How to Make Money On Shopify: 10 Strategies for Success in 2025

Running a Shopify store is more than just setting it up and waiting for sales to roll in. Successful Shopify merchants know it’s about building trust, offering stellar service, and understanding what your customers need daily.

You need clear strategies and a solid business model to grow your store. Timing and strategy are key to generating those customer purchases that lead to sales revenue in the ecommerce world.

We’ve done our homework by analyzing over 500 successful Shopify stores to bring you the top 10 strategies for thriving in 2025 and beyond.

If you’re just starting out and haven’t chosen your products or set up your Shopify store, no worries! We’ve got you covered with some easy guides to get everything in place before diving into this article:

Top 10 Strategies to Make Money on Shopify

1. Be well prepared before running ads

More visitors to your ecommerce store means more chances to make sales and make money online. That’s why website traffic is so important. But here’s the truth — there are over 4.6 million live Shopify stores right now. So, hoping for random visitors from Google to land on your Shopify store is like hoping to win a prize in a lucky draw. It might happen, but you can’t count on it.

And blindly running ads? That’s like shouting in a noisy market, hoping someone buys your product just because you’re the loudest. People might hear you, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop to shop.

To ensure your choice of ads is of help to your business, here is something to consider:

Be cautious of how you run your ads:

First, you want to identify and understand your audience’s interests, location, behaviors, and buying habits. Set your ad budget based on your Shopify store’s conversion rate and average order value. Calculate what you get from a single sale after using an ad. Include product costs, shipping, and transaction fees.

Pick the right place to advertise:

This means you must identify where most of your customers spend much of their time and what platforms match the products you offer. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads offer the best advertising opportunities.

Pro Tip: Don’t rush into ads. First, make sure your Shopify store looks great, your product photos are clear, and your checkout process works smoothly. Ads do bring people in, but your store is what makes them stay and buy.

2. Boost Your Page Load Time to Lower Bounce Rates

Imagine you are shopping online, and the page you just visited takes forever to load. You’ll probably leave for a faster loading site. That’s how essential your store’s load time is.

If your first-time visitors experience a shorter load time, the bounce rate will be lower.

Research shows that most people leave if a page takes over 3 seconds to load. That’s why your ecommerce store should load in under 3 seconds on a desktop and under 5 seconds on a mobile phone.

According to BrowserStack, top browsers aim to have a page load time of less than 0.5 seconds.

Here is what that looks like:

(Sources: Pingdom)

The graph above illustrates how the longer a page takes to load, the more visitors leave. You can see that when the site takes 1 second to load, only 10% of the visitors leave. But when it takes more than 3 seconds to load, more than half the visitors leave almost without a second thought. It means that the slower your Shopify store loads, the more customers you will lose before they even see your products.

Tips to Speed Up Your Online Store:

Reduce unnecessary images, fonts, or animations. When opening your website, the visitor’s browser has to load everything on your page. The more items you add, the slower it becomes.

Ensure your apps and themes support HTTP/2. This is a faster way for your site to talk to the browser. It loads files at the same time instead of one by one.

Cut unnecessary redirects. Avoid too many detours that slow down your visitors. Make sure they land directly on the homepage or product page.

Focus on mobile-first designs. Most people shop on their phones. Your ecommerce store must work smoothly on mobile screens first.

Evaluate Shopify themes’ performance data. Check the performance of Shopify themes before picking one. Some free or third-party themes are better than others, but some themes come with extra features that slow down your store. Disable anything you’re not using. (Sources: Bazaar voice)

3. Focus on Encouraging UGC and Social Proof

One of the ways you’ll build your ecommerce store’s sales is when customers trust you. But how do you build this? It’s simple! Let your happy customers speak for you. This is what social proof is all about. It shows others that real people have used and loved your products.

That’s where user-generated content comes in. It includes photos, videos, and customer reviews of real people using your products.

That’s how essential your store’s load time is for the success of your online business.

Why UGC and Reviews Matter?

According to Wikipedia, in today’s referral economy, 92% of consumers trust product recommendations from real people over brand ads.

WebFX, a digital marketing agency dedicated to helping businesses grow online, also confirms that referrals from friends make consumers four times more likely to buy a product.

Let’s face it: People trust products with reviews and real-life photos more than those with none.

Would you rather buy a product with zero reviews or one with happy customer comments and real-life photos?

That’s the power of social proof! It helps increase your conversion rate, meaning more visitors will become buyers, thereby boosting your sales revenue.

Effective ways to get more reviews from customers who sell digital products

Just ask!
Talk to your customers in person, through social media, or when their order is delivered. While it is easy to assume that loyal customers would leave reviews, the best sure way to go is to ask them! A polite request often works well.

Explain the value.
Let your customers know their reviews help you grow. When your customers understand that leaving you positive reviews helps build your trust, they’ll support you!

Train your sales team.
Teach your staff to ask for reviews kindly and show why feedback matters. It’s also important to set review-related KPIs, especially for the customer service team. This helps everyone stay focused and make reviews part of their daily work.

Share reviews on social media.
Add a few testimonials on your social media pages and run a campaign to encourage other customers to comment on their individual experiences with your product.

Offer small rewards
Give loyalty points or small discounts in exchange for honest reviews. But keep it real; you don’t want it to feel like a trick.

4. Implement CRO strategies and never ignore any tiny details

Your store’s conversion rate optimization, CRO, is about turning more visitors into real buyers. Think of it like setting up a market stall: you might have the best products, but if your display isn’t inviting or clear, people will pass by.

If many people visit your ecommerce store, but only a few buy, it’s time to check your CRO.

First, know your conversion rate.

Here’s how to calculate it:

Conversion Rate = (Total Number of Sales ÷ Total Number of Visitors) × 100

For example, if 1,000 people visit your store and 30 of them buy something, your conversion rate is:

(30 ÷ 1000) × 100 = 3%

Most online stores have a conversion rate of 2% to 3%, according to Shopify. That means only 2 or 3 people out of every 100 visitors usually buy something.

Here’s how to raise that number:

Use high-quality product photos. People can’t touch or try your product online. So, make sure your photos show the item well from different sides. Short videos can help, too.

Add call-to-action buttons in blog posts. A CTA is something like a button that says “Shop Now” or “See This Product.” Blog posts are great for helping people learn—but don’t forget to guide them to the product!

Keep in touch with potential customers. Some people don’t buy the first time they visit. Ask if they’d like to hear about offers or updates. If they sign up, you can remind them later with special offers and updates.

Make your landing pages simple. Your landing page is where people land after clicking your ad or link. Make sure it’s neat and easy to use. The “Buy Now” button should be easy to find, and your pictures and titles should be clear.

Here is a YouTube video for you to learn more about CRO and how to turn visitors into happy customers.

5. Offer localized shopping experiences

Customers love to feel understood and valued, especially in the context of online shopping. The best way you can offer them this is through localization. Most people think localization is just about translating your store into a different language. But there’s more to it than that.

When done right, localization can help you:

Build trust with your customers.
Make them feel at home on your site.
Increase your sales and customer loyalty.

Pro Tip: If your store feels like it was made just for them, customers will always return.

Aspects that Shopify store owners often ignore about localization

According to Forbes, many small businesses overlook key parts of localization, which are not just about language. Here’s what you should also focus on:

Colors, images, and words: Each of these have different meanings in different cultures. To avoid confusion, work with local experts to ensure your online storefront and branding make sense.

Payment methods: Not everyone likes to pay with credit cards. In some countries, people prefer local payment methods like mobile money, cash on delivery, or bank transfers.

Customer service in the local language: Embrace the thought of having your customer service in different languages. Whether using customer agents, chatbots, or FAQ, always remember that customers may leave without buying if they can’t understand you.

6. Allow customers to buy now and pay later

Buy now, pay later is quickly becoming a popular way to shop, especially among Gen Z and millennials.

Meetanshi reports that these age groups are the biggest users of BNPL service. This is mainly because the payment method matches their shopping habits and gives them more freedom when making payments.

Let us be honest: Would you rather pay a big amount all at once or split it into smaller, easier payments?

That’s why BNPL is so popular! It lets people buy what they need now and pay later in small amounts. Unlike credit cards, BNPL doesn’t need a credit check, and there are usually no extra fees if you pay on time.

And it’s not just good for buyers only; it is good for sellers like you, too! A study by Stripe found that stores using BNPL saw up to a 14% increase in sales more than those that did not use it.

Why? Because customers feel more comfortable buying when they don’t have to pay for everything at once. Instead of leaving their cart, they complete the purchase.

What products are best for BNPL?

BNPL is good for expensive items. These are things people want but may not want to pay for in full right away. These include:

Electronics (phones, laptops, gaming consoles)
Clothes & shoes (designer outfits, sneakers, accessories)
Home items (furniture, kitchen appliances)
Beauty & wellness (high-end skincare, gym equipment)

Some people also enjoy using it, even for smaller purchases. To many, the main attraction is the ease of paying in parts, even if they can afford the full price.

7. Combat shopping cart abandonment

Shopping cart abandonment is genuinely a headache for most Shopify store owners. It is like a customer walking into a mall, picking out everything they need, and abandoning the cart before paying anything.

The worst part? If that customer came from a paid ad or marketing campaign, it directly hurts your return on investment (ROI). It also lowers customer lifetime value and, in some cases, can impact your store’s performance.

The latter is because you may end up using too many scripts or recovery tools that would slow down your store’s speed (Sources: Persado).

Let’s say a customer could have made 10 repeat purchases, but the person abandoned the cart before buying anything, leading to a potential long-term loss. On the other hand, a customer who completes even one purchase is much more likely to buy again, helping increase your store’s customer lifetime value.

According to the Baymard Institute, nearly 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts. But don’t worry—there are simple strategies to recover some of those lost sales:

Clear returns & refunds policies

Some customers may feel afraid to buy if they are not sure whether they can return the products, just in case it’s not what they expected. Make your return and refund policies clear and easy to find before checkout. It builds trust and gives customers the confidence to complete their orders.

Provide free shipping & fast delivery

People won’t buy from your store if they perceive the shipping process as too expensive or if the delivery takes too long. Try offering free shipping or at least showing estimated delivery times upfront. You can also build shipping costs into your product price or offer free delivery to loyalty program members.

For Out-of-stock products: Back in Stock notifications

Guide customers to sign up for updates on when their desired products are back in stock. A simple “Notify Me” or “Alert Me When Available” button keeps customers connected. And, when you send that alert, add urgency with a message like: “This doesn’t reserve the item—order quickly before it sells out again!” This is because customers are more likely to buy when they feel a product is almost gone!

Send & optimize cart abandonment emails

Cart recovery emails work best when you use a friendly tone to remind customers that they haven’t completed a purchase.

You could use a fun subject line like “Hey, you forgot something!” or show them the items in the cart. If needed, offer a small incentive like free shipping or a one-time discount.

Pro Tip: Don’t overdo discounts. If you always give discounts for abandoned carts, some shoppers might abandon their carts intentionally just to get a deal.

8. Engage customers at every touchpoint post-purchase

Keeping your customers happy doesn’t stop after they buy something. One of the best ways to build trust is by being transparent and keeping them updated about their order. If customers don’t hear from you after they place an order, they may start to worry:
“Where is my order?” “Has it been shipped?” “Will it arrive on time?” “What if it’s not what I expected?”

These worries can make customers feel unsure or regret their purchase. This is called post-purchase dissonance. It is when someone feels bad or unsure after buying something. And if that happens, they may not want to shop from your store again.

So, as part of customer service, it is important that you engage your customers proactively. Let them know the delivery progress, the return shipping progress, or the refund processing progress.

Even after the item has arrived, don’t go silent! You can:

Send a thank-you message and ask for a review.
Suggest other products they might like.
Offer a discount for their next order.

Remember, the goal is to stay connected with your customers even after the sale.

9. Double down on customer retention rather than acquisition

Did you know it costs 5 to 25 times more to get a new customer than to keep an existing one? That’s according to Invesp, a marketing research company. So, the smartest move for your Shopify store and other online businesses is to keep your current customers happy and make them want to come back again and again.

Forbes reports that a 5% increase in customer retention guarantees you a 25% to 95% profit. That’s huge! It means a satisfied customer doesn’t just buy again. They will:

Tell others about your store.
Try your new products.
Spend 31% more on the new products, more than a new customer.

One of the best ways to make customers stay is to reward them for shopping with you. That’s where Loloyal comes in. Loloyal is a loyalty program made just for Shopify stores. It gives customers rewards for buying, referring a friend, leaving a review, and many other actions. A good thing is that it’s built for Shopify to help you increase your customer retention while reducing new customer acquisition costs.

10. Upgrade to Shopify Plus as you hit $1M revenue

If your store is growing fast and you’ve hit $1 million in yearly revenue, it’s time to think big, and Shopify Plus is the perfect next step.

Shopify Plus lets you use custom scripts to offer discounts, hide or show shipping options, or even give a custom quote to your B2B customers. You can’t do all that on any other plan — Shopify Plus gives you this power.

Also, Shopify Plus comes with API integrations and a script editor, which simply means you’ll save time and find it easier to manage your store like a pro.

Let’s say you sell on eBay, Etsy, or even have your own online store — Shopify Plus helps you link everything together so you can sell smoothly across all of them, all from one place.

And guess what? When your store is growing fast, you might get lots of visitors at once. While the other Shopify plans may struggle a bit, Shopify Plus handles high traffic like a champion. It also gives you a special tool called Launchpad. This helps you plan and manage big events like flash sales or product launches without doing everything manually. It saves time and helps everything run perfectly.

Learn More:

Top 23 Shopify Marketing Tips for Your Online Store

FAQ on How to Make Money on Shopify

How to make money on Shopify with no money?

It is easy to make money on Shopify even without spending money at first. One way is through dropshipping. Doing a dropshipping business means you don’t need to keep products. You just connect with suppliers who send the products straight to your customers.

You can also start a print-on-demand business. You don’t need to pay anything first. You sell custom-printed items and pay for them only after you make a sale.

Similarly, you can sell digital products like ebooks, music, or online courses. These don’t need shipping, so you keep all the profit.

Do you have a website or plan to have one? You can join Shopify’s affiliate program. This means you tell your audience how good Shopify’s services are and get paid when someone signs up through your link.

Another good way to begin is by using Shopify’s free trial. It lasts 3 days, but you can extend it to 90 days for only $1 per month. But remember, even if you start for free, you still need to spend your time and energy. Treat your Shopify store like a real business if you want to earn from it.

How long does it take to make money on Shopify?

Making money from your Shopify store takes patience, hard work, and the right strategies, but with the right approach, you can make money online fast. You also need to understand the type of products you want to sell and the competition in that category.

If you have everything in place, it may take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months before you start seeing profits.

But remember—some people achieve success fast, while for others, it takes time to get things going. Don’t rush because of the money. Real success on Shopify is more than just making sales. It’s about building trust, keeping your customers happy, and creating a brand people can talk about positively.

How to make money dropshipping on Shopify?

Start by picking a product niche you like, then create your online store. Next, connect it to a dropshipping app that will help you find top suppliers. But don’t just work with one supplier!

You don’t want to disappoint your customers. Choose suppliers with quality products, fast shipping, and good communication. You’ll get in their reviews, so be sure to check through them before you trust them. Remember, great suppliers = happy customers.

As your dropshipping business begins to flourish and you start making profits, take full advantage of Shopify’s marketing tools to keep your customers engaged. A thriving dropshipping business depends on maintaining strong supplier relationships and continuously optimizing your store’s performance.

Final Words

Starting a store on Shopify is a great step, but it’s not always easy. It takes time, learning, and testing to get it right. Don’t feel bad if you don’t make a lot of sales at first—that’s very normal.

Shopify gives you a solid foundation, but it’s your job to build a store that people trust and want to buy from. You might try many things—changing your homepage, writing better product descriptions, or testing new prices. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. That’s part of the process.

The truth is most stores don’t succeed right away. But if you keep learning and improving, your store will grow. Listen to your customers, look at your numbers, and keep trying! Utilize resources like the Shopify App Store to find tools that can help you optimize and grow your store.

Understanding how to make money on Shopify involves persistence, creativity, and the willingness to adapt to the ever-changing ecommerce landscape.

Note: This blog was originally written in English and translated using an automated tool to make the content accessible to a global audience. We believe in sharing valuable insights with everyone and apologize for any inaccuracies. If you spot any errors, please feel free to contact us for corrections. Your feedback helps us improve and ensures the content’s value is fully realized.

Cheryl Song

Content Director | 9+ years decoding B2C & B2B eCommerce, obsessed with SaaS and retail storytelling

Words are my weapon—crafting killer copy, decoding trends, and turning data into gold. When not strategizing: Coffee addict, pun enthusiast, and book lover. Ready to level up your eCommerce game? Let’s chat. ☕️