Online store launch checklist: what to do before launching your shop

Before launching an online shop, check the products, prices, payments, shipping, policies, legal basics and a full test order, then decide how customers will follow their parcels once they have paid. Work through the checklist below in one sitting if you can, and tick every item before you tell anyone the shop is open.

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Products and pricing

Start with the catalogue, because errors here cost you money directly. A wrong price or an out-of-date stock count produces orders you cannot fill or sales that lose money.

Every product has at least three clear photos and a written description.
Prices include any tax your country requires and are checked against your costs.
Weights and dimensions are filled in for every item.
Stock counts match what is on your shelf today.
Sizes, colours and other variants are set up correctly.
Spelling and measurements have been read by someone other than you.

Business and legal basics

Confirm that the business is registered in the way your country requires, that you know when tax registration applies to you, and that the shop's legal name matches your bank account. Check whether your products need labelling, safety information or a licence, since rules for items such as cosmetics, electronics and food differ widely.

Add your registered business details and a physical or postal address to the footer if local law or customer trust calls for it. Keep a record of supplier invoices so you can show where your stock came from.

Payments

Switch the payment provider from test mode to live mode and run a real transaction with a small amount. Confirm the money reaches your bank account and note how many days it took. Check that the checkout shows the full price, including shipping and tax, before the customer enters card details.

Offer the payment methods your customers expect. If they commonly pay by instant bank transfer, wallet or card, enable those, and make sure failed payments show a clear message rather than a blank screen.

Shipping and packaging

Decide on your shipping rates and check them against real courier quotes for a few typical orders sent to different areas. Confirm your collection arrangements, cut-off times and who prints labels. Weigh a packed parcel, not just the product, because boxes and padding add up.

Pack three sample orders as you would for real customers. Shake each box to see whether the contents move, and look for anything that would arrive damaged. Keep a stock of packaging so a busy day does not stop dispatch.

Policies and customer service

Publish your returns and refund policy, privacy policy, terms of sale and delivery information. Say how long dispatch takes, which couriers you use and what customers should do if a parcel does not arrive. Make your contact details easy to find and decide who answers messages and how quickly.

Write a few reply templates for the questions you expect, such as order changes, returns and late parcels. Having them ready makes your tone consistent and saves time on launch week.

Tracking and post-purchase communication

Most checklists stop at the checkout, yet the busiest part of a new shop's inbox is the stretch between payment and delivery. Customers who cannot see where their parcel is send messages, and an early delay or a courier mistake turns those messages into refund requests.

TrackIt For Business covers this part so you can launch without a manual process. It follows parcels across more than 3,000 carriers, and you keep your current couriers. Customers receive a branded Apple Wallet or Google Wallet pass with your logo and colours that updates live, plus automatic notifications and a self-serve tracking page. Your dashboard shows each shipment's status, at-risk and delay alerts and delivery performance per courier. WooCommerce stores sync completed orders automatically, and other shops can add shipments manually, by CSV or through the REST API.

It costs $14.99 a month plus R1.50 per package the first time its Wallet passes are generated, billed monthly. Tracking-only packages carry no extra charge.

Technical checks

Test the whole shop on a phone, since many of your visitors will arrive on one. Check page speed, make sure the site uses a secure connection and confirm that your domain name, email address and contact form work. Set up an email account that uses your own domain, because messages from a free webmail address look less trustworthy.

Add basic analytics so you can see where visitors come from and where they leave. Back up your store data, particularly if you host it yourself.

Place a test order on a phone and on a laptop.
Receive and read the confirmation emails the shop sends.
Try an invalid discount code and a failed payment to see the error messages.
Cancel and refund a test order to confirm the process works.

The soft launch

Invite friends, family and a few trusted customers to buy first, and ask them to write down anything awkward. Watch the first real orders from payment to delivery, because you will learn more from three live parcels than from any amount of reading.

When the process holds up, announce the shop. Have a plan for the first week: who packs, who answers messages, when couriers collect and what you will do if a surge of orders arrives.

Preguntas frecuentes

What should I do before launching an online shop?

Check your products and prices, switch payments to live mode, confirm shipping rates against real quotes, publish your policies, test the shop on a phone and place a real test order. Then decide how customers will follow their parcels after they pay.

How long should a store test period last?

A few days of testing with friends and trusted customers is usually enough for a small shop. The aim is to watch real orders go from payment to delivery and fix anything that confuses people or goes wrong.

Which policies does my online shop need?

At minimum, a returns and refund policy, a privacy policy, terms of sale and delivery information. Check your local consumer and data protection laws, as requirements differ by country.

How can I give customers tracking without extra work?

Use a tracking tool that follows parcels automatically. TrackIt For Business connects to WooCommerce, or takes shipments by CSV, manually or through the REST API, and gives customers a Wallet pass, notifications and a tracking page.

What is the most common mistake on launch day?

Underestimating delivery. Sellers promise dates they cannot meet, forget packaging or skip testing a real parcel. Ship a few test orders first and set your delivery promise based on what actually happens.