Best Recommended Setup Flow for Markets – SHOPLINE Help Center

The Markets module in SHOPLINE enables you to expand into new regions while maintaining tailored experiences for customers in different countries. Setting up your markets correctly from the start helps prevent issues such as mismatched product catalogs, payment errors, or incorrect shipping options.

This article outlines the recommended setup order and best practices when enabling Markets for the first time.

Flowchart Overview (Example: U.S. Brand Expansion to France)

The following flowchart illustrates the key considerations and implementation process for brands operating in multiple markets. Using the example of a brand whose primary market is the United States expanding into France, the chart outlines the complete setup process—from creating the market, adding the target country, configuring language and domain settings, defining product and pricing strategies, to adjusting shipping and payment methods.

This overview helps merchants clearly understand the setup logic and best practices for managing a multi-market structure.

Creating and Configuring Markets

Create one or two priority markets first: Rather than opening all regions at once, begin by creating one or two key target markets to test workflows and minimize operational risk.

Define your domain strategy in advance: It’s recommended to use a top-level domain (e.g., yourstore.uk), subdomain (e.g., uk.yourstore.com), or subfolder (e.g., yourstore.com/uk). Keep your structure consistent across markets to strengthen SEO and brand recognition.

Note: When setting up market domains, it’s best to use international language codes for URL paths, such as /en (English), /fr (French), or /zh-hk (Traditional Chinese – Hong Kong). For detailed naming guidelines and best practices, refer to Google’s official documentation.

Define the market’s default language: This setting determines the language customers will see across storefront pages, checkout, and communications. Ensure the selected language aligns with local customers’ reading preferences and usage habits.

Translating Multilingual Content

To provide a fully localized shopping experience, install translation tools to help you translate and review multilingual content. It is recommended to use the Multi-Language Translator app to help with translation and content review tasks.

After completing the setup, enable the language selector in your theme editor’s header or footer settings. This allows customers to freely switch languages on the storefront and enjoy a shopping experience tailored to their preferences.

Managing Product and Pricing

Select and assign products intentionally: Only assign products that are legal, shippable, and relevant in the new market. Avoid enabling your full catalog if only part of it makes sense internationally.
Plan inventory and variants: Ensure stock levels and product variants (sizes, colors) are correctly linked to each market.
Localize product details: Even if you use the Multi-Language Translator app for automated translation, it’s recommended to manually review key products and confirm that descriptions and measurement units (e.g., centimeters vs. inches) are clear and accurate.

Set localized pricing and currency: Decide whether to use automatic currency conversion or a custom conversion rate.

Note: Google Merchant Center (GMC) requires exchange rates to remain stable. If your store is connected to GMC, it’s recommended to use manual custom exchange rates and review them regularly to ensure pricing accuracy.

Setting Up Payments and Payouts

Configure available payment providers: Not all gateways support all markets. Research which ones local customers trust most (e.g., SHOPLINE Payments, PayPal, local credit cards, or bank transfers).
Understand payout currency alignment: If your payout account currency matches the market currency, you can avoid unnecessary currency conversion fees.

Configuring Shipping and Delivery

Set up shipping profiles per market: Each market connects back to your store’s Shipping and delivery settings. Configure carriers, zones, and rates carefully.
Offer local carriers where possible: This helps improve delivery speed and reduce costs, meeting customer expectations.
Be clear about taxes and duties: For cross-border sales, clearly indicate whether VAT, GST, or customs duties are included in the product price or charged separately at checkout. Transparency helps reduce cart abandonment.

Customizing Preferences (Configure as Needed)

Configuring checkout settings (default: off): Enable the checkout settings option to allow purchases only from activated markets. This prevents customers from placing orders from unsupported regions.

Enable domain redirection (default: off): Automatically redirect customers to the correct domain that supports their country or region when they visit the wrong domain.

Note: If traffic from Google is important to your store, we do not recommend enabling multi-market domain redirection. This setting may cause Google to recognize the redirected link as a 302 error, which could negatively affect search engine indexing and ranking.

Set up price rounding (default: on): Activate price rounding after currency conversion to make prices consistent with common pricing formats in the local market.

Testing and Validation

Preview your storefront: Check that language, currency, and catalog appear correctly in the new market view.
Simulate a full checkout flow: After selecting the target market through the language selector, place a small test order to verify payment, confirmation emails, and return processes.
Validate customer communication: Ensure that transactional emails (order confirmation, shipping updates) use the correct language and currency format.

Best Practice Recommendations

Expand gradually: Add more markets only after confirming that operations run smoothly for your first ones.
Localize beyond currency: Adapt descriptions, promotions, and customer service to local expectations. This increases trust and conversion.
Monitor performance: Use analytics tools (GA4, SHOPLINE reports) to track sales, traffic, and conversion by market.
Review settings quarterly. Regularly audit your payments, shipping, and catalog setups to ensure they remain accurate as your business grows.