How to Add Store Policies to Your Shopify Site

Policy, policy, policy! There are quite a few legal policies your store should have to ensure you’re covering your *you know what,* but don’t let that be discouraging! It may sound like a long, boring, or complicated process, but really, your policies back up your business... and it’s not as complicated as you may think. This blog will guide you step-by-step on creating and adding your store policies to your website.

What goes on behind the scenes of your business is super important. The policies you put in place are the support systems that will keep your business alive and thriving. Store policies are nearly as important as the products you sell - think of them as the set of commitments that openly explain to customers what they can expect from your brand. When policies are clearly defined, you’re not only keeping your business safe but you’re also instilling confidence in your customers and showing them you value customer service. How? Your policies are removing any fear, doubts or uncertainties they may have when shopping online. As a store owner, we all want our customers to be confident in our products and our business - because that removes the boundaries that stop them from buying!

The 5 Must Have Store Policies as a Shopify Store!

1. Refund Policy - Refund Policies always differ drastically from business to business. From no refunds whatsoever, to full refunds up to years after purchase...and everything in between. This is why it’s really important to make your policy clear to your shoppers - it’s also respectful to your customers, so they know what options they have when needing to make a return. 
   
2. Privacy Policy - This is important to have in place for when your business collects any personal information from customers - phone number, email, shipping addresses, credit card info, etc.
   
3. Terms of Service - Terms of Service (or the Terms & Conditions) agreements are very helpful for protecting your business and letting customers know what is expected. This policy allows your business to Maintain control over how your website can be used and maintain your brand integrity. 
   
4. Shipping Policy - These policies are necessary to have with an online store, especially because shipping is so critical to a customer’s purchasing decision. Online consumers always consider shipping cost and speed while shopping, so it’s important to include these kinds of details in the policy.  
   
5. Legal Notice - This is also commonly referred to as the Terms of Use for a website. Legal considerations cannot be ignored when creating your business policies! You need to be compliant of consumer laws to manage your risks, but also to ensure that your customers have your trust and confidence.
   
   

• When writing your policies just remember - store policies are designed to protect you and your customer! They are fundamental but don’t think they have to be long or complicated. Simple and clear is always the best approach. Translate your brand into each policy - be you and be transparent! 
  
  
• The five policies above are must-haves for an online store, but other policies can be added if they make sense for your business. Some stores will have more policies than others, but not every policy makes sense for every business. Plan carefully and choose what’s best for your brand!
  
  
• Some bonus policies could include: Coupons & Discounts, Member Policies, Size Charts, Wholesale Inquiries, or Specific Payment Policies (these are also topics you can cover in the five “must have” policies).

Like with all SheCom Tutorials, we like to provide you with what you should expect so you can help budget your time and money in the best way possible. You should expect to spend the following resources completing this tutorial:

TIME:

Putting together policies will take some time, depending on how many policies you create, and how in-depth you go. Creating store policies will take a considerable amount of time spent on planning, strategizing, writing and reviewing. 

MONEY:

Shopify provides great policy templates, but some store owners may consider getting legal assistance to help create or review their policies.

Adding & Generating Store Policies

Let’s jump right in! How do you get started? Check out the four simple steps below to create and add policies to your Shopify store. Keep in mind, although Shopify can generate policy templates, only you are responsible for following your published policies. Review your policies carefully before adding them to your website - proofread and personalize - these policies are all yours!

STEP 1

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Legal.

STEP 2

Enter your store policies, or click Create from template to enter the default template. Use the rich text editor to add style and formatting to your policies, and to add links and images.

Note: All templates are only available in English. If your store operates in other languages, you will need to create your own policy templates.  

STEP 3

Review your policies and make any changes - Don’t forget to proofread and ensure all of your policies are clear, concise and correspond to your brand. 

STEP 4

Click Save - and your policies are all set and good to go! Once they are added, your policies will be linked in the footer of your checkout pages. You can also add your policies to menus in your online store.

Two More Things...

1. If you use a free theme from Shopify that was downloaded after November 2018 and you've added your shipping policies, then the product pages on your website will include a link to your shipping policies. This is to communicate any additional costs associated with the product, or shipping conditions. If you would not like your shipping policy included on product pages, remove it by:
   
   Go to Online store > Themes.
   
   Beside your current theme, click Actions > Edit languages.
   
   In the search box, type shipping policy html.
   
   In the Shipping policy html box, replace the contents with a single space.
   
   Click Save.
   
   
2. You can create custom pages to display your legal information as well. Remember our blog, SheCommerce Tutorial: Adding a Contact Page? This is a great webpage to publish your Refund Policy, Privacy Policy, Shipping Policy and/or any other policy you think your customers will want to reference.
   
   

This tutorial is from our SheCom Guide to Shopify Success: 5 Mistakes You May Be Making on Your Shopify Site.

Want to step up your website even further? Grab our Expert Guide and polish your online store to perfection: