Shopify Backend Structure Overview & Operation Guide
The Shopify backend structure was recently adjusted, making the overall layout more intuitive and well-organized. Before diving into the detailed Shopify backend tutorial, let’s first get a general understanding of the backend interface to help you quickly locate the functions you need.
After successfully applying for a Shopify account (Click here to apply for a Shopify account>>), log in to the backend. The black sidebar displays all the main functional modules of Shopify. Below is a breakdown of each section from top to bottom:
Clicking the Shopify logo at the top will take you to the backend Home page.
The arrow button next to the logo redirects you to your store’s frontend homepage.
Alternatively, you can manually enter your store’s URL or the free subdomain provided by Shopify during registration.
Self-explanatory—search for anything you need.
The Home page is the first screen you see upon logging in. It consists of two main sections:
Middle Section: Displays daily sales statistics, order volumes, Shopify updates, setup guides, and official tutorials on store management and marketing.
To hide any section, click the three dots (⋮) in its top-right corner and select Dismiss.
Right Sidebar: Shows summarized sales data (orders, revenue, visitors) across different sales channels.
The dropdown menus at the top allow you to filter data by channel and time period.
The bottom section logs recent account activities for tracking changes.
This section includes three key functions:
Orders: Manage customer orders, view details, and process shipments.
Drafts: Manually create orders in the backend (useful when customers encounter checkout issues).
Abandoned Checkouts: Lists unpaid orders. You can send recovery emails by clicking “Send a cart recovery email” to encourage completion of payment.
Five sub-modules are available here:
Products: Add, edit, or delete products, as well as bulk-import/export items.
Transfers: A procurement tool to track inbound inventory (automatically updates stock upon arrival).
Inventory: Manage stock levels. Products with 0 inventory become unavailable for purchase.
Collections: Organize products into categories (more flexible than traditional product grouping).
Gift Cards: A premium feature (unavailable on the $29/month plan) for creating digital gift vouchers.
View and manage customer profiles, including:
Contact details (email, phone, shipping address).
Order history.
Adding notes or tags for segmentation.
Shopify’s built-in analytics tool is only available for higher-tier plans. Free alternatives like Google Analytics can be integrated (covered later).
Create and distribute discount codes to promote sales on social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.).
Manage sales channels supported by Shopify, including:
Online Store (Shopify website)
Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Houzz
Facebook Messenger, Wanelo
POS, Mobile App, Buy Button
Note: Some channels (e.g., Pinterest) require specific conditions, such as:
Shipping to the U.S.
Pricing in USD
A paid Shopify plan
Supported payment gateways (Shopify Payments, Stripe, etc.)
Under Sales > Online Store, you’ll find:
Themes: Install, customize, or edit store themes.
Blog Posts: Manage blog content.
Pages: Edit pages like About Us or Contact Us.
Navigation: Configure menus.
Domains: Set up custom domains.
Preferences: Adjust SEO titles, meta descriptions, and integrate tracking tools (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel).
Shopify’s “app store” for extending functionality. Most apps are paid, but free options are available.
Key configurations include:
General: Store name, contact email, address, time zone, units, and currency.
Payments: Set up credit card/PayPal gateways.
Checkout: Customize the checkout process.
Shipping: Configure shipping rates globally.
Taxes: Define tax rules.
Notifications: Customize order/shipping email templates.
Files: Manage uploaded documents.
Account: View billing details, staff accounts, and transaction history.
(Source: Shopify Tutorial Network)
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