Practical Checklist for Your Online Shop
Are you planning an online shop? This checklist will help you ask the right questions to successfully launch your shop.
Check Your E-Commerce Requirements
Planning an online shop? This checklist will help you ask the right questions and successfully launch your shop.
1. Markets
1.1. Which market should the shop target?
1.2. Who is the target audience for the shop? B2B or B2C? One-time customers or recurring customers?
1.3. In which countries are these customers located?
1.4. In which currencies do these customers pay?
1.5. Where are the warehouses located that will supply these customers?
2. Sales and Marketing Channels
2.1. Are there other sales channels in addition to your own shop on your website? For example, additional client websites in other countries?
2.2. Should the products be sold on marketplaces such as Amazon, Galaxus, Digitec?
2.3. Should products be advertised on price comparison platforms or marketing platforms like Google Shop?
3. Shop Functions
Not all functions need to be available at launch. Launching with minimal functionality and continuously developing based on experience is often more effective.
Products and Master Data (Product Catalog)
3.1.1. What master data per item are relevant?
3.1.2. How are the products grouped: product groups, variants, product families, accessories…?
3.1.3. Which taxonomies and attributes are cross-products? Which are not?
Search
3.2.1. What requirements do you have for the search function? Are there any special needs?
3.2.2. By what criteria should products be filtered?
3.2.3. By what criteria should products be sorted?
Content and Experience Worlds
3.3.1. How do products and content interact? Are there themed experience worlds?
3.3.2. Are blog contents (e.g., references, reviews) planned for themes or products?
Customer Ratings and Reviews
3.4.1. Should customers be able to rate and comment on products?
3.4.2. Should external review platforms (e.g., Trusted Shops) be included?
3.4.3. Should the shop be independently certified?
Cross-Selling and Up-Selling
3.5.1. Is there potential for cross-selling and up-selling?
3.5.2. How can the value of the shopping cart be increased?
Product Prices and Shipping Costs
3.6.1. What rules are there for product prices?
3.6.2. How are shipping costs calculated?
3.6.3. What tax regulations (VAT) need to be considered?
Checkout
3.7.1. What payment methods are offered?
3.7.2. What shipping and delivery options are available?
Marketing and Promotions
3.8.1. What discount options are desired? Volume discounts, tiered discounts, early bird discounts…
3.8.2. Are gift certificates/vouchers planned?
3.8.3. Are time-limited promotions and campaigns with discounts planned?
3.8.4. Through which channels will promotions be communicated (social media, newsletter, emailings)? How do these interact with the shop?
3.8.5. Are personalized campaigns, i.e., user or target group-specific, being implemented?
Customer Data
3.9.1. Are there special requirements for managing customer data?
3.9.2. Will customer data be transmitted to a CRM?
Order Management
3.10.1. Are there special requirements for order management?
3.10.2. How are the processes for delivery controlled in the background?
3.10.3. Is order tracking planned?
Login / Customer Center
3.11.1. Should customers be able to create an account with a login?
3.11.2. What information should customers be able to view in the customer center?
3.11.3. Are there individual conditions, B2B pricing?
4. Integration of External Systems
4.1. Which systems – ERP, CRM, PIM, DAM, logistics, accounting, credit check – should be integrated?
5. Scaling and Scope
5.1. What are the annual sales targets?
5.2. What is the average shopping cart size?
5.3. How many products are available in the shop?