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Get started with Commerce Orbit

The steps from an empty organisation to a shop that takes orders: settings, Stripe, taxes and shipping, your first product and a test order.

Tutorial3 min read

This checklist takes you from a new organisation to a shop that can take a real order. Your first shop is ready when you open Commerce Orbit; to run another, see Add a shop. On Overview, Get ready to sell shows the steps still open, the next one highlighted; select the × at its top right to hide it for good. Most steps need an Admin. Editors can add products, collections and discount codes.

1Name your shop

Open Settings and fill in:

  • Shop name, logo and colour, which the hosted shop and emails use
  • Shop address, such as northwilds. It is part of every link to your shop and of the storefront API, so choose it before you share links. Use lower-case letters, numbers and hyphens.
  • Main currency, and any other currencies you sell in, such as EUR with NOK and SEK
  • Languages you sell in, with the main one first
  • Contact email, which customers reach when they reply to an email
  • Seller details: legal name, VAT number, registration number and address. They are printed on invoices and receipts.
  • Order prefix, such as NW, so order numbers read NW1042, and the invoice prefix, such as INV-
  • Website and allowed websites, if your own website will run a cart. See The storefront API.

See Languages and currencies for how prices work in more than one currency.

2Connect Stripe

Make a restricted key in your Stripe account and paste it under Stripe. Start with test keys, so you can place orders without real money. See Connect your Stripe account.

3Taxes and shipping

  • Choose the country you sell from, whether your prices include VAT, and whether you are registered for the EU One Stop Shop.
  • Add at least one shipping zone with a rate, such as Norway with Standard, 3 to 5 days, or mark a location for collection in store. A shopper can't check out without a way to get the order.

See Shipping and taxes.

4Locations

Commerce Orbit starts with one location, Warehouse. Rename it, add your shops or other warehouses, and switch on collection in store where shoppers can pick up. See Stock and locations.

5Your first product

Open Products, add a product such as the Fjell GTX boot with its sizes, prices, stock and photos, and set its status to Active. Only active products are for sale. See Products.

Group products into collections, such as Tents or Winter boots, so websites can show them together.

6Place a test order

With Stripe in test mode, open your hosted shop, put the product in the cart and check out with Stripe's test card 4242 4242 4242 4242, any future date and any CVC. The order shows under Orders within seconds, and the confirmation email goes to the address you used. Mark it as sent to try the shipping email too. See Orders.

When everything works, connect your live Stripe keys and cancel the test orders.

7Bring in your team

People get Commerce Orbit from your organisation's members in Orbit. Owners and admins there are Admins here; everyone else starts as a Viewer, and an Admin can make them an Editor under People. See Who can do what.

Optional next steps

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What Commerce Orbit isCommerce Orbit sells your products on your own website or a hosted shop, takes payment through your own Stripe account, handles business customers and can work with MAM Software.Connect your Stripe accountMake a restricted key in Stripe with exactly the access Commerce Orbit needs, paste it in, and know what happens if the key stops working.Shipping and taxesShipping zones and rates, free shipping over an amount and collection in store, and how Commerce Orbit works out VAT: prices with VAT, One Stop Shop, reverse charge, exports and your own rates.ProductsAdd products with options and variants, SKUs, prices in each currency, compare-at prices, images, specifications, SEO text and translations, and choose when they are for sale.The hosted shopCommerce Orbit gives every organisation a ready shop with product, collection, cart, checkout and order pages, in your languages and currencies. When to use it, and when to sell on your own website instead.Who can do whatViewers read everything, Editors also run products, orders and customers, Admins also refund and manage Stripe, MAM, settings, keys and people, and only owners delete images for good.