---
name: store-launch-plan
description: "Plans e-commerce store launches with pre-launch checklist, marketing calendar, launch day playbook, and post-launch optimization priorities. Use when opening an online store."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Store Launch Plan

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Plan a new e-commerce store launch from pre-launch to post-launch
- Create a marketing calendar for a store or product launch
- Build a launch day checklist to avoid missed steps
- Design a post-launch optimization roadmap

**DO NOT** use this skill for store setup and configuration, product sourcing, or ongoing marketing strategy. This is for planning and executing the launch event.

---

## Core Principle

A LAUNCH IS NOT A MOMENT — IT IS A SEQUENCE. PRE-LAUNCH BUILDS ANTICIPATION, LAUNCH DAY CONVERTS IT, AND POST-LAUNCH SUSTAINS THE MOMENTUM.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Store type** | "What are you selling? (physical products, digital, services)" | Physical products |
| **Platform** | "What platform? (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, BigCommerce)" | Shopify |
| **Product count** | "How many products at launch?" | 5-20 |
| **Launch date** | "Target launch date?" | 4-6 weeks from now |
| **Audience** | "Do you have an existing audience? (email list, social following)" | Small — under 1,000 |
| **Budget** | "Marketing budget for the launch?" | $500-$2,000 |
| **Goals** | "What does a successful launch look like? (orders, revenue, email signups)" | 50 orders in first week |

**GATE: Confirm brief before building the launch plan.**

---

## Phase 2: Plan

### Launch Timeline

**Weeks 4-3 Before Launch: Foundation**
- Store setup and QA complete
- Product listings optimized
- Email capture landing page live
- Social media profiles created and branded

**Weeks 2-1 Before Launch: Pre-Launch**
- Email list building (lead magnet, waitlist, early access)
- Social media content calendar begins
- Influencer outreach and seeding
- Launch day email sequence drafted
- Friends and family beta test

**Launch Week: Go Live**
- Launch day email blast
- Social media launch campaign
- Limited-time launch offer (if applicable)
- Real-time monitoring and customer support

**Weeks 1-4 After Launch: Optimize**
- Collect and respond to customer feedback
- Fix UX issues discovered in real traffic
- Request reviews from first customers
- Analyze traffic and conversion data
- Scale winning acquisition channels

**GATE: Present the timeline and confirm before building detailed checklists.**

---

## Phase 3: Build

### Deliverables

**1. Pre-Launch Checklist**
- [ ] All products listed with optimized titles, descriptions, and images
- [ ] Payment processing tested (place a real test order)
- [ ] Shipping rates and zones configured
- [ ] Tax settings verified
- [ ] Email opt-in page or pop-up live
- [ ] Order confirmation and shipping notification emails tested
- [ ] Mobile experience reviewed on 3 devices
- [ ] Page load speed under 3 seconds
- [ ] Analytics and conversion tracking installed
- [ ] Social media profiles linked and bio updated

**2. Launch Day Playbook**
- Hour-by-hour schedule for launch day
- Email send times
- Social media posting schedule
- Monitoring dashboard (traffic, orders, revenue)
- Customer support staffing plan
- Emergency contacts (developer, hosting, payment processor)

**3. Marketing Calendar (4 weeks)**
- Daily content plan for social media
- Email sequence: announcement → launch → reminder → last chance
- Paid advertising plan with budget allocation by day
- PR and influencer outreach timeline

**4. Post-Launch Optimization Plan**
- Week 1: Collect feedback, fix bugs, respond to every customer
- Week 2: Analyze data, identify top products and traffic sources
- Week 3: Request reviews, launch retargeting ads
- Week 4: Double down on winning channels, plan next promotion

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### Launch Metrics Dashboard

Track daily for the first 30 days:
- Traffic (total and by source)
- Conversion rate
- Revenue and average order value
- Email list growth
- Customer support tickets
- Top-selling products

### 30-Day Review

After 30 days, conduct a launch retrospective:
- What exceeded expectations?
- What underperformed?
- What would you do differently?
- What are the top 3 priorities for the next 90 days?

---

## Example 1: DTC Product Launch (20 products, $1,000 budget)

**Pre-launch:** 3-week email waitlist campaign, Instagram teaser content daily. **Launch:** 20% off first 48 hours for waitlist subscribers, email blast + stories campaign. **Post-launch:** review request emails at Day 7, retargeting ads starting Week 2.

## Example 2: Digital Product Store (5 products, $500 budget)

**Pre-launch:** Free resource lead magnet, 2-week email nurture. **Launch:** Founding member pricing (limited to first 50 buyers), live launch event on social media. **Post-launch:** testimonial collection, affiliate program setup.

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Launching without testing** — a broken checkout on launch day is a disaster. Place a real test order from a real device before going live.
- **No pre-launch audience** — launching to zero people produces zero sales. Spend at least 2 weeks building an email list before launch.
- **Launch day and done** — the launch is the beginning, not the end. Post-launch optimization is where most revenue is generated.
- **Over-discounting** — 50% off on launch day trains customers to wait for sales. Use modest launch offers or limited-time bonuses instead.
- **Perfect before launching** — waiting for every product photo, description, and feature to be perfect delays revenue. Launch with good enough and iterate.

---

## Recovery

- **No email list yet:** Delay the launch by 2 weeks and focus entirely on list building. Use a landing page with a compelling offer (early access, launch discount).
- **Launch day has low traffic:** Activate personal network (email friends, post in communities, DM contacts). Run small paid ad campaigns for immediate traffic.
- **Technical issues on launch day:** Have a developer on standby. Prepare a "We're overwhelmed by demand, bear with us" message for any visible issues.
- **No sales in the first week:** Diagnose: traffic problem (nobody visiting) or conversion problem (visiting but not buying). Fix the constraint before spending more on marketing.
