An online store in Georgia: what to know before you launch

On the Georgian market many businesses start like this: an Instagram page, a few photos and orders in Direct. At some point orders grow, messages get tangled and the question arises: is it time for our own website?

An online store sorts out this chaos, but only if you think a few important things through in advance. Here's what we ask every new client.

Payment: what options to give the buyer

Georgian banks offer businesses online payment systems. Signing the contract and the technical integration take time, so start this process in parallel with design, not a week before launch.

Keep in mind too that many buyers still prefer to pay on delivery, and for expensive products, in instalments. The more familiar options you offer, the fewer carts get abandoned.

Delivery: price and timing right on the product page

The buyer should know how much delivery will cost and when they'll receive the item before they even reach the cart. List Tbilisi and the regions separately. If you work with a courier company, agree in advance how you'll get information on parcel status.

The product page sells, not the home page

• real photos from several angles, ideally on one background and in one style;
• sizes, material and care instructions, clear and in Georgian;
• a description you wrote yourself rather than copied from the supplier's site; this helps both the buyer and Google;
• a clear price and stock status.

Mobile first

As a rule, most of an online store's visitors come from a phone. So check every page on a phone first: is the “Add to cart” button visible without scrolling, how many fields does the buyer fill in at checkout and how fast do the photos load?

A question before buying, in one tap

Before buying, buyers often have a question: “Will this size fit me?”, “Will it arrive tomorrow?”. Add a WhatsApp, Viber or Messenger button so people can get in touch without leaving the site, and reply quickly.

Return and exchange terms

A clearly written return policy builds trust: within how many days an item can be returned, who pays for delivery, how the money is refunded. Check the legal details related to consumer rights with a lawyer, but write the text in plain language.

Which platform to choose

• WooCommerce (WordPress): flexible, and there are often ready modules for Georgian banks' payment systems. It needs hosting and regular updates.
• Shopify: a fast start and fewer technical worries, but a monthly fee. Check in advance how it will connect to the payment system you want.
• Custom code: worth it when you have complex logic: an inventory system, different prices for different clients, integration with accounting.

Analytics and SEO from day one

Google Analytics 4 and the Meta Pixel should be working on launch day; you can't collect data for a period that's already gone. Give category pages proper titles and short descriptions so people find you on Google not only by brand name but by product type too.

An online store isn't a “launch and forget” project. The first three months teach you the most: watch the data and change whatever gets in the buyer's way.

If you're planning to launch an online store, write to us: in one meeting we'll go through this checklist and tell you which platform suits your business.