Selling online is far easier than it was and still has more moving parts than most people expect: payments, delivery, tax, returns, stock. The build is rarely the hard bit.
This guide covers the decisions in the order they need making, so you are not rebuilding after discovering a constraint late.
- 1
Work out what you are actually selling
Ten products or ten thousand? Physical, digital or subscription? Variants like size and colour? Anything heavy, fragile, age-restricted or perishable? This determines the platform, and getting it wrong means migrating later. Write it down before comparing anything.
- 2
Choose the platform to match the scale
A handful of products alongside an existing site: a lightweight store add-on. A genuine retail operation: Shopify or similar, where payments, tax and shipping are solved problems. Custom only when your model is genuinely unusual — a bespoke checkout is expensive to build and to keep secure.
- 3
Set up payments and understand the fees
Stripe and PayPal are the usual defaults; card fees typically run around 1.5 to 3 per cent plus a fixed amount. Offer the methods your customers use, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, which materially improve mobile conversion. Never handle card details yourself.
- 4
Get VAT and tax settled early
Know whether you are VAT registered and what rate applies — some goods are zero-rated or reduced. Configure whether prices display inclusive of VAT, which UK consumers expect. If selling to the EU or beyond, understand the thresholds before you start, not after.
- 5
Decide delivery before you launch
Rates, zones, timescales and free-delivery thresholds. Unexpected delivery cost at checkout is the single largest cause of abandoned baskets. Be explicit about cost and timing on the product page rather than revealing it at the last step.
- 6
Write product pages that answer the doubts
Multiple real photographs including scale, precise dimensions and materials, what is included, delivery timescale, and the returns terms. Every unanswered question is a reason not to buy. Thin manufacturer copy converts poorly and ranks poorly.
- 7
Remove friction from the checkout
Guest checkout without forced registration, minimal fields, visible progress, and trust signals at the point of payment. Every additional step loses buyers. Complete a purchase yourself on a phone and count the taps between basket and confirmation.
The legal minimum
UK consumer law requires clear pricing including tax and delivery, a 14-day cancellation right for most online sales, published returns and refunds terms, and your business details and contact route. These are not optional and are checked by customers more often than people assume.
Realistic expectations
A new shop does not attract traffic on its own. Budget as much attention for getting people there as for building it — a beautifully built shop nobody visits is the most common outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Shopify for a hosted, supported setup where payments, tax and security are handled — at a monthly fee. WooCommerce for more control and lower licence cost, but you own the hosting, updates and security.
Would rather we did it?
These guides are here so you can do it yourself. If you would rather hand it over, that is what we do.
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