hanut

Getting Started

Quick start

Get your store ready to accept orders by following the Store Setup Checklist. This guide provides an overview of all essential and recommended steps to launch successfully.

Using the Store Setup Checklist

Your admin portal includes a Store Setup Checklist that guides you through everything needed to launch your store. The checklist is your primary tool for getting started.

What the checklist provides:

  • Essential steps - Six required steps you must complete before switching to live mode
  • Recommended steps - Two additional steps that improve the customer experience
  • Automatic progress tracking - The checklist updates as you complete each step
  • Direct action links - Each item links to the right settings page

Your Launch Guide

The checklist ensures you don't miss critical configuration. Access it from your admin dashboard and follow along as you set up your store.

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

  • Access to your Hanut.io admin portal
  • Product information ready (photos, descriptions, prices)
  • An idea of your shipping options
  • Payment gateway account (Stripe or Revolut)
  • Social login credentials (Facebook, Google, or Microsoft) — or rely on email magic links instead

Essential Steps

These six steps are required before you can switch your store to live mode and start accepting real orders.

Step 1: Configure store basics

Set up your store's identity and core settings in Store Configuration.

What you're setting up

Your store needs a name, tagline, and description that customers will see across your website, in browser tabs, and in search results.

Quick setup

  1. Go to Settings > Store Configuration
  2. Enter your Store Name (e.g., "Artisan Candles Co")
  3. Add a Tag Line (e.g., "Handcrafted candles for every home")
  4. Write a Store Description for search engines (keep it under 160 characters)
  5. Optionally set Copyright information for your footer
  6. Click Save

Your Store Identity

This is the first thing customers see. Choose a name and tagline that clearly represent your brand and what you sell.

See Store configuration for all available settings including Live Mode.

Step 2: Set up shipping

Configure your shipping settings to tell the system how products can be delivered and what to charge customers.

What you're setting up

Shipping in Hanut.io has three parts that work together:

  1. Fulfilment tags - Categories for your products (e.g., "Standard Shipping", "Heavy Items")
  2. Shipping methods - How items get delivered (e.g., "Royal Mail", "Local Pickup")
  3. Pricing rules - The cost for each combination of tag and method

Quick setup

  1. Go to Settings > Shipping Configuration
  2. Create a fulfilment tag:
    • Click Fulfilment Tags > Create Fulfilment Tag
    • Name it "Standard Shipping"
    • Leave "Requires Weight" disabled if you're doing flat-rate pricing
    • Click Create
  3. Set up a shipping method:
    • Click Shipping Methods > Create Shipping Method
    • Enter your delivery service name (e.g., "Standard Delivery")
    • Set type to Delivery
    • Click Create
  4. Create a pricing rule:
    • Click Pricing Rules > Create Pricing Rule
    • Select your fulfilment tag and shipping method
    • Choose Flat Rate pricing type
    • Enter your shipping cost (e.g., £4.99)
    • Click Create

Tip

Start with a single fulfilment tag and flat-rate pricing. You can add express shipping, weight-based pricing, or local pickup later as you learn what your customers prefer.

See Shipping overview for detailed instructions and advanced options.

Step 3: Add products

Now you're ready to add products to your store.

Quick setup

  1. Go to Products
  2. Click Create Product
  3. Enter the product name, price, and description
  4. Upload at least one product image
  5. Assign the fulfilment tag you created earlier
  6. Click Create

Tip

Products are created as drafts by default. Remember to publish them when they're ready for customers to see.

See Products overview for more on managing your catalogue.

Step 4: Organize with categories

Help customers find products by creating categories.

Quick setup

  1. Go to Products > Categories
  2. Click Create Category
  3. Name your category (e.g., "Candles", "Home Decor")
  4. Save the category
  5. Go back to your products and assign them to categories

Even a few categories help customers browse your store more easily.

Step 5: Configure payment gateway

Set up your payment gateway to accept card payments through Stripe or Revolut. This is required before you can enable Live Mode.

What you're setting up

Payment gateways securely process customer card payments. You'll need production credentials from your payment provider.

Quick setup (Stripe example)

  1. Go to Settings > Payment Gateway
  2. In the Stripe section, enter:
    • API Key (Secret Key) - Get from your Stripe Dashboard under Developers > API keys
    • Publishable Key - Also from the API keys page
    • Webhook Signing Secret - Create a webhook endpoint first, then copy the signing secret
  3. Click Save changes

Test vs Production

For testing, use test API keys (starting with sk_test_ and pk_test_). Before going live, you must switch to production keys (starting with sk_live_ and pk_live_). The system will prevent you from enabling Live Mode with test credentials.

Important: Test your payment gateway thoroughly with test credentials before switching to production. Place test orders using Stripe test card numbers to verify everything works.

See Payment Gateway Configuration for detailed setup instructions for both Stripe and Revolut, including webhook configuration and production readiness requirements.

Step 6: Set up authentication

Configure authentication to let customers log in using email magic links, Facebook, Google, or Microsoft accounts. This makes checkout faster and increases conversion.

What you're setting up

Authentication lets customers sign in without creating a password. You can choose from two approaches:

  • Email magic links — Customers enter their email address and click a secure link to sign in. No third-party developer accounts required, but you must have email configuration set up first.
  • Social login — Customers sign in with their existing Facebook, Google, or Microsoft account.
  1. Make sure email configuration is complete
  2. Go to Settings > Authentication Configuration
  3. Toggle on Enable Magic Link Sign-In
  4. Save your changes

Quick setup (Google social login)

  1. Go to Settings > Authentication Configuration
  2. In the Google section:
    • Create OAuth credentials in Google Cloud Console
    • Enter your Client ID and Client Secret
    • Copy the OAuth Redirect URL shown in Hanut.io
    • Add this redirect URL to your Google OAuth settings
  3. Save your changes

Grow your sales

Stores with flexible sign-in options typically see higher conversion rates because customers don't need to create and remember another password.

You can enable one or more providers. Set up at least one authentication method to complete this essential step.

See Authentication configuration for detailed setup instructions for all providers.

These steps aren't required to go live, but they significantly improve the customer experience and help your store run smoothly.

Configure email

Set up your email configuration to send transactional emails like order confirmations, shipping notifications, and password resets.

Why this matters

Professional, branded emails build trust with customers and keep them informed about their orders. Without email configuration, customers won't receive important notifications.

Quick setup

  1. Go to Settings > Email Configuration
  2. Configure your SMTP settings or email service provider
  3. Set your from address and sender name
  4. Test the configuration by sending a test email

See Email configuration for detailed setup instructions.

Customize navigation menu

Use the menu editor to customize your store's navigation menu and help customers find what they're looking for.

Why this matters

A well-organized menu makes it easy for customers to browse your products and find important pages like shipping policies or contact information.

Quick setup

  1. Go to Settings > Menu Editor
  2. Add links to your main product categories
  3. Add links to important pages (About, Contact, Policies)
  4. Organize menu items in a logical order
  5. Save your menu

See Menu editor for detailed customization options.

Review and launch

Before switching to live mode, verify that you've completed all essential steps:

  • [x] Configured store basics (name, tagline, description)
  • [x] Set up shipping with at least one method and pricing rule
  • [x] Added and published at least a few products
  • [x] Created product categories
  • [x] Configured payment gateway with production credentials
  • [x] Set up at least one authentication provider

Additional pre-launch checks:

  • [ ] Place a test order to verify the complete checkout flow
  • [ ] Check that order confirmation emails work (if email is configured)
  • [ ] Review your storefront on mobile and desktop
  • [ ] Verify all product images display correctly
  • [ ] Test the payment gateway with a small real transaction

Before Enabling Live Mode

The Store Setup Checklist will show if you're ready to go live. You must complete all six essential steps before you can enable Live Mode in Store Configuration.

Enable Live Mode and launch

Once all essential steps are complete:

  1. Go to Settings > Store Configuration
  2. Enable Live Mode
  3. Save your configuration

Your store is now live and ready to accept real customer orders!

You're ready to sell!

With all essential steps completed and Live Mode enabled, your store can accept orders from customers.

What's next?

Explore these features to grow your business:

Grow your business

Share your store link on social media and with your network. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get your first customers.

Need help?

Browse the topics in the sidebar or search for specific questions. The help centre covers everything from basic setup to advanced features.

Common next steps:

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Products overview