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Prerequisites

Before installing and configuring CartWisp, ensure your Shopify store is ready for checkout rule enforcement, customer verification, shipping/payment control, and policy-based checkout validation.

CartWisp works best when your store policies, products, customer segments, and checkout requirements are clearly defined before setup. The following prerequisites will help ensure smoother installation, accurate rule creation, and better checkout behavior.

1. Active Shopify Store​

You need an active Shopify store to install and use CartWisp.

Your store should already have the basic commerce setup completed, including products, collections, shipping settings, payment methods, and checkout access. If your Shopify store is still in the early setup stage, it is recommended to complete the core store configuration first before enabling checkout rules.

CartWisp is designed to enforce rules during checkout, so having a properly configured Shopify store helps ensure that rules behave as expected.

2. Shopify Admin Access​

You must have administrator-level access to your Shopify store.

Admin access is required to:

  • Install CartWisp
  • Approve app permissions
  • Access the CartWisp dashboard
  • Configure checkout rules
  • Review customer verification requests
  • Manage shipping and payment-related rules
  • Test and activate checkout policies

If you are not the store owner, make sure your user account has the necessary permissions before starting the installation.

3. Stable Internet Connection​

A stable internet connection is required to access Shopify Admin, install CartWisp, configure checkout rules, upload or review documents, and test checkout behavior.

Since CartWisp rule setup and customer verification workflows are managed through the app dashboard, uninterrupted access helps prevent incomplete rule configuration or failed updates during setup.

4. Understanding of Checkout Rules and Store Policies​

Before configuring CartWisp, it is important to understand the types of checkout rules your store needs.

CartWisp can help enforce rules such as:

  • Minimum order value
  • Maximum quantity per SKU
  • Minimum order quantity by customer segment
  • Country or state restrictions
  • SKU-level regional restrictions
  • Shipping method restrictions
  • Payment method restrictions
  • Customer verification requirements
  • Age-restricted product enforcement
  • Bundle or required accessory rules
  • Subscription and one-time product mixing restrictions

Understanding these concepts will help you create rules that accurately match your store’s business and operational requirements.

5. Basic Shopify Product and Customer Management Knowledge​

You should have basic knowledge of how your Shopify products and customers are organized.

This includes knowing how to

  • Manage products and variants
  • Identify SKUs
  • Use product tags
  • Organize products into collections
  • Review customer profiles
  • Apply or manage customer tags
  • Identify customer groups or segments
  • Understand Shopify Markets, if your store sells internationally

CartWisp rules often depend on product data, customer data, tags, collections, locations, and customer categories. Accurate product and customer organization helps ensure checkout rules apply to the right scenarios.

6. Defined Checkout Control Strategy​

Before installing or configuring CartWisp, it is helpful to define the checkout problems you want to solve.

You may want to outline:

  • Which orders should be blocked
  • Which products require restrictions
  • Which customer groups need special rules
  • Which regions should be blocked or limited
  • Which payment methods should be restricted
  • Which shipping methods should be hidden or enforced
  • Which products require bundle items or accessories
  • Which customer categories require verification

For example, if your store sells age-restricted products, define what category customers must qualify for, what document they need to submit, and what should happen if they are not verified.

Planning these rules in advance makes setup faster and reduces the risk of over-blocking valid customers.

7. Shipping and Payment Setting Review​

CartWisp can control shipping and payment behavior during checkout, but your Shopify shipping and payment settings should be configured correctly first.

Before setting up related rules, review:

  • Available shipping methods
  • Shipping zones
  • Local pickup settings
  • International shipping settings
  • P.O. box delivery policy
  • COD availability
  • BNPL availability
  • Invoice or bank payment options
  • Country-specific payment settings

For example, if CartWisp is used to hide COD for international orders, COD should first be enabled and available in Shopify. CartWisp can then determine when it should be hidden or restricted.

8. Customer Verification Category planning​

If your store needs customer verification, define your customer categories before enabling verification workflows.

Examples of categories include:

  • Above 18
  • Wholesale Buyer
  • Verified Distributor
  • Licensed Buyer
  • Approved Business Customer

For each category, decide:

  • Who qualifies
  • Whether documents are required
  • What documents are accepted
  • Who will review requests
  • What rules depend on the category
  • Whether verification can expire or be revoked

This is especially important for age-restricted products, regulated goods, B2B workflows, licensed products, or customer-specific checkout permissions.

9. Customer Awareness and Verification Adoption​

If customers need to submit verification requests before purchasing restricted products or accessing specific checkout options, they should be made aware of the process.

To improve customer experience, consider adding information on:

  • Product pages
  • Account pages
  • Store policy pages
  • Checkout messages
  • FAQs
  • Customer support responses

For example, if a customer must be verified as Above 18 before purchasing alcohol, it is better to explain this requirement before checkout rather than only showing the restriction at the final step.

Clear customer communication helps reduce confusion, support tickets, and checkout abandonment.

10. Optional Store Data and Checkout Insights​

Although not required, reviewing store data before configuring CartWisp can help you create better rules.

Useful data includes:

  • Average order value
  • Common order quantities
  • Frequently refunded orders
  • Most restricted products
  • Common shipping destinations
  • Failed delivery regions
  • COD-related issues
  • High-risk payment patterns
  • Customer support complaints
  • Cancellation or return reasons

These insights can help you decide which rules are most important and what thresholds should be used.

For example, if many small orders are unprofitable, you may want to configure a minimum order value rule. If COD orders above a certain value create risk, you may want to disable COD above that threshold.

11. Internal Team Alignment​

Checkout rules can affect multiple teams, including operations, fulfillment, support, finance, compliance, and marketing.

Before activating major rules, make sure relevant team members understand:

  • Why the rule exists
  • Which customers it affects
  • What message customers will see
  • How to handle customer questions
  • Who reviews verification requests
  • Who updates rules when policies change

This helps your team provide consistent support and prevents confusion when customers contact the store about checkout restrictions.

12. Customer Awareness & Education​

Before activating CartWisp rules, make sure customers understand the requirements that may affect checkout. If customers only discover restrictions at the final checkout step, they may feel confused and abandon the order.

Clearly communicate important rules on product pages, cart pages, account pages, FAQs, shipping policies, and checkout messages. This is especially important for restrictions related to age verification, wholesale eligibility, regional shipping limits, payment method availability, minimum order values, and quantity limits.

For example, if a product requires age verification, mention it before checkout:

This product requires age verification before purchase. Please submit your verification request from your account before checkout.

Customer awareness helps reduce support tickets, improves verification completion, and makes checkout restrictions feel clear instead of unexpected. A well-informed customer is more likely to fix the issue and complete checkout successfully.