If you decide to call it quits with your Shopify store, it’s your right to do so. There could be a myriad of reasons why you would want to go down this road – maybe you are no longer in a position to maintain your online store, have found another platform more suited to your needs, or maybe you are pivoting away from ecommerce entirely. Whatever the reason may be, this article seeks to provide a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to close Shopify store.
**Step 1: Determine Your Reasons and Weigh Your Options**
The very first thing to do before you close your Shopify store is to ensure you are doing it for the right reasons. Understand the implications and consider its potential impact on your business. You might want to consult with a business advisor or do personal research to weigh your options. Who knows, you might find alternative solutions that can help overhauling your business operations.
**Step 2: Disable Third-Party App Subscriptions**
Before you begin the process of closing your Shopify store, remember to cancel any third-party apps subscriptions you may have. Navigate to the Shopify Admin, click ‘Apps’, then choose ‘Delete’ for every app you want to remove. It’s crucial to remember that Shopify can’t cancel these subscriptions for you, hence ensure your account doesn’t get billed even after you close your store.
**Step 3: Pause or Cancel Your Shopify Account**
Shopify provides you with two primary options when you want to stop using their services. You can either pause your store or choose to cancel your account entirely. If you intend to come back to Shopify in the future, you might want to pause your store, this allows you to keep your store’s data for when you return.
**Step 4: Close Shopify Store**
To close Shopify store, log into your account, go to ‘Settings’, and click ‘Account’. Scroll down to the ‘Store Status’ section, you will find the option to select ‘Sell or Close store’. A new page will open, and here, you will see the option of ‘Close Store’. Click on it.
You will be asked to confirm your store’s password to verify your identity. After this, you will have to answer an exit survey, which is purely optional. After these steps, click on the ‘Close Store’ button, finalizing the process.
**Step 5: Confirm Closure Via Email**
After completing the closure process, Shopify will send you an email to confirm the decision you made. This email is the last checkpoint, it ensures that your account wasn’t accessed by an unauthorized person. Once you confirm via the email, your store will be closed completely.
**Important Points to Bear in Mind**
While this step-by-step guide on how to close Shopify store is straightforward, there are a few things you should remember:
1. Once you close your Shopify store, you will lose any website themes you bought, and your customer data will be erased.
2. There’s no option to ‘reopen’ a closed Shopify store, so make this decision with certainty.
3. You won’t be billed again after you close your Shopify store. However, if you have any outstanding bills, you will be required to pay them.
4. Your store’s address (Store’s URL) can’t be used again, not even by you.
The decision to close your Shopify store is decisive and often keeps you wondering whether it’s the right choice. Whether it’s a matter of financial feasibility, changing business models, or simply moving to a different ecommerce platform, this step-by-step guide on how to close Shopify store aims to make the process as hassle-free as possible for you. The crux of the matter is to weigh your options carefully, preserving your business’s best interests. Once the decision is made, follow this guide to ensure a smooth transition away from Shopify. Take charge of your business journey, even when it involves saying goodbye to certain stages.