Publish Your Store
Learn how to complete your final checks, choose a subscription and publish your PlanetShopping store so customers can begin ordering online.
Purpose
Publishing makes your store available to customers. PlanetShopping gives merchants a 15-day free trial with no credit card required so they can build and configure the store first. A paid subscription is required when the merchant is ready to go live and accept orders.
What You’ll Learn
- You’ll learn what to verify before launch, how the trial-to-paid transition works, how to publish using the production interface and what to check immediately after launch.
Before You Begin
Complete your store design, products, payments, shipping, taxes, domain setup and at least one end-to-end test order. Review customer-facing policies and contact information before publishing.
Step 1 – Complete the Pre-Launch Checklist
Confirm that your homepage, navigation, product pages, checkout, payment setup, shipping, taxes, notifications and domain are ready.
Step 2 – Review Your Subscription Status
During the 15-day trial you can build your store without entering a credit card. When you are ready to publish and accept live orders, choose the PlanetShopping plan required by the production subscription flow and complete payment.
Step 3 – Confirm Payments Are Ready
Open Payments and make sure onboarding and required verification are complete. Resolve any outstanding action before launch.
Step 4 – Confirm Your Domain
If you are using a custom domain, verify that it is connected and resolving correctly. If PlanetShopping provides a default store URL, document how that URL behaves at launch.
Step 5 – Publish the Store
Use the Publish action provided in the production Merchant Panel. Review any final confirmation screen and publish when you are ready for customers to access the store.
Step 6 – Visit the Live Store
Open the public store in a normal browser window and on a phone. Check the homepage, navigation, product pages, cart and checkout entry point.
Step 7 – Monitor the First Orders
After launch, watch Orders and payment status closely. Confirm that customer emails, inventory and order totals behave as expected on real transactions.
Do not publish simply because the store looks finished. Publish after the complete customer journey has been tested successfully from product page through order creation.
Tips & Best Practices
Launch with accurate core content instead of waiting for every optional enhancement. Keep support contact information visible. Re-check the live domain after publishing. Avoid making major theme or checkout changes immediately before launch unless they have been tested.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a credit card to start my trial?
No. PlanetShopping’s 15-day free trial does not require a credit card.
When do I need to pay for a plan?
A subscription is required when you are ready to publish the store, enable the live experience and accept customer orders.
What happens to my work if I do not publish during the trial?
If your trial ends before you publish, return to the Merchant Panel and choose a plan to continue toward launch. An active subscription is required before the store can accept live customer orders.
Can I make changes after publishing?
Yes. Stores need ongoing updates. Major customer-facing changes should be previewed and tested before they are made live.
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Next Step
Continue to Managing Orders.