1. Who you're selling to, and how they decide

Write down who your main customers are and the questions they ask before buying. Do they compare specifications? Need sizing help? Buy as a gift? Those questions shape your navigation, product pages, and the content you'll need to prepare.

2. How your catalog is structured

Decide which options are variants of one product (size, color) and which are separate products. List the attributes customers filter by. Getting this right early prevents awkward workarounds later and makes filtering, inventory, and SEO simpler.

3. Who is producing product content

Photography and product descriptions are usually the slowest part of a launch. Decide who is writing, who is photographing, and what each product page needs: images, dimensions, materials, care, and shipping notes. A consistent template for every product saves rework.

4. Shipping, returns, and taxes

Choose your shipping rates (flat, weight-based, free above a threshold), where you ship, and your returns policy. Sales tax rules vary by state and depend on where you have obligations to collect, so confirm your requirements with an accountant. These settings affect checkout, and your policies need to be written before launch.

5. What the store needs to connect to

List every tool the store needs to talk to: payment provider, inventory or warehouse system, email marketing, accounting, reviews, and so on. Integrations are where hidden effort usually lives, so knowing them up front gives you a more accurate estimate.

6. Whether your brand is ready

A store makes brand gaps obvious: a logo that's illegible as a favicon, no defined colors, inconsistent photography. If your identity isn't settled, consider sorting it out first. Redesigning a store after launch costs more than getting the foundations right.

7. Who looks after the store after launch

Decide who will add products, update banners, answer technical questions, and keep apps or plugins current. Plan for it now, whether that's your team with training or a support plan with a partner, so the store doesn't slowly fall out of date.

A useful exercise

Turn these seven points into a one-page brief. It will make every conversation with designers and developers faster, and it's exactly what we ask for at the start of a project.

Related services: Shopify Development, E-commerce Web Design