Configuring Shopify Markets for International Trade
Shopify Markets is a built-in tool for managing international markets within a single store. Allows configuring currency, language, taxes, domains, and payment methods separately for each market without launching multiple stores.
Markets structure
Each market in Shopify is one or more regions (countries) grouped under a single pricing and content policy. Examples of markets:
- Primary market (main): store registration country
- EU market: Germany, France, Austria, Netherlands
- CIS market: Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia
- MENA market: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt
One customer = one market, determined by IP or selected country.
Market setup
Admin > Markets → Add market
When creating a market, specify:
- Market name (internal)
- Countries/regions
- Status (Active / Paused)
For each market, then configure:
Currency and prices — either auto-conversion by rate with customizable rounding, or manual fixed prices via Shopify Price Lists:
Markets → [Market] → Pricing → Use fixed prices
Price Lists — separate price table for market. For each product, you can set a specific price instead of conversion.
Domain and URL structure — three options:
- Subdomain:
de.example.com(recommended for SEO) - Folder:
example.com/de(one domain, less SSL complexity) - Separate domain:
example.de
Subdomain setup:
Markets → [Market] → Domains and languages → Add domain
Language — one or more languages per market. With multiple languages, URL includes language prefix: de.example.com/fr/ for French in German market.
Taxes — automatic calculation by country or manual rates:
Markets → [Market] → Taxes and duties
Enable Display prices with tax included (prices with VAT) for markets where legally required (EU, UK).
Content localization
Store content translation — via Shopify Translate & Adapt app (official, free):
# Translations managed in Admin > Apps > Translate & Adapt
Translates:
- Product names, descriptions
- Collections
- Pages (About, Contact)
- Metafields
- Email notifications
- Theme (strings in
locales/*.json)
For professional translations — export to XLIFF format, send to translator, import back.
Automatic translation via DeepL or Google Translate — available in T&A interface, but requires review.
Geolocation and market switcher
Standard Shopify mechanism — redirect by IP on first visit. Configured via theme.