Launching feels like the finish line, but the first real orders expose every weak spot: a coupon that stacks wrongly, a delivery fee that does not apply to another city, an email that lands in spam. A short checklist done calmly beats fixing these with customers waiting.
Work through the points below in order. Each takes minutes, and together they cover the failures that cost new stores the most.
Before launch, test the full buying path yourself with a real payment, confirm that every policy and legal detail is on the site, and check speed on a mobile phone. Most launch-day problems are payment, shipping or trust issues, not design.
Test the whole buying path
Place a real order from start to finish on a phone, not only on your computer. Add to cart, apply a coupon, choose a city, pay, and receive the confirmation. Then try again with a different payment method and as a guest, as many customers will not create an account.
Refund that test order so you know the process works and how long the money takes to return.
- Pay with mada, a card and Apple Pay if you offer them.
- Try an address outside your main city.
- Check the order email arrives in the inbox, not spam.
- Make sure out-of-stock items cannot be bought.
Prices, VAT and invoices
Decide whether prices are shown with VAT included and say so clearly. If your business is VAT registered in Saudi Arabia or another GCC country, make sure invoices contain what the local authority requires. In Saudi Arabia that includes the ZATCA e-invoicing rules, so confirm the current requirements and your phase with ZATCA or your accountant.
Show the currency everywhere, and make delivery and cash on delivery fees visible before the final step rather than at the end.
Policies and trust pages
Publish a returns and refund policy, shipping information, privacy policy, terms, and a contact page with a working phone or WhatsApp number. Add your commercial registration or e-commerce licence details where local rules expect them. Shoppers look for these before paying a store they do not know.
Speed, mobile and basic search setup
Open the store on a normal mobile connection and check that product images load quickly and buttons are easy to tap. Compress large photos. Give every page a title and description, and submit the site to Google Search Console.
Set up analytics before launch so the first day of traffic is not lost, and confirm that purchase events are recorded.