Many people think of setting up an e-commerce site as getting a design made. But design is only one part of the job. Preparing the products, the payment and shipping agreements, testing and the first weeks after launch take at least as much effort as the design. The order below shows you who is responsible for each task and which step waits for which. The goal is to run tasks that do not need to wait for each other at the same time, so the site is not delayed for no reason.
Product preparation is often the longest task
When the site can open is usually decided not by the software but by whether the product information is ready. For each product you need clear photos, a description that answers the question in the customer's mind, a price, a stock quantity, a product code and, if any, options such as size or color. Collecting this information in a spreadsheet from the start makes it easier to upload the products to the site in bulk. Add the products' weights and dimensions to the same spreadsheet so that shipping fees are calculated correctly. Shooting photos with the same background and in the same proportions keeps the storefront tidy; images that show the product from different angles and in use also answer more of the customer's questions. If you already sell on another system, the products and images can be moved from there; in that case, prices and stock need to be checked after the move. Build your categories in the language your customers search with: if customers search for "water pump", the category should carry that name, not your internal code.
Payment and shipping agreements run alongside the design
A virtual POS application depends on approval from the bank or payment institution and asks for information such as company documents, the domain name and the contract texts on the site. That is why the application should be started at the beginning of the project, not when the design is finished. At this stage, also decide on options besides credit cards, such as bank transfer (havale/EFT) and, if needed, cash on delivery; if you sell to business customers, a bank transfer option is often a must. On the shipping side, you make a corporate agreement with one or more carriers; this agreement also covers the connection details the site needs to create shipments with the carrier automatically. When choosing a carrier, ask about pickup arrangements, the returns process and whether they suit the size of your products. In the same period, the preliminary information form, distance sales contract, returns text and KVKK (personal data protection) texts should be prepared. These pages are often checked during the virtual POS application.
Design, infrastructure and integrations are built
- Storefront design: the home, category, product, cart and checkout pages are designed to match your brand, with the phone screen in mind first. On the product page, the price, stock status, delivery time and return information should be visible on the same screen.
- Content pages: about us, contact, frequently asked questions, delivery and returns pages are prepared before launch; much of the trust people place in a new store comes from these pages.
- Admin panel: a panel is set up where products, orders, customers and payments are managed in one place, and you decide who on your team can access what.
- Integrations: the virtual POS, shipping, e-invoicing, accounting software and, if any, marketplaces are connected to the site.
- Measurement: analytics that track visitor behavior and sales (GA4) and ad tracking codes are added before launch.
- Speed and security: images are compressed, how fast pages open on a phone is measured, and the whole site runs on a secure connection (SSL). A store that loads slowly can lose visitors before they even see the product.
- Search engine preparation: the titles, descriptions and addresses of product and category pages are set up; if you are moving from an old site, the old addresses are redirected to their new equivalents.
The test order is the last gate before launch
Before launch, place a few test orders with a real card and go through the whole process as a customer would. Check one by one that the order confirmation email arrives, the stock goes down, the shipment is created and the invoice is issued with the correct details. Also try canceling an order and refunding it. Complete the payment step on a phone, in different browsers and on a slow internet connection too. If possible, have someone who has never seen the site place an order; they are the quickest to notice the confusing spots that the people who built the project miss. Every error not caught in testing can turn into a cart that a customer abandons after launch.
What happens in the first weeks after launch?
The work does not end when the site opens; that is when the real learning starts. In the first weeks, review incoming orders one by one, look at where customers get stuck and follow the move from cart to checkout in your analytics. Pay particular attention to payment errors and unfinished orders; even a small settings problem can quietly cost you sales. Update product descriptions based on the questions you receive, and start collecting customer reviews from the very first order; in a new store, reviews are an important part of trust. The site will not attract visitors on its own, so plan your advertising and search engine work from the start. Before you begin, ask yourself: Is my product spreadsheet ready, have I applied for a virtual POS, do I have a shipping agreement, are my legal texts written? Adorb starts this process with a discovery meeting. Whether it is a setup from scratch or moving an existing store, the design, integrations, launch and the advertising and SEO work that follows are handled by the same team.