Online store checklist: what to prepare before development starts

The short answer: before you build an online store, prepare five things: complete product data (names, descriptions, prices and variants), clear photos in consistent sizes, your payment and shipping decisions, your exchange, return and privacy policies, and an operations plan that says who handles orders every day. Having these ready shortens development and reduces changes after launch.

Many store projects are delayed not by the development but because content and operational decisions were not ready. This checklist is organised in stages; use it as a reference before contacting a development team.

1. Define your sales model and audience

• What do you sell? Physical products, digital products, services with appointments, or a mix.
• Who do you sell to? Consumers, businesses at wholesale prices, or both.
• Where do you sell? One city, a whole country or several countries — this decides currencies, languages and shipping.
• How do you sell today? A physical shop, Instagram, WhatsApp or marketplaces. Knowing this helps connect your channels instead of running each one separately.

2. Product data

Prepare a spreadsheet (Excel or Google Sheets) with, for each product:

• A product name phrased the way customers actually search.
• A description that answers buying questions: specifications, materials, sizes, how to use it and what makes it different.
• The price, and the sale price if any.
• A product code (SKU) to make stock management easier.
• Variants such as colour and size, with the price and stock of each variant if they differ.
• Available quantity, plus weight and dimensions if they affect shipping.
• The category the product belongs to.

Tip: do not copy supplier descriptions as they are. Original descriptions written for your customers help persuade and help you appear in search results. If you have many products, start with unique descriptions for the best sellers.

3. Categories and store structure

Think about how customers look for products: by type, by use, by age group, by brand? Sketch a simple category tree no more than two or three levels deep, and decide on the key filters such as price, size and colour. Good categorisation makes browsing easier and creates strong category pages for search engines.

4. Product photos

• Clear photos on a consistent background, with the same dimensions and aspect ratio for every product.
• Several angles per product, plus a photo that shows size or use.
• A photo for each colour variant where possible.
• High-quality originals that can be compressed later without losing clarity.
• Make sure you have the right to use the photos, especially if they come from a supplier.

5. Online payments

Your choice of payment gateway depends on the country where your business is registered and your bank accounts. In Egypt, for example, gateways such as Paymob and Fawry are available; in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf there are gateways such as Moyasar, Tap and HyperPay, among others. Before development:

• Decide on the payment methods you want: cards, mobile wallets, cash on delivery, instalments.
• Check what the gateway requires to open an account — commercial registration, bank account, documents. These procedures can take time, so start early.
• Understand the fees and how long it takes for funds to reach your account.
• Confirm the gateway supports the platform your store will be built on.

6. Shipping and delivery

• The areas you will ship to, and shipping costs per area or by weight.
• One courier or several? Do you need a technical integration to create waybills and track shipments?
• The delivery times you will promise customers.
• A free-shipping threshold, if you decide to offer one.
• Packaging, and who prepares the orders.

7. Policies and legal pages

These pages build trust, and payment gateways often require them before activating your account:

• Exchange and return policy: the period, the conditions and who pays for return shipping.
• Shipping and delivery policy.
• Privacy policy: what data you collect and how you use it. Check the data protection laws in your country, such as Egypt’s Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020 or Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law.
• Terms and conditions.
• Clear contact details, and your commercial or tax registration details if your country requires them.

It is best to review these policies with a legal adviser, especially when selling in more than one country.

8. Choosing a platform

There are three main directions:

There is no universally “best” platform; the best one fits your product range, how you sell, your team and your long-term running budget.

9. The operations plan after launch

• Who receives and confirms orders, and at what times?
• Who answers customer questions on the site, WhatsApp and social media?
• Who updates stock and prices and adds new products?
• How will you handle cancelled orders and returns?
• Which reports do you want to follow: sales, best sellers, abandoned carts?

10. Marketing from day one

A store does not bring visitors on its own. Plan your traffic channels early: search-ready category and product pages, ad campaigns and social media content. Set up measurement tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console before launch so you measure results from the first day. Google Ads, for example, helps your products appear to people who are actively searching for them.

The short checklist before you contact a development team

1. A product data file complete for at least your first products.
2. Consistent, ready product photos.
3. The category tree and filters.
4. Your chosen payment gateway, with the account application started.
5. Shipping areas, rates and courier.
6. Drafts of your policies and legal pages.
7. Your visual identity: logo, colours and fonts.
8. A domain in your brand’s name.
9. Examples of stores you like and why.
10. The person responsible for daily operations.

Frequently asked questions

Can I launch the store with just a few products?

Yes, and it is often better. Launching with a curated selection of products with excellent descriptions and photos beats launching with hundreds of incomplete listings. You can add more gradually after launch.

Do I need a commercial registration to activate online payments?

Usually yes, but requirements vary by country and gateway. Check the requirements of the gateway you choose early, as they can affect your launch date.

Should I start with a store or sell through social media?

Social media is useful for reach, but a store gives you an organised place for orders, payments and customer data that you own. Many businesses use both, directing followers to the store to complete their order.

Conclusion

A successful store starts before the first line of code. The clearer your product data and operational decisions, the faster the build and the calmer the launch. If you have this checklist — or most of it — ready, you are ready to discuss the details.

Explore our online store design service, or request a quote and tell us about your products and how you sell. And if you have not yet decided whether you need a store at all, read our guide to choosing between a website, a store and an app.