{"id":11505,"date":"2026-09-22T02:11:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T02:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/resources\/ecommerce-website-requirements-checklist-60-decisions-before-you-build-an-online-store\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T02:13:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T02:13:56","slug":"ecommerce-website-requirements-checklist","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/resources\/ecommerce-website-requirements-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecommerce Website Requirements Checklist: 60 Decisions Before You Build an Online Store"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.vyl-ecomreq{--ink:#0b1220;--muted:#5d6877;--line:#e5e9f0;--soft:#f7f9fc;--brand:#4f46e5;--ok:#0f766e;--warn:#b45309;--danger:#b91c1c;max-width:1180px;margin:0 auto;padding:24px 18px 80px;color:var(--ink);font-family:inherit;line-height:1.72}\n.vyl-ecomreq *{box-sizing:border-box}.vyl-ecomreq a{color:var(--brand);text-decoration:none}.vyl-ecomreq a:hover{text-decoration:underline}\n.vyl-ecomreq 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.note{font-size:.9rem;color:var(--muted)}\n@media(max-width:900px){.vyl-ecomreq .layout{grid-template-columns:1fr}.vyl-ecomreq .toc{position:relative;top:auto;order:-1}.vyl-ecomreq .strip{grid-template-columns:repeat(2,1fr)}.vyl-ecomreq .priority{grid-template-columns:1fr}}\n@media(max-width:620px){.vyl-ecomreq{padding-left:14px;padding-right:14px}.vyl-ecomreq .hero{padding:28px 20px;border-radius:20px}.vyl-ecomreq .cards,.vyl-ecomreq .strip{grid-template-columns:1fr}.vyl-ecomreq .matrix{font-size:.9rem}.vyl-ecomreq .matrix th,.vyl-ecomreq .matrix td{padding:11px}}\n<\/style>\n<article class=\"vyl-ecomreq\">\n<header class=\"hero\">\n<span class=\"eyebrow\">Vylino Resource \u2022 Ecommerce Project Planning<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Ecommerce Website Requirements Checklist: 60 Decisions Before You Build an Online Store<\/h1>\n<p class=\"lede\">An ecommerce project is not just a catalogue plus a payment button. Product structure, variants, inventory, taxes, shipping, payment failures, returns, transactional emails, product feeds, analytics and back-office workflows all affect the build. This checklist helps businesses define those requirements before requesting a WooCommerce, Shopify or custom ecommerce proposal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"actions\">\n<a class=\"btn primary\" href=\"#checklist\">Start the 60-point checklist<\/a><br \/>\n<a class=\"btn secondary\" href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/woocommerce\/\">Explore WooCommerce development<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"strip\">\n<div><strong>Catalogue ready<\/strong><span>Products, categories, variants, attributes and media.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><strong>Checkout defined<\/strong><span>Payments, COD, tax, shipping and customer communication.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><strong>Operations mapped<\/strong><span>Inventory, fulfilment, returns, CRM and accounting.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><strong>Growth ready<\/strong><span>SEO, Merchant Center, analytics, ads and retention.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"layout\">\n<main><\/p>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"why\">\n<h2>Why ecommerce requirements need more detail than a normal business website<\/h2>\n<p>A brochure website can still function if a few secondary pages are late. An ecommerce store depends on connected workflows: product data affects filtering and SEO; inventory affects availability; shipping affects checkout; tax settings affect totals; payment status affects orders; transactional email affects customer confidence; returns affect operations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\"><strong>Do not ask only \u201cWhich platform should we use?\u201d<\/strong> First document how your business sells, charges, fulfils, returns and supports orders. Platform choice becomes much easier after the workflow is clear.<\/div>\n<p>WooCommerce\u2019s current store setup checklist follows the same operational sequence: add products, configure payments, customize the store, decide taxes, configure shipping, complete a test order and verify notifications before launch.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"priority\">\n<h2>Classify requirements before asking for a quote<\/h2>\n<div class=\"priority\">\n<div class=\"must\"><strong>Must-have for launch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Without it the business cannot take or fulfil orders correctly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"should\"><strong>Should-have<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Important for conversion, operations or growth but can be phased if necessary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"future\"><strong>Future phase<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Worth considering in architecture now, but not required for version one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This is especially useful for ecommerce because app\/plugin wish lists can grow faster than the commercial need.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"checklist\">\n<h2>The 60-point ecommerce website requirements checklist<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"business-model\">1. Business model and sales scope<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">01<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define what you sell.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Physical goods, digital products, subscriptions, services, bundles, made-to-order items, wholesale or a mix.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">02<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define buyer types.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>B2C, B2B, dealer, wholesale, members, repeat customers or restricted customer groups may need different pricing or account rules.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">03<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define sales geography.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>India only, selected states, international, local delivery or store pickup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">04<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define currencies and languages.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Decide whether multi-currency and multilingual experiences are required now or later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">05<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define sales channels.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Website only, marketplaces, social commerce, physical stores or dealer networks may require inventory\/order synchronization.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"catalogue\">2. Catalogue and product data<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">06<\/div>\n<div><strong>Decide category and subcategory structure.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Build around how customers browse and how the business manages stock\u2014not arbitrary internal departments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">07<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define product types.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Simple, variable, grouped, bundled, subscription, downloadable or customizable products.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">08<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define product attributes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Size, colour, material, capacity, brand, model, compatibility or other filterable characteristics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">09<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define variants and SKU rules.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Each sellable variant should have a consistent identifier strategy where operationally required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">10<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define product media.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Main image, gallery, video, swatches, downloadable files, size charts and media standards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">11<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define product copy responsibilities.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Titles, descriptions, specifications, FAQs, care information and comparison details.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">12<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define product identifiers for external feeds.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GTIN, brand, MPN and other attributes may matter for Merchant Center and marketplace feeds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"callout\"><strong>Growth requirement:<\/strong> Google Merchant Center product files depend on accurate attributes such as ID, title, price, availability and product links; structured product data can also expose price, availability, shipping and return information in eligible Google merchant experiences.<\/section>\n<h3 id=\"inventory\">3. Inventory and availability<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">13<\/div>\n<div><strong>Choose the inventory source of truth.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Website, ERP, POS, warehouse software or marketplace system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">14<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define stock status behavior.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In stock, out of stock, preorder, backorder and discontinued items should have clear storefront rules.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">15<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define low-stock notifications.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Who needs alerts and at what threshold?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">16<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define overselling policy.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Can customers order beyond available stock, and under which products?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">17<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define multi-location inventory if needed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Warehouses, retail stores or regional fulfilment can change availability and shipping logic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"pricing\">4. Pricing, discounts and customer groups<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">18<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define base and sale pricing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Include schedule rules where promotions start\/end automatically.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">19<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define coupon rules.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Percentage\/fixed, minimum order, product\/category restrictions, usage limits and expiry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">20<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define wholesale or customer-specific pricing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Different buyer groups may need different catalogues, discounts or payment terms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">21<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define minimum\/maximum order rules.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Useful for wholesale, delivery economics or regulated fulfilment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">22<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define loyalty\/rewards requirements.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Points, tiers, coupons and referral logic should be scoped separately from checkout.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"tax\">5. GST, tax and invoicing<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">23<\/div>\n<div><strong>Document the business\u2019s tax rules with its accountant.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The ecommerce platform should implement the approved treatment; the developer should not invent GST\/tax obligations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">24<\/div>\n<div><strong>Decide whether displayed prices include or exclude tax.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This affects product, cart, checkout and invoice presentation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">25<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define product tax classes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Different products or shipping may need distinct configured rates depending on the business\u2019s applicable rules.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">26<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define invoice requirements.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Customer\/business fields, GSTIN where needed, invoice numbering and PDF\/accounting integration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">27<\/div>\n<div><strong>Decide tax automation vs manual configuration.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Platform capability and country support vary; verify with current provider documentation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"note\">WooCommerce explicitly states that its documentation explains software configuration, not whether or what a business should charge for GST\/VAT\/sales tax, and recommends consulting a tax professional. <a href=\"https:\/\/woocommerce.com\/document\/setting-up-taxes-in-woocommerce\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WooCommerce tax documentation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"payments\">6. Payments and payment failure handling<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">28<\/div>\n<div><strong>Choose payment methods.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cards, UPI, net banking, wallets, COD, bank transfer, EMI or international methods according to market need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">29<\/div>\n<div><strong>Choose the payment gateway(s).<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Consider supported methods, settlement, refunds, international support and operating fees\u2014not just integration availability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">30<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define payment status \u2192 order status behavior.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Successful, failed, pending, cancelled and refunded payments must map cleanly to order processing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">31<\/div>\n<div><strong>Test duplicate and interrupted payments.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Customers may refresh, return, lose connection or retry. The system should avoid duplicate orders\/charges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">32<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define COD rules.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Availability by product\/postcode, fees, order limits and confirmation workflows if used.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"shipping\">7. Shipping, delivery and pickup<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">33<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define shipping destinations.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Countries, states, postcodes and serviceable regions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">34<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define shipping methods and zones.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Flat rate, free shipping, weight\/value based, live carrier rates, local delivery or pickup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">35<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define free-shipping thresholds.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By region, order value, customer group or promotional period.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">36<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define packaging\/weight\/dimension requirements.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Necessary when shipping rates depend on parcel characteristics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">37<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define courier integration.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>AWB creation, labels, pickup, tracking sync and delivery status.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">38<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define delivery estimates.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Handling time + transit time + cutoff rules should be consistent with actual operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>WooCommerce\u2019s current onboarding likewise requires stores to set location, shipping destinations, zones and methods before launch.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"checkout\">8. Cart and checkout<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">39<\/div>\n<div><strong>Choose guest checkout vs account requirement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Do not force registration unless the business model genuinely needs it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">40<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define checkout fields.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Collect only what fulfilment, tax, fraud and support actually need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">41<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define address validation\/postcode logic where needed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Useful for serviceability, shipping and reducing delivery errors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">42<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define abandoned-cart requirements.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Email\/SMS\/WhatsApp recovery, consent and timing should be planned rather than bolted on later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">43<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define trust and policy visibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Delivery, returns, payment security and support information should be available before purchase.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"orders\">9. Orders, fulfilment and returns<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">44<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define order lifecycle statuses.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pending, paid, processing, shipped, delivered, cancelled, returned and refunded should match real operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">45<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define fulfilment ownership.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Who sees new orders, packs them, creates labels and updates status?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">46<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define return\/exchange workflow.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Eligibility, request method, pickup, replacement, store credit and refund should align with the published policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">47<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define refund mechanics.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Full\/partial refunds and gateway\/accounting implications.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">48<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define customer service access.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Order lookup, phone\/WhatsApp\/email and internal support notes if needed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"emails\">10. Transactional communication<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">49<\/div>\n<div><strong>List required emails\/messages.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Order received, payment failed, processing, shipped, delivered, cancelled, refund, account reset and review requests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">50<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define sender\/domain authentication.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Transactional email should use a deliverable setup rather than depending on unreliable default web-host mail.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">51<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define SMS\/WhatsApp notifications if required.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Keep marketing consent separate from essential order communication where appropriate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"seo\">11. Ecommerce SEO and Google product visibility<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">52<\/div>\n<div><strong>Plan category vs product search intent.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Categories often target broader commercial demand; products target specific item\/variant demand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">53<\/div>\n<div><strong>Control faceted\/filter URLs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Filtering can create large numbers of crawlable combinations; decide which should be indexed or canonicalized.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">54<\/div>\n<div><strong>Plan out-of-stock and discontinued product behavior.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Keep, substitute, redirect or retire based on product lifecycle and search\/backlink value.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">55<\/div>\n<div><strong>Add Product\/Offer structured data where eligible.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Google merchant listing markup can expose price, availability, shipping and return information in eligible Search experiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">56<\/div>\n<div><strong>Plan Merchant Center product feed quality.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stable IDs, titles, descriptions, prices, availability, product links and identifiers need reliable source data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"note\">Google recommends Product structured data on purchasable product pages and notes that Merchant Center feeds rely on accurate product attributes such as ID, title, price, availability and link. <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/appearance\/structured-data\/merchant-listing\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Merchant listing structured data<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/merchants\/answer\/12631822\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Merchant Center product files<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"analytics\">12. Analytics, conversion tracking and admin<\/h3>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">57<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define ecommerce analytics.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Product views, add-to-cart, checkout, purchase, revenue and coupon data should be measured consistently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">58<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define ad-platform conversions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Google Ads\/Meta purchase value and enhanced measurement should be planned alongside consent\/privacy requirements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">59<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define admin reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Orders, revenue, tax, stock, refunds and product performance\u2014plus what data needs exporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">60<\/div>\n<div><strong>Define roles, ownership and training.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Who manages products, orders, refunds, coupons, integrations and site settings after launch?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"platform\">\n<h2>WooCommerce, Shopify or custom: decide after the requirements<\/h2>\n<table class=\"matrix\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Need<\/th>\n<th>Platform question<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Editorial\/SEO control + WordPress ecosystem<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>WooCommerce may fit when content and ecommerce need to coexist deeply.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Hosted commerce operations<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Shopify may reduce infrastructure administration for many standard retail workflows.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Highly specialized workflows<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Custom development may be justified when requirements cannot be implemented cleanly on standard platforms.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Complex integration landscape<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Evaluate APIs, data ownership, recurring app\/plugin cost and operational dependency\u2014not only storefront design.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The requirements should lead the platform decision, not the other way around.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"india\">\n<h2>Extra planning questions for Indian ecommerce businesses<\/h2>\n<div class=\"cards\">\n<div class=\"card\"><b>UPI \/ COD<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Which payment methods materially affect your audience and order-confirmation process?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>GST &#038; invoices<\/b><\/p>\n<p>What tax\/invoice rules has your accountant approved, and what customer fields are required?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>Courier coverage<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Pin-code serviceability, COD availability, shipping charges and tracking integration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>RTO \/ failed delivery<\/b><\/p>\n<p>How does operations handle high-risk COD orders and return-to-origin costs?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>WhatsApp support<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Will order queries, abandoned carts or notifications use WhatsApp, and who manages responses?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>Marketplace sync<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Does Amazon\/Flipkart\/other marketplace stock or order data need synchronization?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"note\">Tax, invoicing and compliance decisions should be confirmed with qualified legal\/accounting professionals; website developers implement approved requirements rather than determine a business\u2019s statutory obligations.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"migration\">\n<h2>If you are replacing an existing online store<\/h2>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">A<\/div>\n<div><strong>Inventory current URLs, products and categories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Existing search equity and customer bookmarks should not disappear casually.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">B<\/div>\n<div><strong>Plan product\/customer\/order migration.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Decide how much historical data is actually required in the new system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">C<\/div>\n<div><strong>Map old URLs to new equivalents.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Products, categories and content pages need redirect\/canonical decisions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">D<\/div>\n<div><strong>Preserve product IDs\/feed continuity where practical.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Merchant\/advertising systems may depend on stable identifiers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">E<\/div>\n<div><strong>Plan cutover.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Order freeze windows, DNS, payments, inventory sync and testing should minimize lost orders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Use Vylino\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/resources\/website-migration-seo-checklist\/\">Website Migration SEO Checklist<\/a> for the broader migration workflow.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"proposal\">\n<h2>What an ecommerce development proposal should state clearly<\/h2>\n<table class=\"matrix\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Proposal item<\/th>\n<th>What should be explicit<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Catalogue<\/td>\n<td>Number of products\/variants to import or upload and data responsibility.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Payments<\/td>\n<td>Gateway(s), COD, test mode, refund setup and responsibility for merchant approval.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shipping<\/td>\n<td>Zones, methods, courier integration and label\/tracking scope.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tax\/invoices<\/td>\n<td>Configuration scope based on rules supplied by the business\/accountant.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Integrations<\/td>\n<td>CRM, ERP, accounting, inventory, marketplace and messaging integrations.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>SEO\/feed<\/td>\n<td>Product schema, Merchant Center\/feed setup, redirects and crawl\/indexing controls.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Training\/support<\/td>\n<td>Product\/order admin training, bug-fix period, maintenance and recurring licences.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"launch\">\n<h2>Ecommerce pre-launch acceptance tests<\/h2>\n<div class=\"checks\">\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">1<\/div>\n<div><strong>Place a complete test order.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From product selection through payment\/order confirmation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">2<\/div>\n<div><strong>Test failed and cancelled payment paths.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Orders should not be falsely marked paid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">3<\/div>\n<div><strong>Test shipping zones and edge postcodes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rates and serviceability must match actual fulfilment rules.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">4<\/div>\n<div><strong>Test tax\/invoice output.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Verify using the business-approved configuration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">5<\/div>\n<div><strong>Test emails\/messages.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Customer and admin notifications should arrive with correct order data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">6<\/div>\n<div><strong>Test stock reduction and refund.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Inventory and payment\/order records should remain consistent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"check\">\n<div class=\"num\">7<\/div>\n<div><strong>Validate analytics and purchase value.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One order should not be double-counted across tags.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>WooCommerce\u2019s current setup guidance likewise explicitly calls for completing a test order, confirming payment and verifying email notifications before launch.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"mistakes\">\n<h2>Ecommerce requirements mistakes that become expensive later<\/h2>\n<div class=\"cards\">\n<div class=\"card\"><b>Starting from theme design<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Operations, product structure and checkout rules are discovered after the storefront is already built.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>No SKU\/data standard<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Imports, feeds, integrations and variants become inconsistent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>Tax treated as developer guesswork<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Configuration should implement business\/accounting requirements\u2014not invent them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>No payment failure testing<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Order and gateway states drift apart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>Shipping rules undocumented<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Unexpected rates or unsupported orders appear at checkout.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>Product feed added after launch<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Poor source data makes Merchant Center and Shopping feeds harder to stabilize.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>No returns workflow<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Customers and staff rely on manual messages with no consistent order process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card\"><b>Recurring apps ignored<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Low initial development cost becomes high monthly operating cost.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"cta\">\n<h2>Planning an ecommerce store but not sure which requirements belong in version one?<\/h2>\n<p>Send Vylino your product count, variant complexity, target market, payment methods, shipping model, current systems and preferred platform. We can separate launch-critical requirements from optional apps\/features, identify integration and migration dependencies, and prepare a practical ecommerce development scope before you commit to a build.<\/p>\n<div class=\"actions\">\n<a class=\"btn primary\" href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/woocommerce\/\">Discuss WooCommerce development<\/a><br \/>\n<a class=\"btn secondary\" href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/website-development\/\">Discuss website development<\/a><br \/>\n<a class=\"btn secondary\" href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/resources\/website-quote-comparison-checklist\/\">Compare development quotes<\/a><br \/>\n<a class=\"btn secondary\" href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/919098193452\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Send ecommerce requirements on WhatsApp<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\" id=\"faq\">\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<details>\n<summary>What are the main requirements for an ecommerce website?<\/summary>\n<p>Core requirements include product\/catalogue structure, inventory, pricing, tax, payments, shipping, checkout, order fulfilment, returns, transactional communication, analytics, SEO\/product feeds, ownership and admin workflows.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Do I need to choose WooCommerce or Shopify before writing requirements?<\/summary>\n<p>No. Define how the business needs to sell and operate first. Then compare which platform supports those workflows with the best balance of flexibility, operating cost and maintainability.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What information should I prepare for an ecommerce developer?<\/summary>\n<p>Prepare product count, categories, variants, pricing, inventory rules, target market, payment methods, shipping zones, tax\/invoice requirements, integrations, product data source, required customer communication and expected admin workflow.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Who should decide GST rates and tax rules?<\/summary>\n<p>The business should confirm applicable GST\/tax and invoicing obligations with its accountant or qualified professional. The developer configures the ecommerce platform according to those approved rules.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Should Merchant Center and product schema be part of development?<\/summary>\n<p>If Google product visibility matters, planning them during development is preferable because feed quality depends on product data, stable identifiers, prices, availability, URLs and structured product information.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>How long does an ecommerce website take to build?<\/summary>\n<p>Vylino uses roughly 6\u201312+ weeks as a planning range for many ecommerce projects, but catalogue size, integrations, product data, custom workflows and approvals can materially change the timeline.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Can Vylino convert this checklist into an ecommerce proposal?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes. Share the completed requirements\u2014or the information you already have\u2014and Vylino can help identify missing decisions and prepare a practical WooCommerce\/ecommerce scope.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section\">\n<p><strong>Related Vylino resources and services:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/resources\/website-requirements-checklist\/\">Website Requirements Checklist<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/resources\/website-project-brief-template\/\">Website Project Brief Template<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/resources\/website-development-timeline\/\">Website Development Timeline<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/resources\/website-quote-comparison-checklist\/\">Website Quote Comparison<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/woocommerce\/\">WooCommerce Development<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/industries\/retail-ecommerce\/\">Retail &#038; Ecommerce<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n<aside class=\"toc\" aria-label=\"Table of contents\">\n<strong>On this page<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"#why\">Why requirements matter<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#priority\">Prioritize scope<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#business-model\">Business model<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#catalogue\">Catalogue<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#inventory\">Inventory<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#pricing\">Pricing<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#tax\">GST\/tax<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#payments\">Payments<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#shipping\">Shipping<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#checkout\">Checkout<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#orders\">Orders &#038; returns<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#emails\">Transactional comms<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#seo\">Ecommerce SEO<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#analytics\">Analytics<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#platform\">Platform choice<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#india\">India planning<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#migration\">Migration<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#proposal\">Proposal scope<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#launch\">Launch tests<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#mistakes\">Common mistakes<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#faq\">FAQs<\/a><br \/>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vylino Resource \u2022 Ecommerce Project Planning Ecommerce Website Requirements Checklist: 60 Decisions Before You Build an Online Store An ecommerce [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10927,"parent":10654,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11505","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11505"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11511,"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11505\/revisions\/11511"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10654"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vylino.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}