How to Delete a Shopify Store: A Step-by-Step Guide for Entrepreneurs

Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms on the market today. It has empowered millions of entrepreneurs and businesses to sell their products online. Shopify provides its users with a wide range of features and has great functionality. However, not everyone’s experience with the platform aligns with their expectations or needs. Some Shopify users find themselves in a situation where deleting a Shopify account is the only practical solution. Reasons for wanting to delete a Shopify account may include a change in business direction or a decision to use a different ecommerce platform such as Magento or WooCommerce. Others might want to close a store due to lack of success.

What is the Shopify success rate? – you may ask.

Despite its user-friendly interface, numerous opportunities for customization, and a healthy ecosystem of 3^rd party apps that enhance the functionality of your online store, the Shopify success rate is around 10%. Shopify business is just like any other business; unfortunately, most of them fail. Shopify success is not guaranteed as it all comes down to the person who’s running the ecommerce business. What’s more, your success depends on many factors including your business type, your marketing strategy, the products you sell, increased competition, etc.

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But whatever the reason for account deletion may be, we’ve got you covered. So, let’s get started.

In this article, we’ll look at: 

• Why Do Ecommerce Merchants Delete Their Shopify Stores? 
• Things to Consider Before Deleting Shopify Account
• How to Delete a Shopify Store?

Why Do Ecommerce Merchants Delete their Shopify Stores?

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Shopify is widely recognized as an excellent platform for running and managing an online business. Nevertheless, there may be various reasons why some sellers choose to close their Shopify stores. Here are some of the potential explanations for this decision:

1. Financial Reasons

‍Running a Shopify store requires a subscription, and there may be extra fees for particular plugins, and themes, or there may be additional charges for add-ons and features. If the expenses become too high, a merchant may decide to end a Shopify subscription. 

There’s fierce competition in the internet retail market and if a merchant discovers that they can no longer compete they may decide to close the store.  

2. Change in Business Direction

A company may find that it no longer needs the online store if it decides to change its strategy. The Shopify store might become obsolete, for instance, if a company decides to sell only through third-party platforms or physical retail locations. This can be the case if you have discovered that your target audience prefers to purchase products in physical locations or if they want a more personalized shopping experience. 

3. Migration to Another Platform

‍A retailer could decide to close their Shopify store and migrate their business to another e-commerce platform if they find one that better suits their needs. They might look for a platform that offers more flexibility or specific functionalities. Shopify’s pricing plans may not be suitable for smaller businesses. Moving to a more cost-effective platform could be a reason.

4. Technical and Management Challenges

Managing an e-commerce store, such as Shopify, isn’t easy as it may seem and requires time, effort, and ecommerce skills. From inventory management to customer service, daily tasks can be overwhelming and time-consuming. A lack of ecommerce skills can be a big problem, too. You need to know what online selling is all about. Getting traffic to your Shopify store can be tough without effective marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. Low sales could result from this. To keep up with the latest technologies you need to have some technical expertise. Lack of expertise can result in problems like overstocking or product shortages which has a negative effect on customer satisfaction and the company’s profitability. Designing a user-friendly website that provides a seamless shopping experience requires an understanding of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design principles.

‍Things to Consider Before Deleting Shopify Account

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Even if you’re having a hard time managing your Shopify store, deleting your online store is a serious decision. Shopify allows you to do it with ease. And once you do it, there’s no turning back. This action is permanent and cannot be reversed.

There are key things to consider before proceeding with this action:

1. Backing Up Your Shopify Store Data and Content

Even if you delete your Shopify store, you might still need some of the data or content in the future. And once the store is deleted, this valuable information won’t be available. Make sure you have a complete backup of all the information in your store, such as customer data, purchase history, product descriptions, financial data, discounts, gift card codes, pictures, etc. If you decide to relaunch your Shopify store or use the content elsewhere, you want to have to start from scratch.

2. Understanding Subscription and Billing Before Deleting Your Shopify Store

Check your current subscription plan and understand any financial implications of closing the store. Because even after cancelation you can be still liable for any unpaid fees or charges related to your Shopify account. You need to settle any outstanding bills or charges.

3. Disconnecting Third-Party App Subscriptions Before Closing Your Shopify Store

Your subscription to any 3rd party apps remains active even after you close your Shopify store. To avoid any recurring fees or problems, make sure to disconnect any third-party apps or services that you have integrated.

4. Legal Obligations to Consider Before Cancelling Your Subscription on Shopify

Consider any contractual or legal obligations you might have to customers or other parties. This might include warranties, returns, or ongoing support for products sold. You must make sure that all applicable laws and regulations have been followed while operating your store. This covers consumer protection laws, copyright laws, and any other industry-specific rules that might be relevant to your products or services.

5. Communicating with Your Customers About Your Shopify Store’s Closure

Customers with whom you have ongoing relationships may want to know that your store is closing. You should notify them of the store’s closure or provide any information on any support or warranty issues. You can guide them to alternative channels or keep them informed about future plans. Communicating your store's closure is a fundamental business practice that fosters trust, and ensures legal compliance. It can have a lasting impact on your professional reputation and future endeavors.

6. SEO Considerations When Closing a Shopify Store

If you have invested time and money in search engine optimization, closing the store may have an impact on your online presence. Consider setting up redirects or taking other measures to preserve your SEO efforts.

7. Inventory Management Solutions After Ending Your Shopify Subscription

Ending your Shopify subscription requires a deliberate approach to inventory management. If you have a physical inventory, you’ll need to make a decision on what to do with it after the store closes. You would want to avoid selling products that have run out of stock. This includes viewing inventory levels and the history of adjustments.

8. Tax and Accounting Compliance

To make sure you are in compliance with all tax laws and regulations, you need to talk to a tax professional or accountant especially if you are completely shutting down your Shopify business.

9. Professional Consultation for Shopify Store Closure

It would be a good idea to consult with legal, financial, or business experts. You need to make sure that you are taking all relevant factors into account before closing the store. 

10. Emotional Considerations When Deleting Store on Shopify

Closing a store can be a difficult decision, especially if you invested a lot of time and energy into the business. Make sure you are making the right choice with a clear head and understanding of all the consequences.

11. Selling your Shopify store instead

You don’t necessarily need to delete your store on Shopify if you no longer want to manage your e-commerce business. You can also sell your Shopify store and make some money. A platform like Flippa provides access to a wide range of customers and works much like Shopify’s Exchange Market used to. Since starting an online business from scratch is associated with risks and a high rate of failure, someone might consider buying an established e-commerce business.  

While deleting your Shopify store shouldn’t be a problem, you must remember that it is a permanent action. So, it’s important to take the time to consider and prepare for all the associated factors. 

How to Delete a Shopify Store?

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Now that you’ve finally decided to shut down your Shopify store, here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Login to Your Shopify Store 

You must first go to Shopify.com and sign into your Shopify account. Make sure you have the required information, such as your password and email address. 

Step 2: Navigate to Settings

From your Shopify Admin Dashboard, go to the "Settings" section. Look at the menu in the bottom left corner and you’ll see the “Settings” button. This button leads to the Shopify account’s “Settings” page.

On this page, you can access your Shopify store’s details and settings. If users need to delete their Shopify account, they can do it here. There are numerous options available here. To deactivate your Shopify account, click on the Plan option in the top-left corner. 

Or you can miss the part where you have to go the “Settings” section. From your Shopify Admin navigate to the search bar. 

By searching for the word “Delete” in the search box, you can click straight on Plan Details. 

Step 3: How to Deactivate your Shopify Store

Once you are there, scroll down the page and click on the “Deactivate store” button.

Specify the reason why you want to close your Shopify store

Click the “Please Select” option.

Choose the reason for permanently deleting your Shopify account from the drop-down menu.

If you can’t find an acceptable reason, select “Other reason”, give your explanation, and press the continue button. 

Enter your password and click on the “Deactivate store” button. 

That’s it. Your Shopify account has been successfully deleted and you won’t be charged any longer. Follow these simple steps and you will know how to delete a Shopify store.  

Conclusion:

A Shopify account deletion is a serious decision that needs to be carefully thought through. You can effectively close your account by following the aforementioned steps and contacting Shopify Support. Never forget to backup important data and settle any financial issues before moving further. If you have any questions or require additional assistance, Shopify Support is always available to help you.