Online store launch checklist: 40 things to check before you go live
Use this checklist before your online store goes live in the UAE: products, payments, delivery, policies, VAT, speed, SEO and your first orders.
By the Samay.ae teamUpdated 11 min read
Most launch problems are small: a payment provider left in test mode, no delivery rate for Fujairah, or English buttons on your Arabic pages. This online store launch checklist helps you find them before your customers do.
It has 40 checks in eight groups, written for UAE stores: licenses, VAT, Tabby and Tamara, cash on delivery, local couriers and Arabic. Go through it a week before launch, so you have time to fix what you find. Then go through it again the day before you open.
The checks work for any online store, whether it runs on a ready-made platform or was built just for your business. Where a check depends on how your store was built, ask whoever built it to show you. If you have not built your store yet, start with how to start an online store in the UAE.
How to use this online store launch checklist
Check your store as a customer would. Use a phone, stay logged out, and start from the link in your Instagram bio. Your admin screens can look fine while the checkout is broken.
- A week before launch: Go through all 40 checks and note what is missing. Start with business, payments and delivery, because approvals and contracts take time.
- During that week: Fix the gaps. Anything that touches money, the law or customer data must be fixed before you open.
- The day before: Run the full list again. Then ask a friend to order on their own phone, without your help, and watch where they get stuck.
Not everything has to be perfect on day one. A blog, a loyalty programme or extra photos can wait. A broken checkout cannot.
If an agency or freelancer built your store, run the checks anyway. If you are still choosing one, ask the 12 questions in our agency guide. At Samay.ae, we build each store from scratch, and our Website package includes setting up payments and delivery, and help after launch. Even so, you know your products and customers best.
Business and legal checks
Start here. Licenses, bank accounts and product approvals can take time, so do not leave them to the last week. If you sell food, supplements or some electronics, check the extra rules with the authority too.
- A license that covers online selling: Check that your e-commerce license, whether a trade license or a home one like eTrader, covers the products you sell.
- Approvals for your products: Check what your products need: in Dubai, cosmetics and perfumes usually need registering on Dubai Municipality's Montaji system before sale.
- VAT registration: You must register for VAT once taxable sales plus imports pass AED 375,000 over the last 12 months, or are expected to within 30 days.
- Prices that include VAT: Once registered, every price shoppers see must include the 5% VAT, as our VAT guide for online stores explains.
- A business bank account: Payment providers, Tabby and Tamara usually pay out only to a UAE bank account in your business's name.
This checklist is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check with the authority or an adviser before you act.
Product page checks
Your product pages sell for you when you are not there to answer questions. Check every product, not just your favourites.
- Clear titles: Name each product the way shoppers search, such as "Black linen abaya with pockets", not with a supplier code.
- Your own descriptions: Describe the material, size, fit and care in your own words, rather than copying the supplier's text.
- Good photos: Show each product from several angles, with at least one photo in use, and keep all photos the same shape.
- Sizes, colours and prices: Check that every variant (each size or colour of a product) has the right photo and price, including any sale price.
- Real stock numbers: Enter the stock you really have, and decide whether shoppers can still order an item once it sells out.
- Collections and menu: Group products into collections (categories) that people shop by, such as "Gift sets" or "Under AED 200", and add them to your menu.
- Arabic product information: UAE rules generally expect product details in Arabic, so check what applies and add an Arabic version of your store.
Payment checks
A checkout that fails on launch day costs you sales and trust. Test every way of paying with real money before you open. Our guide to payment gateways in the UAE explains your options.
- Live mode, not test mode: Check that your payment gateway (the service that takes card payments for you) is approved and switched to live mode.
- Apple Pay: Open your checkout on an iPhone and check that Apple Pay appears. Do not assume it works just because card payments do.
- Tabby and Tamara: If you offer these buy now, pay later options, check that both have approved your store and that their messages show on product pages.
- Cash on delivery rules: Decide where you offer cash on delivery (COD), up to what order value, and whether you add a COD fee.
- A real order, then a refund: Buy a cheap product with your own card, check that the order email arrives, then refund it.
Run one test for each way of paying, and check these points.
| Test | How to do it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Card | Your own card, cheapest product | The payment shows in your provider's account, and the order email arrives |
| Apple Pay | Safari on an iPhone | The button appears, and the payment goes through |
| Tabby or Tamara | Your own Tabby or Tamara account | The payment plan shows, and the order is marked as paid |
| Cash on delivery | Choose it at checkout | The order shows as not yet paid, with any COD fee added |
| Refund | Refund your card test order | The customer email goes out, and the refund shows in your provider's account |
Tip: Ask your payment provider whether it keeps its fee when you refund an order. Then you know what your tests really cost.
Delivery checks
Delivery mistakes eat into your margin quietly. Check your prices, your courier and your packaging. Our guide to delivery companies for online stores in the UAE compares the main couriers.
- Rates for every emirate: Set delivery prices for all seven emirates, or by zone, so no customer sees "no delivery available" at checkout.
- A free-delivery threshold: Choose the order value above which delivery is free, and check your margin still covers the courier's fee at that level.
- Courier account and connection: Open your courier account, connect it to your store if the courier has an API (a link that passes orders from your store to the courier), and agree how pickups, returns and refused parcels work.
- Delivery times on the page: Show delivery times on product pages and at checkout, and promise same-day delivery only where your courier offers it.
- Packaging and a test delivery: Pack one order properly, send it to a friend, and check the parcel, the tracking messages and the driver's call.
For the threshold, start from your typical order. Say most orders are around AED 150. Free delivery from AED 200 gives shoppers a reason to add one more item, while smaller orders still pay towards delivery.
Policy and trust checks
Shoppers who do not know you yet look for clear rules and a real business before they pay. Payment providers usually check for these pages before they approve you, too.
- Return and refund policy: Say what can be returned, by when, and how refunds are paid, using our return and refund policy template.
- Privacy policy: Explain what customer data you collect, why you collect it and how you keep it safe, and collect only what you need.
- Terms of service: Set out the rules of buying from you, including prices, payment, delivery, cancellations and how you handle complaints.
- Contact details and WhatsApp: Show a phone number, an email address and a WhatsApp chat button on every page, and test that the button works.
- About page: Tell shoppers who is behind the store, where you are based and why you started, with a real photo if you can.
Design and content checks
Many shoppers will see your store on a phone first, so test it on yours before anything else. Then check it on a computer.
- Checked on a phone: Go through your store on a phone, from the home page to the payment page, in English and in Arabic.
- Fast pages: Compress large photos, remove add-ons and tracking codes you do not use, and test your main pages with Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool.
- No sample content left: Replace any sample text, demo images and the default favicon (the small icon in the browser tab) with your own.
- No broken links: Click every link in your menu, footer and buttons, and fix any that lead to an empty or missing page.
- Spelling in both languages: Ask a native speaker to read every page in English and Arabic, including buttons, policies and order emails.
SEO and tracking checks
SEO (getting found on Google) takes months to build, so set up the basics now. Our guide to SEO for online stores in the UAE covers what comes next.
- Google Search Console: Verify your store in Google's free Search Console and submit your sitemap, the file that lists your store's pages for Google.
- SEO titles and alt text: Give each product and collection a clear title and description for Google, and add alt text (a short description) to photos.
- Tracking with consent: Add Google Analytics and the Meta pixel (code that shows which Instagram and Facebook ads bring sales), with a cookie banner asking permission.
- Google Shopping: Send your products to Google Merchant Center with a product feed (a list of your products, prices and stock that updates itself), so products can appear in Google's Shopping results.
Launch day and your first week
On launch day, keep your phone close and your diary clear. The first orders show you what still needs fixing.
- Store open to the public: Remove the password page that hides your store, then place one last order on your own web address.
- A launch message: Announce the store on Instagram and your WhatsApp status, and message past customers who agreed to hear from you.
- Someone watching orders: Check each order as it arrives, confirm cash on delivery orders by WhatsApp, and send orders out the same or next day.
- A plan for reviews: Make sure customers can leave reviews on your store, and ask each early customer for a short review a few days after delivery.
What to do in the first week after launch
The first week is for listening and small fixes, not big changes.
- Reply the same day. Early questions on WhatsApp and Instagram show you what your product pages are missing.
- Fix what people ask about. If several shoppers ask the same question, add the answer to the product page.
- Read your reports. Check visits, add-to-carts and orders each day. If many people visit but few buy, look at prices, delivery fees and photos first.
- Check that the money arrives. Make sure your first payouts reach your bank. Tabby, for example, pays out weekly on Mondays, or when your balance reaches AED 2,500.
- Plan your next step. Pick two or three ways to bring in more visitors from our guide to getting your first 100 customers.
Frequently asked questions
How long before launch should I start testing my online store?
Start testing at least a week before your launch date. That leaves time to fix problems and to wait for approvals, such as your payment provider moving you to live mode. Then run the whole checklist again the day before you open.
Should I launch with all my products?
Not necessarily. It is better to launch with 20 products that have good photos, clear descriptions and correct stock than with 200 half-finished pages. Add the rest in batches after launch, and use each batch as a reason to post and message customers again.
Do I need a privacy policy for an online store in the UAE?
You should publish one. The UAE has a personal data protection law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021), and payment providers usually look for a privacy policy before they approve a store. Say what you collect, why, how you keep it safe and how customers can reach you, and check the details with a lawyer.
Should I do a soft launch first?
We usually advise it. A soft launch means opening your store to friends, family and loyal followers for a few days before you announce it widely. You get real orders and honest feedback while mistakes are still cheap to fix.
Should my store use a .ae or a .com web address?
Either works for a UAE store. A .ae address shows you are based in the UAE, but registrars may ask for documents such as a trade license. A .com has no such rules, so choose whichever short, easy-to-spell name you can get.