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Runbook: New Account Setup Checklist

Use when: A new merchant has just submitted the UltraCart signup form and you need to get them from zero to a configured account.
Time estimate: 2–4 hours (depending on complexity of products, shipping, payments)
Prerequisites: Merchant has received their signup confirmation email and has login credentials.

Phase 1: First Login & Orientation (15 min)​

  1. Navigate to https://secure.ultracart.com/ and log in with credentials from signup email.

  2. Note the Merchant ID (MID) shown in the Getting Started widget — record it somewhere accessible (this is needed for API integrations and support tickets).

  3. Note the Trial Expiration Date under Configuration → Account → Overview. Set a calendar reminder for 1 week before expiry to add billing.

  4. Do NOT close the Getting Started wizard — it's a useful orientation checkpoint even if you're following this runbook instead.

Phase 2: Account Info Corrections (10 min)​

Navigate to: Configuration → Account (/merchant/configuration/accountEditLoad.do)

Merchant Profile​

  • [ ] Click Company — verify company name is correct (set at signup)

  • [ ] Click Main Website URL — enter the merchant's primary domain (e.g., <https://vitagen-labs.com)>

  • [ ] Click State — CHANGE FROM FL to the merchant's actual state

  • [ ] Click Zip/Postal Code — CHANGE FROM 33074 to the merchant's actual zip

  • [ ] Verify Country

🚨 Critical: State and Zip default to Pompano Beach, FL (UltraCart HQ). Tax calculations are origin-based — wrong state = wrong taxes from day one.

Billing​

  • [ ] Click Edit in the Billing Information section and add a credit card

  • [ ] Confirm the Next Billing Date is acceptable

Security​

  • [ ] Consider enabling 2FA OTP (Security Settings → 2FA OTP Required → Yes) for team accounts

Phase 3: StoreFront Setup (30–60 min)​

Navigate to: StoreFronts → select or create a storefront

If using the Getting Started wizard Website step:

  • Choose Full StoreFront for most DTC merchants

  • Enter Website Address (merchant's primary domain)

  • Enter StoreFront name

  • For web address, use the *.ultracartstore.com subdomain initially — custom domain can be configured later

  • Choose Single-page checkout (recommended for most merchants; higher conversion)

After saving:

  • [ ] Navigate to the storefront URL to confirm it loads

  • [ ] Click "Edit" in the Visual Builder to preview the default theme

  • [ ] Note: custom domain/SSL setup is a separate task (see configure-custom-domain.md)

Phase 4: Location & Tax (20 min)​

Complete wizard Step 4 (Location) OR navigate directly to the location settings:

In the wizard:

  • [ ] Set Currency (USD for US merchants)

  • [ ] Set Weight Units (LB for most US merchants)

  • [ ] Distance Units (IN)

  • [ ] Enter merchant's physical business address (origin address for shipping/tax)

  • [ ] Click Save Location

After wizard — configure Tax:

⚠️ The wizard does NOT cover tax setup. This must be done separately.

Navigate to: Configuration → Tax (or search "Tax" in the top search bar)

  • [ ] Configure tax nexus for the state(s) where the merchant has tax obligations

  • [ ] Consider enabling automatic TaxJar or Avalara integration for multi-state merchants

  • [ ] Test a sample checkout to verify tax calculation

Phase 5: Add Products (30–120 min depending on catalog size)​

For quick-add via wizard (1–5 items):

  • Use wizard Step 3 (Add Items) with the quick-entry form

  • Fields: Item ID (max 20 chars), Price, Title, Weight, Assign to Page

For larger catalogs:

  • Navigate to Items in the left nav

  • Use bulk import (CSV) for 10+ items

  • See add-first-product.md runbook for detailed single-item configuration

Sample item deletion:

  • [ ] Delete sample items in wizard Step 3 → Samples → Delete Sample Items (or via Items list)

  • [ ] Verify no sample items appear on the live StoreFront

Phase 6: Shipping (30–60 min)​

Complete wizard Step 5 (Shipping) OR navigate to full shipping configuration:

In wizard:

  • [ ] Select "Yes" — products require shipping

  • [ ] Select carriers (USPS and/or FedEx/UPS)

  • [ ] Click Save Shipping Settings

Full shipping configuration (after wizard):

  • Navigate to Configuration → Shipping (or Operations → Shipping)

  • [ ] Configure real-time rate carriers (requires carrier account credentials for UPS/FedEx)

  • [ ] Set up shipping zones if flat-rate shipping is used

  • [ ] Configure free shipping threshold if applicable

  • [ ] Set up packing slip template

⚠️ After saving wizard shipping settings, UltraCart pre-configures some USPS methods. Verify these are appropriate for the merchant's actual USPS account and service levels.

Phase 7: Payments (30–60 min)​

Complete wizard Step 6 (Payments):

PayPal (recommended first):

  • [ ] Click Connect in the PayPal section

  • [ ] Complete PayPal OAuth authorization

  • [ ] Verify PayPal is shown as configured in the review step

Payment Gateway (Stripe recommended for new merchants):

  • [ ] Click Configure Other Payment Methods

  • [ ] Select Stripe from the Payment Gateway dropdown

  • [ ] Enter Stripe Secret Key and Publishable Key (from Stripe dashboard)

  • [ ] Test with a $1.00 transaction

  • [ ] Enable PayPal Pay Later if appropriate

Skip for now:

  • Amazon Pay — Amazon Pay has restricted new merchant onboarding; skip unless merchant specifically requests and has an approved Amazon Pay account

Phase 8: Pre-Launch Verification (30 min)​

Before considering the account live:

  • [ ] Place a test order end-to-end (use a test/sandbox card)

  • [ ] Verify order confirmation email is received and looks correct

  • [ ] Verify shipping notification email template

  • [ ] Check that taxes are calculating correctly on checkout

  • [ ] Verify checkout SSL (should be HTTPS on all checkout pages)

  • [ ] Check mobile responsiveness of checkout

  • [ ] Verify the "share" URL (vitag.ultracartstore.com) resolves to the store

What's NOT Covered by This Runbook​

These items require additional configuration beyond this checklist:

  • Custom domain configuration (separate runbook)

  • Google Analytics / Meta Pixel integration

  • Subscription / auto-ship (especially important for nutraceuticals)

  • Fraud screening (MaxMind/Kount)

  • Customer accounts (login/register enable)

  • Email template customization

  • Upsell / cross-sell configuration

  • Inventory management and stock levels

Support Resources​

ResourceURL
UltraCart documentationhttps://ultracart.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ucdoc/
UltraCart supporthttps://www.ultracart.com/support/
UltraCart status pagehttps://status.ultracart.com/
This account's dashboardhttps://secure.ultracart.com/merchant/mainMenu.do
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