As a start-up, freelancer or small business, your business objectives will be rooted in reaching your target audience, communicating what makes your brand distinctive, and building the kind of meaningful customer relationship that keeps them coming back - long after their first purchase.

The pandemic might have pressed fast-forward on every industry trend, but nowhere is this clearer than in the rapid acceleration of online shopping. E-commerce is bigger than ever before; and with your audience spending increasing amounts of time interacting with their favourite brands online, it’s getting harder for businesses to stand out in the infinite scroll.

So how can you ensure your brand identity, communications and customer experience set you apart from the rest?

In this practical and interactive one-day workshop with seasoned digital marketer Tom Szekeres, you will learn how to set up your online store using Shopify, and come away with all the technical tools, skills and inspiration to attract - and, more vitally, retain - customers online.

You will be taken through the steps to craft your all-important product page, how to use SEO to your advantage, how to set up subscriptions, how to fulfill your orders - and much more.

This workshop is essential for anyone who wants to set up a new online business, or move an existing small business online.

Course content

• Introduction to Shopify
• Making sure your brand is ready
• How to set up your store
• Choosing the right theme
• Crafting the perfect product page
• SEO and content marketing
• Setting up subscriptions and Shopify apps
• Fulfilment, local delivery, click and collect
• Creating email and paid social campaigns
• Tax, accounting - and all the boring bits
• Q&A

This class is for...

• Beginners with some basic understanding of e-commerce, either on Shopify or another platform.
• Anyone who wants to launch a new eCommerce business on Shopify or take their existing business to the next level

Tutor profile

Tom Szekeres is the founder of Subship, a hyperlocal delivery service for South London, built on Shopify, and featuring 30+ local businesses. With over 12 years’ experience working in digital, Tom previously co-founded This Here, an award-winning social media agency, and works with a wide range of startup, non-profit, subscription, and e-commerce brands on marketing strategy and execution. He’s a Fellow of the RSA, and teaches Digital Marketing and Data Science for General Assembly and Decoded.

You will be sent a link to the webinar 2hrs before the start time of 10am (GMT). Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have not received the access link within one hour of the scheduled start time.

This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.

10am GMT | 11am CET | 2am PST | 5am EST

All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have any queries or concerns.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website