E-commerce

Products and photos

• A name, price, description and stock level for every product
• Consistent photos on a plain background, at least two angles each
• Sizes, variants and weights entered correctly, because shipping costs depend on them
• A short line on who each product is for; it sells better than a list of specifications

Payments customers actually use

Cards alone are not enough for many Philippine shoppers. Offer at least one e-wallet such as GCash or Maya alongside cards, and decide whether you will accept cash on delivery, which increases orders but also failed deliveries.

React Web Development Services, the studio I founded, has a detailed guide to GCash payment integration covering the options and fees.

Shipping and delivery

• Shipping rates by area, shown before checkout rather than at the last step
• Realistic delivery times for Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao
• A free-shipping threshold, if your margins allow it
• Order confirmation and tracking messages sent automatically

Policies and trust

Publish returns, shipping and privacy policies in plain language. Under the Data Privacy Act you must explain what customer data you collect and why. Add real contact details, a physical address if you have one, and reviews as soon as you have them.

Test checkout on a real phone

Most orders will come from mobile phones, often mid-range ones on mobile data. Place several real test orders on a phone, with each payment method, before you announce the store. Slow pages and long forms are the most common reasons carts are abandoned.

The numbers to watch after launch

• Conversion rate: the share of visitors who place an order
• Cart abandonment: carts started but not completed, and at which step
• Average order value: how much each order is worth
• Cost per order: what you spend on ads and fees for each sale

A Shopify or WooCommerce Store starts from ₱60,000: theme build, apps, and Philippine payments and couriers connected end to end, including GCash and Maya. A custom headless store starts from ₱90,000 (US$3,800 internationally). Get an itemised quote in a few minutes.