One of the biggest factors in e-commerce success is finding the right niche — a market that is ripe for the picking with opportunities that excite you. Many Shopify stores target product niches like custom hoodies or sustainable goods, but Shopify isn’t just for selling products—you can run a thriving service business too. Whether you’re offering online courses, event planning, or pet grooming, here’s how to add a service to Shopify instead of a product.
Can You Use Shopify for Services?
Nothing prevents you from offering services on Shopify instead of physical goods. Shopify’s payment processing options, customer management tools, and e-commerce systems work just fine with services. Of course, you need to think outside of the box when it comes to configuring your website, setting pricing, and describing your services.
Do you need to install any third-party apps on Shopify for services? It depends on a few factors:
- Appointments: You need an app with booking functionality to schedule and manage appointments with clients.
- Packages: If your customers can bundle different services as part of a package, you need to invest in a good bundle builder app.
- Courses: To set up online courses, you need an app that combines booking with content management, access control, and subscription features.
- Custom pricing and quotes: If your prices change for every customer depending on the size of the project, you need an app that supports business pricing terms, like net 15 payments, instead of the normal Shopify checkout process.
- Lead generation tools: To nurture the interest of first-time visitors, you can use apps to manage email signups and marketing campaigns.
Shopify’s app store has countless easy-to-use add-ons that help you create the perfect balance of flair and functionality for your service website. The ideal theme, design, and configuration depend on whether your services are 100% online, in-person, or a mix of both.
How Do You Add a Service Instead of a Product on Shopify?
The process of selling services on Shopify isn’t difficult once you know what you want. The basics are similar to setting up Shopify for retail, with a few tweaks. Here’s what to do.
1. Create Your Services as Products
Open your Shopify admin portal and follow these steps:
- Select the “Products” tab.
- Click on “Add product.”
- Create a name and a description for your new service, such as “Deep Tissue Massage: 30 Minutes.”
- Uncheck the box marked “This is a physical product” in the “Shipping” section.
- Click “Save.”
You can add extra details to your services — images, pricing, category info, and tags — during the creation process or go back later. To edit existing items, just go to “Admin” > “Products” and click on the one you want to change.
2. Create Variants
If you offer additional services or white-glove (premium) tiers of service, you need to create listings that clients can choose from. There are two ways to handle this in Shopify. The first method doesn’t allow you to create individual descriptions for variants, so it’s better for services with minimal differences, like length of time. For example, you can create a “Deep Tissue Massage: 60 Minutes” variant.
Here’s how to create basic product variants:
- Go to the “Products” tab and click on the original service.
- Scroll down to the “Variants” section and click “Add variant.”
- Name the variant, like “Daycare 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon.”
- Add your pricing.
- Click “Save” to save your variant.
Each variant shows up on the main page for your service, allowing customers to choose what they want. Each service can have many variants and variant types with different prices, like adding aromatherapy or special oils. The main service — deep tissue massage — would stay the same.
3. Create Different Versions of Your Services
If you want variant services to have different descriptions, bullet points, images, or videos, it’s better to create a new product instead. You can speed up the process by duplicating the main service:
- In the “Products” tab, choose the service you want to copy.
- Click “Duplicate.”
- Name the new service, such as “Shiatsu Massage.”
- Change the details of the variant service, including cost and description.
- Select “Set as active” under “Product status.”
- Once you’re finished, click “Duplicate product.”
With this method, you can also create variants of these alternative services, like 30-, 60-, and 90-minute sessions.
4. Build Packages
One option for packages on Shopify is to create two versions of every service, a basic (or standalone) version and a premium package with all the bells and whistles. This method is easy, but it can cost you money if customers click on the wrong version or don’t understand the differences.
A better way to create packages is with an app like Bundle Builder. With tools for curated packages and build-your-own bundles, clients know exactly what they get because they can click on each option and see exact pricing.
5. Create Content
Unlike retail stores, where customers mainly browse images, service professionals must explain why they’re the best. To this end, add details (e.g., benefits and features) to your service pages, create engaging blogs and guides, and choose a Shopify theme that matches your personality.
What Are Some Examples of Services on Shopify Stores?
Shopify works well for online professional services and local service businesses. The possibilities are endless, but here are some examples to get your wheels turning:
- Professional consulting: Business and finance advice, Certified Public Accountant, legal services, etc.
- Instruction: Live instruction, online courses, specialized classes, and MasterClass-style sessions
- Event management: Ticketing, event planning and coordination, scheduling, venue decoration, and more
- Content creation: Videos, infographics, influencer services, copywriting, and ghostwriting
- Mobile/In-home services: Pet grooming, daycare, personal chef services, and massage
What makes Shopify a great choice for service businesses is that you have the flexibility to also sell products at the same time. Instead of only providing event ticketing for trade shows, why not offer customized merch services for participating businesses at the same time?
Do You Have Questions About Adding a Service Instead of a Product on Shopify?
At StayTuned Digital, we offer exceptional customer service, in addition to having a collection of amazing Shopify apps for service businesses. Whether you need customization features, business pricing, bundles, or scheduling apps, we can help you find the ideal solution and set it up on your store. Choose the easy way to add services and products to Shopify.