Stock that balances itself
What sells on the website is deducted from the warehouse and the physical shop without anyone writing anything down. Selling something you do not have is the worst review possible.
Ecommerce
Online stores that do not make work
Setting up the store is the easy part. The hard part is making the stock balance, the invoices go out on their own and shipping not turn into two hours a day. That is what this is about.
4-8 weeks Consumer regulations built in No lock-in contract
Nobody fails because of the store. They fail because of what comes after
An online store can be set up in a few weeks. What sinks most small projects comes right afterwards, when orders start coming in:
- The stock on the website and in the physical shop stop matching, and you end up selling something you do not have.
- Every order has to be typed in again in the invoicing software.
- Shipping labels are generated one by one on the courier’s website.
- Nobody tells the customer anything, so they phone asking where their order is.
With ten orders a month it is bearable. With a hundred, the store that was going to bring you income has created a part-time job for you.
That is why I approach the store and its automation as a single project. It is not an extra: it is what decides whether the online channel pays off for you or not.
What happens after the order
Six things that should happen on their own
Invoices without typing
Every order generates its invoice in your accounting software. No exporting, no copying, no reconciling at the end of the month.
Shipping and labels
The label is generated on its own, the customer receives the tracking and you stop logging into the courier’s website order by order.
Abandoned carts
Seven out of ten carts are left half-finished. A reminder at the right moment recovers part of them, and those are sales that were already lost.
Back-in-stock alerts
When a product sells out, whoever wanted it is notified when it returns. And you are notified before you run out.
Reviews after delivery
An automatic request once the order has arrived, not before. Product reviews are what convert hesitant buyers most.
Which platform suits you
There is no single right answer for everyone. These are the three real options and when each one makes sense:
Shopify
Convenient, stable and it does not break. In return, a monthly fee and a possible commission per sale if you do not use its payment gateway. It fits when you want to forget about maintenance and the margin per product allows it.
WooCommerce
No commission per sale and more freedom, but it needs maintaining: it relies on plugins that age and it needs updates. It fits when margins are tight and the commissions would hurt.
Custom
Only when the business does something no platform solves: product configurators, per-customer pricing, deep integrations with your system. If you are in doubt, it is not your case.
The sum to do is not which one costs less today: it is which one costs less over three years, adding up fees, commissions and hours of maintenance. Above a certain volume, the difference in commissions pays for the development on its own.
What the law requires and almost nobody complies with
Selling online carries more obligations than having an informational website, and many stores are born non-compliant without knowing it. The basics:
- The total price before payment, shipping included, with no surprises at the last step.
- The purchase button must state that the order involves an obligation to pay. A plain “Continue” is not enough.
- A 14-calendar-day right of withdrawal, with its form available to the customer.
- Order confirmation on a durable medium, normally by email.
- Information about the legal guarantee, which in Spain is three years for goods.
All of that is left set up and explained. It is not just about avoiding a penalty: a store that informs well sells more, because anyone who cannot find the returns policy simply does not buy.
And an honest warning
A store without visitors does not sell. You can have the best product and get three orders in the first month, because nobody knows about it yet. Set aside budget to bring people in — search ranking, campaigns or the traffic you already have — and do not spend it all on the store.
If someone promises you sales from day one, be wary.
Common questions
What people ask me about selling online
WooCommerce, Shopify or something custom?
It depends on the volume and on who is going to manage it. Shopify is more convenient and does not break, but it has a monthly fee and can charge a commission per sale if you do not use its payment gateway. WooCommerce charges no commission and is more flexible, but it needs maintaining and relies on plugins that age badly. Custom only makes sense when the business does something no platform solves. In the first meeting we run the numbers for your case: above a certain volume, the difference in commissions pays for the development on its own.
How long does it take to have it up and running?
Between four and eight weeks. The technical part is not what takes longest: what takes longest is preparing the catalogue. Photos, descriptions, variants, weights to calculate shipping and VAT per product. If the catalogue is ready, it goes to the short end of the timeframe.
What about what I already sell on marketplaces?
They can coexist perfectly well. Amazon or your sector’s marketplaces bring volume and new customers, but they also take a commission on the customer who already knew you. Your own store does not replace them: it wins back the repeat customer, who is the one who leaves the margin.
Do I need any knowledge to manage it?
Not for the day to day: adding products, changing prices and checking orders is done from a simple panel, and I show you how. What is worth being clear about from the start is who in the company handles the orders, because a store with nobody behind it creates angry customers.
And if I sell little at first?
That is normal. A newly opened store does not sell because nobody knows about it: the product can be perfect and the first month bring three orders. That is why it is worth setting aside budget to attract visitors — search ranking, campaigns or the traffic you already have — and not spending it all on the store. If someone promises you sales from day one, be wary.
Does someone make sure it complies with the law?
Yes, and it is more demanding than for an ordinary website. Selling online requires you to show the total price before payment, to have the purchase button state explicitly that the order involves an obligation to pay, to offer the 14-day right of withdrawal with its form, to confirm the order on a durable medium and to give information about the legal guarantee. Everything is left set up and I explain what each point involves.
If what interests you is removing manual work from the day to day, take a look at process automation. And to bring visitors to the store, local SEO in Valencia.
Start here
Tell me what you sell and how many orders you get.
I will tell you which platform suits you.
Half an hour at no cost. We leave with the three-year comparison between platforms for your case and the list of what is worth automating from the start.