The 12-point checklist before launching your online shop

Launching without this checklist is how you end up with customers trying to buy a product that's out of stock, paying with a card that's not connected to anything, and emailing you about an error message at 2am. We've seen all of it. Use this.

Products

1. Every product has at least one photo that was taken in daylight, not under fluorescent lights. 2. Every product has a price in your primary currency (and TZS if you're selling locally). 3. Stock quantities are set — nothing is showing as available that you don't have. 4. Product descriptions answer the questions a customer would ask: size, material, weight, how it's used.

Checkout

5. You've made a real test purchase — card declined should not be the first time a customer sees your checkout. 6. The confirmation email is set up and goes to your own inbox first. 7. Delivery cost is calculated correctly (flat rate, by weight, or free above a threshold — whichever you chose). 8. Your refund and return policy is written and linked in the footer.

Trust

9. Your About page exists and has a real name or face on it. Anonymous shops convert worse — customers want to know who they're buying from. 10. Your WhatsApp number or email is visible without anyone having to search for it. 11. You have at least one testimonial or review showing. It doesn't have to be elaborate — even a screenshot quote from a happy customer works.

Technical

12. You've checked the site on your phone, on a different browser, and on someone else's phone. What you see on your laptop is not what your customer sees on a 2-year-old Android. If it looks broken on one device, fix it before you tell anyone the shop is open.

If you're working with us, we run through this list before every launch — and we won't hand a site over until everything on it is green. If you're doing it yourself, this is the minimum. Good luck.