Creating a web shop step by step: from idea to first order

A web shop is not made by selecting a template and inserting products. A store that actually sells is the result of a series of decisions, most of which are made before the first editing screen opens. Here is the order we recommend for creating a web shop step by step, from idea to first order.

Step 1: Answer the question of what you sell and to whom

First of all, write down three things: which products go to the store, who buys them and why they should buy from you, and not elsewhere. If you can't explain the difference in one sentence, the customer won't even notice it. This step costs nothing and saves the most time.

If you are not sure that you need the shop at all, read first how to decide between web shop and regular website.

Step 2: Prepare the products before the site

The most common reason for store delays is not technical problems, but material. For each product, you should:

• the name that the customer is actually typing into the search,
• a description that answers questions (size, material, purpose, maintenance),
• photographs, preferably from multiple angles and on a neutral background,
• price and, if any, variants (colour, size),
• stock status and item code.

Keep it all in one table. When a store is created from a table, the input is faster and has fewer errors than when products are inserted one by one from the head.

Step 3: Stack the category structure

Categories are what the customer sees first. The rule is simple: the customer should reach the product in a maximum of three clicks. Too many categories with two products seem empty, and one category with a hundred items seems messy. Think about how the customer searches, not how you stack the warehouse.

Step 4: Decide on the platform

The choice is between a ready-made platform on which the store adapts and a tailor-made solution. We wrote about this in particular in the text on WooCommerce & Custom Store. For most small and medium-sized stores, a ready-made platform is a reasonable start, as it can be upgraded as the business grows.

Step 5: Define payment and delivery

This is where the store usually gets stuck, so start on time.

Plaćanje Decide which methods you offer: card, cash on delivery, bank transfer. Payment by card requires connection with the service provider and a contract, and this does not happen overnight. More about this in the text on payment by card on the web shop.

Delivery Determine who delivers, what countries and cities, how the price is calculated, and how long it takes. Customers decide on delivery before placing the product in the cart, so this information must be visible, not hidden at the end.

Step 6: Write pages that build trust

A web shop without these pages looks suspicious:

• Terms and Conditions of Purchase
• delivery and return of goods,
• information about the seller (company name, address, contact),
• privacy policy
• “About Us” page with the right people and the right contact.

Check with your accountant or lawyer for distance selling obligations; we do not provide legal advice here, but we know that these pages must exist and be accurate.

Step 7: Test as customer

Before launch, go through the entire purchase path on your phone and computer:

1. find the product by searching and through the categories,
2. put it in the basket, change the quantity, remove it,
3. enter your delivery information,
4. try every payment method you offer,
5. check your order email for both you and the customer.

The most common errors are detected only here: a basket that does not remember the product, a button that is not visible on the smaller screen, an email that ends up in spam. It is better for you to find them than the first customer.

Step 8: Launch and track

The launch is not the end of the job, but the beginning. For the first few weeks, follow:

• which pages are visited the most,
• where customers give up (basket, delivery, payment),
• which questions come to you most often. Upload your answers to the site.

A store that improves based on real customer behavior over time overtakes a perfectly crafted store that is never touched.

Step 9: Bring in the customers

A shop is a place to shop, but shoppers should be brought. Search, ads, and social media work together. If you're planning a paid listing, see what they look like Google and Meta Campaigns.

How long it takes and what it costs

Site Starts from €20/month, and the final price depends on the volume. The web shop is larger than the presentation, so the assessment is done separately, It's the same day. when you tell us what you're selling. The deadline for creating the site is 7 day; for a store with many products, the deadline is agreed according to the quantity of materials.

Free analysis

Have a store idea and not sure where to start? Request free analysis: we listen to what you're selling, we look at your existing channels, and we tell you what the first steps are, and what can wait.

Asenvirocon, Bulevar Mihaila Lalića, Podgorica · info@asenvirocon.me · 067 222 975