Construct Site Plan

Once we have consulted with the new site client and have an understanding as to what is needed, we need to construct plan outlines for our team to reference when developing a new Shopify site.

Create Product Management Plan

Translating an existing e-commerce business to a Shopify site takes some careful attention to how product groupings and product types are created. Shopify doesn't have "categories" in the traditional sense of how most e-commerce platforms handle categories. Instead, Shopify uses Collections. Collections are not hierarchal, either. That is, you don't specify the relationship of Collections to one another. In Shopify, you don't construct a hierarchy of "Apparel / Mens / Shirts." Instead, you might create Collections for Apparel, Mens and Shirts, then arrange them as a hierarchy in the site navigation.

Collections can be created as "Manual" or "Automatic," too. That is, you can create a Collection to which you assign specific products (Manual), or create one where products are automatically added based on a specified filter based on product attributes.

Within Collections, Shopify allows the use of Filters to allow shoppers to further refine their view of products. Filters are created automatically from the tags assigned to products.

When creating the Product Management Plan for a new site, you should define within a "Product Management Plan" Notebook file in the TeamWork project (create a new file if one doesn't already exist):

• Product Types. Shopify allows you to assign a "Type" to every product. This Product Type feature can be used to automatically assign products to Collections. Provide a list of the various Product Types that should be used in the site. A Product can only have one Product Type.
• Product Tags. Tags are much like Product Types, except that Tags are used to create Filters within Collections and a Product can have more than one tag assigned to it. Consider tags that make sense for filtering products. Tags should not be general (e.g. "apparel," "books," "hats"), but more specific for filtering among Products within a Collection. Consider filters such as "red," "Blue ray," or Brand name. It is probably helpful to list Product Tags by Product Type (e.g. Mens Shirts: long sleeve, short sleeve, crew neck, collared).
• Collections. Map out the product hierarchy that should be displayed in the main navigation of the site. Note all levels within this hierarchy. These elements should become the Collections within the site. For each Collection, note:
  • Manual or Automatic. Are the products to be individually assigned to a Collection or will they be automatically assigned based on a Product Type, tag or other attribute? (See Adding an automated collection.)
  • Criteria. Specify what will be used to select Products for a Collection, whether Manual or Automatic.

Create Shipping Plan

Outline how shipping will be handled, including: -

Rates do not have to be set here, but the overall shipping plan does.

Add this information as a notebook called "Shipping Plan".

Create Site Integration Plan

Each site we develop has certain integration needs based on certain aspects of how the site is to be managed, especially in regards to order processing and fulfillment.

Every store will be connected to our Titan Pro platform. However, beyond that, we need to specify any additional integrations needed for the store (specify these in a TeamWork Notebook file within the project):

• TITAN. If we are managing the online operations for a client, then we have to create a TITAN instance specific to operating the store operations through TITAN.
• Fulfillment. If the client is conducting their own fulfillment, we want, if possible, to provide a means to transmit valid orders to the client's fulfillment operation. This may be done simply by using ShipStation or like tool. In other cases, it may involve constructing an integration between TITAN and the client's fulfillment center. In others, we may allow the customer to process directly from Shopify. The Site Integration Plan should contain information regarding this integration and what is required to support it. Sufficient time must be allowed to create any customized connector.
• Payment Gateways. We need to know if the site is to use our Stripe and PayPal accounts, or if they will be using their own payment gateway. If the latter, we need to get the necessary credentials to set these up. Have the client communicate them via BaseCamp (not email) for security purposes and record them in the project Notebook.
• Special Apps. In some cases, a site requires such unique functionality, that a Shopify app may be required to fulfill the site requirements. These should be noted, whether currently available or an app we need to create.
  • Live Chat. If the client desires Live Chat on their site, have them create an account with Olark. The Bronze account is minimally required. Post the credentials in the Notebook file.
  • Digital Downloads. If the client will be selling digital products, Shopify has a free digital download app. Confirm that it will satisfy their needs. If they require more functionality, consider other apps such as SendOwl.