Starting a store · Preparation · Catalogue
How to launch an online store: from products to the first order
A practical plan for a new brand or a business already selling on social media. Prepare product data, delivery, test orders and the people behind the launch.
Alphabite · Online store design and development team ·
Start with what you will sell and how you will fulfill an order. Then choose the platform and design. Good preparation connects these decisions before they become launch blockers.
1. Establish what is ready today
If you have an idea, first define the products, supplier and customers. You do not need a huge catalogue. You need a real selection for which you can provide information, stock and delivery.
If you already sell through Instagram, a marketplace or a physical shop, use actual customer questions. Which sizes confuse people? What do they ask before buying? When do they message to check stock? Those answers help shape categories and product pages.
| Your situation | Prepare this first |
|---|---|
| New brand | A product selection, supplier, photos, stock plan and someone responsible for orders. |
| Already selling | A catalogue with codes and variants, frequent customer questions and your current fulfillment process. |
2. Prepare product data before importing
A well-filled spreadsheet is more useful than a folder of unrelated images. Distinguish each sellable variant: a black T-shirt in medium and the same shirt in large, for example. Check several different products before repeating errors across a whole catalogue.
| Field | Example / check |
|---|---|
| Name and code | Linen shirt · LIN-BLU-M. The code identifies this particular variant. |
| Category and variants | Shirts → blue → medium. Use consistent size values. |
| Price and stock | Supply the current selling price and identify where stock updates come from. |
| Photos and description | Overall view, details, material, measurements and product care. |
| Delivery | Weight, package dimensions or any restriction that affects dispatch. |
3. Decide how an order reaches the customer
Describe an order from beginning to end: who receives the notification, checks availability, packs it and deals with problems? If those roles are unclear, a new store will expose the same issue to more people.
Define delivery zones, methods, lead times, free-delivery rules and pickup options. For payments, verify business eligibility and the specific payment method rather than just a provider’s logo.
- Which system owns the correct stock figure: the store, warehouse software or another channel?
- How will you handle unavailable items, cancelled orders and refunds?
- Who sees and resolves failed connections to external systems?
4. Separate launch essentials from later improvements
Your first version must let customers choose and buy, and let your team fulfill the order. Write down which features are essential to that process and which can follow later.
For a new physical-product brand, an initial scope might include categories, variants, payment, delivery, notifications and content editing. Loyalty or complex automation can follow if it is not necessary for the first sale. This is an example, not a universal package.
5. Design should answer customer questions
Prepare the logo, visual direction and real product photography. On a phone, check whether someone understands the offer, finds a variant and sees essential information without hunting through menus.
Appearance cannot replace product information. Measurements may matter most for clothing; ingredients for cosmetics; collection and delivery conditions for food. Choose information around your products instead of copying another store.
6. Prepare the business side too
Confirm the requirements for your business, payments, customer information and personal data with your accountant and legal adviser. A technically finished site does not automatically mean the business is ready.
If you will operate in Bulgaria, check the National Revenue Agency’s current official ecommerce guidance. This guide covers store preparation, not an individual legal or tax assessment.
7. Test a successful purchase and a failure
Place an order as a new customer on a phone, then process it as a team member. Check totals, notifications and inventory at both ends. Include a scenario where something goes wrong.
8. Watch the whole journey after launch
Review where visitors come from, which products they view and where they stop buying. Compare those observations with actual orders and questions received by your team. A visit alone does not establish purchase intent.
Start with a specific problem: unclear sizing, a missing delivery option, declined payments or slow order handling. Fix it, check the result and use that evidence to choose the next improvement.
Prepare a short project brief
For the first conversation, describe what you sell, who buys it, what is ready, how you deliver and which task currently takes the most time. Include a catalogue or existing store if you have one.
At Alphabite we specialize in stores built with Blubbl. We use those details to discuss a suitable scope, real dependencies and the next step.
