Date of publication:
27 Mar. 25How to Prepare Technical Specifications for Developing an Online Store: Tips for Business Owners
What could be simpler than creating an online store? You choose a platform, hire developers, give them a task — and in a few months, the site is ready. But if you’ve been down this path, you know: the reality is harsher. Deadlines drag on, the budget increases, features don’t work as imagined… Ultimately, instead of a profitable online store, you end up with a headache.
In 80% of cases, the cause of such chaos is a poorly drafted technical task (TT). Without a clear plan, developers are forced to ‘guess’ at your wishes, and you spend time on endless revisions. As a result, the online store turns out differently than expected, or even becomes an unfinished long-term project.
But there is good news: you can avoid these problems if you prepare the TT correctly. And in this article, I will show you how to do it. No complex terminology – just concrete tips, real cases, and step-by-step instructions. Ready? Then let’s go!
What is a technical specification and why it is important
Many business owners believe that a technical specification (TS) is just a formality. It’s enough to tell developers about the idea, and they will do everything as needed. However, in practice, without a detailed TS, the project turns into a series of misunderstandings, constant revisions, and financial losses.
Without TS — results are unpredictable
Imagine you want to build a house. You tell the builders: “I want a beautiful two-story cottage with large windows.” Did they understand you? Maybe. Will the house turn out exactly as you imagined? Unlikely. You didn’t specify the area, materials, room layout, and many other details. Now transfer this situation to the digital world. Without clear requirements for site structure, functionality, design, integrations — the result will be far from expected.
The main tasks of a TS are the following:
- Ensure a unified vision between the client and developers. All parties clearly understand what needs to be done and in what timeframe.
- Protect against unnecessary expenses. If the necessary functionality is not outlined initially, adding new features during development will cost several times more.
- Reduce the risk of delays. Clearly defined requirements allow developers to make decisions faster and avoid rework.
- Ensure expectations are met. The completed site will meet your business needs, not the developer’s interpretation.
To ensure your online store doesn’t become another failed story, it’s important to prepare the specification correctly. Next, we’ll examine the key points this document should include.
Main components of the technical specification: how to leave no room for developers’ imagination
Have you ever tried to explain to a repairman that you want ‘something stylish’ in the bathroom? If so, then you already know how that ends: unclear experiments, delays, and huge bills for rework. It’s the same story with developing an online store. If clear requirements aren’t set, the final result may turn out to be nothing like what you envisioned.
To avoid this, the technical specification should be as detailed as possible. Its structure typically includes the following key sections.
General Information: setting the scope of the project
This section is the foundation upon which all subsequent development is built. It answers the question: “What are we creating and for whom?”
Here’s what’s important to specify:
- Target audience: who will buy the products, what their needs, behaviors, and expectations are.
- Sales geography: local market or international, what payment systems and languages will be required.
- Competitors: 2-3 examples of sites to use as references (what you like and what needs to be done better).
Functionality: Defining what the site must be capable of
Developing an online store is not just about a beautiful interface but a complex system with dozens of functions. To avoid chaos in operation, it is necessary to clearly outline what exactly needs to be implemented.
Main elements:
- Product catalog: structure of categories, filter system, sorting (by price, popularity, etc.).
- Product card: what characteristics, options, photos, and videos need to be added.
- Cart and checkout: stages of the purchase process, integration with payment systems.
- Personal account: whether order history, bonus system, profile settings are needed.
- Admin panel: capabilities for managing orders, products, and content.
Design and UX: not only beautiful but also convenient
Many businesses get fixated on making the site look “expensive,” but forget about user convenience. It is necessary to clearly outline the principles of design and usability in the specifications.
Here are the main aspects to describe:
- Mobile version: adaptation for smartphones and tablets (considering that over 60% of buyers use mobile devices).
- Loading speed: minimization of graphic elements, code optimization for quick page loading.
- Navigation: clear menu structure, convenient search, logical button placement.
SEO and analytics: how to make the store noticed
Creating a site is not enough — it is important to ensure it generates traffic. Therefore, it is necessary to decide which SEO tools will be needed even during the preparation phase of the technical task.
What needs to be anticipated:
- SEO optimization: the ability to edit meta-tags, configure SEO-friendly URLs.
- Analytics: integration with Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, event tracking setup.
- Integration with marketplaces: the ability to sync with Rozetka, Prom, OLX.
Skipping this stage may result in a site already launched but impossible to effectively promote in search engines.
The benefits of a well-crafted technical task
A clear technical task saves your time, budget, and nerves. It allows you to set the right parameters for the work from the start and avoid misunderstandings with developers.
Here is what you’ll achieve with a professional approach:
- Fast project launch without unforeseen delays.
- No unnecessary costs for revisions and corrections.
- A website that fully meets your business tasks.
If Asos could spend three months carefully planning the technical specifications and thereby avoid millions in losses, then you should also give this matter enough attention.
Traps in drafting technical specifications: why even large companies make mistakes
If you think that mistakes in technical specifications are for beginners, here are a few stories for you.
Epic Fail No.1: In 2013, the British chain Tesco was updating its website. Due to poorly drafted technical specifications, the new design turned out to be inconvenient: the cart was emptied after exiting the browser, and the mobile version was overloaded with graphics. The result? Sales dropped by 20% in the first three months.
Epic Fail No.2: In 2018, Walmart decided to move the website to a new platform. The technical specifications were written hastily, without load testing. When the traffic spiked during sales, the servers couldn’t handle it, and the site went down. The company’s losses were estimated in millions of dollars.
If even giants can step on these rakes, what can be said for small and medium-sized businesses? Let’s examine the most common mistakes store owners make when drafting technical specifications.
Unclear requirements: when developers ‘guess’
Imagine ordering a cake and just telling the baker, ‘I want something tasty and beautiful.’ What’s the chance you’ll get exactly what you imagined?
It’s the same story with IT projects. If you write in the technical specifications:
‘The design should be modern’ — what does that mean? Minimalism, futurism, or retro?
«The cart should be convenient» — for whom? Kids, seniors, IT professionals?
The right approach:
«Apple Store style design: light colors, lots of white space, minimal text».
«Order process — 3 steps, must have auto-complete address via Google Maps API».
If something can be interpreted in two ways, the developers will understand it exactly the way you don’t want them to.
Ignoring the mobile version: money down the drain
By 2024, 72% of global purchases are made via mobile. Yet many businesses still think ‘old-school’: first, they create a site for computers, and later refine the mobile version.
What happens if you don’t think about this in advance:
- ‘Buy’ buttons hang or slide off the screen.
- Text input fields are too small — filling in the delivery address becomes a quest.
- The cart works sporadically — users just go to competitors.
Every technical error on the mobile site means a lost customer. If a purchase requires extra effort, the user simply chooses competitors.
How to write this in the task specification:
- «The site adapts to screen resolutions from 320px, 768px, 1024px».
- «At least 60% of mobile screen space dedicated to the product and the buy button».
- «Order process — maximum three clicks».
The mobile version is not an additional bonus; it is the main sales channel. It should be well thought out even before development starts, not after the site launch.
Absence of references: “make it look nice”
Developers cannot read minds. If you haven’t shown what you like, they will go with their own taste.
Mistake: “Make it in the style of fashionable European stores.”
The right approach: «Нам подобається навігація як у Zara, структура сторінок як у H&M, а кольорова гама як у Nike».
What to add to the specification:
- Links to competitor sites with comments: “I like that they have 3D product views.”
- Screenshots with notes: “Here, the filter placement is well resolved.”
- Prototypes: even a hand-drawn layout significantly reduces the risk of misinterpretation.
The more precisely you explain what you want to get, the more likely the final site will meet your expectations and won’t require rework.
Lack of testing: when problems surface after launch
Developing a site is one thing; making it convenient for real buyers is another. Without testing, there’s always a chance of missing critical bugs.
How to avoid this:
- Organize testing on real users before launch.
- See which stages people get confused or abandon purchases.
- Analyze the data: if most users leave the checkout page — something is wrong there.
Even the best website won’t work effectively if it’s not tested with real use scenarios. Fixing errors after launch is significantly more expensive than preventing them during development.
How to Avoid Repeating Others’ Mistakes: 4 Ironclad Rules
To avoid losing money, clients, and time, it’s important to follow a few simple principles:
- Clearly formulate requirements. The more details, the fewer revisions and misunderstandings.
- Think about the mobile version. If the site doesn’t work on a smartphone – it doesn’t work at all.
- Provide references. Without examples, developers will have a lot of ‘creativity’ that you may not like.
- Test the site before launching. Preferably — on real customers, not just testers.
A technical specification (TS) is not just a document, but a roadmap for your business on the internet. If you write it correctly, the online store will run like clockwork. If not, you’ll face endless revisions and profit loss.
How to Properly Draft a Technical Specification: Step-by-Step Guide
In short: a technical specification is not just a wish list, but a detailed instruction for developers that helps avoid chaos, unjustified costs, and unnecessary revisions. If you don’t have a clearly defined specification, prepare for the project to be delayed, and the final result may differ significantly from what was expected.
To avoid this, let’s look at a step-by-step algorithm for creating a specification that will help a business owner not get confused by details and give the development team clear tasks.
Step 1. Define the project goals: what exactly are we building
Every business starts with an idea. But an idea without clear goals is like a house without a foundation. Here are a few questions to answer before drafting the specification:
- What problem does the online store solve for customers?
- How does it differ from competitors?
- What key metrics will define success (conversion, number of orders, average check)?
- What are the budget and timeframe constraints?
The clearer the answers are formulated, the easier it will be to plan the functionality, design, and structure of the site.
Step 2. Analyze competitors: what works and what doesn’t
Creating an online store ‘from scratch’ without studying the market is the same as launching a product without audience research. To avoid wasting time and money, consider the following:
- Competitor sites: what works well for them and what causes inconvenience for users.
- Customer experience: what feedback do users give about site convenience, what are the main complaints?
- Marketing strategies: what promotions, discounts, loyalty programs do competitors use?
Step 3. Develop prototypes and wireframes
If you think this is unnecessary work — here’s a real case. In 2021, the Airbnb team spent 4 months testing prototypes before redesigning the platform. They checked how people interact with the site and where difficulties arise. As a result, the final version was 35% faster and more user-friendly, increasing bookings by 20%.
A prototype doesn’t mean a complex design. Even a hand-drawn sketch can help avoid misunderstandings and save a lot of time on corrections.
What to create before starting development:
- Homepage prototype: how will the menu, product blocks, and promotions look?
- Product card scheme: what will be the main focus — photo, specifications, reviews?
- Order placement steps: how simple is the purchasing process?
If developers receive specifications without these layouts, be prepared for surprises — they might design what they find convenient rather than what you need.
Step 4. Align on key development stages
One of the biggest mistakes is the lack of clear deadlines. The business owner thinks everything will be quick, while developers work at their own pace. As a result, the project drags on for months. How can you avoid this problem? Break the work into stages:
- Week 1-2: design and approval of prototypes.
- Week 3-6: development of the main functionality.
- Week 7-8: testing and making adjustments.
- Week 9-10: launch and bug tracking.
Identify those responsible: who is in charge of what, to avoid situations where no one knows who should make a decision.
Assess the risks: what could go wrong, and how it might affect deadlines (for instance, if integration with payment systems turns out to be more complex than expected).
A clear timeline helps prevent the situation where the site is “almost ready” three months past the promised deadline.
Why it is worth investing time in a quality technical specification
If you ask experienced business owners whether it’s better to spend time on a detailed technical specification or constantly fix errors after launch, the answer is obvious.
High-quality technical specification:
- Saves budget. The fewer revisions, the fewer unnecessary expenses.
- Ensures expectations are met. You get a website that truly solves business tasks.
- Helps avoid conflicts. All interested parties have a unified vision of what needs to be done.
If Apple and Amazon spend months planning every stage before development, it certainly deserves your attention.
Checklist for Business Owners: How to Ensure Your Technical Specification is Ready
A technical specification is not just a document, but a roadmap for your future online store. If something is missed, it can result in extra costs, delays, and endless revisions during development.
To avoid this, it’s worth conducting a final check before handing over the technical specification to developers. Here is a checklist that will help you understand whether your document is truly ready for implementation.
Does the Technical Specification Have a Clear Business Goal?
Business owners often outline technical requirements but forget to explain their purpose. As a result, developers just make a “site” rather than a business tool that generates profit.
Ensure your technical specification answers the following questions:
- Who is the site being created for? (Target audience, their behavior, expectations)
- What problem does the online store solve for customers?
- What business tasks should it perform? (For example, increasing average check, automating order processing, etc.)
Is the Functionality Fully Detailed?
If the technical specification lacks details, developers will fill in the gaps at their discretion. This often leads to unnecessary or poorly implemented functions.
Here is what should be in your technical specification:
- Clearly described product categories and their filters.
- Details of the product card: what photos, descriptions, video reviews are needed?
- What is the order processing flow (steps, fields, purchase confirmation)?
- Which payment systems and delivery methods are supported?
Is there consideration for mobile adaptation?
If your site is inconvenient for mobile users, you are losing more than half of your potential customers.
Check if included in the technical specification:
- Is there a responsive design for smartphones and tablets?
- Are the buttons optimized for easy finger tapping?
- Does the mobile version work as fast as the desktop version?
An optimized site has more success among users. So be sure to specify the need for adaptation to various devices in the technical specification.
Is SEO optimization and analytics well thought out?
Even the best site won’t generate profit if no one can find it on Google.
What should be in the technical specification:
- Fields for SEO meta tags (title, description).
- Automatic generation of page URLs.
- Integration with Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel.
Is there a test plan before launch
Launching a site without testing is like driving a car without checking if it has brakes.
Check if the following testing stages are included in the technical requirements:
- Usability testing: Can customers easily find a product, add it to the cart, and place an order?
- Speed testing: Do pages load quickly on different devices?
- Verification of correct payment and delivery operations.
If at least one point raises doubts, it’s better to refine the technical requirements now than spend money on fixes after launch.
Conclusion: how to avoid difficulties and quickly launch an online store
If after all that you’ve read, you feel the urge to sit down and write the perfect technical requirements – congratulations, you’re on the right path. But there’s one caveat: even with the best technical requirements, creating an online store can take months, and sometimes even years if all nuances are not considered.
What to do if a business needs a website quickly, without complex processes, and with minimal costs? The answer is simple: ready-made template solutions on WordPress. Why WordPress? It has long ceased to be just a platform for blogs. It’s a powerful content management system used by thousands of successful online stores. Choosing this CMS gives you several obvious advantages:
- Speed of launch. There’s no need to spend months on development – a basic store can be set up in a few weeks.
- Flexibility in customization. Over 58,000 plugins allow you to expand the store’s capabilities without expensive custom development.
- Easy management. Adding products, updating content, and launching promotions can be done without involving developers.
- SEO-friendliness. WordPress is excellently indexed by search engines, allowing you to get traffic from Google faster.
In short, if you don’t have a budget for complex development but need a functional, adaptive, and ready-to-sell site, WordPress with WooCommerce will be the best choice. If you don’t have time to sort out all the nuances yourself, the best option is to use ready-made solutions for online stores from 6Weeks. If you need an e-commerce site that works seamlessly and generates sales, contact us — we know how to make it happen quickly and efficiently.
And remember: the technical specification is the foundation of the entire project. If it is clearly outlined, you’ll get a website that works the way you need it to. If it has gaps, be prepared for endless revisions, delays, and budget losses.
