Introduction: The Digital Headache

You know how to craft a perfect croissant or design a beautiful tiered cake. But when it comes to setting up an online shop, the process often feels like it requires a computer science degree—or at least a steep monthly fee for a platform you barely use.

Many home bakers stick to taking orders via endless DMs and texts because the thought of building a separate website feels too expensive, complicated, and time-consuming.

But what if you could have your own professional website set up and ready to take orders in under 10 minutes?

Stirva was built to remove this burden entirely. Your Stirva Shop is your personal, simplified online storefront. You don't need a domain, hosting, or any coding skills.

Here is the quick, 3-step guide to turning your kitchen into a storefront and launching your bakery online today!

Part I: Setting Up Your Stirva Shop (Under 5 Minutes)

Step 1: Define Your Shop's Look and Feel

The first impression is everything. Your Stirva Shop is pre-designed to look professional, but you need to customize it to match your brand and protect your business.

• Upload Your Logo and Banner Image: A clear logo and an engaging banner image (perhaps showing your most beautiful creation or a snapshot of your kitchen) instantly establishes professionalism and visual appeal.

• Choose Your Colors: Select a primary and secondary color palette that reflects your bakery's style.

• Complete the About Section: Tell your story here! Share what inspired you to start baking and what makes your creations unique.

• Define Your Policy Section: This is critical for business protection. Use this space to clearly outline your terms and conditions. Examples include: "50% deposit required up front to confirm the order," or "Cancellations must be made 48 hours prior to pickup." Clear policies prevent miscommunication and protect your time and ingredients.

Step 2: Select Your Featured Products

The great news is that if you've been using Stirva for profitabilityin Products section, most of the work here is already done! All your products—complete with names, pictures, descriptions, and accurate selling prices—are automatically pulled from your existing Product Feature dashboard (provided you marked them as enabled for storefront).

• Select Up to Six Featured Products: Choose your top-selling items or seasonal specials. These will appear prominently on your shop's homepage. All other storefront-enabled products will be displayed in the rest of your menu.

• Enhance Descriptions with AI (Pro-Tip): Use the Stirva AI Assistant to generate mouth-watering product descriptions that turn browsers into buyers!

✨ Click enable storefront and you're Live! That's how easy it was to set up your Stirva Shop.

Step 3: Share Your Shop Link Everywhere!

Congratulations! Your shop is live. The final and most important step is marketing it. You now have a single, clean link to share that directs customers straight to your menu.

• Social Media Bio: The best place for your link! Place it in your Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook bio description.

• WhatsApp Status/Business Profile: Use the link in your WhatsApp Business profile for easy ordering.

• Email Signature: Include the link in your email signature so every message you send is a potential sales opportunity.

Part II: Mastering the Order Request Flow (The Professional Process)

Since your Stirva Shop is designed to empower small bakers, it handles the organization of your sales, leaving payment flexibility entirely in your hands.

Important Note: Your Stirva Shop handles ORDER REQUESTS, not payments. Stirva does not process any payment i.e. no payment options are available at checkout. All payments are handled outside of Stirva by you reaching out to the customer to make the necessary payment.

Here is the seamless flow of what happens when a customer orders:

A. Order Requested (Customer Action)

1. Customer Browses & Checks Out: A customer visits your Stirva Shop, adds products to their cart, and checks out, providing all necessary contact and order details.

2. Customer Confirmation: The customer immediately receives an email confirming their order has been successfully requested.

B. Review & Acceptance (Baker Action - You)

1. Instant Notification: You, the baker, instantly receive a notification and an email alerting you to the new order request.

2. Dashboard Update: The new order immediately appears in your Order Management feature under the Pending status.

3. Accept or Reject: Review the order against your current capacity and ingredient stock. You choose to Accept or Reject the order within the app.

4. Customer Status Update: The customer automatically receives a final email notification with the accepted or rejected status.

C. Finalizing the Sale (Baker Action - You)

1. Follow Up for Payment: If the order is accepted, you must contact the customer using the details they provided (available in Stirva) to arrange and secure payment, as this is handled outside of Stirva.

2. Fulfill the Order: Once payment is confirmed, update the order status in Stirva to Paid or Confirmed, and confidently begin production!

Conclusion: From Idea to Order in Minutes

You started a business to bake, not to manage complicated tech. By using the Stirva Shop, you eliminate the barrier to entry and immediately gain a professional digital presence that keeps you organized and focused on what you do best.

In less time than it takes to preheat your oven, you can have a functioning, beautiful online storefront.

Ready to open your doors to the digital world?

✨ Launch your Stirva Shop and start taking orders today!

Start your free 30-day trial of Stirva.app and click the 'My Shop' feature to launch your business online now!