Opening Your Online Store: The Essential Launch Checklist
Astronauts do it before blastoff. Pilots do it on every flight. And it’s something that we may even use at our workplace or before going out to the shops. So what’s the secret to a successful countdown, and how do people manage to stick to their original plans? They use a checklist.
A simple checklist can make a world of difference, especially for business owners who are about to launch their online stores. Checklists can help you manage multiple tasks and reduce errors, therefore allowing you to deliver results. It’s a helpful roadmap for organizing and checking the details of any ongoing activity or project. And while it may not be foolproof, it’ll aid you in planning things methodically and purposely, giving your business the foundation to a successful start. This differs from your business plan, which is used instead to define your business goals. A pre-launch checklist, however, is a step-by-step guide that ensures your business operations and processes are working properly and that you are on track for launch day.
Below is our pre-launch checklist that’ll guide you through all the necessary steps that need to be checked, tested, and managed before your store opens.
Defining each checklist point
1. Check that your business is legally registered and ready for online
If you’re planning to open an online store, you’ve probably picked out some of your products and chosen an ecommerce platform already. But in the midst of all the excitement, you might’ve left out some of the more important details like the legal aspects of your business and the relevant laws and regulations that may apply. Depending on your business and what you’re selling, you might even need to apply for additional licenses or permits. And don’t forget to register your business too — it’s an important part of business ownership after all.
Ensuring that your domain and website are secure is vital to you and your customers, so consider buying an SSL certificate. By now, you should already be familiar with the tech and tools of your ecommerce platform and have secured a supplier or manufacturer for the long term. Most importantly, you should start marketing on your social media channels in advance to generate hype and anticipation before your opening. Tease your potential customers with posts previewing your new products and let your family and friends know about your upcoming business to get some feedback. Don’t forget to ask them to spread the word and share the news.
2. Check your resources, equipment, and inventory
As with most new ventures, a brand new business might not profit right away, so it’s important that you have all your operating expenses covered for the next six months, and maybe even up to a year. Check whether you have enough inventory just in case there’s a rush of orders during the first opening week. And if you’re manufacturing your product in-house, make sure all your materials are stored properly and that your equipment runs smoothly. Double-check your packaging to make sure it is ready — if your products are fragile, you may need extra cushioning or packaging foam to ensure they won’t get damaged during delivery. Packaging can also make a huge difference for small business owners. Not only do they protect your goods, but they can also be instrumental in conveying your brand values and may even encourage customers to return again. For example, Aubrey of wearThalia sends her products with a custom thank you note in special gift boxes. Personalized goods can help inspire brand loyalty, and are a welcome contrast from the mass-produced products sold everywhere.
“As with most new ventures, a brand new business might now profit right away, so it’s important that you have all your operating expenses covered for the next six months, and maybe even up to a year.”
3. Check your landing page and product pages
A small typo on your website can easily reduce customer trust in your brand, so make sure that all your content is free of errors. Check whether your landing page covers all your products’ unique selling points well and that your call-to-action buttons are displayed prominently on checkout. Go over your product page images and check for consistency, quality, and placement. Do the images match the overall design of your site? Take note that high-quality images can increase the loading time on your website, while low-quality images may deter sales, so strike a balance. Your home page and product pages should also have SEO meta tags added to them so that they show up on search engine results. And check your website’s speed, navigation, and overall design on both desktop and mobile devices. Don’t forget to review your About page, contact information, FAQs, terms of use, and privacy policy too. They should share important information about your company and its policies, and give details on all legal and security concerns to deter any possible doubt from customers.
4. Ensure that your sales channels are optimized
In addition to your website, you can also offer your products through various marketplaces such as Lazada and Shopee. Optimize products on these platforms by reviewing keywords in your product titles and product descriptions. Check all the images and descriptions for quality, and see if checkout is easy and accessible. Evaluate whether the loading time for your chosen sales channels is fast enough to be previewed at a glance on both PC and mobile devices. You’re competing against other products here, so it’s important that your products stand out.
5. Ensure that your communication channels are running well
When your business is online, it’s vital that people are able to contact you. Make sure you have your business hours, email address, and contact numbers displayed on all mediums. If you haven’t done so already, create social media pages and accounts for your business on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where your target market is usually on. Prepare a concise FAQ for frequently asked questions, and create an infographic for your products, as well as the different types of payments you accept that can be easily sent using direct or instant messages. Do you have a designated staff that will run your business’s social media accounts? Make sure they know the ins and outs of your business and are briefed on all the store policies and processes so that they are able to provide excellent customer service when inquiries start to come in.
6. Review your payment gateways and payment service providers
Have you factored in all your payment transaction fees and service fees when pricing your products? When customers pay for your products using a debit or credit card, your bank may also charge you an additional fee for the transaction, so it’s important that you factor in all these costs. Don’t forget to consider alternative payment methods that you can offer on your website including e-wallets and online payment platforms. Compare each platform’s fees as they can affect your revenue in the long run. While cash-on-delivery is the norm in the Philippines, it’s important to also prepare yourself for over-the-counter transactions at banks and payment centers too. Customers with high-value purchases often prefer this route due to its familiarity, convenience, and security.
“Have you factored in all your payment transaction fees and service fees when pricing your products? … it’s important that you factor in all these costs.”
7. Test your order and fulfillment processes
Before you launch your store, make sure you have your shipping and/or billing address set up. Test your order and fulfillment processes by placing a test order on your store. Do the packaging, labeling, and shipping processes all fit within your given delivery timeline? What problems did you encounter along the way? If it’s within your budget, you could do additional tests using different packaging methods, materials, and couriers. For larger orders, your shipping process and delivery speed could be all that it takes to reduce cart abandonment and help drive new sales.
8. Review your plans for returns, exchanges, cancellations, and failed transactions
Sometimes, a product can be damaged during shipping or the delivered item is in the wrong size or color. Whether this is a mistake on your behalf or something totally out of your control, in any case, customers may be unsatisfied and demand a refund or exchange. For instances like this, a well-written return and exchange policy can save you time and effort in resolving disputes. Most businesses will typically grant customers 30 days to return or exchange the item as long as it is in its original condition (with tags and invoice intact). At Cafe24, a basic policy template is provided by default which you can edit as needed, or you can create your own store policy to match your business needs and the products and/or services sold.
If orders are getting canceled before you can even ship them out, make sure to save these orders and review them. Check your inventory listing for out-of-stock items and check for listing errors that might be the source of the cancellations. Reduce the number of failed transactions by checking for system downtimes or scheduled maintenance by your bank and/or payment providers and ensure you have multiple payment methods on your store for backup.
“… customers may be unsatisfied and demand a refund or exchange. For instances like this, a well-written return and exchange policy can save you time and effort in resolving disputes.”
9. Manage your sales, analytics, and other data
Keep track of your suppliers and learn how to archive your orders for later. Make sure to keep a record of your inventory and sales so you can review them every month and use them for tax purposes. You should also have a system set up to collect customer, product, and sales data — this will usually be available by default on your ecommerce platform. And if you’re using additional marketplaces that aren’t linked by default to your primary ecommerce platform, set up analytics for those sales channels as well.
There’s nothing like a good plan
Checklists are an easy way for you to outline your business needs and activities before a launch. Once you’ve prepped and planned and have a hang of your online store, handling your business will be much easier.
And before you launch, don’t forget to pick a good date for it. You’ll want to launch your business at a time that best suits your product offerings, such as opening your beach toys store before the start of the summer rush. Run special promotions and contests on your social media accounts to rile up interest right until launch day and increase traffic to your store.
If you’re thinking of launching a business but haven’t chosen a platform yet (or are thinking of switching), give Cafe24 a try. When you start a business on Cafe24, you can launch your brand on multiple marketplaces, create additional stores, and expand globally, all on a single platform. Cafe24 is an all-in-one ecommerce platform that provides you with all the apps and tools that will help you manage your business easily and efficiently. Get all the help and support you need for a successful launch by signing up for a free account with Cafe24 today.
