An online shop for small business does not need hundreds of products or a complex system to start. It needs a clear range, a checkout that customers trust and someone who keeps it running.
This guide shows you the decisions to make before your first order, in the order that saves you the most work later.
Start with a small, clear range
Begin with the products that already sell well offline or that customers ask about most. Every product needs good photos, a clear description and correct prices. A few well presented products convince more than a large range with gaps.
Choose your payment methods
Customers leave a checkout when their preferred way to pay is missing. Offer the methods your customers already use, and test the whole checkout yourself before launch.
- Card payments for customers who want to pay quickly.
- Wallets such as PayPal or Apple Pay for mobile shoppers.
- Invoice or bank transfer for business customers.
Plan shipping and returns
Shipping costs are one of the most common reasons why carts are left behind. Decide early which countries you ship to, how you calculate shipping and how returns work. Show this information clearly before the checkout, not at the end.
Legal texts and data protection
A shop needs more legal texts than a simple website, for example terms, cancellation information and a privacy policy. What applies depends on your country and your customers. Have your texts checked by a lawyer or a legal text service.
Hosting in Germany keeps customer data in the EU, which makes data protection under the GDPR easier to handle.
Keep the shop running after launch
- Keep the shop software and plugins up to date.
- Check regularly that checkout and payments work.
- Update products, prices and stock.
- Look at where customers drop off and improve those steps.
At shopbauer a small shop is part of GrowthCare, a larger shop part of PerformanceCare. Basic payments are included in every package. You find the current packages here:
Tell us what you want to sell and we will give you a first assessment, free and without obligation.
