You have a store, loyal customers, an inventory you know by heart, and everyone keeps telling you that you should "be online." From behind your counter, though, it looks like a second business to run: a second inventory, a second register, evenings spent in front of the computer. If you're wondering how to sell online when you have a store without burning yourself out, here's the good news: you're starting with a real head start over most people who launch an online shop.
In this guide, I'll show you how to connect your store and your online shop so they work together instead of competing for your time. We'll cover keeping one inventory, offering in-store pickup, turning your local customers into online buyers, choosing a platform that handles both, and what changes (or doesn't) with GST and QST.
Your store is an advantage, not a handicap
From the outside, it can look like online-only shops have it all figured out and that a physical store is dead weight. In reality, anyone starting from scratch online has to build everything: find products, suppliers, customers, a reputation, a way to handle returns and service. You already have all of that.
Your store gives you at least four things an online-only shop doesn't have:
- Customers who already know you. They trust you, they know what you carry, and plenty of them would be happy to order on a Tuesday night without having to drive over.
- Real inventory and established suppliers. You don't have to guess what will sell: you know what flies off the shelves and what collects dust.
- A pickup point. Your store is both a warehouse and a service counter, which takes care of a big part of the shipping headache for your local customers.
- Credibility. An address, a storefront, people who've met you in person: that reassures a buyer who's hesitating before entering their card number.
So the real challenge isn't becoming an online retailer overnight. The challenge is connecting the two without doubling your work, and everything else in this guide comes back to that idea.
How to sell online when you have a store: start with the right platform
The most important decision isn't the design or the domain name. It's choosing a system where your store and your online shop share the same foundation: the same products, the same inventory, the same customer records. If you have to enter every sale by hand into two systems, you'll double your work, and sooner or later you'll sell something online that's no longer on the shelf.
That's why I work with Shopify. The platform combines an online store with a point-of-sale app, Shopify POS (your register), that runs on a tablet or a phone. A sale at the counter updates your online inventory, and a web order updates your store inventory. The basic version of the POS is included with Shopify plans, and a Pro version exists for more advanced needs, like multiple locations or different permissions for each employee. There's also a more personal reason: my job is your product listings, your search visibility and your logistics, not getting up at 3 a.m. to restart servers.
What if I like my current register?
That's not necessarily a dealbreaker. Many POS systems connect to Shopify through a sync app, and that's a valid option if you're attached to your setup. Just keep in mind that every bridge between two pieces of software is one more place where something can come loose. Whenever possible, one system for both remains the simplest way to avoid doubling your work.
Whatever you choose, check at least these five things first:
- Inventory is shared in real time between the store and the website.
- Customers can choose in-store pickup at checkout.
- Canadian sales taxes are calculated based on the customer's province.
- Your shop can be fully available in French (more on that in the FAQ).
- A customer who buys both at the counter and online has one record, not two.
Syncing your inventory: one stock, one source of truth
Syncing is the heart of the whole thing. It won't fix an inaccurate inventory, though: it just copies the mistakes faster. Here's the order to tackle it in.
- Do a proper starting count. Before connecting anything, make sure the quantities in your system match what's actually on your shelves and in your stockroom.
- Give every item a unique code. That's called a SKU: a code that identifies one specific product, in one specific size and colour. A blue sweater in medium and the same one in large each get their own. If your products already have barcodes, even better: your register can scan them.
- Pick one source of truth. Every delivery, every breakage and every adjustment gets recorded in the same place, in the same system. The day someone fixes a quantity "just on the website," the sync stops meaning anything.
- Keep a safety buffer on risky items. A one-of-a-kind piece that gets handled all day in the store can be gone before a web order is packed. For those products, you can show a slightly lower quantity online, or keep some items in-store only.
- Decide who prepares web orders, and when. For example, one person goes through orders at opening and again mid-afternoon. A clear routine keeps online orders from always landing at the bottom of the pile.
In-store pickup: your best selling point
For a customer in your area, in-store pickup answers almost every objection to buying online. They order at 10 p.m., they know the product is actually in stock, they pay no shipping, and they swing by the next day. For you, there's no box to pack for Canada Post, and the customer comes back into your store, where they're likely to spot something else they want.
In Shopify, pickup is turned on in the shipping settings, for each location where you want to offer it. A few settings make all the difference:
- A realistic preparation time. Better to say "ready the next business day" and pleasantly surprise the customer than promise an hour and leave them waiting at the counter.
- A notification when the order is ready. The customer gets an email or a text, which saves you the "is it ready yet?" phone calls.
- A labelled shelf behind the counter. Pickup orders get their own spot, with the name and order number clearly visible, so any employee can hand them over.
- Clear instructions. Where to go, what to bring (the order number, ID if needed), and how long the order will be held.
Turning your in-store customers into online buyers
Your best future online customers have already walked through your door. The catch is that most of them don't know you sell online yet. Nobody's going to guess: you have to tell them, simply and often.
- At the register, say it in one sentence. "We've got our online shop now, you can order and pick up here." A small sign with a QR code by the register does the rest.
- Offer email receipts. It's handy for the customer, and it's a chance to ask if they'd like to hear about new arrivals. Ask for permission clearly: in Canada, the anti-spam law (CASL) requires consent before you send commercial emails.
- Put your shop's web address everywhere your customers look. On bags, business cards, receipts, the sticker on the door.
- Update your Google Business Profile. People who look up your store find your hours there; add the link to your online shop so they find your products too.
- Start with what your regulars already ask for. The items people ask you to set aside, the things they come back for every month, the last-minute gifts: that's what should go online first.
GST and QST online: what changes and what doesn't
Good news first: an online sale is still a sale. If you're already registered for GST and QST, you keep collecting taxes the same way you do at the counter. If you're a small supplier, which according to Revenu Québec means your taxable supplies don't exceed $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over the four quarters before it, remember that your online sales add up with your in-store sales toward that threshold.
What does change is shipping outside Quebec. For a product delivered elsewhere in Canada, you charge the taxes of the province where it's delivered, not Quebec's. The Canada Revenue Agency gives the example of a Vancouver store delivering to Toronto and charging Ontario's HST. On the other hand, a customer who orders online and picks up at your store pays GST and QST, just as if they'd bought at the counter.
The right platform does the math for you. Shopify Tax calculates GST, HST, PST, QST and RST based on the customer's province and shows each tax separately to the buyer. You still need to set up your registration numbers properly at the start. Some provinces with their own sales tax also have rules for out-of-province sellers: if you start shipping a lot outside Quebec, talk to your accountant. I'm not an accountant, and this is a general overview: for your specific situation, your accountant and Revenu Québec are the right references.
Where to start: four steps for your first season online
There's no need to put everything online at once. Here's an order that keeps the mountain at a reasonable height.
- Pick a first selection of products. The ones that sell well, that your regulars ask for and that are easy to describe. A smaller catalogue, well presented, beats a complete one that's half filled in.
- Set up the platform and shared inventory. Starting count, codes, one source of truth, as we covered above.
- Turn on in-store pickup. It's often the first way your local customers will try your online shop.
- Tell your customers. At the register, on your bags, on your Google profile, on your Facebook page. Then keep adding products as you go.
On your own or with support: what changes when someone walks beside you
You can do everything above yourself: Shopify is built for that. For most retailers, the real mountain shows up when it's time to get the inventory online. Every product in your store needs a listing: a title, a description, photos, sizes and colours, a price, the words your customers type into Google. Multiply that by a few hundred items, add the shop design and the marketing so people can actually find it, and you can see why so many projects end up stuck in a drawer.
That's exactly what I do: support independent retailers all the way from the shop to the sale. That covers the Shopify store, product listings, search visibility (SEO), product images, design, marketing, advertising and logistics, with one person keeping track of everything from start to finish. To make that support accessible, I've built systems that use artificial intelligence to take on what normally takes the most time, like creating product listings. There's always a technological way around the obstacle, and its real purpose is to free up time for what truly matters: understanding your business, your customers and your products.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to put all my products online right away?
No. Starting with a well-presented selection often works better than putting everything online halfway. You can add products over the following weeks, starting with the ones your customers ask about most.
Does my online shop have to be in French?
Yes. A business selling in Quebec must make its commercial website available in French, and you can add English or other languages alongside it. For details that apply to your situation, the Office québécois de la langue française is the reference.
Can I keep my current register?
Often, yes: many POS systems connect to Shopify through a sync app. Still, a single system for the store and the online shop remains the simplest way to avoid inventory mismatches.
Do I have to ship across Canada?
No. You can start with in-store pickup only, then add shipping within Quebec, and elsewhere in Canada later. Each option is set up separately in the shipping settings.
Do I charge QST to a customer in Ontario?
For a product delivered to Ontario, Ontario's tax (HST) applies, based on where the product is delivered. Shopify can calculate this automatically, but have your accountant confirm your setup.
Your store stays, you're just adding a door
Plenty of retailers said "I only take cash" before cards became the normal way to pay. Selling online is the same kind of shift: it doesn't replace your store, it adds a way to be found and to serve your customers when the door is locked. With shared inventory, in-store pickup and a platform that handles the taxes, your store becomes your best asset online instead of a second workload.
If you'd like to see how this could work for your business, fill out the form and tell me about your store. No jargon, no hype: we'll figure out together where to start.
