What to prepare before building an online store
A full online store is not just a catalogue with a Buy button. It is a working system: product structure, payment flows, delivery rules and the way orders are handled. The more of this is written down before development starts, the faster and smoother the launch.
1. Catalogue structure
List the products or the categories: names, base prices and variations (size, colour), and the status (in stock or made to order). A spreadsheet in Excel or Google Sheets is enough to start. Good photos can come later. The structure of the catalogue is needed from the start.
2. Payment methods
Decide how customers prefer to pay. We connect popular Estonian and European payment systems (card payments through a bank, Montonio, Stripe), and also cryptocurrency or payment against a bank invoice. You do not have to register with every provider on day one — we choose the right ones together at the start.
3. Logistics and delivery
Parcel lockers (SmartPost, Omniva, DPD), couriers or pickup. Write down the price, where you deliver and the exceptions, such as limits for oversized goods or deliveries to the islands. Clear terms on the site save you from the same questions in support.
4. Legal information
Terms of sale, a privacy policy and how returns of money or goods work. We move the documents you already have, or we point out what an online store in Estonia and the EU has to cover.
5. Day-to-day process
Say who on your team will handle orders, update stock and answer customers. We set up the admin so you can run the store yourself, without calling a developer.
If some of this is still open, that is normal. We go through it on the first consultation and then send a fixed quote. A custom store averages ~$4,990.