Online store: a guide to getting started, from platform to first order

🛒 Before you choose a platform

Answer five questions: what do you sell, how many products do you have, how do you charge, how do you deliver and who will run the store every day. The answers decide the platform and the price.

🧰 Choosing a platform

• WooCommerce on WordPress: the most flexible for most small and medium stores, with no monthly platform fee, but it needs hosting and maintenance.
• Platforms as a service: simple to start, but with a monthly fee and limitations.
• Custom-built solutions: for special business processes or integrations.

For most of our clients WooCommerce is a good choice. More on the online store development page.

📦 What to prepare

1. Products: names, unique descriptions, quality photos, prices, variants.
2. Categories: logically arranged, the way customers think.
3. Payment: cards through a bank or payment processor, cash on delivery, bank transfer.
4. Delivery: courier services, prices, deadlines.
5. Terms: rules of purchase, returns, complaints and privacy.
6. Company details: must be clearly visible on the site.

⚖️ Legal duties

A store must have clear terms, seller information, prices with tax, rules on withdrawal and complaints and a privacy policy. Exact duties depend on the type of goods and your status, so check them with an accountant or lawyer. The technical part is ours, not legal advice.

🧱 A good store has

• A fast and clear product page with a clear price and button.
• A short checkout with as few fields as possible.
• Clear delivery costs before the end of purchase.
• Trust: contact, reviews, secure payment.
• An excellent experience on the phone.

📈 After launch

The first month is for learning: what customers look at, where they drop off, what questions they ask. Tracking, fixes and new content bring more than the initial look. For search optimisation read SEO for online stores.