Before you build your shop.
A simple checklist for independent makers and retailers. Use it to gather the information a shop needs and spot decisions that could slow your launch.
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Your six-question readiness check.
Tick what is ready. This is a planning guide, not a guarantee of suitability. Your answers stay in this browser session and are not submitted.
0 of 6 ready. Start with the checklist below. Shop Blueprint can help with the open decisions.
Download the product sheet CSV →
1. Know your first customer
Describe who your products help, what makes them useful and why someone would choose your range. Start with a manageable selection and one clear reason to buy.
- Choose one initial audience.
- Write a simple description of your range.
- Check what potential customers actually ask about.
2. Prepare a product sheet
Give every product a name, price, description, stock quantity and clear photographs. Explain size, materials, care and anything a customer needs to know before ordering.
- List each product and its variants.
- Confirm images are yours or licensed for use.
- Record stock and product-specific delivery details.
3. Check the numbers
Work out product cost, packaging, handling, platform fees and payment-processing fees before choosing your retail price. Keep launch spending separate from build costs.
- Know the cost of fulfilling an order.
- Set a realistic budget for the shop and ongoing fees.
- Decide how delivery charges will work.
4. Make fulfilment practical
Decide where you deliver, how you package orders and how long dispatch normally takes. Make sure the promises on the shop match what you can provide.
- Define delivery areas and rates.
- Explain dispatch timing honestly.
- Prepare a customer-support contact route.
5. Get your shop content ready
Gather your business story, contact details, product content and approved policies. Resolve any product or business requirements that apply to your range before launch.
- Prepare About and Contact information.
- Supply approved delivery, returns and privacy wording.
- Choose who owns the domain and platform accounts.
6. Check before going live
Try the shop on a phone. Test the agreed payment flow and order emails, check delivery rates and ask someone unfamiliar with the business to follow the buying journey.
- Check prices, stock, images and links.
- Run a test order through the supported test flow.
- Prepare three launch posts and a clear shop link.
Your next step.
If the basics are ready, ask about a shop build. If several decisions remain open, the £149 Shop Blueprint gives you a written route forward.