10 things every online store in Pakistan needs

A visitor makes up their mind about a new online store in seconds. Can I trust this? Is the price clear? Will it reach me, and can I pay cash? Most stores that get visitors but no orders are failing one of these questions, not the bigger ones about design or marketing.

Here are the ten things to have in place, in roughly the order a customer in Pakistan checks them. Use it as a checklist before launch, and again whenever orders slow down.

1. Prices shown clearly, in rupees

'Price in DM' and missing prices cost more sales than they save. Show the real price on every product, in PKR, with any sale price marked openly against the original. A visible, fixed price is itself a trust signal: it tells the customer you are a shop, not a negotiation.

2. Delivery charges before checkout surprises them

An unexpected delivery charge at the last step is one of the most common reasons people abandon an order. Decide your charges in advance and show them at checkout: a flat rate, free delivery over a certain order value, or charges by parcel weight. On Biizay these are set as shipping rates, and a 'free over' rate is a simple way to lift the average order.

3. Cash on delivery

Many shoppers in Pakistan will not pay in advance to a store they have not used before. Offering cash on delivery removes that fear. It brings its own risk, refused parcels, which we cover in how to set up cash on delivery and cut returns. On Biizay, cash on delivery is built into checkout and on by default.

4. A real way to contact you

A phone number, a WhatsApp number and, if you have one, an address. Customers look for these before a first order to check you are a real business. Put them on a contact page with an enquiry form and in the footer of every page. Every new Biizay store gets a contact page with an enquiry form.

5. Exchange, return and delivery policies

Write down, in plain words, what happens if a size is wrong, a parcel arrives damaged, or a customer changes their mind. Say how long delivery usually takes. A clear policy reassures the buyer and protects you in a dispute. Keep it honest and specific to what you actually do; do not copy another store's terms.

6. Product pages that answer questions

Every question a customer has to ask is a sale that might not happen. Size, material, colour accuracy, what is in the box, care instructions. If a product comes in sizes or colours, list them as proper options so customers can only pick what you have in stock. Our guide to adding products with variants shows how.

7. Stock you can trust

Nothing loses a customer faster than taking their order for something you do not have. If you sell in a shop or on another site too, you need one stock count that every sale reduces. Biizay's website, point of sale and recorded phone sales all take from the same count, and stock is reserved the moment an order is placed.

8. Confirmation after the order

After ordering, customers want to know it worked. A clear confirmation page, then a message or email when the order is confirmed and when it ships, cuts 'did you get my order?' messages and builds confidence for the next purchase. Biizay's Store emails app sends order confirmed, shipped, delivered and cancelled emails to customers, sent as your shop, once you switch it on.

9. Being findable on Google

Even if Instagram brings most visitors, people will search your brand name on Google. Your store needs proper page titles, a sitemap, and to be known to Google. Biizay writes titles, structured data and sitemaps for every store, and the Search Console app lets you see which searches bring people in.

10. Your own name in the address bar

A free address like yourshop.biizay.com is fine to start. Once orders are coming in, your own domain (yourshop.pk or yourshop.com) looks more established and is easier to remember and print on packaging. On Biizay, connecting your own domain is on paid plans.

What can wait until after launch?

• Your full catalogue. Start with 15 to 30 best sellers.
• A blog. Useful for Google later, not needed on day one.
• Perfect design. A clean theme with good photos beats a custom design with bad ones.
• Every payment method. Start with what your customers already use.

What do customers check first on a new store?

Watch a friend use your store for the first time and you will see the order: they look at a product and its price, then look for the delivery charge, then scroll to the bottom for contact details and a policy, then decide. If any of those is missing or hard to find, they hesitate. That is why the first four items on this list matter more than the rest.

Checking it all in one go

Biizay's launch checklist guide turns this list into steps you can work through in the portal, one screen at a time, before you tell anyone the store is live.