Complete Store Setup from Scratch
Why This Tutorial Matters
Business Impact
- Launch a conversion-ready store faster with a proven setup sequence
- Reduce rework and avoid checkout failures that jeopardize early revenue
- Establish compliant tax, shipping, and payment configurations from day one
Configure a new Magento 2.4.x store from first login to placing a successful test order, including taxes, shipping, payments, catalog, theme, and launch checks. This tutorial starts after Magento Open Source/Adobe Commerce 2.4.x is installed and you can sign in to the Admin.
What You'll Achieve: A checkout-ready store with core settings, catalog, payments, and shipping configured; a successfully placed test order with correct totals and emails; and a concise launch checklist to move from sandbox to production safely.
Learning Journey Overview
Your Situation
You're signed into a fresh Magento 2.4.x Admin and need a clear, end-to-end path to configure settings, add a product, enable payments/shipping, and validate checkout before going live.
What You'll Learn
By completing this tutorial, you will:
- Configure store info, locale, and currency
- Set up taxes, shipping methods, and payment methods
- Create categories and your first product
- Assign a theme and configure checkout and emails
- Place and verify a test order end-to-end
Success Criteria
You'll know you've succeeded when:
- A shopper can place a test order (guest or customer) with correct tax, shipping, and totals
- Order-related emails (order, invoice, shipment) are received
- The order appears in Sales > Orders with expected statuses and amounts
Time Investment
- Estimated time: 90-120 minutes
- Skill level after completion: Confident beginner
- Business value unlock: Conversion-ready store with validated checkout
Before We Start
Who This Is For
This tutorial is designed for:
- Merchants and operators responsible for launching a new Magento store
- New Magento users who need a safe, repeatable setup checklist
What You Need
Make sure you have:
Admin Access
Magento Open Source 2.4.x Admin access
SSL Certificate
A domain with an SSL certificate (or a secure staging URL)
Payment Credentials
Payment provider sandbox credentials (for example, PayPal)
Tax & Shipping Info
Basic tax requirements for your selling regions and shipping carrier details (optional)
Preparation Checklist
Before starting, complete these preparation steps:
- Confirm Admin login and 2FA work for your user
- Ensure Base URLs point to your domain: Stores > Configuration > General > Web
- Verify SSL is installed and Use Secure URLs is enabled (Storefront and Admin)
- Confirm caches are enabled: System > Cache Management
Step-by-Step Learning Path
Set Store Info, Locale, and Currency
- Go to: Stores > Settings > Configuration > General > General > Store Information and enter your business details
- Set locale: Stores > Configuration > General > Locale Options (Timezone, Locale, First Day of Week)
- Set currency: Stores > Configuration > General > Currency Setup (Base, Default, Display)
- If using multiple currencies: Stores > Currency > Currency Rates and update rates
Checkpoint: Storefront shows the correct language/locale and displays prices in your chosen currency.
Configure Websites, Stores, and Views
- Go to: Stores > Settings > All Stores
- Create additional Website/Store/Store Views if needed
- Set the Default Store View and confirm your store switcher reflects the intended structure
Checkpoint: Your store structure matches your business (e.g., single site, multiple views for languages).
Configure Taxes
- Add tax rates: Stores > Taxes > Tax Zones and Rates
- Create tax rules: Stores > Taxes > Tax Rules (map product and customer tax classes to rates)
- Set calculation/display: Stores > Configuration > Sales > Tax (Calculation Settings, Default Tax Destination, and Display Settings)
Checkpoint: Tax applies correctly in cart/checkout when you enter a taxable address.
Configure Shipping
- Set shipping origin: Stores > Configuration > Sales > Shipping Settings > Origin
- Enable methods: Stores > Configuration > Sales > Delivery Methods
- Start with Flat Rate and/or Free Shipping (configure thresholds if needed)
- Optionally configure carriers (UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL) with your account credentials
- Ensure products intended for shipping have a weight set (non-virtual)
Checkpoint: At checkout, at least one shipping method appears for your test address.
Configure Payments
- Go to: Stores > Configuration > Sales > Payment Methods
- For testing, enable Check / Money Order (simple, no external credentials)
- Optionally configure PayPal using Sandbox credentials (set Environment = Sandbox)
Checkpoint: Your chosen payment method(s) appear during checkout.
Build Your Catalog: Categories and First Product
Categories:
- Go to: Catalog > Categories
- Use the existing Default Category or create a new root category and set it as default for the store
Product:
- Go to: Catalog > Products > Add Product (Simple Product)
- Required: Name, SKU, Price, Weight (if shippable), Quantity, Category assignment, Visibility = Catalog, Search, Enable Product = Yes
Checkpoint: Product is visible on the storefront category page and product detail page.
Verify Inventory (MSI)
- Go to: Stores > Inventory > Sources and Stocks
- Confirm Default Source and Default Stock exist
- Ensure your product is assigned and shows Salable Quantity > 0
Checkpoint: Product shows In Stock on the storefront and can be added to cart.
Assign a Theme
- Go to: Content > Design > Configuration
- Edit the Global (Default) scope or specific store view
- Select your theme and Save Configuration
- If prompted, clear caches: System > Cache Management > Flush Magento Cache
Checkpoint: Storefront renders with your selected theme.
Configure Checkout and Emails
Checkout:
- Stores > Configuration > Sales > Checkout
- Enable Guest Checkout if desired and review checkout options
Email Identities:
- Stores > Configuration > General > Store Email Addresses (set From names and addresses)
Transactional Emails:
- Stores > Configuration > Sales > Sales Emails (enable and confirm sender identities)
Checkpoint: You are ready to validate order and invoice emails by placing a test order.
Place a Test Order and Verify
- 1. On the storefront, add your product to cart and proceed to checkout
- 2. Enter a taxable address (if applicable), select a shipping method, and choose Check / Money Order
- 3. Place the order and confirm the order success page
- 4. In Admin: Sales > Orders - Verify order totals, create an Invoice, then create a Shipment (practice complete order flow)
- 5. Confirm order/invoice/shipment emails are received
Checkpoint: End-to-end order flow completes and emails send as expected.
Launch Readiness Checklist
Security and URLs:
- Stores > Configuration > General > Web
- Use Secure URLs (Storefront and Admin) = Yes
- Search Engine Optimization > Use Web Server Rewrites = Yes
Robots:
- Content > Design > Configuration > Edit scope > Search Engine Robots = INDEX, FOLLOW (production only)
Caching and Indexes:
- System > Cache Management: Enable all caches and Flush Magento Cache
- System > Tools > Index Management: Reindex any out-of-date indexes
Base URLs:
- Stores > Configuration > General > Web: Confirm Base URLs (secure and unsecure) match your production domain
Checkpoint: Storefront loads over HTTPS, friendly URLs work, and search engines can index production.
Practice and Reinforcement
Now that you've learned the core process, let's reinforce your skills:
- Create a configurable product with Size and Color attributes and place a test order
- Enable Free Shipping for orders over a threshold and verify the method appears only when eligible
- Change the Default Display Currency and update Stores > Currency > Currency Rates; confirm price display on storefront
What You've Accomplished
Congratulations! You have successfully:
- Configured general settings (store info, locale, currency)
- Set up taxes, shipping, and payment methods
- Built a basic catalog and verified inventory
- Assigned a theme and configured checkout and emails
- Placed and processed a complete test order (order, invoice, shipment)
Business Impact
- Reduced time-to-first-sale with a validated checkout
- Lower launch risk via a structured checklist and test workflow
Skills Gained
You now have the ability to:
- Navigate core Admin areas confidently
- Diagnose and resolve common visibility, tax, shipping, and payment issues
- Prepare a store for production with essential security and SEO settings
Next Steps in Your Journey
Now that you've mastered this process, here's how to build on your success:
Immediate Actions
- Switch payment methods from sandbox/test to live only after all QA passes
- Create a simple go-live checklist (payments, shipping, taxes, emails, SSL, robots, cache)
- Set up basic monitoring (order failure alerts, email deliverability checks)
Level Up Your Skills
- Build out category structure and product attributes for scalable catalog management
- Create custom transactional email templates and brand your communications
- Generate and submit an XML sitemap (Marketing > SEO & Search > Site Map) to search engines
Advanced Applications
- Enable persistent cart to improve conversion (Stores > Configuration > Customers > Persistent Shopping Cart)
- Set related/upsell/cross-sell products to increase AOV
- Implement basic SEO: metadata on homepage/categories, friendly URLs, and robots best practices
When Things Don't Go as Expected
Even experienced merchants encounter challenges. Here's how to handle common situations:
Solution
- Likely cause: Method disabled, scope mismatch, or unsupported currency/country
- Fix: Stores > Configuration > Sales > Payment Methods; enable method at the correct scope and ensure store currency and Allowed Countries align with the provider
Solution
- Likely cause: Shipping Origin missing, product has no weight, or method restrictions
- Fix: Set Origin (Stores > Configuration > Sales > Shipping Settings); ensure product Weight > 0 and In Stock; review method restrictions in Sales > Delivery Methods
Solution
- Likely cause: Missing tax rates/rules or default destination mismatch
- Fix: Stores > Taxes > Tax Zones and Rates; Stores > Taxes > Tax Rules; verify Default Tax Destination Calculation (Stores > Configuration > Sales > Tax) and customer address
Solution
- Likely cause: Disabled product, wrong visibility, not assigned to website/category, or no salable qty
- Fix: Catalog > Products: Enable Product, set Visibility = Catalog, Search; assign to website and category; ensure In Stock and quantity > 0; if needed, System > Tools > Index Management: Reindex
Solution
- Likely cause: Cache not flushed or indexes outdated
- Fix: System > Cache Management: Flush Magento Cache; System > Tools > Index Management: Reindex updated indexes
Solution
- Ask an Admin with higher privileges to reset your 2FA or use backup codes per your configured provider
Continue Learning
Related Tutorials
- Configure Taxes by Region
- Shipping Methods Deep Dive
- Payment Methods and PayPal Sandbox
- Theme Customization Basics
- Inventory (MSI) for Multi-Location
How-To Guides
- Create Configurable Products
- Set Up Email Templates
- Manage URL Rewrites and Sitemaps
Summary
A structured, end-to-end setup reduces launch risk and speeds time-to-first-sale. With core configuration, catalog, payments, shipping, checkout, and emails in place—and a successful test order—you are ready to finalize production settings and go live.
Key Takeaways
- Follow a proven sequence to avoid rework and missed settings
- Validate end-to-end with a real test order and emails
- Lock in production essentials: HTTPS, rewrites, robots, caches, and indexes
Remember
- Switch to live payments only after passing your QA checklist
- Set Search Engine Robots to INDEX, FOLLOW only on production
- Revisit taxes, shipping, and payment configurations whenever your business rules change
