Setting Up Your Squarespace Online Store

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Jun 25, 2025 09:39 PM

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Squarespace Commerce

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Build and launch your e-commerce store with Squarespace Commerce by choosing a suitable plan, setting up products, configuring payments and shipping, customizing design, and utilizing marketing tools for growth. Test the checkout process thoroughly and ensure clear communication with customers for success.

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Squarespace

How to Set Up Your Squarespace Online Store

Build and launch your e-commerce store with Squarespace Commerce, from product listings to payment processing.

What is Squarespace Commerce?

Squarespace Commerce gives you everything you need to build and run an online store. You can accept payments through PayPal, Stripe, and other processors, whilst customising your store's design to match your brand.

The platform handles the technical bits (payment processing, inventory management, tax calculations) so you can focus on your products and customers.

Choosing the Right Plan

Squarespace Commerce is available on these plans:

Business (£15/month) - Basic commerce features, 3% transaction fees

Commerce Basic (£21/month) - Full commerce toolkit, 0% transaction fees

Commerce Advanced (£32/month) - Advanced features like abandoned cart recovery, 0% transaction fees

The Commerce plans remove transaction fees, which saves money once you're making regular sales. If you're just testing the waters, the Business plan works fine to start.

Setting Up Your Store

Here's how to get your store live:

Start your free trial - You get 14 days to test everything without paying

Add a store page - This is where customers will browse your products

Upload your products - Add them one by one or import via CSV file

Set up shipping - Configure shipping zones, rates, and delivery options

Connect payments - Link your PayPal, Stripe, or Square account

Test everything - Place test orders to check the entire process works

Pixelhaze Tip: Run test orders using different payment methods and shipping addresses. This catches problems before real customers hit them.

Adding and Managing Products

Product Information

Each product needs:

Clear, high-quality photos (multiple angles work best)

Detailed descriptions that answer common questions

Accurate pricing including any variants (size, colour, etc.)

Stock levels and SKU codes for tracking

Product Categories

Organise products into logical categories. This helps customers find what they want and improves your site's SEO. You can create subcategories too if you have lots of products.

Inventory Management

Squarespace tracks stock levels automatically. When someone buys something, it reduces the count. You can set low stock alerts so you know when to reorder.

Payment and Shipping Setup

Payment Processing

You'll need to connect a payment processor:

Stripe - Works in most countries, competitive rates

PayPal - Familiar to customers, easy setup

Square - Good if you also sell in person

Each processor has different fees (usually around 2.9% + 30p per transaction), so check which works best for your situation.

Shipping Configuration

Set up shipping zones based on where you deliver:

UK mainland - Standard rates

Highlands and Islands - Higher rates due to location

International - Separate rates for EU and worldwide

You can offer free shipping over a certain amount, flat rates, or calculated shipping based on weight and destination.

Customising Your Store Design

Store Page Layout

Your store page shows all products in a grid or list format. You can:

Change how many products show per row

Add filters for categories, price, colour, etc.

Enable quick view so customers can see details without leaving the page

Customise the "Add to Cart" button text and styling

Product Pages

Individual product pages can include:

Image galleries with zoom functionality

Related products suggestions

Customer reviews (if enabled)

Social sharing buttons

Detailed specifications or size guides

Marketing Your Store

SEO Basics

Squarespace handles most SEO automatically, but you should:

Write unique product descriptions (don't copy from suppliers)

Use relevant keywords in product titles

Add alt text to product images

Create categories that match what customers search for

Email Marketing

Connect your store to Squarespace Email Campaigns or external services like Mailchimp. You can:

Send newsletters about new products

Create automated welcome series for new customers

Recover abandoned carts with follow-up emails

Link your Instagram and Facebook accounts to show social proof. Products can display Instagram photos, and you can enable social sharing buttons.

Selling In Person with Square

If you sell at markets, pop-ups, or have a physical shop, connect Square to sync online and offline sales. When you sell something in person, it automatically updates your Squarespace inventory.

You'll need a Square Reader or terminal, but the integration keeps everything in sync without manual updates.

Managing Orders and Customers

Order Processing

New orders appear in your dashboard with:

Customer details and shipping address

Items ordered and payment status

Shipping labels you can print directly

You can update order status (processing, shipped, delivered) to keep customers informed.

Customer Management

Build a database of customer information including:

Purchase history

Contact preferences

Notes about specific requirements

This helps with customer service and future marketing.

Common Issues and Solutions

Payment failures: Usually due to incorrect card details or insufficient funds. Squarespace sends automatic emails asking customers to update payment information.

Shipping problems: Double-check shipping zones and rates. International shipping often causes confusion, so be clear about delivery times and customs charges.

Stock management: Set up low stock alerts so you don't oversell. If you use multiple sales channels, consider inventory management software that syncs everywhere.

Key Takeaways

Start with the Business plan to test, upgrade to Commerce plans when you're making regular sales

Test your entire checkout process thoroughly before launching

Write clear, detailed product descriptions and use high-quality photos

Set up shipping zones and rates carefully to avoid customer confusion

Use the built-in marketing tools to grow your audience

Connect Square if you sell both online and in person

Squarespace Commerce handles the technical complexity of running an online store, but success still depends on good products, clear communication, and reliable customer service. The platform gives you the tools – how you use them makes the difference.