An 9 Step Practical Workflow for New Merchants

Execution Speed Is the New Advantage

Building a modern ecommerce store is no longer limited by technical skills. For small merchants and early stage founders, the real constraint is execution speed.

What matters most today is how quickly you can:

• Turn an idea into a working store

• Validate market demand

• Iterate based on real feedback

In 2025, Shopify AI Sidekick is deeply integrated into the Shopify admin. Rather than acting as an autopilot, Sidekick works as an execution partner. It helps with:

• Store setup guidance

• Content generation

• Structural suggestions

• Design and configuration support

Importantly, Sidekick never publishes changes without your confirmation. This makes it ideal for fast but controlled store launches.

This guide walks through a practical, real world workflow for building a Shopify gift store using dropshipping products imported via DSers. Every step has been tested and verified.

In practice, this approach can compress what normally takes days into a focused launch sprint of just a few hours.

Step 1 Use Sidekick to Define Your Build Path

One common issue new merchants face when using a new app is knowing where to start. Luckily, Sidekick can help. Because Sidekick understands natural language inside the Shopify admin, you can simply describe what you want to build instead of learning a new interface or workflow.
Open Sidekick from the top right corner of your Admin dashboard. Sidekick shows a structured sequence covering the full store lifecycle. Treat this list as your primary checklist.

The steps typically include:

• Set up store basics and branding

• Add your first products

• Organize products into collections

• Choose and customize your theme

• Set up payment methods

• Configure shipping settings

• Add essential pages

• Set up your domain

• Configure taxes

• Test your store and launch

Step 2 Set Up Store Basics and Branding

This step sets the foundation of your store. It covers several distinct configuration areas that affect checkout behavior, fulfillment logic, and brand presentation. Clear grouping reduces setup errors and later rework.

Business and Account Information

Start by clicking the corresponding items in the list provided by Sidekick. Sidekick will take you directly to each configuration page and provide suggestions for filling in your business address, contact details, and account preferences. These settings are more than basic information, as they influence checkout behavior, tax calculation, and how your store appears to customers in emails and invoices.

Completing these details early ensures that checkout and order testing reflects real store conditions.

Branding and Visual Identity

Branding setup is completed in this step. On the general settings screen, you can upload your logo and define brand colors. By clicking the branding item in Sidekick's list, you can also ask Sidekick for suggestions on color palettes to ensure these elements match the tone you want for your gift store, although results may vary.

Shopify provides built in image tools for basic tasks such as background removal, cropping, and light color adjustments.

While Sidekick can assist with creative generation, AI generated logos often lack brand precision. Uploading a prepared logo usually produces more consistent and professional results.

Payments, Shipping, and Fulfillment

Payment methods should be configured at this stage so the checkout flow can be fully tested. Click on the payment item in Sidekick's list, and it will lead you directly to the payment settings page with guidance on completing the required fields.

Shipping and warehouse settings depend on your fulfillment model. Clicking the corresponding Sidekick item will take you to the shipping configuration page and provide recommendations for zones, rates, and warehouse locations. If you are fulfilling orders yourself, this is the correct place to define shipping zones, rates, and warehouse locations.

If you are using DSers with AliExpress, supplier warehouses and shipping rules are managed externally and do not need to be configured here.

Step 3 Import and Prepare Products

After completing the basic store setup, the next step is to add products. Click on the "Add your first product" item in Sidekick's list to open the product creation page directly.

There are three common ways to add products:

1. Manual addition – create each product one by one.

2. CSV upload – fill in product information in a CSV file and import it in bulk into Shopify, then edit as needed.

3. System bulk import – connect to a product management system or, as in our case, a dropshipping platform like DSers to import products automatically.

Once products are imported, you often need to refine their information. Traditionally, this requires manual editing for each product, especially the descriptions. With Sidekick, this process becomes much faster and more consistent. Sidekick can help edit product information, format content, and even process images.

Prompt example: Unify my product descriptions into brief, structured versions. Include key details and AI-optimized SEO, processing them one product at a time.

Sidekick can:

• Rewrite titles and descriptions

• Improve readability

• Support SEO structure

• Suggest categories and metafields

Sidekick processes products one at a time. For each product:

• Click "preview" to see the information Sidekick has filled in.

• Verify that all details are correct.

• Click the suggested Category to fill in the product category.

• Click "accept" on the suggested metafields to fill them in.

• Click "save" to store the changes.

• After saving, send the command "Next" to Sidekick to automatically open the next product and generate its information.

This process is repeated until all products have been updated.

Note: For images, proceed carefully:

• AI edited images may differ slightly from originals

• Always inspect details before approving

Step 4 Create Collections and Menu Structure

With products in place, the next step is to group them into collections. Click on the "Organize products into collections" item in Sidekick's list. Sidekick will analyze your products and create the collections automatically.

Process Each Collection

Sidekick will display collections one by one. For each collection:

• Verify the details and auto-collection conditions.

• Click "save" to confirm.

Error Handling:

• If the system shows an error when saving, check for empty conditions and remove them.

• In rare cases, if conditions are filled and an error still occurs, re-enter the condition.

After saving one collection, click on the "Organize products" item again. Sidekick will continue to create the next collection.

You can also ask Sidekick to generate cover images for your collections by including this request in your prompt.

Prompt example: Generate a cover image for each collection based on the products of that collection

Set Up Navigation

Once all collections are ready, set up the menu structure. Although this step is not in the Sidekick steps list, it is very important. Ask Sidekick to suggest a menu structure, which will guide you to the menu setup page.

Prompt example: Suggest a navigation menu structure, a footer menu structure, and open the menu set up

Typically, websites have a home menu displayed in the navigation bar and a footer menu for policies and links.

In our example, we will create only a home menu to demonstrate the idea.

Information Pages: Some pages, such as About Us or Contact, may not exist yet. You can add the menu items now and link them later, or wait until the pages are created and update the menus afterwards.

Step 5 Select a Theme and Customize with Sidekick

Choose a theme that matches the emotional tone of your gift store. Free themes are usually the best starting point. You can ask Sidekick to recommend a theme, but it is still a good idea to browse the theme store and select one yourself.

Sidekick is particularly helpful with free themes, where the number of theme sections is limited. When asking Sidekick to create a block, be very specific about your requirements and describe the features clearly. Note:

• Sidekick cannot customize the checkout, cart drawer, or existing blocks/sections.

• Complex features requiring both frontend and backend functionality are beyond Sidekick's direct customization; in such cases, it will suggest appropriate apps.

• Blocks or sections created by Sidekick can be modified before the first save. You can review the generated content and request adjustments. However, be aware that modifications may inadvertently affect other elements. Once saved, the block cannot be edited further.

Within these constraints, Sidekick can assist with:

• Layout suggestions

• Decorative images

• Section copywriting

• Custom sections or blocks

Step 6 Add Essential Pages

Essential pages help build trust and reduce customer confusion, but they are often overlooked. Instead of using default templates, click on the "Add essential pages" item in Sidekick's list and ask Sidekick to generate them for you. Sidekick will create the pages one by one using HTML, allowing you to verify each page before publishing.

Important reminders:

• Each page requires your approval

• New pages are unpublished by default

• Pages must be published to appear in navigation

Pay special attention to:

• Contact information

• Policy wording

• Legal accuracy

About Us Page Recommendation

For About Us, a more flexible setup works better.

You can:

• Share brand details and let Sidekick draft the content

• Or prepare content yourself and create a custom page template

Recommended approach:

1. Create an About Us template in the theme editor

2. Add your content and visuals there

3. Create an empty About Us page

4. Assign the custom template to that page

This allows richer layouts and easier updates later.

After all pages are created, return to your menus and add the correct links. Policy pages usually belong in the footer menu.

Step 7 Set Up Your Domain

Open the domain configuration section from the setup list.

Sidekick can:

• Explain configuration options

• Answer setup questions

It cannot purchase domains. Domain registration must be handled manually through Shopify or a third party provider.

Step 8 Configure taxes

Tax configuration is important and often complex. Click on the "Configure taxes" item in Sidekick's list to go directly to the tax settings page.

Sidekick supports this step by guiding you to the correct settings and offering configuration suggestions based on your store setup. However, actual tax calculation and compliance depend on Shopify Tax or your own manual configurations.

If your local tax rules are relatively simple, you can usually configure taxes manually within Shopify. If you operate in regions with more complex tax requirements, such as the United States, consider using Shopify Tax or third party apps like Avalara to ensure accurate tax handling.

In this step, Sidekick’s role is primarily advisory. It helps you understand where and how to configure taxes, rather than automating the tax logic itself.

Step 9 Test Your Store and Prepare for Launch

Before launching, take time to validate the complete shopping experience. Click on the "Test your store" item in Sidekick’s list, and Sidekick will provide guidance on how to review key parts of your store, such as navigation, product pages, cart, and checkout flow.

Beyond basic testing, you can also ask Sidekick to review your store’s performance and share improvement suggestions related to speed, usability, and readiness for launch.

Prompt example: Optimize my store speed and check if my store is ready to lunch.

Follow the suggested steps, address any issues you find, and once everything looks correct, your store is ready to go live.

Who This Workflow Is Best For

This workflow is designed for merchants who prioritize speed and learning.

It works well for:

• Solo founders validating new ideas

• Small teams testing niche dropshipping categories

• Merchants confirming demand before scaling investment

It is not suitable for:

• Large enterprises with complex integrations

• Brands requiring deep, code level visual customization

By using Sidekick as an execution assistant while keeping full approval control, merchants can move faster without sacrificing quality or brand consistency.