Shipping, orders, performance and launch.
FOR SHIPPING
Zones by area, with rates that reflect your actual cost.
Show delivery cost before checkout, not at the final step.
Set no method for areas you cannot serve, rather than taking orders you cannot fulfil.
FOR CASH ON DELIVERY
Confirm every order by phone before dispatch.
That single control removes most refusals.
FOR ORDERS
Never dispatch on a payment screenshot.
Mark orders completed promptly; that triggers the customer's dispatch email.
FOR RETURNS
Track the reasons. Most are fixable on the product page.
FOR CACHING
Cart, checkout and account pages must be excluded.
A cached cart shows one customer another's items.
FOR UPDATES
Test a complete purchase after every one. Checkouts break silently.
FOR BACKUPS
Daily. A shop's database holds every order since the last one.
BEFORE LAUNCHING
Have someone else attempt a purchase without instructions.
THE MEASUREMENT THAT MATTERS
Conversion rate, and where in the checkout people leave.
