Why is My Shopify Store Unavailable and How to Fix it [2022]

Setting up an online Shopify store successfully is certainly a remarkable achievement for any e-commerce entrepreneur. When you get your new Shopify store, the one thing you can’t wait to do is get started as soon as possible. However, imagine shoppers flocking to your new Shopify store only to be welcomed with a ‘sorry, this shop is currently unavailable’ popup.

Every single minute that your Shopify store remains unavailable means that you are losing potential customers and revenue. However, there are multiple reasons why this outage happened but don't worry, this article is exactly what you need to resolve this issue once and for all. 

This article will properly answer your query on why is my Shopify store unavailable and the actions you need to take to get rid of this situation. Let's get started!👇

Common Reasons - Why is your Shopify Store Unavailable

There are many reasons why your Shopify store sometimes displays the ‘Shopify store unavailable’ message. When that happens, it means that your Shopify store is facing downtime and there is an issue that you need to fix. But first, you need to understand where the issue is stemming from before doing anything else.

Here are some of the things that might be causing your Shopify store’s outage:

The Shopify website is down

When your Shopify site is not loading, it is important for you to find out whether the problem is emanating from Shopify itself. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with your store, so it’s probably Shopify having a maintenance downtime or any other complex issue.

On the bright side, Shopify always endeavors to inform its users about such outages via email in advance. If there is no prior communication, then you might need to check your Shopify store’s status using apps like Down Detector. You can also try to find out from other users in the Shopify Community if the issue is universal or specific to your store.

Domain issues

If you are a new Shopify store owner, one reason why your Shopify store cannot be found could be because you recently updated your primary domain or changed your DNS settings. If you didn’t complete such an action prior to your Shopify store’s outage, then you don’t need to check your domains.

Remember, if you have just changed your Domain DNS settings, it takes up to 72 hours for DNS settings to be fully propagated.   

Files accidentally deleted

Sometimes when you are deleting unwanted files, you might end up deleting important files accidentally, hence leading to a data loss. Additionally, downtime can arise after updating your store or adding collections, new pages, or products.

There are two case scenarios: either important system files were deleted or the new pieces of code added are interfering with your Shopify store’s functionality. If you have a backup, then the best option is to restore your store to the previous version, then retry the whole process again.

Failed CSV uploads

When you are uploading CSV files in bulk, it is common for column initialization discrepancies or coding errors to occur. What’s more, such situations can hinder your store’s functioning and cause downtime errors. The best thing to do is to set up a backup before the CSV files upload.

Incompatible apps or themes

There are numerous Shopify apps you have probably installed to optimize the performance of your Shopify store. But sometimes the integration between your store and the apps, plugins, or themes just doesn’t happen as expected.

The ensuing incompatibility between your Shopify store and the installed apps or themes can cause your store to malfunction. So, you’ll have to restore your store to the previous version to undo the new changes and updates. You can also seek the services of Shopify experts who can deal with configuration problems.

How to Solve Shopify Store Not Found

After you have determined the problem point of your Shopify store’s outage, the next step is to try to fix the issue as soon as possible. Imagine customers flocking your store only to be met with, ‘sorry, online ordering is temporarily unavailable at this store.’ This will frustrate them, and they’ll try to avoid your store as much as possible, that is why you have to fix the issue immediately.

Here are some effective solutions:

Contact Shopify customer support

Shopify’s customer support offers 24/7 reliable customer services. You can utilize their help to fix the outage and get your store back online. If their website is undergoing routine downtime, they will also let you know.

Use down detectors

Apart from the Shopify status page, you can also use down detectors to know the extent of the outage. Is it affecting your customers as well? Or is it a Shopify routine maintenance outage? These detectors help you track and monitor the situation so that you can constantly update your customers.

Retrace your steps

When you restore your store to the previous version, you’ll undo every change you made to your store. But then you have to trace the steps and find out when exactly the store begins to face functionality problems. This way, you’ll be able to know the root cause of the problem and uproot it.

Use test mode

Using test mode helps you understand the downtime from the customer’s perspective. It allows you to place dummy orders in order to test Shopify payments and gain insight into the customer experience. Thereafter, you can contact customer support with an accurate description of the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I contact customer service when my Shopify store is unavailable?

When using any online platform, at some point you’ll have to reach out to customer support for help. So, Shopify isn’t any different. The prevalence of social media has made it easy to contact Shopify customer support. Here are some of the ways to get in touch with Shopify support when you face an outage:

• Shopify Community Forum 

Here, you get to learn from the experience of other Shopify users. You’ll find a series of inquiries from Shopify users and answers from Shopify agents.

• Shopify Help Center

This features a series of FAQs where you get to procure answers on your own as opposed to getting them from a Shopify agent.

• Live Chat Support

The live chat page is available on the Shopify Help Center, and it’s the quickest way to contact Shopify support.

• Email

Email support@shopify.com to reach out to Shopify. Do remember to authenticate with your store first to save your time.

• Phone Support

Shopify has several customer support numbers you can call for assistance. They include:

US: 1-888-746-7439

Australia: 03-8400-4750

United Kingdom: 0800-808-5233

Ireland: +353 1800 851 000

India: 000-800-100-5786

New Zealand: 07-788-6026

Malaysia: 1800-80-6678

Indonesia: 007-803-651-0008

Singapore: 800-181-1121

• Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

You can reach out to Shopify via their @Shopify handle on either Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

How Downtime Affects Your Shopify Store

It is in your best interests to try and fix the outage as quickly as possible. Any delays result in detrimental effects such as:

• A sharp decrease in customer retention rates
• Decrease in store sales
• Decrease in customer conversion rates
• Few visitors to your site
• Negative reviews from customers

It is always important to ensure that the customer shopping experience is optimum for clients to enjoy purchasing products from your store. In case of downtime, monitor the situation and keep your customers updated.

Wrapping Up

When you realize that your Shopify site is not loading, you need to fix the issue very fast so that you don't lose out to competitors. The e-commerce industry is very competitive, hence you can’t risk having a Shopify store that malfunctions all the time.

This blog provided you with all the methods you can utilize to find the cause and the solutions to fix them once and for all. Hope we helped you resolve your queries like Shopify store unavailable, site not working properly. 

For any queries or comments, please reach out to us via marketing@logbase.io. Remember to subscribe 📧 to our newsletter for updates on more of our Shopify guides!

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