Webvelopment
Development

eCommerce Development

Build an online store around how you sell: product choices, checkout, payments, delivery and the order tasks your team needs to manage.

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The problem we help solve

A retail worker at the counter of a small shop.
Illustrative photography · Vladyslav Hryhoriev / Unsplash

Your online shop needs to help customers choose the right product and give your team enough information to fulfil the order. We plan storefronts and store extensions around both sides of that sale: product information, checkout, payment and the work that follows. For retailers and distributors, an early question is which products customers can buy directly and which need a quotation first.

What we can deliver

  • Catalogue and variant structure so customers can distinguish sizes, options and product codes.
  • Product pages and accessible checkout that explain what customers are choosing and ordering.
  • Payment and delivery integration planning for the ways you intend to take payment and supply goods.
  • Order notifications and administration that help staff find an order and see what needs attention.
  • Launch and transaction testing, including unsuccessful payments and other agreed exceptions.

We agree which parts your store needs, what product material your team will supply and who will check the finished shopping and administration tasks. A catalogue-only range can sit alongside products sold through checkout where that fits your sales model.

How we approach the work

We start with a few products and work through how someone finds, compares and orders them, then how staff fulfil or return the order. Together, we identify where prices and stock are maintained and which system other tools should follow. A small representative catalogue lets us check the product structure and shopping steps before importing the full range.

Who this is for

This service is for retail teams, manufacturers moving into direct sales and distributors with complex catalogues. It is useful when the work involves more than displaying products: customers need clear choices, while staff need a manageable way to deal with orders, stock questions and exceptions.

Boundaries to agree early

We need to agree who supplies photography, keeps stock accurate, obtains payment-provider approval, arranges shipping contracts and manages the store after launch. Those tasks affect what the site can show and promise. For example, delivery wording needs to reflect the service you can actually provide, and someone on your team needs to keep it current.

Questions before we start

A few useful answers before you decide.

Can an existing catalogue move?
Yes, subject to data quality and access. We start with a sample import to see how your product codes, descriptions, prices, images and options fit the new catalogue. We also map old product URLs so existing links have an agreed destination. The sample helps reveal missing fields or inconsistent variants before the whole range is moved.
What do you need from us?
Send a representative product list, a link to the current store if you have one, and an example of an order your team finds hard to manage. A failed payment, a delivery restriction or an item that needs a quote can tell us more than a list of desired features. Leave customer records and credentials out of the first message.

Work through an order before committing to the build

For example, imagine a retailer selling products in several sizes, with delivery and collection available. A customer chooses a size, checks how they can receive it, pays and gets an order reference. Staff need to see the exact variant, whether payment is confirmed and whether to prepare a parcel or a collection. Working through this example helps us spot missing information on both the product page and the order screen.

Then we work through what happens when the sale does not go to plan. If payment is rejected, can staff distinguish that order from one ready to pack? If stock changes, who contacts the customer and updates the order? Agreeing these actions helps define the integrations and staff controls the store needs.

Prepare a representative product set

Choose products that show the differences in your range: an item with variants, an unavailable item, one with delivery restrictions and an enquiry-only product if you sell them. Include the product codes, prices, images, stock information and approved descriptions you already have. We can then see which details belong on every product and which apply only to certain ranges.

Tell us where each field is maintained and who can answer product questions. If a spreadsheet lists two names for the same size or omits a delivery restriction, your team will need to confirm the intended information before it appears in the store.

Agree the order states before approving checkout

  • Decide what order record exists before payment and what confirmation marks it as paid. Staff should be able to tell which orders are ready for their next action.
  • Choose which system supplies stock, prices and fulfilment status, and decide what happens when two systems disagree.
  • Work through failed payments, unavailable items and customer corrections, including who acts and what the customer is told.

Further eCommerce decisions

A few useful answers before you decide.

Should every product use an online checkout?
No. Some products require configuration, qualification or a technical quotation. For those products, a useful enquiry route can collect the details your sales team needs to respond. We should agree where direct purchase ends and an enquiry begins, so customers know what to do next and do not mistake a displayed product for an item they can immediately order.
What makes catalogue preparation part of the critical path?
Product information shapes navigation, filters and page layouts. If shoppers need to filter by size, for example, those sizes need consistent names across the relevant range. Reviewing a representative set early lets us find gaps while your team still has time to prepare the remaining products. We agree who is editing the catalogue and when that material is needed for the build.
Can existing payment and delivery accounts be reused?
They may be suitable. We need to assess the platform connection, authorised access and the payment or delivery steps you want to offer. Confirm who owns the accounts and check the providers’ current requirements before committing to an integration. Their contracts, fees and approvals remain separate from implementation; an existing account alone does not confirm support for every requested workflow.
How should staff test the administration experience?
Ask the people who will run the store to locate an order, identify an unresolved payment and update an agreed status. They should check the customer message or visible status that follows each action too. We use these tasks to review the administration screens alongside the storefront and to identify the instructions staff will need after handover.
What is needed when replacing an existing shop?
Start with product URLs, shopping tasks, integrations and records that must remain available. Decide which products and records move to the new shop and which stay elsewhere, then agree who handles redirects and the switch to the new store. The release plan needs a recoverable starting point and checks for products, links and orders. Any use of production data in testing needs an authorised handling plan.
Which measurements belong in the first reporting plan?
Start with orders, cancellations, returns and product enquiries, and agree what each one means in your store. An order awaiting payment needs to be distinguishable from a paid sale before reports can be useful. We check what the platform can record and how consent affects optional measurement. Directly identifying customer information should stay out of advertising reports.
What should the handover leave with the business?
You need access to the business’s accounts, guidance for editing products and handling orders, and an agreed route for maintenance. The handover should identify where prices and stock are maintained, list third-party subscriptions and explain any support limits. We also agree who checks the first live orders and who can authorise a correction if the product information or order handling needs attention.

Prepare your next conversation

Bring a small product sample and tell us how an order moves from purchase to delivery or collection today. If you already have a store, include its link and the task you most want to improve. Please leave customer records and credentials out of this first conversation.

Plan improvements to an existing store · Review catalogue and order integrations

Discuss this ecommerce development brief.

Plan the scope and estimate

E-commerce Store Build Estimator. These tools separate known labour from work and supplier costs that need a custom quote.

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Bespoke Development

Plan business software around the work people need to do: choose an application, eCommerce change, PHP update or integration, with a clear first release.

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How Webvelopment scopes, designs, builds and hands over digital work with clear ownership at every stage.

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