more merchants are incorporating or completely converting to selling online. But why should you choose Shopify, over other giants such as Shopee or Lazada? 

Why Shopify?

eCommerce takes many shapes and forms. We can’t guarantee that Shopify will appeal to every business owner. However, it’s solid for those who want to have more “agency” over how their brand looks and feels. 

Shopify makes a great choice to start your eCommerce journey.

Here are a few reasons why Shopify could be the ideal choice for setting up your online store in Singapore:

• Unlike Shopee or Lazada, Shopify empowers you to build your unique brand identity. Make your store stand out in a larger marketplace. You have more control over the store's appearance and how it appeals to customers. 
• Shopify's comprehensive suite of built-in tools makes it easy to run your business. From inventory management to secure payment gateways, Shopify streamlines business processes so you can focus more on growth and less on logistics.
• Shopify gives you the flexibility to design a storefront that aligns perfectly with your brand's aesthetics. This is further enhanced by Shopify’s extensive app ecosystem, enabling customized functionality to meet your business requirements.
• Gain access to powerful analytics tools that help track your store’s performance. 
• Shopify ensures your store runs smoothly with robust hosting. Get access to 24/7 customer support. This reliability gives you peace of mind and ensures a consistent shopping experience for your customers.
• Multi-currency and multi-language capabilities ease the transition from local to international markets, offering growth opportunities beyond Singapore's borders. 

Shopify Pricing in Singapore

Shopify offers several pricing plans to fit different business sizes and budgets. Each plan comes with a 14-day free trial so you can explore the platform before committing. The prices below do not include any subscription for themes or third-party applications. 

Package	Price	Best For
Basic	SGD 29/month billed once yearly	Suitable for new businesses or those with a limited budget.
Shopify	SGD 99/month billed once yearly	Small teams and growing businesses.
Advanced	SGD 399/month billed once yearly	Expanding or scaling businesses
Plus	SGD 2,300/month on a 3-year term	Enterprise-level businesses or businesses with complex operations

 

Start Your Shopify Business in Singapore

Follow our 9-step instructions below to set up your first Shopify store in Singapore:

Step 1: Sign Up for Shopify

Go to shopify.com and click on "Start free trial." Enter your email address, choose a password, and pick a unique store name. Fill out basic information about your business. For the physical location, set it to Singapore.

Step 2: Set Up Your Store

Access the Shopify Theme Store. Select a theme that matches your brand's style. All themes here are mobile-friendly and optimized. Add logos, banners, and other branding elements to make the store uniquely yours.

If you need help building a high-conversion shop, visit the Shopify app store and download GemPages.

Step 3: Add Products

Go to the "Products" section in your Shopify admin. Click on "Add product." Enter detailed information for each product, including title, description, price, and images.

Organize products into categories or collections to improve navigation for your customers. If your products come in different variants, such as sizes or colors, add these options under product variants.

Step 4: Configure Payment Settings

Navigate to "Settings" and then "Payments". Choose your preferred payment gateways supported in Singapore, such as Stripe or PayPal. Enable credit card payments and test the payment setup to ensure seamless transactions.

Step 5: Establish Shipping Settings

Go to "Settings" and select "Shipping." Set up shipping zones and rates based on location and carrier. You can integrate with local and international carriers for easy shipping management and tracking.

Step 6: Set Up Taxes

Go to "Settings", and click "Taxes" to set your tax preferences. If you do not set any, Shopify will automatically do tax calculations based on regional tax rules. However, we recommend customizing them when possible. 

Step 7: Test Your Store

Place sample orders to check product display, payment processing, and shipping calculations. Make sure everything runs correctly. Also, test responsiveness on different devices and browsers.

Step 8: Launch Your Store

Once testing is complete, remove the password protection under "Online Store" > "Preferences" to make your store public. Here, you can use social media, email marketing, and other channels to announce your store's launch. This should give your store an initial kick-start traffic. 

Step 9: Optimize and Market Your Store

Utilize Shopify’s marketing tools to run email campaigns, social media promotions, and ads to reach potential customers. Here, monitor your store’s organic traffic. Optimize on-page SEO elements to rank for high-value keywords. 

Take advantage of Shopify's analytics to track store performance. Analyze customer behavior to refine marketing strategies for better results.

Popular Shopify Apps for Singaporean Businesses

The diverse app ecosystem is another significant advantage of using Shopify for your online store. This ecosystem consists of a wide range of apps that can enhance your store's functionality, improve operational efficiency, and help you scale your business. Here are the top 5 Shopify apps to help propel your business in Singapore:

#1 GemPages

Gempages is a user-friendly drag-and-drop page builder for Shopify. Aimed to enhance store design and user experience without coding skills, we offer an intuitive interface and a variety of professional templates to create custom landing pages and product pages. 

Gempages is a user-friendly drag-and-drop page builder, allowing Shopify merchants to build high-conversion stores without coding skills.

Customize every aspect of your pages to align them with your brand identity. Gempages ensures responsive design and mobile performance. It improves the overall user experience, saves time, and boosts conversion rates.

Access hundreds of ready-to-use store templates on GemPages.

Key Features of Gempages page builder include:

• Gempages provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that simplifies the process of customizing your Shopify store's pages, making it accessible for users without technical expertise.
• The platform offers a variety of professionally designed templates, helping you quickly start the design process and create attractive pages efficiently.
• With Gempages, you can customize every aspect of your page, from layout to individual elements, ensuring that each page aligns with your brand identity and meets specific business needs.
• All pages created with Gempages are optimized for mobile devices, ensuring a seamless user experience across all platforms, which is essential for maintaining engagement and conversion rates.
• Gempages integrates smoothly with other Shopify apps and tools, allowing you to enhance the functionality of your pages by incorporating various features into your store.

#2 Easyship

Easyship is a powerful shipping solution designed to integrate effortlessly with Shopify. It enables businesses to manage and streamline their shipping processes across various carriers, offering both local and international shipping options.

Key features include:

• Simplifies logistics by automating shipping processes and providing tracking updates for your shipments.
• Access real-time shipping rates from multiple couriers, allowing you to offer accurate pricing to your customers.
• Automates the process of handling customs documentation and tax calculations, reducing the complexity of international shipping.
• Offers branded tracking pages to enhance customer experience and reinforce your brand identity during the post-purchase phase.

#3 Hoolah

Hoolah provides a "buy now, pay later" service that enables customers to purchase items and pay in interest-free installments. This payment option can help increase conversion rates and boost average order values on your Shopify store.

Key features include:

• Allows customers to split their payments into several installments without any interest, making purchases more accessible.
• Provides support tailored to local markets, ensuring both merchants and customers receive assistance relevant to their region.

#4 Xero Integration by A2X

Xero Integration by A2X is an essential tool for Shopify store owners using Xero for accounting. It automates the syncing of your Shopify sales data with Xero, simplifying financial management and bookkeeping tasks.

Key features include:

• Automatically transfers and organizes your Shopify sales data into Xero, saving you time on manual data entry.
• Accurately handles sales tax calculations and entries, ensuring compliance and simplifying tax reporting.
• Supports businesses dealing with international sales by managing transactions in multiple currencies.
• Provides daily financial summaries to keep you updated on your store's financial performance and cash flow.

#5 Omnisend

Omnisend is a robust email and SMS marketing automation platform tailored to enhance your marketing efforts. It helps engage customers effectively and encourages repeat purchases through targeted campaigns.

Key features include:

• Create and manage integrated marketing campaigns across email and SMS channels, reaching your audience in their preferred medium.
• Set up automated workflows for various customer interactions, such as welcome series, cart abandonment, and order confirmations, to streamline your marketing operations.
• Enhance customer engagement by tailoring messages to individual customer profiles, improving the likelihood of conversions and repeat sales.

Wrapping up!

Singapore presents a vibrant and opportunity-rich environment for eCommerce businesses looking to thrive. By leveraging these tools and insights, we hope aspiring merchants can confidently enter the Singaporean market. 

In case you need help building a Shopify that converts in Singapore, GemPages is always happy to assist!