How to Add an Online Store to Your Wix Site: A Complete Setup Guide

Adding an online store to your Wix site takes approximately 2-3 hours from start to first product live. Wix’s built-in ecommerce tools handle everything from product listings and payment processing to shipping calculations and inventory management, making it accessible for Belfast SMEs without technical resources.

ProfileTree, a Belfast-based web design and digital marketing agency, helps businesses across Northern Ireland set up Wix online stores that generate sales, not just display products. This guide walks through the complete process: choosing the right Wix plan, adding products, configuring payments and shipping, and optimising your store for conversions.

Whether you’re adding a small product catalogue to an existing Wix site or building a full ecommerce operation, this step-by-step walkthrough covers the technical setup and the business decisions that affect your sales performance.

Welcome to Your Wix Online Store Journey

Effortlessly Add an Online Store to Your Wix Site:

Imagine seamlessly transforming your Wix website from a static showcase into a dynamic hub for selling your products or services. With Wix Stores, integrating an online store is just a few clicks away. No need for coding or web design expertise – Wix’s intuitive interface and powerful tools guide you every step of the way.

Here’s what awaits:

• Drag-and-drop simplicity: Arrange products, customise layouts, and personalise your store’s look and feel without touching a line of code.
• Built-in features and apps: From product management and payment processing to marketing tools and analytics, Wix Stores has everything you need to run a successful online business.
• Scalable solutions: Whether you’re just starting or scaling up, Wix offers flexible plans and features to accommodate your growth ambitions.

Sell on Your Own Terms: The Wix Advantage

Forget costly fees and limited customisation of third-party platforms. Selling directly through your Wix site offers several key benefits:

• Full control: You own the customer experience, brand your store the way you want, and retain valuable customer data.
• Boosted profits: Say goodbye to hefty commission fees and keep more of your hard-earned revenue.
• Seamless integration: Your online store becomes an extension of your existing Wix website, creating a cohesive brand experience for customers.

Getting Started on Wix Stores: Your Launchpad to Success

Step One: Choose the Right Plan for Your Vision:

Wix offers various business plans with built-in eCommerce functionalities. Consider your current needs and future goals when making your choice:

• Basic Business: Ideal for starting small, with limited product options and essential features.
• Business Unlimited: Perfect for growing businesses, offering more products, storage, and marketing tools.
• Business VIP: For high-volume stores, with advanced features like abandoned cart recovery and loyalty programs.

Find Your Perfect Template: A Foundation for Success

Wix Stores provides a diverse selection of pre-designed templates specifically optimised for e-commerce. Choose one that aligns with your brand identity and product type, saving valuable time and effort:

• Minimalist: Clean and elegant layouts are ideal for showcasing high-end products.
• Modern: Bold and eye-catching designs perfect for trendy brands.
• Vintage: Charm and character for shops offering unique or handmade goods.

Make it Your Own: Design and Branding with Wix Magic

Wix empowers you to personalise your online store with ease. Customise every element, from colours and fonts to product layouts and banners:

• Drag-and-drop design: Rearrange elements, experiment with layouts, and create a unique look for your brand.
• Built-in image editor: Enhance product photos, add graphics, and personalise your visuals without leaving Wix.
• Brand kit integration: Upload your logo, define your colour palette, and ensure consistency across your entire website.

How to Add an Online Store to Your WIX Site

Adding a store to an existing WIX site is very easy. As with all WIX functions, adding a site requires very little technical knowledge or expertise. This is why WIX is one of the most used web builders in the world for amateurs.

The first step to adding a WIX store to your site is to go to the apps element on the left-hand side of your admin dashboard. There are between four and eight elements here, and the apps element is the circle with four squares within it.

Once you click on the element, a new window will show, showing a range of apps, including the likes of WIX Forms and WIX Chat. In the search bar, search for the store, and the first app shown in the list would be WIX stores.

Besides the app, you’ll see a button reading ‘Add to Site’. Click this button, and a new page will be created in your site. A new element will also appear on the left hand side.

How to Use the Online Store in WIX

Whenever the store has been added, you will see that WIX has inserted examples of products into the store. You have full control of the design and the products of the store.
Within the new ‘My Store’ element, there are five more elements.

There is the store manager element, which allows a user to manage their entire store. You can also add a new product to your store from here.

Another element within My Store is the Store pages. Here you can edit the design of the different pages of your store by adding different elements, such as store elements that best suit your site.

The last elements include ‘Add Store Elements’, ‘Learn More’ and an option to upgrade to accept payments. Whenever you have set up your site and store, you will need to upgrade your WIX plan to start accepting payments online once your site is published.

Some of the accepted payment methods include Visa, Mastercard and American Express. The upgraded plan is very much a premium plan and comes with a range of benefits.

How to Add a New Item to the Store

One of the most important aspects of an online store is to sell products.

There are many ways to manage products in the store. One of the best ways to add a product is to go to Manage Products when on the element within the editor. This is the method shown in the video.

In the window that is shown, in the top right, there is a button which says New Product. When adding a new product, WIX will then ask if the product is a physical or digital product, as each type of product has a different setup.

Most people will choose Physical Product. When clicked on, a new window will show. Within this window, you’re able to add the name, images of the product, and information about the product, such as the price and description.

Once the product is complete, click save. When done, you will see the new product within the list of store products.

1. Select New Product,
2. Hit Physical/Digital Product,
3. Click Product Information,
4. Press Save.

Editing the Items Page

Whenever you have added a shop to the site, you will see the cart and items pages. It is essential to edit these pages to your site’s theme. This makes the site look more professional, and it makes the buyer of products feel more comfortable using your site to buy products.

To edit the items page, head to the ‘My Store’ element and then to the store pages. Click on the items/products page. This will make the items page appear. Then click settings and then customise page.

Use the following steps:

1. Go to My Store,
2. Choose Product Page,
3. Click Settings,
4. Select Customise Page.

From here, the user can edit the layout of the items page, change the colour and fonts used, to make it consistent with the rest of your site.

Setting Up Your Store Inventory: Crafting Your Digital Shelves

It’s time to populate your online store with the delightful products or services you’re eager to offer. Wix Stores provides a user-friendly interface to manage your inventory with precision and ease.

Filling Your Virtual Storefront

• Manual Addition: For smaller inventories, add products one by one with comprehensive details:
  • Product name and description
  • High-quality images and videos
  • Pricing (with options for discounts or sales)
  • Inventory count (track available stock levels)
  • Variant data (sizes, colours, styles, etc.)
• CSV Import: Streamline the process for large inventories by importing product data in bulk using a CSV file. Ensure proper formatting and mapping of fields for seamless integration.

Organising for Easy Navigation

• Categories and Collections: Guide customers through your store with clear categorisation.
  • Categories: Create a logical structure based on product types or features (e.g., Clothing > Tops > T-Shirts).
  • Collections: Curated groupings for promotions, themes, or new arrivals (e.g., Summer Collection, Sale Items).

Configuring the Shopping Experience: Smooth Sailing from Browse to Checkout

Every detail of your shoppers’ journey matters. Wix Stores empowers you to tailor the experience for maximum convenience and satisfaction.

Effortless Checkout, Happy Customers

• Checkout Process: Design a clear and intuitive checkout flow:
  • Guest checkout or account creation options
  • Secure payment and shipping information collection
  • Order confirmation and tracking details
• Cart Flows: Optimise for conversions:
  • Upselling and cross-selling suggestions to boost average order value.
  • Abandoned cart recovery emails to recapture lost sales.
• Shipping Matrix: Define shipping rates and options based on:
  • Product dimensions and weights
  • Shipping zones and carriers
  • Delivery speeds and costs

Secure and Seamless Payments

• Payment Gateway Integration: Connect your store to trusted payment providers like Stripe, PayPal, or Wix Payments:
  • Accept major credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets.
  • Ensure secure payment processing and PCI compliance.
• Merchant Account Setup: If required by your payment provider, set up a merchant account to receive funds from online transactions.

Staying on Top of Business Essentials

• Taxes: Configure tax settings based on your location and applicable tax laws.
• Inventory Tracking: Stay informed of stock levels to prevent overselling and manage inventory efficiently.
• Reporting and Analytics: Track sales, customer behaviour, and key performance indicators to make informed decisions and optimise your store’s performance.

Wix Stores provides the tools to create a seamless shopping experience that delights customers and drives sales. Remember to tailor these settings to your specific business needs and customer expectations.

Adding a WIX Store: Tips and Tricks

Depending on your website, you may want users of the site to be able click to get to the shop. This is done mainly on sites that don’t offer too many products, such as the example site we used.

To do this, create a new shop page and place the store page as a hidden secondary page. Link a button to the store page from the shop page, just like in the example video.

Another tip would be to always add a SKU code to every product. Having a SKU code can help you understand stock levels more easily, and it also makes it easier for the customer to reference certain products.

For example, a SKU code of ‘CHAIR127890‘ could mean a type of chair and it makes it easy to identify the type of product. This would be the same for ‘TABLE127890‘.

Promoting and Selling Your Store: From Visibility to Conversions

Building a beautiful online store is just the first step. Now, it’s time to spread the word and watch your sales soar! Wix offers a diverse arsenal of tools to promote your store and attract customers.

SEO Optimisation: Rise Above the Noise

• Product Content is King: Optimise product titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords to rank higher in search engine results.
• Image Optimisation: Use descriptive file names and alt tags for product images to improve image search visibility.
• Wix SEO Wiz: Leverage Wix’s built-in SEO tool for personalised recommendations and action steps to improve your store’s search engine ranking.

Email Marketing: Connect and Convert

• Build an Email List: Offer compelling incentives like discounts or exclusive content to entice customers to subscribe.
• Targeted Email Campaigns: Segment your audience and send personalised campaigns showcasing relevant products, promotions, and news.
• Automate and Schedule: Utilise Wix’s email automation tools to streamline your marketing efforts and trigger personalised emails based on specific customer actions.

Social Promotion: The Power of the Network

• Share your Products: Leverage the reach of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to showcase your products and engage with potential customers.
• Run Social Media Ads: Target specific demographics and interests with paid social media advertising campaigns to reach a wider audience.
• Wix Social Boost: Boost your social media posts directly from Wix to amplify your reach and drive traffic to your store.

Advertising on Wix: Target with Precision

• Wix Promote: Advertise your store within the Wix ecosystem to reach millions of potential customers browsing other Wix websites.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Campaigns: Define your target audience and budget to run targeted ads on various search engines and social media platforms.
• Track and Analyse: Monitor the performance of your advertising campaigns and adjust your strategies for optimal results.

Analysing E-commerce Analytics: Insights to Fuel Growth

Data is your best friend in the world of e-commerce. Wix provides comprehensive analytics to help you understand your store’s performance and identify areas for improvement.

Monitoring the Pulse of Your Store

• Sales Performance: Track key metrics like total sales, revenue per order, and conversion rates to measure your overall success.
• Traffic Reports: Analyse website traffic sources, popular pages, and customer behaviour to understand how people find and interact with your store.
• Top Products and Categories: Identify which products and categories perform best to adjust your inventory and marketing strategies accordingly.

Optimising for Continuous Growth

• A/B Testing: Experiment with different versions of your product pages, layouts, and calls to action to see what resonates best with your audience.
• Identify Sales Funnel Bottlenecks: Analyse where customers drop off in the checkout process and implement solutions to improve conversion rates.
• Stay Informed with Wix Insights: Get personalised recommendations and actionable insights based on your store’s data to optimise your efforts.

Real-time Order Alerts: Stay in the Loop

• Never Miss a Sale: Set up instant notifications for new orders through email, SMS, or mobile app to stay updated and respond promptly to customer needs.
• Manage Orders Efficiently: Use the Wix dashboard to track order status, fulfil orders, and communicate with customers seamlessly.

FAQ

Remember, running a successful online store is a continuous process of learning and adapting. Keep exploring new features, analysing data, and refining your strategies to stay ahead of the curve and thrive with your Wix store.

Conclusion

Setting up an online store on Wix gives Belfast businesses a fast route to e-commerce without custom development costs. The platform handles the technical complexity—payment processing, SSL certificates, mobile optimisation—while you focus on products, pricing, and customer service.

The setup process outlined here takes most SMEs 2-3 hours for a basic store, with additional time needed for product photography, descriptions, and shipping strategy. Start with your core products, test the checkout process thoroughly, and expand your catalogue based on what sells.

If you need support building a conversion-focused Wix store, ProfileTree’s professional web development team works with businesses across Northern Ireland to create e-commerce sites that rank well, load fast, and turn visitors into customers. We handle everything from initial setup to ongoing optimisation and training.