Creating an online store is an important step in developing your business. Before you start building your webshop, you need to be clear about your business needs, as well as your goals and expectations for the online store. Take your time to identify your target audience — think about the products and services you offer and who you want to present them to.

Assuming that after launching the webshop, all accompanying activities (digital marketing, customer support) are carried out properly, you will soon see the results of your work and the new revenue your webshop brings. It will become clear that every investment in a webshop can be seen as a self-returning investment.

Here are a few reasons why you should sell online:

1. Online shopping is convenient and secure. The widespread use of smartphones also means you can shop from anywhere, at any time of day.

2. Compared to a physical store, setting up an online shop is much cheaper. This is partly because physical stores have multiple fixed costs such as rent, electricity bills, employee salaries, infrastructure maintenance, etc.

3. Online and physical stores don’t have to exclude each other — they can complement one another. The webshop can serve as an information source and a virtual showcase for customers, and vice versa. 

4. Personalizing experiences and services is much easier online. You can use different media, including video, audio, stories, customer reviews, and personalized messages to create an experience that your clients value and share with others.

STEPS TO BUILDING A WEB SHOP

1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLATFORM FOR YOUR WEB SHOP

While most webshops globally are built on platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify, or BigCommerce, in Croatia, most high-quality webshops are built on custom solutions by local developers, such as our own Shape Core platform.

How does the platform affect the webshop price? Development companies that build webshops on major eCommerce platforms specialize in quickly customizing the base webshop, setting up core functionalities, and launching it into operation. The main advantage here is speed — it’s often possible to have a webshop ready within 15 to 20 days. This is logical since such a project requires fewer work hours, as well as less knowledge and skill, to create a functional webshop. Naturally, this also means that the cost of building such a webshop is lower.

The downside of this concept is the inability to tailor specific functionalities to the client’s needs — something that quickly proves crucial in any eCommerce project.

A custom platform like Shape Core allows both options:

• Basic functionalities for clients who only need a simple webshop for receiving orders and payments

• Additional features in any part of the webshop as needed

2. CHOOSE A DESIGN THAT REFLECTS YOUR BRAND AND CONNECTS WITH YOUR TARGET CUSTOMERS

The layout of the webshop — the arrangement of elements on the page — is one of the essential parts of the UX/UI component in webshop design. The placement of banners and blocks, text size and font, and color palette — all directly influence user experience and purchasing decisions.

Building a webshop with Shipshape gives you three levels of design to choose from:

1. Predefined design with customization of logo, main colors, and fonts

2. Standard custom design based on a defined wireframe

3. Premium custom design

3. CHOOSE THE FUNCTIONALITIES YOU NEED

When preparing a webshop offer, all basic functionalities are usually included in the base price, while advanced ones are added depending on the client’s needs and preferences. Therefore, the cost of developing a webshop largely depends on the selected advanced features. It’s generally not necessary to include all advanced functionalities from the start — additional features can be implemented later as your eCommerce team grows and gains experience managing daily operations.

BONUS: INTEGRATED CRM IS A BUILT-IN PART OF THE SHAPE CORE PLATFORM

• All customer data — existing and potential — is gathered in one place within the webshop.

• Initial data import is done through ERP integration or direct data import.

• New customers and leads are entered into the CMS manually or automatically (e.g., leads acquired through marketing campaigns).

4. INTEGRATIONS WITH EXTERNAL SYSTEMS

One of the most significant factors in planning and building a webshop (and its cost) is integration with external systems, with the biggest emphasis on ERP integration, if you use one. This is a fundamental integration necessary for webshop functionality since most of your business data resides in the ERP system (product codes and names, categorization, prices, stock, customer IDs, etc.).

*ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a program companies use for daily business operations — including sales, accounting, project management, and logistics.

This is the most complex integration and often involves costs on both sides (for example, ERP service provider fees or licenses for integration with the webshop) — make sure to inquire in time!

So far, we have integrated webshops with the following ERP systems: 4D Wand, Pantheon, Gath, Luceed, Laserline TRS, and Minimax

Integration can be: one-way — the ERP sends data to the webshop CMS but not vice versa (typically product data such as codes, prices, stock levels), or two-way — the ERP sends data to the CMS, and the CMS sends data back to the ERP (such as customer data and orders).

The Shape webshop can integrate with various:

• PAYMENT SYSTEMS All major payment gateways for card payments (Corvus Pay, WS Pay, HT Payway, Monri, mCheckout); integration with payment platforms (PayPal, KEKS Pay, PayCek – cryptocurrency payments).

• DELIVERY SERVICES Integration with major courier services (DPD, GLS, Hrvatska Pošta, DHL, Intime).

• EMAIL MARKETING SERVICES Integration with popular email marketing tools (MailChimp, SendINBlue, Webpower Adria).

And other external systems such as:

• HNB and ECB – daily exchange rate retrieval.

• Court Register – company data retrieved by VAT number and stored in ERP.

• Bon.hr – credit rating service, retrieves company credit status (useful for B2B webshops, charged per request).

• Supplier B2B systems – to receive information on stock levels and purchase prices of products.

5. CUSTOMERS ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO SECURITY, PAYMENT METHODS, AND DELIVERY OPTIONS

According to the Baymard Institute, the average cart abandonment rate is around 70%. More than half of these cases occur during the payment stage. This can be attributed to various reasons, including lack of payment options (9% of abandoned carts) and declined transactions (4%).

If you run a webshop, a high cart abandonment rate during payment means you might be missing out on significant sales. Therefore, it’s crucial to analyze the reasons and take steps to reduce them. Notably, customers who abandon their cart at checkout have already decided to buy but leave due to certain webshop limitations.

Payment security is one of the key factors influencing a customer’s decision to complete a purchase. Offering multiple payment options attracts a wider audience. Payment transaction fees can be significant (depending on the method), so it’s important to analyze and choose the best options for your business.

WHAT PAYMENT METHODS EXIST?

CASH ON DELIVERY The customer pays upon receiving the shipment. This can be done in cash or by card (in Croatia, DPD currently offers this service). If this is your main payment method, it’s advisable to integrate your webshop with the courier system to track shipment and payment status.

CARD PAYMENTS A payment gateway handles card transactions through agreements with banks — you simply choose the one that best suits your business. The most popular in Croatia are Corvus Pay, WS Pay, and HT Payway. 

VIRTUAL CARDS AND WALLETS This category includes long-standing options like PayPal, the locally popular KEKS Pay, and newer cryptocurrency payments through PayCek. Platforms like Revolut, Stripe, Google Pay, and Apple Pay also fall under this category, but they require no additional setup on your part since they are processed through the standard card payment interface.

BANK TRANSFER / ONLINE BANKING Some users prefer not to share card details online and instead choose direct bank transfers. For them, provide clear payment details, ideally in a format suitable for quick photo payment services.

COUPONS / VOUCHERS These are store-issued value vouchers that can be used as payment or combined with other payment methods. For example, if a customer buys goods worth €690 and has a €500 voucher, they can pay the remaining €190 using any other available method.

AFTER PAYMENT, DELIVERY IS THE NEXT MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN A CUSTOMER’S PURCHASE DECISION

eCommerce trends are moving toward offering multiple delivery options, keeping customers informed about shipment status, and providing flexible return policies.

6. HOSTING AND DOMAINS

While smaller webshops can rely on well-known hosting providers such as Avalon, larger webshops need solutions that guarantee uptime and stability during peak traffic — such as Black Friday or holiday shopping seasons. That’s why we choose VPS managed hosting (Virtual Private Server) for our clients, ensuring maximum stability. Projects are deployed with generous resource capacity to ensure smooth performance even under heavy load.

The hosting price is determined by the space used on the server, measured in GB.

The webshop domain is the URL address where your store will be located. Companies and sole proprietors in Croatia are entitled to a free .hr domain if it matches their business name and is available.

And finally, here are a few more tips to help you make the most of the digital space to achieve growth and success in online commerce

Provide efficient customer support to build trust. Respond quickly to inquiries and resolve issues to create a positive shopping experience. 

• Include all relevant product information, high-quality images, and clear descriptions.

• Develop a marketing plan that includes social media, email marketing, SEO, and paid advertising to attract your target audience and boost sales. Make sure your webshop is visible in search engines by optimizing content. Use relevant keywords and leverage your webshop as a platform for promotion through blogs, customer comments, and reviews.

• Regularly monitor your webshop analytics to gain insights into performance. Analyze visitor data, conversions, and customer behavior to identify areas for improvement.

These are the foundations of a successful webshop, but the key lies in continuously following trends, analyzing data, and adapting to changes in the digital environment.

Remember, an online store is not just about selling products — it’s about building long-term relationships with satisfied customers.