The very first step involves you getting in touch, whether you give us a call, or request that we call you. Either way, we’ll speak with you and arrange a time to talk in more detail about your online retail needs.

We’ll spend a little time getting to know you, your business, and your online retail requirements. Our free consultations don’t obligate you, and at the very least you’ll get a few ideas from us and a brew.

We’ll conduct a little research and put together a needs analysis based on what you sell, how you operate, your customer base, and where applicable, the functionality of your existing store.

Based on your requirements, we’ll provide you with a proposal for a new online store, with a detailed outline of all suggested functionality as well as clear costing for every feature.

Once you’ve read through our proposed solution and let us know if you need more or less functionality, we’ll adjust the proposal if required and prepare an updated version for you.

Once the proposal is agreed, we’ll process the necessary project paperwork and ask you a few questions based on your design preferences so we can get cracking with your new store.

The production management of your new store will be assigned from your Business Development Advisor to a Project Coordinator, who’ll schedule and oversee its development and will be your main point of contact here at Visualsoft until your store is launched.

We’ll let you know what info we need to build your store to specification (such as payment gateway details, site copy, etc.) and show you how you can prepare product listings for your store while it’s in production.

We’ll agree store layouts with you (unless you’ve invested in a fully bespoke solution) before we begin designing your store, so you’ll have a rough idea of how it will look once complete.

Using the info you’ve given us, our Design team will put together a concept homepage for your new store – the way that the page looks and feels will set the tone for other pages so it’s important to get it right.

Once you’ve looked over the proposed design for your store’s homepage, we’ll make requested revisions until you’re absolutely over the moon with how it looks.

When you’re ready, we’ll ask you to let us know that you don’t need any further changes to the homepage design and that you’re happy to approve it before we move on to designing the rest of your new store.

Following the same procedure as outlined in the previous stage, we’ll design the remainder of your store’s pages – including product, department and content pages – based on the approved homepage design.

If there’s anything you’re not happy with, our Design team will make changes to the page designs to ensure you’re delighted with your new store’s aesthetic.

Once you let us know that you require no further changes and are happy to approve all of your store’s page designs, your Project Coordinator will then progress the production of your site to the Build and Development stage.

Using the designs you’ve approved, our Web Development teams will begin to build your store – we call this the ‘site cut’ stage because it involves slicing up artwork and rebuilding it into a functioning store.

We’ll carry out development work to ensure that your new store comes complete with every eCommerce feature outlined in your project proposal – everything from core functionality to specific integrations.

If your store requires any additional developments (for bespoke functionality for example) this is then undertaken by our specialist tech teams before your store is ready for testing.

When your store has been designed and built, our dedicated team of testers put it through its paces and check all aspects of usability, features and the full checkout process.

Following thorough testing, and the resolve of any identified issues, we’ll invite you to take part in a session on how to use your new store’s admin system, delivered by one of our dedicated trainers.

In addition to our own testing, we’ll ask you to check over your new store to ensure you’re able to manage it as required and there are no issues when it’s launched.

If we haven’t already confirmed a launch date, we’ll schedule one in with you during this stage and ask you to ensure your store is populated with products and other info as required prior to going live.

We’ll confirm that we have control of your store’s domain and check that redirects are setup and ready to be implemented if required.

We’ll carry out some final checks with your store’s functionality to ensure it’s all working as it should be before we begin the go live process.

On the agreed launch date of your new store, we’ll begin the process of making it live which includes moving it to a live server, making payment options live, and enabling functionality that can only be setup on an active site.

Congratulations! By this stage you’re now the proud owner of a brand new online store that’s live on the Internet and ready to take orders, so pop open the bubbly and raise a glass to your successful future in online retail.

When your store has been successfully launched, you’ll no longer need the services of your Project Coordinator, however you’ll be promptly introduced to your Account Manager here at Visualsoft who’ll be your ongoing contact while we continue to host and support your store for years to come.

Your Account Manager will be on hand to help with your queries and requests for new work, and you’ll also have access to our Online Support System and Knowledge Base so you can let us know when you need us and get lots of useful tips and guidance.

Our Business Development team can periodically review your store if requested and offer advice on new developments and our latest features that could help you stay up to date in a fast-paced sector and increase your revenue.

Once your store’s live, we’ll also put you in touch with our Online Maketing department which offers PPC, SEO, email marketing, and affiliate marketing services to help you attract and retain customers.