Checklist for launching your online store in Mexico

Opening an online store is easy; getting it to sell smoothly from the very first order takes preparation. This is the checklist we go through before launching a store for a small business in Mexico. Use it even if you don’t work with us.

Catalog

• Your own photos, with consistent backgrounds and lighting. Avoid supplier photos if other stores use the same ones.
• Descriptions that answer what a customer would ask in a physical store: size, materials, compatibility, care.
• Variants (size, color) and inventory connected, so you don’t sell what you don’t have.
• Final prices with taxes included, as Mexico’s Federal Consumer Protection Law requires. No surprises at the last step.

Payments

• Credit and debit cards.
• Interest-free installments (meses sin intereses), only if your margin can absorb the fee.
• Cash payments at convenience stores such as OXXO.
• SPEI bank transfers.
• Choose your payment gateway by comparing fees, payout times and available methods. Make real test purchases with each method before opening.

Shipping

• Shipping costs must be visible before checkout, not at the end.
• Decide whether to work directly with a carrier or with a platform that compares several.
• Define the areas you cover and realistic delivery times.
• Send the tracking number to the customer automatically.
• Plan your packaging: protect the product and make a good first impression.

Invoicing (CFDI 4.0)

• Ask for tax details exactly as they appear on the customer’s tax status certificate: RFC, name or company name, postal code, tax regime and CFDI use. A mismatched detail can prevent the invoice from being issued.
• Decide whether you’ll invoice automatically at purchase or on request, and state the deadline.
• Sales to customers who don’t request an invoice go into the global invoice to the general public.

Legal notices

• Privacy notice, since you’ll be collecting personal data.
• Sales terms and conditions.
• A clear, easy-to-find exchange, return and warranty policy.
• Business name, address and contact details in plain sight.

Your website

• Designed mobile first: that’s where most purchases happen.
• Fast to load, especially product pages.
• HTTPS across the whole site.
• Product structured data (price, availability) so Google understands your catalog.
• Google Search Console set up from day one.

Operations

• Decide who answers questions and how quickly, and keep a visible WhatsApp button.
• Set up order, payment and shipping notifications for the customer and your team.
• Run a complete test order: buy, pay, invoice, ship and receive. Until that cycle works, don’t advertise the store.