What to prepare before developing an online store

Bring representative products, not only a product count

Two catalogues with the same number of products can require very different work. Variants, attributes, images, stock sources and country conditions determine the information model. Prepare representative examples before estimating an import or choosing a theme.

An ecommerce development brief should describe the journey from discovery to an order and the work after checkout. Clarify which systems hold the source of truth for prices, stock and customer communication.

Verify payment and delivery for the actual business

For a Shopify store, verify merchant eligibility and supported payment services against the actual business country and products. A provider available in one market may not be available to another business targeting the same customers.

Document delivery destinations, charges and exceptional conditions. The brief should distinguish what the store can calculate, what depends on a provider and what staff handle manually. Do not assume that connecting a logo means the complete operational scenario is solved.

• Who contracts and pays the payment provider?
• Which currencies and delivery destinations are required?
• How are refunds, unavailable items and failed orders handled?

Plan migration as separate data and URL work

If the store already exists, inventory its product data, useful URLs, media and integrations. Decide what should be retained and what can be retired. A new storefront design is not a data migration plan, and an export file may omit relationships or history.

Test a small sample before committing to a full import. Check images, variant relationships, product URLs and the editing workflow. Agree responsibility for data cleaning and final approval; imported information still needs an owner.

Agree the launch checks and ongoing responsibilities

Include conversion tracking and operational checks in the agreed acceptance plan. Test product choice, order creation and the appropriate confirmation messages; identify which steps need a live provider or authorised transaction test.

The handover should explain account ownership, routine catalogue updates and escalation when something fails. Budget for plans, apps, licences and support separately from the build. A store is an operating system for the business, not only a set of attractive screens.