You love what you’re selling, but you’re ready to turn that side hustle into something much bigger. You’ve picked a great time to scale: in March 2026, UK online-only retail sales hit roughly £5.77bn – a 198% increase over the last decade. The opportunity for growth is substantial, and your business deserves a slice of it. The best part? You can go from side hustle to professional online store in as little as three days. Here’s how to get started.
Phase 1: Friday night
Kick off your weekend by taking the first steps towards building your online store. If you’ve already got a site and brand, then take the night off or head straight to phase 2! Friday night consists of 2 simple tasks:
Prepping for your online store
Get a domain name. To set up your online store, you first need a domain name that matches your brand. You’ll need to check if your business name is available. If it is, you can register your domain name at registrars like Porkbun, Cloudflare or GoDaddy.
Work on your brand assets. Next, it’s time to decide how you want your online store to look. You’ll need to decide on your logo, choose fonts and pick brand colours.
Phase 2: Saturday morning
After a good night’s sleep, it’s on to phase 2. Here’s what your main focus should be:
Initial steps for setting up your online store
Select a platform.Online e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. For example, Shopify has prebuilt design themes which can save you time.
Choose an AI to help you with any blockers. Some platforms have built-in AI assistants to help you run your store. Shopify’s Sidekick tool is built into its admin, meaning you don’t have to explain what’s going on to ChatGPT in another tab!
Link your bank account. In order to accept payments, you’ll need to connect your bank account to your chosen platform. However, if you want to get started quicker, Shopify Payments lets you start accepting credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay from the moment you sign up.
Set postage rules. Decide on what your flat-rate fees are going to be and your packing dimensions. These will obviously depend on the size and type of product you’re delivering.
Configure tax settings. It’s important that you’re VAT compliant, so make sure VAT is automatically calculated based on your location.
Phase 3: Saturday afternoon
We’re now into the bulk of what will sit on your online store, in terms of photos, product names and product descriptions. Online platforms that have built-in AI, like Shopify, can help you with these tasks, including writing copy and generating images.
Adding products to your online store
Shoot product photos. You can either choose to take these photos yourself or import them from elsewhere.
Upload your inventory. This is essentially your shopfront, so you’ll be inputting product names, prices and stock levels.
Write descriptions. Your buyers want to know what they’re going to get, so you’ll need to write out product descriptions including dimensions, materials and specific benefits. AI assistants like Sidekick can help you to do this.
Phase 4: Sunday morning
Build essential pages. There are certain pages that visitors to your site will expect, including an “about us” page, “contact” page and “shopping & returns” information.
Customise the homepage. Select a clear banner image that will draw people in, and don’t forget to include a “shop now” button.
Phase 5: Sunday afternoon
This is the final push – time to see if your hard work has come together.
Final checks before launching your online store
Test the checkout. You’ll want to make sure purchases go smoothly, so perform a real purchase with your own card to test it out. If you’re using a platform like Shopify, you can enable Test Mode to place a test order.
Sync social channels. If you’re looking to sell across multiple channels, now is the time to connect your store catalogue to your TikTok, Instagram and Facebook shops. Platforms like Shopify, Squarespace and Wix allow you to sync across all 3 social channels.
Set up email. Make sure you create a basic “thank you for your order” automated email that can be pushed out to customers once they make a purchase.
Go live. Remember to turn off Test Mode and then go live. If you’re looking to promote your shop on social channels, you can use tools like Shopify’s Sidekick to help you write social media posts.
Frequently asked questions when launching an online store
How much does it cost to set up an online store?
It depends on what platform you choose and which subscription. Typically, you'll find a fixed monthly subscription cost (from around £20 per month), and then some per-transaction fees (around 2%). However, keep an eye out, as platforms do offer trials to get you started for free. Shopify, for example, gives you 3 days free then charges £1 a month for your first 3 months. So you can try a platform on for size and see whether or not it's the service for you.
How long does it take to set up an online store?
It depends on the scale and complexity, but a fairly standard side-hustle store made using purpose-built services can be ready in 1-3 days. Unless you need something super-bespoke, use popular and trusted platforms. That way whatever questions you might have along the way, other people will have already encountered, and ChatGPT (or better still, the platform's own AI assistant) will have the answers.
Do I need to register with HMRC if I open an online shop?
You don't need to register with HMRC immediately, as you can earn up to £1,000 in gross income (total sales) before you need to pay tax. However, according to Finder, 39% of people with side hustles earn more than £20 a week on average, which means they could exceed their yearly trading allowance. If this is you, you'll need to register as a sole trader.
Do I need a business bank account if I set up a web shop?
As a sole trader, you don't necessaily need a business bank account. However, having a business account helps to keep money separate from your personal finances, as well as making accounting and taxes easier to stay on top of.
How do I process a return for my online shop?
For most online sales, customers have 14 days after receiving their item to change their mind. If this happens, head to the orders section on your platform, click the order number and create a returns record. Once you've physically received the item back, you can issue a refund.
Should I set up an online shop?
Well, in 2026 it's easier than it's ever been, and there are tried-and-tested services (Shopify, Stripe, Etsy, etc.) that take any headache out of giving it a go.
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Kate Steere is an editor and money expert at Finder, specialising in banking, savings and fintech. She has previously written for The Motley Fool UK and Fitch Solutions, where she covered a wide range of personal finance topics and kept a close eye on market trends. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from the University of East Anglia. When not working, she can usually be found curled up with a good book or heading out for a run.
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