Magento configuration

It's weird to get an email from 'Owner' weirder still when the email address is @example.com. But this is what happens if you don't change some of the configuration settings in Magento. It makes your store look unprofessional, so take the time to check it's been done. Bear in mind that Magento's default settings seem to be US, PST. Depending on your business, you'll likely find that other changes need to be made, but at a minimum, here's what you'll want to change:

General

General

What to enter/change/check:

• Countries Options
  • Default Country (where your store is based)
    Whatever your default country is set to is also the default country setting on the front end for the ordering process
  • Allow Countries (where you ship to)
• States Options
  Countries that require a state
• Locale Options
  • Timezone
  • Locale
  • First Day of Week
  • Weekend Days
• Store Information
  This information is used in various templates, so take the time to fill it out
  
  • Store Name
  • Store Contact Telephone
  • VAT Number
  • Store Contact Address

Web

• Search Engines Optimisation
  Turn 'Use Web Server Rewrites' to Yes for search engine friendly URLs
• Unsecure
  • Base URL
• Secure
  • Base URL
• Default Pages
  Set your CMS Home Page here

Design

• HTML Head
  Favicon, default meta information, robots
• Header
  Add logo image src and alt text
• Footer
• Transactional Emails
  Add logo to be used on emails

Currency Set Up

• Base Currency
  The currency transactions will be processed in
• Default Display Currency
• Allowed Currencies

Store Email Addresses

These senders (name and email) are used in various email templates.

• General Contact
• Sales Representative
• Customer Support

Contacts

• Send Emails To
• Email Sender
• Email Template

Catalog

Catalog

• Product Image Placeholders

Sales

Sales

• Invoice and Packing Slip Design
  Logo for PDF and HTML views, address

Tax

Default tax destination calculation, tax settings (show including / excluding tax)

Shipping Settings

• Origin
  Set address item being shipped from

Shipping Methods

Set shipping methods

Payment Methods

Enable relevant payment methods, PayPal option available with basic installation

• Merchant Location

Other Settings You Can Change

Magento is incredibly flexible and you'll find that the Configuration page enables you to change a huge amount of settings, including:

• Show out of stock items
• Allow backorders
• Change default email templates
• Change settings on Newsletters sent
• Sitemaps for SEO
• Enable/disable Wishlist
• Add Google Analytics details