The Buildingmoats framework
A practical framework for building and improving your ecommerce business.
Connect customers, products, supply, your store and growth. Understand how they work together, plan your work and investigate problems, so you can improve business performance and work toward your goals.
Seven connected areas. One business system.
The Buildingmoats framework organizes your business into seven connected areas. Each has its own goal, but decisions in one area affect the others. Use the map to see the whole system, then explore the work behind each part.
01
Customer research
Understand who you serve.
02
Product development
Shape a product worth buying.
03
Supply chain
Make delivery reliable.
04
Store building
Create a suitable place to buy.
05
Customer acquisition
Reach the right people.
06
Conversion diagnosis
Find barriers to purchase.
07
Business optimization
Improve the system as a whole.
What customers value shapes your product. Your product affects sourcing, delivery and the promises your store makes. Acquisition brings people to the store; conversion diagnosis helps you investigate what happens next. Business optimization brings those findings together to decide where to improve.
Start with the question you have today. Return to other areas as you learn more.
Know what to work on in each area.
Each area has a clear goal, practical work to do and decisions to make. Use these summaries to identify what you need to understand, test or improve.
01
Customer research
Goal
Understand who your customers are and what would make your product worth buying.
What to work through
Define a customer group, investigate their problems and compare the alternatives they already use.
What to clarify
Who you will serve, which problem you will address and why your offer could be relevant.
02
Product development
Goal
Turn customer needs into a product you can test and improve.
What to work through
Set product requirements, prioritize features and evaluate samples with customer feedback.
What to clarify
What to build, what to test and what needs to change before you commit further.
03
Supply chain
Goal
Deliver the product reliably while keeping costs and stock manageable.
What to work through
Compare suppliers, check quality, plan purchasing and connect inventory with fulfillment.
What to clarify
How you will source, stock and deliver your product—and what could interrupt that plan.
04
Store building
Goal
Choose a suitable way to build your store and create a clear buying experience.
What to work through
Compare Shopify, WordPress with WooCommerce and a custom-built store, then plan content, product pages and checkout.
What to clarify
Which building approach fits your budget, control needs and capacity to maintain the store.
05
Customer acquisition
Goal
Reach potential customers through channels you can use effectively.
What to work through
Identify where customers spend time, learn how each channel works and test your approach against clear goals.
What to clarify
Which channels to prioritize and whether the results justify your effort and budget.
06
Conversion diagnosis
Goal
Find what prevents relevant visitors from completing a purchase.
What to work through
Examine the journey from arrival to checkout, investigate likely barriers and test focused changes.
What to clarify
Where customers drop off, what might explain it and which change to test next.
07
Business optimization
Goal
Help the whole system work more effectively.
What to work through
Review results across the business, address bottlenecks and identify strengths you can build on.
What to clarify
Which constraint to address first and which improvement could strengthen the business as a whole.
One problem can involve several areas.
Your store gets visitors, but few orders. Is the problem your price, your product photos or something else? Use the framework to investigate before deciding what to change.
01
Check what is happening.
Confirm that purchase tracking works. Review where visitors come from and where they leave between arrival and checkout.
02
Look across connected areas.
Are you reaching the right people? Does the product meet their needs?
Check whether price, photos, delivery information or trust concerns could explain the barrier you found.
03
Test a focused change.
Choose a change that addresses your strongest hypothesis.
Compare the results with your starting point, then decide whether to keep, revise or test another approach.
Keep the numbers connected to your decisions.
Product, supplier, store and marketing choices all affect what the business costs and how cash moves. Review the numbers as those choices change, so you can judge what the business can support.
Investment
Estimate what you need to spend before launch and what you will need to keep operating.
Profitability
Understand what remains after product, delivery, platform and customer acquisition costs.
Cash flow
Plan when you pay suppliers, hold stock and receive money from customers.
Understand the numbers behind your business.
Learn how to plan your investment, assess profitability and manage cash flow as your business develops.
Put the framework to work.
Start with the decisions or problems in front of you. Use the relevant areas to plan your work, investigate the cause and review what happens next.
Building your first store?
Start with your customers and product. Work through supply, store and acquisition choices, checking costs and cash needs as your plan develops. Test important assumptions before committing more time or money.
8 questions to answer before you start an online store
Get clear on who you’ll sell to, what you’ll offer, how you’ll reach customers and what the business will need to operate.
Which store-building option fits your business?
Compare popular store-building options—Shopify, WordPress with WooCommerce and custom-built stores—through cost, control, maintenance and the work you’re prepared to manage.
Improving an existing store?
Start with the result that is falling short.
Look at the relevant area, check what happens before and after it and test a focused change. Review the result before deciding what to do next.
Why is no one visiting my store?
Check whether your store can be found, whether your channels reach the right people and what your traffic data tells you to investigate next.
People visit my store. Why aren’t they buying?
Examine traffic quality, product pages, pricing, trust and checkout to narrow down what is preventing purchases.
