Launch your store

Once your beautifully created store is ready to be shown to your customers, you can launch it. This is an important step, but also a bit of a complicated process.

tip

Make sure you've read and understood this guide before you start.

Launching your store is done in four phases:

1. Preparing your store domain and creating a checkout subdomain
   You do this so you can host your storefront and checkout on your own domain
2. Configuring Shopify
   You do this, so that you can redirect your customers to your new Instant Commerce storefront in step 4
3. Launch your store
   Once you've done this, your new storefront will be live
4. Redirect your customers
   Flip the switch and make sure everyone will enjoy your new, shiny storefront

Preparing your store domain

Before you can host your storefront on your own domain, you need to register with a domain provider first and choose your Domain name. The Domain name is the URL of your website, but without the 'https://' in front of it.
Once you have done this, you should have access to the DNS settings and be able make the necessary changes. If you don't have access to these settings, contact your domain provider.

Domain name example

The domain name associated with https://instantcommerce.io/ is instantcommerce.io. This is a root domain.

The domain name associated with https://docs.instantcommerce.io/ is docs.instantcommerce.io. This is a subdomain.

You'll need a subdomain for your store's checkout process. An example of why you might also want to use subdomains for hosting your storefront itself is when you want to have multiple stores with the domain names de.example.com, uk.example.com, b2b.example.com, etc.

Creating a checkout subdomain

Instant Commerce will host your storefront on either a root or subdomain. The checkout for your webstore will still happen in a Shopify environment, however. For the Shopify checkout environment you need to create an extra subdomain.
It is advisable to use the prefix checkout for your checkout subdomain (e.g. checkout.example.com).

Configuring Shopify

1. Download the instant-headless-theme.zip file from our Open Source GitHub repository.
2. Go to Shopify and log into the store that you have connected to Instant Commerce.
3. Select Sales channels on the left and then select Online Store.
4. Under Theme library, click Add theme and select Upload zip file.
5. Upload the instant-headless-theme.zip file you downloaded.
6. Customize your newly added theme.
7. On the left, click Theme settings. Under Hostname add your checkout subdomain name (as described under Creating a checkout subdomain).
8. Save your changes, but don't publish them yet.

Launch your store

1. Open your store, go to Settings > Domains, and click Add domain.
2. On the pop up that opens fill in your registered domain name and click Next.
3. After your domain name has been processed by our backend, you will receive a set of instructions based on the domain type.
   • If yours is a root domain (e.g. mybrand.com), a set of two A records needs to be added to the DNS records with your DNS provider.
   • If yours is a subdomain (e.g. store.mybrand.com), a CNAME record needs to be added to the DNS records with your DNS provider.
4. Once you add the necessary records into the DNS records of your domain provider, you can start the verification process. The verification process can take up to a few minutes.

Redirect your customers

1. To go Shopify and log into the store that you have connected to Instant Commerce.
2. Select Sales channels on the left and then select Online Store.
3. Under Theme library, click Publish on the theme you added when you configured Shopify.
4. Connect your checkout subdomain name as the primary domain.
   
   

Now that your customers are being redirected to your new storefront, you're officially live with Instant Commerce!