Starting Your Webstore Design: Planning Before You Build
A solid plan prevents costly mistakes later. Walk through the research and planning steps every successful online shop starts with.
Why Planning Matters More Than You Think
Most people jump straight into building. They pick a platform, add some products, and hope customers show up. Then they wonder why sales don’t happen. Here’s the thing — without planning, you’re basically designing in the dark.
We’re talking about understanding your customers, knowing your competition, and figuring out what actually makes your shop different. This upfront work saves months of frustration later. You’ll avoid redesigns, wasted features, and confusing layouts that nobody uses.
The best online shops didn’t happen by accident. They started with research, strategy, and clear thinking about who shops there and why.
Step 1: Research Your Market & Customers
Before designing anything, you need to know who you’re designing for. Not vaguely — specifically. Age range, income level, shopping habits, pain points. Are they busy professionals who value speed? Budget-conscious students? Parents looking for reliability?
Look at your competitors too. Not to copy them, but to see what’s working and what’s missing. Spend time on 5-10 similar shops. Notice their navigation. See how they show products. Check out their checkout process. What frustrates you as a customer? That’s a design opportunity.
Key insight: Most designers skip this step and design for themselves instead of customers. Don’t be that person. Spend a full week on research — talk to potential customers, analyze competitors, document what you find.
Step 2: Define Your Shop Strategy & Goals
You can’t design toward nothing. What’s the actual goal here? Are you selling handmade crafts, digital products, or physical goods? Do you want to compete on price, quality, or experience? These answers shape everything — from your product photography style to your checkout flow.
Write down 3-5 specific goals. Not “make money” — that’s vague. Try “convert 3% of visitors into customers” or “reduce cart abandonment to below 60%” or “handle 500 orders monthly.” Real numbers give you something to design toward.
- Primary product category and average price point
- Target customer profile (age, location, income, shopping style)
- Conversion goals (percentage of visitors buying)
- Order volume target (monthly or yearly)
- Unique selling proposition (what makes you different)
Step 3: Plan Your Site Structure & Navigation
Your navigation determines how customers find things. Most shops need: Homepage, Product Category pages, Individual Product pages, About page, Contact/FAQ, and Checkout. But the order matters. Your main categories should be obvious from the homepage — no hunting required.
Create a simple site map. Write out the 4-6 main navigation items. Then for each one, list what pages fall underneath. This becomes your blueprint. You’ll know exactly what pages you’re building before you open any design tool.
Pro tip:
Customers should reach any product in 3 clicks maximum. If your structure requires 5+ clicks to find something, you’ve lost them. Test your navigation structure with real people before designing the actual pages.
Plan First, Design Later
This planning phase doesn’t feel like “real work.” You’re not creating anything visual yet. But it’s where the best designs start. You’re gathering information, identifying opportunities, and building clarity. When you move into actual design, every decision becomes faster because you’re not guessing anymore.
Take these three steps seriously: research your market and customers, define your strategy and goals, then map out your site structure. Spend 1-2 weeks on this phase. The time investment pays off instantly when you start designing — you’ll have clear direction, fewer revisions, and a shop that actually converts.
Ready to move into the design phase? Check out our guide on creating high-converting product pages next.
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This article provides educational information about webstore design planning and strategy. It’s intended to help you understand the planning process and best practices. Every business is different — your specific strategy, goals, and structure should be tailored to your unique products, customers, and market conditions. Consider consulting with a professional web designer or business strategist if you need personalized guidance for your specific situation. The examples and recommendations here are general approaches that work for many shops, but aren’t guaranteed to work the same way for your business.