How to Change Your Primary Market in Shopify

Key takeaways

Your Shopify primary market is based on the address of your e-commerce store and the base currency you use. 

• Changing your primary market in Shopify requires three basic steps, including choosing your store details, picking the currency you want, and saving your preferences. 

• In addition to your primary market, which is your main selling region, Shopify allows you to add sub-markets, including international options, to expand your potential customer base. 

• You can expand your e-commerce business and reach new audiences by learning how to add an international market in Shopify.

Learn how to change your store currency to change the primary market of your Shopify store. If you want to deepen your e-commerce knowledge and become career-ready, consider enrolling in the beginner-friendly Google Digital Marketing and E-commerce Professional Certificate. In approximately six months, you could earn a career credential to boost your resume and share on your LinkedIn profile. 

How to change primary market in Shopify: Shopify markets basics 

When opening a Shopify store, you have three different types of markets available to you: primary, international, and countries you don’t sell to. Your store’s address and base currency determine your primary market, which is the main region you sell to. The international market includes any other popular regions that similar merchants sell to. Countries you don’t sell to are those where customers cannot purchase products from your store.

Since your store currency determines your primary market, you can change your primary market by changing your store currency. For example, if your store currency is currently USD and you change it to Canadian dollars (CAD), your primary market will change from the United States to Canada.

How do I change the primary domain on Shopify?

To switch your primary domain, first add your custom domain and verify that its status shows as Connected. Then, follow these basic steps:

1. Go to Settings > Domains. 

2. Click the one you want as your primary and select Change domain type.

3. Set it as the Primary domain type and save it by selecting Change domain type.

Steps for changing the primary market in your Shopify store

We'll outline each step in detail below, but briefly, the steps you'll follow are:

1. Go to Settings > Store details in your Shopify admin panel.

2. Click Store currency and choose your desired currency.

3. Click Save.

If you have already made sales in your Shopify store, you have to contact Shopify support to change your store currency. Otherwise, follow these steps for changing your primary market in Shopify:

1. Access store details.

Log in to your Shopify store and go to your admin page. Then, visit Settings and select Store details.

2. Select your new currency.

Now that you’re on the Store details settings page, find your new store currency from the list in the Store currency section. If you can’t select a new currency here, it’s likely because you have already made a sale. If this is your case, contact Shopify support to change your store currency.

3. Save your changes.

After selecting a new currency, click Save. Your primary market will now change to reflect your new store currency.

Read more: Shopify Inventory Management: A How-to Guide

How to add a market

In addition to your primary market, you can add up to fifty markets in your Shopify store. This can help you to target a specific country or group of countries. If you’re wondering which countries to add to your market, Shopify advises where you could be successful based on data from similar merchants. Here are the steps to add a market:

1. Visit your store settings.

Go to Settings from your Shopify admin page and click Markets > Add market.

2. Add markets and market name.

Enter a market name to identify the market in your store. Then click Add countries/regions and select any countries and regions you wish to include in your new market.

3. Save your market.

After adding all your preferred countries and regions, click Done > Save to add the market to your store.

Other considerations

Before activating a new market, you must have shipping rates for the countries and regions in your new market. Otherwise, customers won't be able to check out from your store. Once you have obtained the necessary shipping rates, activate your market from your Shopify admin by visiting Settings > Markets. From there, select the market you wish to activate by clicking Manage next to that market and then clicking Activate market.

Read more: How to Use Shopify Google Analytics

Explore free e-commerce and digital marketing resources

If you want to build your e-commerce business and build digital marketing skills, check out some of our free resources. For instance, with Career Chat, you can keep up with trends and emerging technologies. Other options include: 

• Find your career path: Digital Marketing Career Paths: Explore Roles & Specializations

• Watch a video on YouTube: Career Spotlight: Digital Marketer

• Learn from an expert: Marketing Career Path: How I Became a Brand Marketing Manager at Coursera

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