Building an online store is a complex process that requires careful planning and understanding of user experience (UX). Whether you’re creating your first online store or redesigning an existing one, it’s important to go through all the key phases to ensure a successful outcome.

Now we will explain in detail the steps needed to build a successful online store.

 

1. Planning and Preparation of the Online Store

Market and Competitor Analysis
Before we begin building the online store, it’s important to research the market and competition. Identify your target customer groups, their needs and expectations, and analyze competing online stores to recognize their strengths and weaknesses.

Defining Goals
Clearly setting goals is crucial for success. Consider what you want to achieve with the new online store – whether it’s increasing sales, expanding your brand, working with B2B customers, or something else. Goals will help us focus our future activities.

2. Design and Development

User Interface (UI) Design
The design of the online store should be both attractive and functional. We will create wireframes and prototypes so you can visualize the layout and look of the pages. We focus on simplicity, fast load times, and responsiveness (optimized for mobile devices).

Enhancing the User Experience (UX)
UX design deals with how users will experience your store. Navigation should be simple and intuitive, checkout should be completed in one step, and all important information must be easily accessible. You should continuously test the user experience with real users to gather feedback and improve the system (avoid using family or friends who tend to praise everything, as real users think differently).

Coding / Development
Once the design is finalized, we move to technical implementation. This includes coding the frontend and backend of the online store. We pay special attention to data security, page load speed, and search engine optimization (SEO).

3. Content Entry

Product Entry
Accurate product entry is key to the store’s functionality. While we do not handle product entry ourselves, we will provide all guidelines and support you in the process. High‑quality photos, detailed descriptions, prices, and stock levels must be entered (usually prices and stock are integrated with your ERP and updated automatically). Also consider adding product reviews to build customer trust...

Creating Additional Content
Blog posts, guides, and FAQ pages can help attract visitors and improve SEO rankings, and high‑quality content certainly increases the likelihood that visitors will convert into customers.

Integrations
  • Integration of the online store with ERP (accounting software)
  • Integration of the online store with banking and online credit card payments
  • Integration of the online store with courier services
  • Importing product data from another system
  • Exporting data and synchronization with listing portals
  • Development of B2B portals
  • Connecting to external B2B portals

4. Testing

Functionality Testing
Before the store goes live, we will thoroughly test and verify all functionalities, including user registration, the checkout process, and integration with payment and delivery systems.

Performance Testing
We test page load speeds and the site’s ability to handle high traffic. We optimize every aspect of the site so it performs flawlessly under various conditions.

5. Launch and Promotion of the Online Store

When everything is ready, we put the online store into production, and then marketing and promotion are essential.
After launching the online store, it’s wise to start marketing campaigns to attract visitors. Promotion can include SEO, Google Ads, social media, email marketing, and more.

6. Maintenance and Improvement

Regular Maintenance
An online store requires ongoing maintenance. We do not mandate a maintenance plan, but it’s useful to see how we can help optimize performance and resolve any technical issues – view our maintenance and improvement services.

Visitor Analysis
Using analytics tools to track visits and user behavior, we can make data‑driven changes and improvements to continuously enhance the user experience and increase sales.

Conclusion

Building an online store is demanding but extremely rewarding when done right, and there’s no business you can start with such a small investment as an online store.

Explicit has been building online stores for 20 years, and we’re here to help you with our expertise and experience.