You don’t need a developer, an agency, or coding skills to create your own online store. At Shoporama, you choose a ready-made Danish theme, customize the design with drag-and-drop, and get help from a built-in AI assistant along the way. This guide shows you how to build your own online store from the first click to your first sale.
Create your own online store: what does it really take?
In short, it takes three things: an online store platform, a few hours of work, and the willingness to experiment. Everything else is included. Hosting, an SSL certificate, and GDPR tools come with the platform, so you don’t need to buy web hosting, install software, or worry about technical updates.
This page is all about the actual setup process: choosing a theme, creating products, designing pages, and going live. If you also need to figure out your CVR number, sales tax, and budget, read our complete guide to starting an online store. It covers the entire business side of things, while here we’ll focus on actually building the store.
Create Your Own Online Store in 5 Steps
Here’s what the process looks like, from a blank store to your first order. You can complete all five steps yourself, and you can always go back and make adjustments.
Step 1: Choose a theme
Shoporama offers ready-made Danish themes like Montana, Delaware, and California, which are built to sell and automatically adapt to mobile, tablet, and desktop. Choose the theme that best matches your style, then customize the colors and logo afterward. View all themes in the theme overview. You can switch themes later without losing your products or content.
Step 2: Create your products
Upload images, write titles and descriptions, and set prices and stock levels. If you get stuck on the text, the AI assistant can write a draft of the product description based on a few keywords, so all you have to do is edit it. Start with your 10–20 most important items, and expand your product range over time.
Step 3: Design your pages with the page builder
With the page builder, you can create your homepage, product pages, category pages, and landing pages by dragging and dropping modules: banners, product carousels, text, images, and video. You’ll see the results instantly as you build. If you’re short on ideas for layout and style, you can get design inspiration for your online store before you get started.
Step 4: Set up payment and shipping
Choose a payment gateway such as QuickPay, Stripe, Nets Easy, or OnPay so your customers can pay with a card or MobilePay. For shipping, there’s full integration with GLS, PostNord, DAO, and Burd, so shipping labels and pickup location options are handled automatically. You can set up both directly in your admin panel.
Step 5: Go live
Point your domain to the store, place a test order, and check that the order confirmation looks correct. Then you’re up and running. Your store runs on Shoporama’s hosting with an SSL certificate included, so there are no further technical steps, and there won’t be any later on either.
Can I build a web store myself without knowing how to code?
Yes. Everything you need to build and run the store is available in a visual admin panel: themes, page builder, product editor, and settings for payment and shipping. You click, drag, and type—but you don’t code. A code-free online store isn’t a “light” version at Shoporama; it’s the standard way to use the platform.
If you know how to code—or if you later get help from someone who does—you have complete freedom: theme files can be edited directly in the admin panel, the page builder includes HTML modules, and the platform has a REST API for integrations. But this is an option, not a requirement. The code never stands in the way of you creating your own online store and continuing to grow afterward.
The Page Designer: Build Your Pages with Drag-and-Drop
The Page Builder is Shoporama’s visual page builder, and it’s your most important tool when building your own online store. You build pages using modules that you can freely combine:
- Text and images with full formatting
- Product carousels featuring selected items, bestsellers, or new arrivals
- Banners with images, text, and calls to action
- Videos from YouTube, Vimeo, or your own files
- Accordions and tabs for size guides and FAQs, for example
- HTML blocks for those who still want to write a little code
Everything is displayed in a live preview as you build, and the modules automatically adapt to mobile, tablet, and desktop. The page designer can be used on the homepage, product pages, category pages, landing pages, and information pages, and it’s included in Shoporama at no extra cost.
The AI assistant helps you along the way
The biggest challenge in building your own online store is rarely the technical side. It’s the copy. Here, Shoporama’s built-in AI assistant saves you hours:
- Product descriptions: Enter a few keywords and get a professional draft that you can adjust in tone and length.
- SEO: Get suggestions for titles and meta descriptions that target the right keywords.
- Image recognition: Upload a product image and get suggestions for descriptions, tags, and categories.
- Translation: If you’re selling internationally, the assistant translates your text directly in the admin panel.
The assistant is powered by ChatGPT and included in the platform without any extra apps or subscriptions. If you’d like to see what else artificial intelligence can do for your store, read more about running an online store with AI.
How much does it cost to create your own online store?
The setup itself is free: you can create your store and work on it for 30 days without paying and without entering a credit card. If you’d like to continue, Shoporama PRO costs 1,400 DKK per month (excluding tax) with a 0% transaction fee and no minimum contract term; there’s also a Flex plan with no fixed monthly fee. Hosting, SSL, the page builder, and the AI assistant are included in the price.
On top of the platform, you’ll typically only need to pay for a domain and any fees charged by your payment gateway. Get the full breakdown in our guide to the cost of an online store, and see how you can get started for 0 kr with a free online store during the trial period.
Build it yourself or hire a developer?
Many people consider hiring a developer or an agency to build their online store. This might make sense for very specific needs, but for a standard online store, the difference is noticeable in practice:
| Build it yourself with Shoporama | Hire a developer | |
|---|---|---|
| Startup cost | 0 DKK for a 30-day trial period, followed by a fixed monthly fee | A large one-time bill before you’ve sold anything |
| Time before you’re up and running | Same day—you set the pace | Weeks or months, depending on the developer’s schedule |
| Changes to design and content | You make the changes yourself using the page builder whenever it suits you | Typically requires a new task and a new invoice |
| Hosting and technical updates | Included in the platform | Your own responsibility or an ongoing service agreement |
| Knowledge of your own store | You know every page because you built it yourself | You rely on others being able and willing to help |
And it’s not an either/or situation. If you build your store yourself on Shoporama, you can always bring in a developer later for customizations, since the themes are editable and the platform has an open REST API.
Frequently Asked Questions About Building Your Own Online Store
How do you build an online store from scratch?
Create an account, choose a theme, add your products, design your pages using the page builder, set up payment and shipping, and point your domain to the store. These five steps are described above, and you can complete them all on your own without technical assistance.
How long does it take to create your own online store?
Setup takes less than a minute, and with a small selection of products, you can be ready to receive orders in a single business day. If you have a lot of products or want to fine-tune the design, you should expect it to take a few days to a couple of weeks. You set the pace, and the store is happy to wait for you.
Do I need a CVR number before I get started?
You can build and test your store throughout the trial period without a CVR number. Once you start selling, your business must be registered. Everything related to CVR, sales tax, and accounting is covered in the guide to starting an online store.
Do the page builder and AI assistant cost extra?
No. Both are an integral part of Shoporama and are included in the standard price. There are no apps you need to buy separately, and no modules that suddenly cost extra when you need them.
Can I change the design and theme later?
Yes. You can switch themes, change colors and the logo, and redesign your pages in the page builder whenever you want. Your products, orders, and text will carry over, so you’ll never have to start from scratch just because you want a new look.
Does my online store work on mobile devices?
Yes. The themes and the page builder’s modules automatically adapt to mobile, tablet, and desktop, so your store looks great no matter what device your customers are using.
What should I do if I get stuck along the way?
Shoporama is a Danish platform with Danish support. Email support@shoporama.dk, and you’ll get a response from people who know the platform inside and out. In addition, there are step-by-step support articles for virtually every task in your admin panel, from the setup guide to design and shipping.
I already have an online store somewhere else. Can I move it myself?
Yes. You can finish building your new store on Shoporama while the old one continues to run, and switch the domain only once you’re satisfied. The guide to starting an online store describes how to migrate from platforms such as Shopify, DanDomain, and WooCommerce.
Try Shoporama free for 30 days
The best way to find out if you can build an online store yourself is to give it a try. Create your online store for free and get started with themes, the page builder, and the AI assistant:
- 30-day free trial with access to everything
- No commitment—you can stop anytime
- No credit card required to get started
In 30 days, you’ll have a fully functional online store that you built yourself—and that you can continue to edit on your own for years to come.