Evolution of an e-commerce project: 100 days with SpearDevs

This is our 100th blog post. And we wanted it to matter.

At SpearDevs, we have led dozens of e-commerce projects from idea to store implementation. One thing has become clear: customers value transparency above all else. They want to know what’s happening, why it matters, and what’s next.

So, for this milestone post, we’re sharing what a typical 100-day journey with us actually looks like. Let’s be honest, though: it’s rarely exactly 100 days. Sometimes it’s faster, sometimes it takes longer. But there are steps that, no matter how long the project runs, always follow one after another.

Ready? Let’s see what “100 days of an e-commerce project” can look like.

Week 1-2 of an e-commerce project: discovery and decisions

Every strong e-commerce project starts with asking the right questions before writing a single line of code.

In the first two weeks, we focus on understanding your business, your customers, and your goals. We run workshops, gather requirements, analyze your competitors, and map out how your e-commerce should actually work. Not just technically, but in a way that aligns with your sales strategy and growth plans.

This is also when we help you pick the right technology stack and platform. One that fits your business, not drains your budget on features you’ll never use. 

It’s also when we define scope: is it an MVP to test a market fast, or a full-scale migration from your legacy store with ERP and PIM integrations? We advise, not push. We bring our experience, but you decide.

It’s the phase with the most calls and Slack messages, but it’s worth it. A few days of planning now can save weeks of rework later. It’s where we build the foundation for a project that won’t collapse under its own weight once traffic and orders start coming in.

We think about the final product, not just see tasks. We look beyond “launch” and help you plan a store that will grow with you for years.

Week 3 of an e-commerce project: UX and architecture

Great e-commerce projects don’t reinvent the wheel, but they do need to ensure the wheel rolls smoothly for your customers.

In week 3, we move into UX design and information architecture. This means:

• mapping out your site structure, 
• planning user flows, 
• and designing wireframes for key desktop and mobile views. 

We design critical paths first: homepage ➝ category ➝ product ➝ cart ➝ checkout. If these paths aren’t clear, no amount of marketing will fix your conversion rate later.

We also keep your business goals in mind. Want to upsell accessories? We plan cross-sell placements. Need B2B quoting? We map it early so it doesn’t become a bottleneck later. We build your sitemap and flows to reflect how your customers buy, not just how we think they should.

We design things to be useful, not for awards. Our goal is to help your customers find what they need and move confidently toward checkout.

By the end of week 3, you’ll have wireframes you can click through, test, and share with your team for feedback. 

Week 4 of an e-commerce project: UI that sells

Most people are visual buyers, even in B2B. A clean, attractive store doesn’t just “look nice” – it builds trust and makes shopping feel effortless.

In week 4, we shift from wireframes to UI design. We create the graphic designs for your key pages, establish your visual language, and align colors, typography, and imagery with your brand’s character. If your brand is bold, the store will reflect that. (PS. check the case study of one BOLD project). If your brand is minimal, your store will be clear and calm.

We’re designing to convert visitors into customers. That means clear CTAs, easy navigation, fast-loading graphics, and layouts that adapt beautifully to mobile.

We also make sure your store won’t look like a generic template shop. 

We design UI with a purpose: to help customers buy and remember your brand.

By the end of week 4, you’ll have the key designs ready for approval.

Week 5 of an e-commerce project: backend groundwork

It’s not the most eye-catching part of the project, but it’s what makes everything work.

Week 5 is about backend setup: 

• configuring development environments, 
• installing the chosen e-commerce platform, 
• setting up repositories, 
• and laying the technical foundation for your store.

This is the week when we start connecting all together: 

• preparing integrations and plugins, 
• setting up environments for testing and staging, 
• and ensuring your future store has a stable skeleton to build on. 

We also prepare the data migration pipelines so products, customers, and orders from your old system can move safely and cleanly into the new one.

And don’t worry – even though it’s a technical phase, you’re not left in the dark. We keep you updated, explain what’s happening, and ensure you understand the invisible work that sets your store up for a stable launch.

Week 6-7 of an e-commerce project: bringing it to life

This is the part clients often find the most exciting: watching your store come to life.

In weeks 6 and 7, we work on frontend and backend development in parallel:

• On the frontend, we turn your approved UI designs into a functional, responsive storefront. Whether we’re customizing a high-quality template or building from scratch, this is where layouts, product cards, and checkout flows become interactive and ready for testing.
• On the backend, we continue developing features your business needs: product and category management, user accounts, order processing, custom logic, and integrations with payment gateways, shipping providers, or ERP/PIM systems.

It’s also when your store starts to feel real, not just theoretical. You’ll see pages load, products appear, and your site takes its first breaths.

By the end of week 7, your store is no longer a project in planning – it’s becoming a functional, testable product.

Week 8 of an e-commerce project: testing with real data

Everything looks great in theory – until you add real products 😉.

In week 8, we move from “demo mode” to reality by importing your actual product data: names, prices, variants, images, descriptions, and inventory levels. At this moment, we also test core store functionalities end-to-end: checkout, registration, login, payments, shipping calculations.

We conduct our tests using anonymous but real data, which allows us to detect edge cases that only occur in real-world environments. For example, that one product with 12 variants, a long description, and stock levels pulled from three different systems? We’ll see how it plays with your cart and can be purchased without issues.

Without real data, your store only works in theory. This is where we prove it works in practice.

We’ll also test the integrations we’ve built so far, ensuring data flows correctly between your store, payment gateways, and any ERP or PIM systems.

By the end of week 8, your store has real products you can browse, search, add to the cart, and purchase.

Week 9 of an e-commerce project: QA and polishing

Week 9 is about finding and fixing.

We move into QA testing and performance audits, putting ourselves in your customers’ shoes (and yours). We test every path to purchase, intentionally trying to break things: 

• weird product combinations, 
• edge-case user flows, 
• mobile checkout, 
• account creation, 
• returns flows.

We also run SEO audits and Core Web Vitals checks, ensuring your store loads quickly, is indexable, and meets modern performance standards. 

We try to break things now, so your customers won’t later. And if we break it, we fix it immediately.

This is also the first real stress test for your architecture: the database, CDN, and integrations all working together under load.

By the end of week 9, your store is ready for the final content and compliance steps before launch.

Week 10 of an e-commerce project: content and compliance

A store isn’t just products and code. It’s also content, compliance, and the small details that build trust.

In week 10, we can handle:

• Regulatory content: privacy policy, terms and conditions, cookie banners, RODO/ GDPR compliance.
• Product descriptions and SEO texts: adding the final polish to your product pages so they don’t just exist but help your store get found and sell.
• Accessibility checks: ensuring your store meets WCAG guidelines so it’s usable for everyone, reducing legal risk and expanding your customer base.

If you don’t have legal or content support in-house, we can help draft these materials or guide you on best practices. We’ll also train your team on using your store’s CMS, managing orders, updating content, and handling promotions so you’re confident from day one.

Week 11 of an e-commerce project: soft launch

Week 11 is when your store carefully steps into the real world.

We run a soft launch, moving your store to a production-like environment where everything is live, but under controlled observation. Your team can place test orders, check processes, and get familiar with workflows in a real setting before customers arrive.

We monitor performance, check integrations, and verify payment and shipping processes with live data while minimizing risks.

It’s also when we conduct team training, ensuring your staff knows how to process orders, update products, manage customer inquiries, and handle promotions.

This step reduces launch-day surprises and builds your team’s confidence in running your new store.

By the end of week 11, your store is waiting for the final push to the public.

Week 12 of an e-commerce project: go-live and beyond

Launch day isn’t the finish line. It’s the start of your store’s real journey.

In week 12, we go live: your store opens to customers, and your first real orders start rolling in. We monitor the launch closely, checking site performance, order processing, payments, and third-party integrations in real time to catch and resolve any issues.

We also handle the small but critical things that pop up in the first days: a payment failing for a customer in a specific country, a shipping integration needing a tweak, a forgotten password for your admin panel.

We don’t disappear after go-live. We stay to support you, stabilize operations, and plan the next steps.

While launch is a big milestone, your store will evolve, with new features, improvements, and scaling to match your growth. We’re here to ensure your e-commerce project is ready to sell, adapt, and thrive for years to come.

Summary

Your first 100 days of an e-commerce project shouldn’t be chaos. With a clear structure, transparency, and a product mindset, you get a store that’s not just live but ready to sell for years.

At SpearDevs, we guide you through each step, advising on the right tech and supporting you beyond launch.