How to Set Up Shopify Markets with Automatic Translations

Expanding your Shopify store internationally has never been easier. In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up Shopify Markets and connecting it with automatic translations using LocaleFlow.

What is Shopify Markets?

Shopify Markets is Shopify’s built-in solution for international commerce. It lets you:

• Sell in multiple countries and regions
• Display local currencies
• Configure country-specific pricing
• Manage taxes and duties
• Show translated content per market

Think of Markets as the container that defines where you sell. Translation apps like LocaleFlow handle the actual content translation within those markets.

Prerequisites

Before starting, you’ll need:

• A Shopify store (Basic plan or higher)
• Admin access to your store
• LocaleFlow installed from the Shopify App Store

Step 1: Enable Shopify Markets

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Markets
2. Your primary market (usually your home country) is already set up
3. Click Add market to create international markets

Recommended Market Structure

For most stores, we recommend:

• Primary Market: Your main country (e.g., United States)
• Secondary Markets: Key regions you want to target
  • European Union
  • United Kingdom
  • Canada
  • Australia

You can also create single-country markets for specific focus.

Step 2: Configure Languages per Market

Each market can have multiple languages:

1. Go to Settings > Markets
2. Click on a market
3. Under Languages and domains, add languages
4. Shopify supports 20+ languages natively

Example: EU Market Languages

For a European Union market, you might add:

• German (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
• French (France, Belgium)
• Spanish (Spain)
• Italian (Italy)
• Dutch (Netherlands, Belgium)

Step 3: Install and Configure LocaleFlow

Now let’s set up automatic translations:

1. Install LocaleFlow from the Shopify App Store
2. Open the app from your admin
3. Select which languages to translate

Configure Translation Settings

LocaleFlow offers several customization options:

Translation Sources:

• Products
• Collections
• Pages
• Blog posts
• Menus
• Metafields

Field Selection: For each resource type, choose which fields to translate. For products, you might translate:

• Title
• Description
• Meta title
• Meta description
• Selected metafields

Step 4: Run Initial Translation

Once configured:

1. Click Start Translation in LocaleFlow
2. The app will process all your content
3. Depending on store size, this takes minutes to hours

Monitoring Progress

LocaleFlow shows real-time progress:

• Total items to translate
• Completed translations
• Any errors or skipped items

Step 5: Review and Customize Translations

Automatic translations are great, but you should review key content:

Priority Items to Review

1. Homepage headline and subheadline
2. Best-selling product descriptions
3. Navigation menu items
4. Footer content
5. Cart and checkout text

Using Custom Terms

For brand-specific language, set up custom terms:

1. Go to LocaleFlow settings
2. Add terms like your brand name
3. Define how they should appear in each language

For example, “Free Shipping” might be:

• German: “Kostenloser Versand”
• French: “Livraison gratuite”
• Spanish: “Envío gratis”

Setting Up Blacklists

Some terms shouldn’t be translated:

• Brand names
• Product model numbers
• Technical specifications
• Size codes

Add these to your blacklist in LocaleFlow.

Step 6: Enable Auto-Sync

The power of LocaleFlow is automatic synchronization:

1. Ensure auto-sync is enabled in settings
2. When you add or update content, translations update automatically
3. No manual intervention needed

This means your entire catalog stays translated as you add products.

Step 7: Test Your International Store

Before going live:

Use Shopify’s Preview Mode

1. Go to Online Store > Themes
2. Click Preview
3. Use the language/country selector to test different markets

Check These Elements

• Product pages display correctly
• Prices show in local currency
• Navigation is fully translated
• Checkout works in each language
• Email notifications are translated

Step 8: Go Live

Once satisfied:

1. Publish your markets (Settings > Markets)
2. Set each market to Active
3. Configure any market-specific pricing
4. Enable international shipping

Ongoing Maintenance

Your international store runs largely on autopilot:

Automatic Tasks

• New products are translated automatically
• Updated content triggers re-translation
• Prices convert based on market settings

Periodic Reviews

• Check translation quality monthly
• Update custom terms as needed
• Monitor international sales analytics
• Refine market-specific pricing

Common Questions

How long does initial translation take?

Depends on catalog size:

• Small store (100 products): 5-10 minutes
• Medium store (1,000 products): 30-60 minutes
• Large store (10,000+ products): A few hours

What if I don’t like a translation?

You can manually edit any translation in LocaleFlow or directly in Shopify’s translation editor. Your edits are preserved.

Does this affect SEO?

Yes, positively. Translated pages get:

• Proper hreflang tags (automatic)
• Translated URLs (configurable)
• Localized meta descriptions
• Search engine visibility per language

What about product reviews?

Reviews typically stay in their original language. Some review apps offer translation features.

Conclusion

Setting up Shopify Markets with LocaleFlow gives you a fully translated international store with minimal effort:

1. Configure Markets for your target regions
2. Install LocaleFlow and select languages
3. Run initial translation
4. Review key content
5. Enable auto-sync for ongoing updates

Your store is now ready for international customers.

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Get started with LocaleFlow and translate your store today.