Orders & Reporting
Launching a store, and keeping it healthy
The checks before you hand a store over, what to agree with the client, and what to review every year.
Last updated September 2, 2026
A branded store is easy to build and easy to abandon. These are the checks that separate a store that runs for years from one that quietly stops being used.
Before launch
- Place a full test order, including payment, with live payment mode off.
- Read every order email as a customer would.
- Open the storefront in a private window — that is how a real buyer arrives.
- Check it on a phone.
- Confirm the client's administrators can sign in.
- Switch live payment mode on, place one real order, and refund it.
Agree these with the client
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who owns the store internally? | Without an owner it becomes your admin job. |
| Who approves orders, and how quickly? | Unapproved orders look to buyers like orders that vanished. |
| Who receives pick-up deliveries? | Boxes arriving at a reception nobody warned is where collection stores fail. |
| How will people be told about it? | A store nobody links to sells nothing. |
Once a year
- Review prices against your costs.
- Retire products that have not sold.
- Check the administrators still work there.
- Update deadlines and delivery messages for the coming year.
A FORGOTTEN STORE STILL TAKES ORDERS
Old prices, discontinued garments and last year's deadlines all keep selling happily until somebody complains. Put the annual review in the diary when you launch it.