The first order on a new online store feels like magic. The phone buzzes, someone you have never met has chosen your food or your product, and they did it without calling you.
The next 49 are where the real work happens. Those early orders teach you what customers like, where your setup is unclear, and how much you can handle. Get them right and you build a base of regulars who tell their friends. Get them wrong and the store quietly goes silent.
This checklist breaks the journey into five stages. Work through it at your own pace. Most small restaurants and shops can finish the first two stages in a weekend.
Stage 1: Before you share the link
Do not announce your store until these basics are done. A half finished store loses the customers you worked hardest to attract.
Your catalogue
- Every item has a clear name, a price and a photo. Even a plain phone photo is better than none.
- Choices are set up properly, such as sizes and extras for food, or sizes and colours for clothes.
- Items you cannot supply right now are turned off or snoozed.
- Your best sellers appear near the top.
Your store details
- Opening hours are set to when you can really prepare and deliver.
- Delivery areas cover only the places you can reach on time.
- Payment methods are chosen. Cash on delivery is easy to start with. Bank transfer works well for larger orders.
- Your phone number, address or pickup point and any delivery charges are correct.
Your design
- You have chosen a theme that suits your business. You can browse live demos of every theme on the themes page.
- Your logo and cover image look sharp on a phone screen.
When you are happy, publish the store. The publish your store guide walks through it.
Stage 2: Test it like a customer
This is the stage most people skip, and it is the one that saves the most embarrassment.
- Place a test order yourself from your phone, using mobile data rather than your home Wi-Fi.
- Ask two friends to order, one on an Android phone and one on an iPhone if possible. Ask them to tell you honestly what confused them.
- Check the order arrives in Krobr Partner, the store-management app, and practise moving it through each step until it is complete.
- Open the order status link that customers receive and see what they see.
- Install the Orders app on the phone you keep with you, and confirm you get a notification for a new order. The install apps guide in the help centre shows how.
Fix anything that felt slow or unclear. Common problems are missing prices on options, delivery areas that are too narrow, and hours set in the wrong time of day.
Stage 3: Your first 10 orders
Your first ten customers will mostly be people who already know you. That is a gift, because they will forgive small mistakes and give honest feedback.
Where to share the link
- Your WhatsApp status, with a photo of a best seller and the link.
- A short message to your regular customers on WhatsApp. Send it personally, not as a mass broadcast to strangers.
- Your Instagram and Facebook bio.
- Your Google Business Profile, if you have one.
How to handle each order
- Confirm quickly. Speed builds trust more than any discount.
- If you take bank transfers, check the payment before you start preparing.
- Pack with care. Add a small card with your store link or QR code.
- Message the customer after delivery to say thank you and ask how it was.
Write down every question customers ask. Each repeated question is a sign that something on your store should be clearer.
Stage 4: Orders 11 to 30
Now strangers start to arrive, through friends, a shared status or a QR code they saw somewhere. This is where your store has to speak for itself.
Put your link in the physical world
If you have a shop counter, a restaurant table or a delivery bag, you have advertising space. Krobr Partner can create QR code posters, business cards and printed menus that point straight to your store. Every account, including Free, can create QR codes. Our post on printed menus, cards and QR posters has placement ideas, and the QR codes guide explains how to make one.
Start collecting reviews
New customers look for signs that real people have ordered before. After a good order, ask the customer to leave a review on your store. Keep it simple and personal, for example: "Thank you for ordering. If you enjoyed it, a short review would really help us."
If a review is negative, reply calmly and fix what you can. Calm, polite replies reassure future customers who read them.
Watch your limits
This is often when owners realise how busy a good day can get. Use the tools you have:
- Pause new orders when you are fully booked and set when they restart.
- Snooze an item the moment it runs out.
- Add a temporary closure for holidays or family events.
Stage 5: Orders 31 to 50
By now you have real information. Use it.
Look at what sells
- Which three items were ordered most? Make sure they have your best photos and sit at the top.
- Which items nobody ordered? Improve the photo and description, or remove them.
- Which areas do most orders come from? Consider whether to expand or narrow your delivery areas.
Look at how it went
- How many orders were late or had a mistake? What caused it?
- Did any customer order twice? Thank them personally.
- What did people ask about most? Add that answer to your item descriptions.
Think about your package
Every new account starts on the Free package, which allows up to 20 orders a month. If you are reaching 50 orders within a month, you will need a paid package to keep taking them. Krobr charges a package fee instead of a commission on each order, so the cost does not climb with every sale. You can compare the packages on the pricing page.
Mistakes to avoid in the early days
- Launching with half the menu missing. Customers who find a near empty store rarely come back to check again.
- Promising delivery you cannot do. One cold, late order to a new customer does more harm than turning that order away.
- Going quiet after launch. Share the link more than once. People miss things.
- Ignoring feedback. Your first customers are your free consultants. Listen to them.
- Discounting too early. Fix the experience first. A smooth first order is worth more than a coupon.
A short summary
Prepare your store fully, test it like a stranger would, and start with people who already know you. Put your link everywhere customers meet you, ask happy buyers for reviews, and use pause and snooze to stay within your limits. By your fiftieth order you will know what sells, where your customers are, and what to improve next.