How to Get a Virtual Address for Your Shopify Store

Your breakthrough business idea is ready, and you are in the process of registering your Shopify store. A few form fields down the line, you are faced with a requirement asking you to list your business address. And then it hits you — you’re operating from home.

If you find yourself in this situation, you’re not alone. People often wonder whether to register Shopify on their home address, rent a PO Box or even an office space for this purpose, or opt for a Shopify virtual address. Sounds familiar? By the end of this article, you’ll understand how to get a virtual address for Shopify and what you stand to gain from the arrangement. Let’s hit the ground running!

Virtual Address for Shopify: A Brief Overview

As we've already mentioned, you have three main options for how to register your Shopify store:

Home address: It’s possible to list your home address as your Shopify business address. While this is tempting, using your home address for your Shopify business is rarely a good idea for privacy’s sake.
PO box: Customers are mostly sceptical about Shopify stores with PO boxes on their business profiles. It lacks credibility and professionalism and is bad for business.
Virtual Business Address: Apart from giving you a credible business location to list on your Shopify profile, the benefits of a virtual business address for Shopify are numerous. But what a virtual address is exactly?

A virtual address for Shopify is a physical address at a post centre or office building where you can receive all your business packages or post without physically occupying the space. For instance, vendors selling digital products like e-books and gift cards can use the virtual mail forwarding service of a virtual business address to open posts, discard posts, or even pick them up for those located in proximity.

Let’s explore the primary benefits of a virtual business address for your small ecommerce business.

Top Benefits of a Virtual Address for Shopify

A virtual address isn't just a paid alternative to your home address when you register your business on Shopify. If you’re still asking, “Do I need a virtual address for Shopify?” here’s a list of advantages such services provide:

1. Makes your Business Look Professional

As one of the most popular ecommerce platforms, Shopify is a fertile target for scammers and deceptive practices. There’s a social media trend dedicated to Shopify customers telling tales of how they received poor-quality products, stolen goods, overpaid for products, dealt with complicated returns, and more. Customers don’t trust Shopify brands at face value any more, and you need to set yourself apart to keep the orders coming, making a prestige virtual address a necessity rather than a luxury.

2. Upscale Easily

Every legitimate seller's dream is to make money and build a brand. Virtual business addresses give you room to start small and grow big. Having a virtual address for the Shopify store gives your business a classy office in the most reputable areas.

3. Call Forwarding and Mail Forwarding Services

It's compulsory to add contact info during the Shopify registration process. This means you will frequently get calls and emails pertaining to orders. The best virtual address for Shopify offers call and mail forwarding services to any phone/email of your choosing.

4. Cost-Saving

The early days of running a Shopify store are never easy, especially because the orders and sales are flat. This means there’s usually no penny to spare on physical office rent, overhead, and employee salary. The cheapest rent of a physical office in cities like London starts from £989 per month. On the other hand, the average monthly payment for a virtual office is only £12.50.

5. Convenience

Using a virtual business address for your Shopify store means taking charge of your calls, post, returns, and more from the comfort of your home. Such convenience comes with peace of mind only a virtual UK business address for Shopify can bring.

6. Privacy

Privacy issues are one of the major problems of listing your home as your Shopify business address. The world is a very strange place, and you never know who might grace your front door. Also, picture your birthday postcard from your grandparents buried somewhere in a boatload of order statements, credit card statements, tax bills, etc.

Getting a virtual office address for your e-commerce store separates your personal life from your business — products go to your virtual address for business, calls are forwarded to your business line, and emails are forwarded to your email address for Shopify emails.

Steps on How to Get a Virtual Address for Shopify Store

At this point, you should already have a Shopify business name, business structure (sole trader, limited company, or partnership), and employee identification number. Also, check the requirements for your business location. For instance, in London, you may need to get a licence/permit and insurance and register for taxes.

Now, let’s get back to setting up a virtual address for your Shopify business. Let’s discuss how to get a virtual address for a Shopify store in four simple steps.

Step 1: Determine the virtual office type that suits your shop

First, what are you selling or intend to sell on Shopify? This is important for determining the virtual office type you need for your e-commerce business. If you’re selling a digital product, you only need to get a virtual office address in any location and call/mail forwarding services. If you are gravitating towards drop-shipping or selling physical products that you ship yourself, you will need a nearby virtual address plus a virtual assistant.

Step 2: Pick a virtual business address and a subscription plan

To choose a virtual business address for your Shopify store, simply select a virtual office provider and the package of your choice. For instance, at The Hoxton Mix, we have a ‘Collect’ plan for mail handling for drop off/ pick up for just £15 per month. Virtual mail forwarding services come with an extra £10 charge.

The beautiful fact about using a virtual address for a Shopify store is that it doesn’t need to be at your current location. It simply depends on the city you want your brand to be associated with. Say you are in New York, but your target market is mostly in the UK, you can get a virtual business address in London for easy and cheap delivery. Note that e-commerce customers consider delivery charges before checkout. The higher the delivery and additional costs, the lesser the sales.

Step 3: Get a virtual assistant

If your Shopify business is quickly growing, and you need help with sorting and handling deliveries, returns, emails, and calls, you need a virtual assistant. Our virtual assistant services include professional mail handling, call answering and forwarding, and other admin tasks you may need. Note that you can add or drop this service anytime you want.

Step 4: Make a payment

This is the last step in getting a virtual address, and once successful, viola, you can use your virtual address for Shopify business dealings. While some virtual office providers require set-up fees, the Hoxton Mix does not.

Choose the Hoxton Mix and set up your virtual business address in a matter of minutes

The Hoxton Mix — Your Best Bet for Virtual Services

The Hoxton Mix is a team of virtual gurus that provides virtual business addresses, virtual offices, and virtual assistant services in London. We have helped hundreds of small businesses kickstart their Shopify business by lending them a professional outlook when they required it most.

The Hoxton Mix is credited with a wide base of amazing reviews, and here is one from a happy Shopify seller, “The Hoxton Mix provides a superb service. I always receive timely notification of posts received, and the scanning/forwarding service is very efficient. Customer service is brilliant!”

Final Thoughts

Finally, we’ve answered the question, ‘Can I put a virtual address in a Shopify store?’. Getting a virtual address is valid for new Shopify sellers without a physical brick-and-mortar business, as well as those who want to change a business address on Shopify. It’s also a viable option for sellers looking to get another mailing address for Shopify. After all, a virtual office gives your business the credibility and image boost it needs to flourish in such a large and highly competitive e-commerce platform like Shopify.

FAQ

What are the benefits of using a virtual address for Shopify stores in the UK?

Advantages of a virtual address for business include saving cash, maintaining a professional image, working from anywhere, getting virtual admin tasks off your plate, and more.

How much does a virtual address for a Shopify store cost?

At the Hoxton Mix, the starting price for a virtual address offering basic plans is £15. However, more services like mail forwarding, storage, and virtual assistance come at extra fees.