Why a shop needs its own website
Many Uzbek shops already sell through Instagram, a Telegram channel, OLX or a marketplace such as Uzum. That works, but you play by someone else's rules: an algorithm changes, an account gets restricted, a commission goes up, and orders drop. Your own site gives you a customer base, control over prices and presentation, and data on where buyers come from.
Before development, answer three questions. What do you sell, and how many items are in the catalog? Who is the buyer, and where do they find you today? What counts as success: a placed order, a phone call, or a move into Telegram? Everything else depends on those answers.
Platform choice: builder, CMS or custom build
A website builder is fine for testing an idea with a small catalog. Its limits tend to appear later: connecting local payment methods, syncing stock from your accounting system, or setting up your own delivery rules gets difficult.
A ready-made CMS with customization suits most stores. Product and order management already exist, and what is missing gets added. A custom build makes sense when your processes are unusual: separate wholesale pricing, integration with 1C or a warehouse, several branches.
Choose for where the store will be in a year: how many products you will add, who will upload them, and which integrations you will need.
What an online store needs in order to sell
This is the minimum below which a store starts losing orders. Check each point on a phone first, because most shoppers browse on a smartphone.
- A catalog with clear categories, filters and search.
- Product pages with several photos, a description, specifications, availability and a price in sum.
- A short checkout that does not force registration.
- Pages for delivery, payment, returns and contacts with real terms.
- Contact buttons: phone and Telegram.
- Fast loading, including on a weak mobile connection in the regions.
- Russian and Uzbek language versions.
Payments, delivery and order handling
Customers in Uzbekistan are used to paying through Click and Payme, yet many still prefer to pay on delivery. Offer several options and state plainly which ones are available in each city. If you offer installments, show the terms before checkout, not after.
The same goes for delivery. In Tashkent it may be a courier; in the regions, a transport or postal service. Be honest about zones and timing. Sending every order to a Telegram bot or a private manager chat helps make sure no request gets lost.
What shapes the price
Nobody can name a reliable figure without a technical brief, and a contractor who does is probably skipping something. The cost depends on a handful of things, and each is worth discussing separately.
Ask for an estimate by stages. You will see what you pay for and what can wait until after launch.
- Catalog size and how it gets uploaded.
- Design: a ready template or a custom one.
- Integrations: payments, accounting, warehouse, CRM.
- Number of languages.
- Content: photos, copy, product cards.
- Support and development after launch.
After launch: analytics and traffic
A site without visitors is a shop window on an empty street. Plan traffic early: category structure and descriptions affect SEO, while Google Ads and Meta ads bring the first buyers until organic search builds up.
Set up analytics before you spend on ads: counters, Meta Pixel, and goals for add-to-cart and completed orders. Without them you cannot tell whether the site pays back or the budget just disappears. Start with simple metrics: cost per order, cart conversion, and share of repeat purchases.
Where to start
Gather your product list, a few sites you like, and your payment and delivery terms. With that material any conversation with a developer becomes more concrete. If you would like to talk it through, the markdev team can help pick the right format and plan how the site will work with advertising and analytics. Send a request and we will come back with a proposal.
FAQ
Is a website builder or custom development better for a store?
A builder is enough for a small catalog and a quick test. If you need accounting integration or special pricing and delivery logic, a customized CMS or a custom build is safer.
Do I need to connect Click and Payme?
For most stores in Uzbekistan, yes, since buyers are used to these services. Keep cash on delivery as well if it suits your product.
Can I sell only through Instagram and Telegram?
You can, but you depend on those platforms. A website complements them with a customer base, one catalog and analytics.
What should I do after the site goes live?
Track metrics, add products, improve product pages, and connect advertising and SEO. A store needs ongoing work, not a one-time handover.
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