Geoff CuddAdding products, updating collections, tracking orders, managing customer questions… it all adds up fast. These tasks don’t grow your business, but they can easily overwhelm it.
That’s where a Shopify Virtual Assistant comes in.
A Shopify VA is a remote professional trained in eCommerce operations. They handle the repetitive backend work that keeps your store functional while freeing you to focus on strategy, marketing, and growth.
Here’s a full breakdown of how to find, hire, and manage a Shopify VA the right way.
DDIY.co
- We source and vet the talent for you
- Tailored matches based on your needs
- Trial task before hiring
HireTalent.ph
- Post a job or browse talent
- Manually vetted Filipino professionals
- See real ratings from past clients
In This Guide, You’ll Learn:
- What a Shopify virtual assistant can help with
- Why hiring one saves time and boosts performance
- How to write a job post, run interviews, and assign trial tasks
- The tools you’ll need to work together efficiently
- Common mistakes to avoid when outsourcing store management
Table of Contents
- DDIY.co
- HireTalent.ph
- What Tasks Can a Shopify Virtual Assistant Handle?
- Why Hire a Shopify Virtual Assistant?
- Step-by-Step: How to Hire a Shopify Virtual Assistant
- Fully Vetted Virtual Assistant - Without the Search
- Real Example: A Shopify VA That Scaled a Store Launch
- Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Run Your Store Alone
- DDIY.co
- HireTalent.ph
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Why Trust Us
We offer this website completely free to our visitors. To help pay the bills, we’ll often (but not always) set up affiliate relationships with the top providers after selecting our favorites. However, we do our best not to let this impact our choices. There are plenty of high-paying companies we’ve turned down because we didn’t like their product.
An added benefit of our relationships is that we always try to negotiate exclusive discounts for our visitors.
What Tasks Can a Shopify Virtual Assistant Handle?
Shopify may be beginner-friendly, but maintaining a store requires constant updates, accuracy, and attention to detail.
A skilled VA can handle:
Product & Inventory Management
- Add new products with images, variants, SKUs, and SEO descriptions
- Update pricing and stock levels
- Organize products into collections
- Create and manage discount codes
Storefront Design & Updates
- Change banners and promotional sections
- Customize pages using Shopify’s drag-and-drop builder
- Run site audits for broken links, outdated listings, or speed issues
- Optimize product images for size and consistency
Order Fulfillment & Customer Support
- Track orders and handle shipping updates
- Process returns and exchanges
- Respond to customer inquiries
- Sync customer issues with tools like Gorgias or HelpScout
App Integrations & Admin
- Install and configure apps (email, reviews, upsells)
- Monitor app performance and remove unused ones
- Set up email capture or cart recovery apps
Marketing Support
- Schedule emails in Klaviyo or Mailchimp
- Prepare for seasonal campaigns
- Upload assets for landing pages or promotions
- Track coupon usage or campaign performance
Why Hire a Shopify Virtual Assistant?
Hiring a Shopify VA is more than just offloading busywork.
It helps keep your store lean, consistent, and customer-ready, without adding employee overhead.
Save Time on Repetitive Store Tasks
A good VA handles your eCommerce to-do list with consistency and speed, so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Listings go live on time
- Orders are managed without inbox stress
- Your homepage and collections stay fresh
Affordable Support With Real ROI
Most VAs from the Philippines or Latin America cost between $600 and $900/month.
- No training an in-house hire
- No expensive agency retainers
- Flexible hours based on your store’s size
Store Management That Scales With You
Whether you're doing 10 or 1,000 orders per month, your VA can scale with your business.
Step-by-Step: How to Hire a Shopify Virtual Assistant
Step 1: Define the Role of a Shopify VA
Start by listing the eCommerce tasks that take up the most time each week.
- Uploading products and optimizing listings
- Editing images or promotional graphics
- Monitoring orders or support emails
- Creating and updating collection pages
- Scheduling marketing emails
Your job post should reflect the most consistent and time-sensitive tasks on your list.
Step 2: Choose Where to Hire Your Shopify Virtual Assistant
Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance platforms (Upwork, OnlineJobs) | ||
| eCommerce staffing agencies | ||
| Pre-vetted matching (like DDIY) |
Not sure where to start? We can match you with a reliable, Shopify-trained VA based on your exact workflow and budget.
Fully Vetted Virtual Assistant - Without the Search
- Search is done for you - no job posting or inbox overload
- Every candidate is tested for the exact skills required for your role
- Fast, tailored matching - handpicked to meet your needs and budget
Step 3: Write a Shopify VA Job Description
Your job post should attract detail-oriented candidates who have experience inside the Shopify dashboard.
What to Include:
- Overview of your store and product niche
- Weekly and monthly responsibilities
- Tools you use (Shopify, Klaviyo, Canva, etc.)
- Time zone overlap
- Preferred experience or certifications
- Application instructions
Sample Job Description:
Title: Shopify Virtual Assistant
Rate: $600 to $900/month
Hours: 15 to 20 hours/week
Time Zone: Must overlap at least 2 hours with Eastern Time
We’re looking for a reliable virtual assistant to help manage our Shopify store. Tasks include uploading products, updating collections, handling customer support inquiries, and helping with email marketing campaigns. You should be detail-oriented, organized, and familiar with Shopify, Klaviyo, and Canva.Responsibilities:
- Upload products with correct tags, variants, and SEO
- Update homepage banners and promotional content
- Organize collections and sort products
- Handle basic customer inquiries (email/chat)
- Assist with email campaign setup in Klaviyo
Tools You’ll Use:
- Shopify Admin
- Klaviyo
- Canva
- Google Drive
- Slack
How to Apply:
Include the phrase “Shopify Ready” in your subject line and send a short Loom video (under 2 minutes) showing a Shopify product or page you’ve worked on.
Step 4: Ask Shopify-Specific Interview Questions
Ask questions that reveal hands-on eCommerce experience and platform knowledge.
“Can you walk me through how you upload a new product in Shopify?”
- What you’ll learn: Workflow understanding, attention to detail.
“What would you do if a customer reports a missing order?”
- What you’ll learn: Support skills and communication style.
“Have you worked with Klaviyo or another email tool?”
- What you’ll learn: Experience with marketing integrations.
“How do you organize product images and store files?”
- What you’ll learn: File management habits.
“What Shopify apps have you worked with before?”
- What you’ll learn: Familiarity with integrations and problem-solving.
“Have you ever set up or edited a collection page?”
- What you’ll learn: Understanding of Shopify’s structure.
Step 5: Assign a Shopify Trial Task
Trial tasks help you evaluate how well a VA follows instructions, understands ecommerce workflows, and delivers polished work.
Each task below reflects real Shopify tasks and includes what it tests and what a good result looks like.
Trial Task 1: Upload 5 Sample Products
- Prompt: Use the product details and images provided in the attached sheet to upload 5 products to a test Shopify store. Include titles, descriptions, images, tags, and SEO fields.
- What it tests: Ability to navigate the Shopify admin, follow product listing standards, and apply attention to detail.
- Ideal outcome: All listings are complete, consistent, and well-formatted, with properly cropped images and SEO-friendly copy.
Trial Task 2: Organize a Homepage Promo Section
- Prompt: Update a sample Shopify homepage to reflect a summer sale. Add a new banner image, update featured products, and change the announcement bar.
- What it tests: Comfort with Shopify’s theme editor, visual eye, and ability to follow brand style.
- Ideal outcome: A clean, visually balanced homepage that reflects the campaign and functions correctly on desktop and mobile.
Trial Task 3: Draft a Customer Support Email
- Prompt: Write a short response to a customer who hasn’t received their order after 10 days. The order was shipped and shows “in transit.”
- What it tests: Communication tone, professionalism, and customer service instincts.
- Ideal outcome: A calm, helpful email that reassures the customer and offers next steps, such as a tracking link or follow-up timeline.
Trial Task 4: Build a New Collection Page
- Prompt: Create a new “Best Sellers” collection using the provided product list. Add a featured image, write a short description, and link it from the main menu.
- What it tests: Understanding of product tagging, collection setup, and site navigation.
- Ideal outcome: A fully functional collection page with accurate product display and proper menu linking.
Trial Task 5: Set Up an Email Campaign in Klaviyo
- Prompt: Draft and schedule a promotional email using Klaviyo for a new product drop. Use the provided copy and images.
- What it tests: Basic knowledge of Klaviyo, visual formatting, and campaign scheduling.
- Ideal outcome: An email with proper branding, layout, and links, ready to review or send.
Step 6: Set Tools and Expectations
Tool | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Shopify Admin | |
| Klaviyo | |
| Canva | |
| Trello / ClickUp | |
| Slack / Gmail | |
| Google Drive |
Set expectations clearly:
- How tasks will be assigned (Trello, Slack, email)
- How often to check in (daily, weekly)
- File naming conventions
- When to ask for clarification
- What deadlines to follow
Real Example: A Shopify VA That Scaled a Store Launch
A women’s accessories brand struggled to keep up with weekly product drops. The founder spent hours uploading products, prepping emails, and updating the homepage.
After hiring a Shopify VA:
- Products were uploaded two days in advance
- Email campaigns were queued in Klaviyo
- Homepage banners were ready before launch
- Customer issues were resolved faster
The founder reclaimed 10+ hours a week and focused on brand deals instead.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Run Your Store Alone
Hiring a Shopify VA lets you finally take “update product page” off your to-do list.
With a trained assistant handling store admin, you can focus on scaling, not clicking.
DDIY.co
- We source and vet the talent for you
- Tailored matches based on your needs
- Trial task before hiring
HireTalent.ph
- Post a job or browse talent
- Manually vetted Filipino professionals
- See real ratings from past clients
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Shopify VA cost?
Most cost $600–$900/month for part-time support. Rates vary based on experience and time zone.
Do I need to train them?
Only for your specific workflow. Most Shopify VAs already know how to navigate the platform.
What if I only need 10 hours/week?
That’s fine. Many VAs work part-time and can scale hours up or down based on your needs.
Can they help with customer service, too?
Yes. Shopify VAs often handle email support, returns, and order tracking.
What if they’re not a good fit?
If you work with DDIY, we’ll replace your VA quickly at no extra cost.
Why Trust Us
This guide isn’t theory. It’s built from real-world experience helping hundreds of ecommerce founders hire reliable Shopify virtual assistants.
We’ve tested what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to delegating store management. From product uploads and email flows to handling customer tickets, we’ve worked directly with VAs across dozens of Shopify stores.
Everything in this guide is based on firsthand hiring, training, and delegation—so you’re not guessing what to ask, assign, or expect. You’re getting a step-by-step playbook that’s been used to hire real VAs that deliver real results.
If you want to skip the learning curve, you’re in the right place.
