The complete checklist for international Shopify selling in 2025. Cover markets, translation, pricing, shipping, payments, and image localization.
TLDR: Ready to complete your international localization? Start with image localization. Install Product Image Translate Easy and give international customers the visual experience they expect.
Selling internationally on Shopify has never been more accessible. The tools exist. The infrastructure works. Global customers are actively searching for products you sell.
Yet most merchants expanding internationally leave money on the table – not from one big mistake, but from accumulation of small gaps. A conversion killer here, a friction point there. Each individually minor, collectively devastating.
This checklist covers everything you need to address for successful international Shopify selling in 2025. Bookmark it. Work through it systematically. Use it to audit your existing international setup or plan a new market launch.
☐ Shopify Markets configured
Shopify Markets is your foundation for international selling. Ensure you’ve enabled Markets, created market definitions for your target regions, and configured basic settings. This unlocks multi-currency, market-specific pricing, and regional domains.
☐ Target markets prioritized
Don’t try to launch everywhere at once. Identify 2-3 priority markets based on existing demand signals (international traffic, international orders despite friction, competitor presence) and focus there first. Expand after you’ve proven the model.
☐ Market-specific domains or subfolders considered
Options include dedicated domains (yourstore.de), subdomains (de.yourstore.com), or subfolders (yourstore.com/de-de). Each has SEO and branding implications. Subfolders are easiest to manage; dedicated domains signal strongest local commitment.
☐ Legal and tax requirements researched
VAT registration thresholds, import duties, consumer protection laws, and product compliance requirements vary by country. Understand requirements before selling – not after customs holds your shipments.
☐ Translation app installed and configured
Shopify’s Translate & Adapt or a third-party translation app handles text content. Install, configure for your target languages, and begin translation work.
☐ Product content translated
Product titles, descriptions, and metafields need translation. Prioritize top sellers and high-traffic products if translating your entire catalog immediately isn’t feasible.
☐ Collection and navigation translated
Your collection names, navigation menus, and category structure need translation. Customers should be able to browse your store entirely in their language.
☐ Theme content translated
Homepage content, announcement bars, footer text, and other theme elements need translation. Walk through your entire store in each language to catch missed elements.
☐ Checkout and notifications translated
The checkout flow and post-purchase communications (order confirmation, shipping updates) need translation. Shopify handles much of this automatically, but verify everything displays correctly.
This is the gap most merchants miss. Your product images containing text – size charts, infographics, labels, specifications – need localized versions. Standard translation tools don’t handle this; you need dedicated image localization. See our complete guide: How to Translate Product Images on Shopify (The Easy Way).
☐ Image localization tool implemented
Product Image Translate Easy or similar tools let you upload localized image variants and display them based on customer language. Without this, your translated text sits alongside English images – a jarring experience for international customers.
☐ Multi-currency enabled
Customers should see prices in their local currency. Shopify Markets handles currency conversion automatically.
☐ Pricing strategy defined
Decide between automatic currency conversion (easy but creates awkward prices like €47.23) and manual market-specific pricing (more work but cleaner prices like €49). Manual pricing typically converts better.
☐ Tax display configured correctly
Some markets expect tax-inclusive pricing (most of Europe). Others expect tax-exclusive with tax added at checkout (US). Display prices the way local customers expect.
☐ Rounding rules reviewed
If using automatic conversion, configure rounding rules so prices end cleanly rather than showing cent values that signal “this was converted.”
☐ Local payment methods enabled
Credit cards aren’t universal. Research payment preferences in your target markets. German customers often prefer SOFORT or Klarna. Dutch customers use iDEAL. French customers use Carte Bancaire. Enable relevant methods through Shopify Payments or third-party providers.
☐ Payment page localized
The payment experience should feel native. Payment method names and checkout flow should display in the customer’s language.
☐ International shipping rates configured
Set up shipping rates for target markets. Consider flat rates, weight-based rates, or carrier-calculated rates based on your product characteristics and shipping strategy.
☐ Shipping times clearly communicated
International customers accept longer shipping times if expectations are set clearly. Display estimated delivery times prominently on product pages and in checkout.
☐ Shipping costs visible before checkout
Nothing kills international conversions faster than surprise shipping costs at checkout. Display shipping information on product pages or provide a shipping calculator.
☐ Returns process defined
How do international customers return products? Who pays return shipping? How long do refunds take? Define your policy and communicate it clearly.
☐ Duties and taxes handled
Decide whether you ship DDP (duties paid) or DDU (customer pays duties on receipt). DDP creates a smoother customer experience but requires more logistics complexity.
☐ Language selector prominent
Customers should easily find and use your language/market selector. Test on mobile where it’s often buried in menus.
☐ Geolocation redirect configured (carefully)
Automatic redirects based on customer location can help or annoy. If implementing, always allow customers to override and select their preferred market.
☐ Mobile experience tested per market
Browse your store on mobile in each target language. Text expansion (German text is 30% longer than English) can break layouts that work fine in English.
☐ Trust signals localized
Reviews, trust badges, and social proof should feel relevant to each market. Customer reviews from the target country carry more weight than reviews from other markets.
☐ Support language capabilities defined
Can you actually support customers in their language? Be honest. If support is English-only, communicate this clearly rather than setting false expectations.
☐ FAQ and help content translated
Self-service support content – FAQs, help articles, shipping information – should be available in customer languages.
☐ Contact methods appropriate per market
Some markets prefer email. Others expect chat. Some want phone support. Understand expectations and provide appropriate channels.
☐ Privacy policy localized
GDPR and other privacy regulations require appropriate disclosures in languages customers understand.
☐ Terms of service updated
Your terms need to reflect international selling realities and comply with local consumer protection laws.
☐ Product compliance verified
Products sold in certain markets (especially EU) may need specific certifications, labeling, or compliance marks. Verify requirements for your product category.
If products need different compliance marks for different markets (CE marking for EU, for example), you need to display market-appropriate imagery. See our guide: How to Show EU Compliance Labels Only to European Shopify Customers.
☐ Market-specific analytics configured
Set up analytics to track performance by market. Conversion rates, average order value, and return rates should be measurable per market so you can identify and address issues.
☐ Baseline metrics established
Before optimizing, know your starting point. Document conversion rates and key metrics for each market at launch.
☐ A/B testing capability for international
As you optimize, you’ll want to test changes. Ensure your testing setup can segment by market.
☐ SEO strategy per market
Keyword research, meta content, and content strategy may differ by market. The keywords Germans search differ from French or Spanish searches.
☐ Localized marketing assets created
Email templates, ad creative, and social content need localization. This extends beyond translation to cultural relevance.
☐ Product images optimized for search
Localized product images should have appropriate alt text in the target language. This supports image search and accessibility.
After initial setup, audit for these commonly missed elements:
☐ Size charts localized – Often overlooked, always important for apparel. See: How to Translate Size Charts for International Shopify Customers
☐ Product infographics translated – Feature callouts and benefit graphics need translation. See: Managing Product Infographics Across Multiple Languages in Shopify
☐ Error messages checked – Out-of-stock messages, validation errors, and other edge cases often remain untranslated.
☐ Third-party app content verified – Review apps, wishlist apps, and other third-party tools may not respect your translation settings.
This checklist is comprehensive – and potentially overwhelming. Don’t try to perfect everything before launching.
Prioritize what directly impacts conversion: translation, pricing, payment methods, and shipping clarity. Get these right and launch. Then iterate through the remaining items based on customer feedback and performance data.
For most merchants, the single highest-impact improvement is image localization – specifically because it’s the gap competitors also miss. A fully localized visual experience is rare and immediately noticeable.