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Launching an ecommerce store without a clear plan is why 80-90% fail within 120 days. This checklist breaks down your launch into 15 actionable steps covering platform selection, payment security, and conversion optimization. You’ll learn which steps matter most, what to prioritize, and how to avoid costly mistakes that sink most online stores before they gain traction.
Table of Content:
You’ve invested in inventory and designed your website. But on launch day, checkout breaks, customers can’t find products, and payment errors frustrate buyers. Within weeks, you’re joining the 80-90% of ecommerce businesses that fail within their first 120 days.
This 15-point ecommerce launch checklist walks you through everything needed to launch successfully, from choosing platforms to setting up secure payment processing.
Why Do Most Ecommerce Stores Fail Before They Start?
Research shows that approximately 80-90% of ecommerce startups fail, with most not surviving beyond 120 days. The average global ecommerce conversion rate hovers between 2% and 4%, meaning only 2-4 out of 100 visitors make a purchase. Nearly 70% of shopping carts are abandoned before checkout, representing billions in lost revenue.
Common failure reasons:
- Poor market research
- Inadequate funding
- Weak marketing strategies
- Technical issues frustrating customers
1. What Platform Should You Choose for Your Online Store?
Shopify dominates with 26.2% market share, while WooCommerce holds 20.1% of all ecommerce sites.
Shopify – All-in-one hosted solution starting at $29 per month. Best for businesses prioritizing simplicity and quick setup, handling hosting and security automatically. Includes SSL certificates and payment processing through Shopify Payments. Transaction fees ranging from 0.5-2% apply unless using Shopify Payments.
WooCommerce – Free WordPress plugin with complete control. Additional costs come from hosting ($10-$50 per month), domains, themes, and plugins. Requires technical knowledge for customization.
BigCommerce – Targets growing businesses starting at $39 per month with built-in features and no transaction fees.
Decision Framework:
- Shopify for quick setup, minimal technical hassle
- WooCommerce for maximum customization, WordPress users
- BigCommerce for scaling quickly with advanced features
2. How Do You Choose the Right Domain Name and Hosting?
Domain Best Practices:
- Secure .com extension (most trusted)
- Keep under 15 characters
- Make it pronounceable
- Check trademark availability
- Budget $10-$20 annually
Hosting Requirements
SSL certificates are required for ecommerce stores to encrypt customer data during transmission. Google has considered HTTPS a ranking factor since 2014.
Essential hosting features:
- SSL Certificate
- PCI Compliance – Required for credit card processing
- 99.9% Uptime – Downtime costs sales
- Fast Load Times – Under 3 seconds
Platforms like Shopify provide SSL certificates and ensure all pages, content, credit card, and transaction information are protected by the same level of security used by banks.
3. What Makes a High-Converting Product Page?
With conversion rates averaging just 2-4% globally, optimizing product pages dramatically impacts revenue.
Essential Elements:
- High-Quality Images – Include 4-6 images showing multiple angles, colors, and product variations. Professional photography builds trust.
- Compelling Descriptions – Address customer pain points, highlight benefits. Include specifications, dimensions, materials, and care instructions.
- Social Proof – Display customer reviews prominently. Reviews reduce purchase anxiety.
- Clear Pricing – Show transparent pricing with no hidden fees. Display stock levels.
- Mobile Optimization – Mobile dominates traffic at 73%, though desktop maintains a higher conversion rate.
Also Read: How One Word Transformed Our Headlines: A Surprising A/B Test
4. Which Payment Gateways Should Your Store Accept?
The payment gateway market is expected to reach $106.4 billion by 2030.
Top Options:
Stripe – Known for its powerful APIs, global reach, and robust feature set. Charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Supports 135+ currencies.
PayPal – Used by over 400 million active users, one of the most reliable and widely-recognized payment gateways. Same 2.9% + 30¢ rate. Offers one-click checkout.
Square – All-in-one solution for online and in-person sales.
Shopify Payments – Native gateway that consolidates payment processing, order management, and analytics. Eliminates transaction fees.
Payment Diversity
In 2024, about 53% of shoppers worldwide used a digital wallet for online purchases.
Accept:
- Credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express)
- Digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay)
- Buy Now Pay Later (Afterpay, Klarna, Affirm)
Global BNPL payments are projected to surpass $560 billion by 2025. These increase average order values.
Ecommerce websites need PCI compliance to follow security standards which defend customer payment information.
5. How Do You Secure Your Ecommerce Website?
In 2022, data breaches cost companies an average of $4.35 million.
SSL Certificate Types
SSL certificates allow your website to use HTTPS instead of HTTP to protect data in transit.
- Domain Validation (DV) – Basic encryption, $10-$50 annually. Minimal trust signals.
- Organization Validation (OV) – Better option for ecommerce businesses that take customer information. $50-$150 annually.
- Extended Validation (EV) – Highest security, $150-$300 annually. Displays green bar in browser and company name, maximizing customer trust.
Additional Security
- Two-Factor Authentication – Protect admin access
- Web Application Firewall – Blocks malicious traffic
- Security Audits – Quarterly vulnerability assessments
- Automated Backups – Daily data protection
- Regular Updates – Keep everything current
6. What Should Your Shipping Strategy Look Like?
Unexpected costs are cited as primary reasons for cart abandonment.
Shipping Options:
- Free Shipping – Over 50% of shoppers prioritize free delivery. Offer on orders above minimum threshold.
- Flat-Rate – One rate regardless of order size. Simplifies checkout.
- Real-Time Rates – Based on weight, dimensions, destination. Most accurate.
- International – Understand customs, duties, carrier options.
- Shipping Tools: ShipStation, Shippo, and EasyShip for comparing rates, printing labels, tracking numbers, and managing returns.
7. How Do You Optimize for Search Engines?
SEO Essentials:
Product Optimization
- Unique product titles with keywords (under 60 characters)
- Meta descriptions (150-160 characters)
- Descriptive URLs
- Image alt text
Schema Markup – Can increase click-through rates by up to 30% by getting rich snippets displayed in Google. Shows price, availability, ratings in search.
Site Speed – Optimize by upgrading hosting, investing in CDN, and compressing images. Under 3 seconds target.
Mobile-First – Google uses mobile version for ranking. Ensure responsive design.
Content Strategy – Create category pages with helpful content. Blog targeting informational keywords. Internal linking.
8. What Email Marketing Setup Do You Need?
Essential Flows:
Welcome Series – 2-3 emails introducing brand, showcasing products, offering first-purchase discount.
Cart Abandonment – Nearly 70% of shopping carts are abandoned. Send emails at 1 hour, 24 hours, and 72 hours with escalating incentives. Recovers 10-15% of lost sales.
Post-Purchase – Thank customers, request reviews, suggest complementary products.
Win-Back – Re-engage customers inactive for 60-90 days.
Platforms: Klaviyo (ecommerce-focused), Omnisend (omnichannel), Mailchimp (beginner-friendly).
9. How Should You Set Up Analytics and Tracking?
Essential Tools:
Google Analytics 4 – Enhanced ecommerce tracking for product views, add-to-cart, checkout, purchases.
Heatmaps – Hotjar and Crazy Egg show clicks, scrolls, form abandonment. Identifies friction points.
Conversion Pixels – Facebook Pixel and Google Ads for ROI measurement, retargeting.
Key Metrics:
- Conversion Rate – Benchmark: 2-4%
- Cart Abandonment – Target: under 70%
- Average Order Value – Monitor trends
- Customer Acquisition Cost – Must be lower than lifetime value
- Traffic Sources – Identify best channels
10. What Legal Pages Does Your Store Need?
Required Documentation:
- Privacy Policy – How you collect, use, protect data. Required by GDPR, CCPA, payment processors.
- Terms of Service – Rules for using website, liability limitations, dispute resolution.
- Shipping Policy – Processing times, methods, carriers, international limitations.
- Return and Refund Policy – Nearly half of consumers check an online store’s return policy before making a purchase. State return window (30-90 days), conditions, refund timing.
- Cookie Policy – What cookies you use. Required in EU.
Work with a lawyer or use reputable legal document generators.
11. How Do You Test Your Store Before Launch?
Before you officially open for business, be sure prospective customers can actually complete a purchase.
Testing Checklist:
- Checkout – Multiple test purchases with different payment methods. Test guest checkout. Verify confirmation emails. Test discount codes.
- Mobile – With mobile dominating traffic at 73%, test every page on smartphones and tablets.
- Speed – Under 3 seconds. Use Google PageSpeed Insights. Compress images, enable caching.
- Links – Check every link on all pages, products, headers, and footers. Use Broken Link Checker.
- Browsers – Test in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
- SSL – Confirm padlock icon displays. All pages load over HTTPS.
- Inventory – Verify stock levels update correctly. Test low-stock warnings.
Performance Standards:
- Page load under 3 seconds on mobile
- 99% mobile usability score
- No broken links or 404 errors
- All forms work correctly
- Payment processing completes without errors
12. What Marketing Strategy Should You Launch With?
37% of failed ecommerce businesses attribute their failure to an inability to compete or deliver online marketing.
Pre-Launch
- Email List – Start collecting 30-60 days before launch. Landing page with signup offering early access or discounts.
- Social Media – Set up profiles where the target audience spends time. Post teaser content, behind-the-scenes, countdowns.
- Content Marketing – Publish 5-10 blog posts targeting informational keywords before launch.
Launch Day
- Paid Ads – Start small on Google Shopping and Facebook/Instagram ads. Test audiences and creatives.
- Promotions – Time-limited discounts or free shipping. Countdown timers create urgency.
- PR Outreach – Contact bloggers, podcasters, journalists. Offer products for review.
Post-Launch
- A/B test product pages, checkout, emails
- Collect feedback through surveys
- Review analytics weekly
- Adjust spend based on performance
13. How Do You Set Up Customer Support?
Chatbots and live chat can handle complex queries and customer issues efficiently, enhancing the overall shopping experience.
Support Channels:
- Live Chat – 24/7 AI chatbots for common questions with human escalation. Converts better than email.
- Email Support – Dedicated address. Under 24-hour response time.
- Help Center – Self-service FAQ addressing shipping, returns, sizing, product care. Reduces tickets 20-30%.
- Phone Support – Optional for most small stores. Valuable for high-ticket items.
- Tools: Gorgias (ecommerce-specific), Zendesk (enterprise), Freshdesk (affordable).
14. What Post-Launch Monitoring Should You Do?
First 30 Days
Daily:
- Check conversion rates
- Monitor cart abandonment
- Review customer feedback
- Verify automated emails
- Check for errors or downtime
Weekly:
- Review traffic sources
- Analyze product performance
- Assess marketing ROI
- Monitor acquisition costs
Monthly:
- Deep analytics review
- Compare against goals
- Identify seasonal trends
- Plan next month
Continuous Optimization
Our ecommerce website checklist evolves with your business as it grows.
- Run regular A/B tests
- Survey customers
- Adjust offerings based on data
- Refine messaging
- Update descriptions and images
15. How Do You Build a Scalable Foundation?
Growth Infrastructure:
- Automation – Automate order processing, inventory updates, customer emails, social media posting.
- Documentation – Create SOPs for all processes. Makes training easier, ensures consistency.
- Partnerships – Establish reliable supplier relationships. Negotiate better terms as volume grows.
- Technology Stack – Integrate tools that communicate. Use Zapier or native integrations.
- Team Building – Hire specialists as you scale. Virtual assistants, customer service, marketing experts.
Financial Planning – Maintain 3-6 months operating expenses. Reinvest profits strategically.
Conclusion
Choosing the right platform is your foundation for success.
Shopify leads with 26.2% market share and offers easy setup, while WooCommerce holds 20.1% of the market with maximum control for WordPress users, and BigCommerce serves businesses scaling quickly with advanced features.
Security cannot be compromised, as SSL certificates are required for PCI compliance, SEO rankings, and customer trust, especially considering data breaches cost an average of $4.35 million.
Payment diversity directly impacts your conversion rate.
Offering multiple payment options including digital wallets (used by 53% of shoppers) and BNPL options (projected to exceed $560 billion by 2025) increases your chances of closing sales.
Testing thoroughly before launch is essential since 80-90% of ecommerce businesses fail within 120 days from preventable technical issues that proper testing would catch.
Continuous optimization is non-negotiable. With average conversion rates hovering between 2-4% and cart abandonment near 70%, ongoing testing and improvement separate successful stores from failed ventures.
Marketing must start before you launch, as 37% of ecommerce failures result from poor online marketing strategy. Building your audience before opening doors gives you momentum from day one. Your mobile experience determines success because 73% of traffic comes from mobile devices, making a flawless smartphone experience absolutely essential for capturing these customers.
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Start for $500-$2,000 covering platform fees ($29-$79/month), domain ($10-$20/year), SSL ($0-$300/year), initial inventory. A professional launch needs $5,000-$10,000 including marketing, photography, working capital. Small businesses need to spend between $300 and $2,000 each year for PCI compliance. Budget 15-20% of projected revenue for marketing.
