This comprehensive checklist guides you through every step of launching on Vrio - from initial planning through testing to going live. Use the checkboxes to track your progress and ensure nothing is missed.

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New to Vrio?
If you want to get started quickly, check out our Quick Start Guide first. This checklist is for a complete, production-ready implementation.

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How to Use This Checklist

Work through phases sequentially - each builds on the previous

Use linked documentation for detailed setup instructions

Pre-Launch Planning

Before diving into configuration, take time to map out your business requirements. Understanding what you're building upfront will help you navigate the checklist more efficiently and skip sections that don't apply to your use case.

What are you selling? Consider whether you're selling physical items (which require shipping and fulfillment setup), digital items (which can skip most logistics sections), or services (which typically need minimal fulfillment configuration). This determines which sections of the checklist are relevant to your implementation.

What billing models will you use? Think about whether you need one-time purchases, recurring subscriptions, prepaid subscriptions, trial offers, or a combination of these. Subscription businesses will need to configure dunning strategies and renewal communication, while one-time purchase businesses can skip those sections entirely.

How will customers purchase? Determine if you'll use Vrio's hosted checkout pages, integrate via API for a headless implementation, embed checkout into an existing website, or support multiple storefronts. This affects which integration and branding sections you'll need to focus on.

What's your geographic scope? Clarify whether you're selling domestically to a single country or internationally to multiple countries. International sales require multi-currency support, international shipping configuration, and potentially VAT/GST tax handling.

Which integrations are essential vs. optional? At minimum, you'll need a payment gateway and (for physical goods) a fulfillment solution and tax service. Beyond that, consider whether you need fraud prevention (highly recommended for all merchants), chargeback management, email marketing platforms, or customer service integrations. These can often be added after launch if you're trying to get to market quickly.

Phase 1: Foundation Setup

Establish the core infrastructure required for all Vrio implementations.

Platform Access & Users

Login to your Vrio Instance
Review User Groups and permissions
Add additional team members with appropriate access levels
Set up API users (if using API integration)

Note: Start with broader permissions during setup, then restrict access before go-live. Test with limited-permission users before launch.

Payment Infrastructure

Configure your payment processing foundation - this is critical to get right before proceeding.

Merchant Accounts

Vrio integrates with 50+ payment gateways. You'll need to create merchant accounts that are associated with your payment gateway.

Add your primary merchant account
Configure merchant credentials (sandbox for testing, production for launch)
Test merchant connection
Add backup merchant account (recommended for redundancy)

Note: Don't see your payment provider? Contact [email protected] to request a new gateway integration.

Payment Routing

Payment routers automatically distribute transactions across multiple merchants for load balancing, redundancy, and optimization. Payment routers are created in Settings → Payment Router and assigned to campaigns.

Note: Recommended for multi-merchant setups. However, it is not required and may be skipped when using a single merchant account.

Set up payment router with routing rules, priorities, and caps
Configure decline handling and merchant deactivation rules
Set up currency support and payment restrictions (if applicable)

Fraud Prevention

Fraud prevention tools screen transactions in real-time to block fraudulent orders before they're processed, reducing chargebacks and protecting your merchant accounts. Fraud connections are set up in Settings → Connections → Fraud and assigned to campaigns.

Note: Recommended for all merchants as it significantly reduces chargebacks and fraud losses. However, it is not required initially and may be added after launch if needed.

Choose and add fraud connection
Test fraud rules with sample transactions
Set up device fingerprinting (if supported by provider)

Chargeback Management

Chargeback management tools automatically fight disputes and handle alert notifications to reduce chargeback ratios and protect your processing. Chargeback connections are set up in Settings → Connections → Chargeback.

Note: Recommended for all merchants. However, it is not required initially and may be added after launch.

Fulfillment & Logistics

Configure shipping and fulfillment - critical for physical items.

Note: Required for physical items only. However, it is not needed and may be skipped when selling digital items only.

Shipping Profiles

Shipping profiles define your shipping costs, carriers, and delivery options. Shipping profiles are created in Settings → Shipping Profile and assigned to campaigns.

Create shipping profiles for your shipping strategies:
- Flat rate shipping
- Weight-based shipping
- Free shipping thresholds
Configure shipping carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.)
Set up international shipping (if applicable)

Fulfillment Connections

Fulfillment connections automatically send order details to your warehouse or 3PL provider and sync tracking information back to Vrio. Fulfillment connections are set up in Settings → Connections → Fulfillment and assigned to items.

Choose and add fulfillment connection
Configure connection credentials
Map items to fulfillment connection
Set up order combining rules

Tax & Compliance

Configure tax calculation to ensure proper tax collection.

Tax Connections

Tax connections automatically calculate sales tax, VAT, or GST based on customer location and product type. Tax connections are configured in Settings → Connections → Tax or tax profiles are created in Settings → Tax Profile, then assigned to campaigns.

Option A: Third-Party Tax Service (Recommended)

Choose and add tax connection
Configure account credentials
Configure tax codes for items
Test tax calculation

Option B: Manual Tax Profiles

Create tax profiles for each tax jurisdiction
Enter tax rates by state/country
Configure tax rules and exemptions

Note: Third-party tax services automatically handle tax rate changes and complex multi-jurisdiction tax. Recommended for businesses selling in multiple states or countries.

Dunning & Decline Recovery

Configure how to handle failed payments - critical for subscription businesses.

Note: Recommended for subscription businesses. However, it is not required and may be skipped when not offering subscriptions.

Dunning Profiles

Dunning profiles automatically retry failed subscription payments on a defined schedule to recover revenue and reduce involuntary churn. Dunning profiles are created in Settings → Dunning Profile and assigned to offers.

Create dunning schedules defining:
- Number of retry attempts
- Days between retries
- Declined response codes to exclude
- Discount offers for recovery
Configure dunning email notifications
Set up customer notifications for failed payments
If using external dunning provider, set up dunning connection

Phase 2: Product & Sales Setup

Now that your foundation is in place, configure your product catalog and sales channels.

Item Catalog

Create Items

Items are the physical or digital products you sell. Items are created in Settings → Items and assigned to offers and campaigns.

Pricing & Offers

Offers are the lynchpin of your business in Vrio - they define how you bill for items, when you charge customers, how items ship, and the entire customer relationship. Offers are created in Settings → Offers and assigned to campaigns. You cannot sell anything in Vrio without both an item and an offer.

Create Offers

Read Offers Overview to understand offer types and configurations
Determine offer type (one-time vs. recurring) and configuration (custom vs. shared)
Create offers for your billing models:

One-Time Purchase:

Set pricing for one-time sales
Configure purchase restrictions (if needed)

Subscription (Recurring):

Configure billing frequency (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual)
Set up pricing per cycle (trial pricing, standard pricing, etc.)
Configure trial periods (if applicable)
Set subscription duration (unlimited or fixed term)
Enable customer management options:
- Pause/resume permissions
- Skip charge/shipment options
- Offer swapping capabilities (plan changes)
- Frequency editing permissions

Prepaid Subscription:

Configure prepaid offers with term length and shipment schedule
Set number of shipments per prepaid period
Configure shipment intervals
Decide: One-time prepaid or recurring prepaid

Upsells (if applicable):

Configure upsell offers to increase average order value

Campaigns

Campaigns are your sales channels - where customers purchase items and offers.

Campaign Creation

Create campaigns for each sales channel/storefront
Add items to campaigns
Select offers for each item
Organize campaigns with categories (if using multiple campaigns)

Campaign Configuration

Payment Settings:

Assign payment router or specific merchant
Enable/disable prepaid cards

Tax Settings:

Assign tax connection or profile
Configure tax display (included or added at checkout)

Shipping Settings:

Assign shipping profiles
Configure shipping restrictions (if applicable)
Set up free shipping thresholds

Branding & Design

Campaign branding is primarily used for email responders and Vrio's hosted checkout pages. Configure your brand identity in Settings → Campaigns → Branding.

Domain & URLs

Note: Recommended when using Vrio's hosted checkout. However, it is not needed and may be skipped when using API checkout.

Configure custom domain
Set up SSL certificate
Configure URL structure
Set up redirects (if migrating from another platform)

Checkout Experience

Note: Required when using Vrio's hosted checkout. However, it is not needed and may be skipped when using API checkout.

Configure checkout page layout and design
Add custom success page (if needed)
Configure checkout validations:
- Address validation
- Phone number requirements
Add terms and conditions
Add privacy policy link

Promotions & Incentives

Set up discounts and gift cards to drive sales.

Discount Codes

Discount codes provide promotional pricing to incentivize purchases and track marketing campaign performance. Discount codes are created in Settings → Discount Codes and can be applied at checkout. Discounts can be restricted to specific offers and/or items.

Quantity Discounts

Quantity discounts automatically apply tiered pricing when customers purchase multiple items, encouraging larger orders. Quantity discount profiles are created in Settings → Configuration → Quantity Discounts and assigned to offers.

Configure quantity discounts
Set up quantity restrictions (min/max purchase amounts)
Configure bundle pricing

Gift Cards

Gift cards allow customers to purchase prepaid credit that can be redeemed for products, expanding payment options and generating upfront revenue. Gift card settings are configured in Settings → Gift Cards.

Enable gift card functionality
Configure gift card values
Set up gift card redemption flow
Test gift card purchase and redemption

Gifting

Gift subscriptions allow customers to purchase subscriptions for others, with the recipient claiming and managing their gift. Gift settings are configured on individual offers.

Phase 3: Customer Experience

Configure customer-facing features and communications.

Customer Communication

Vrio includes pre-loaded responder templates that you can customize.

Email Templates (Responders)

Cart Abandonment

Cart abandonment emails automatically follow up with customers who started but didn't complete checkout, recovering lost sales. Partial responders are set up in Settings → Partial Responders and assigned to campaigns.

Set up partial responders for cart abandonment:
- Configure delay timing (e.g., 1 hour, 24 hours)
- Customize abandonment email content
- Add incentives (discount codes)
- Set up multi-touch sequence

Subscription Communication

Note: Recommended for subscription businesses. However, it is not needed and may be skipped when not offering subscriptions.

Configure renewal reminder emails
Set up billing cycle-specific messaging
Configure dunning communication
Set up win-back campaigns for cancelled subscribers

Communication Connections

Communication connections allow you to integrate your own email service provider or marketing automation platform. SMTP connections (like SendGrid) enable you to send transactional emails through your own ESP for better deliverability and brand control. Marketing connections (like Klaviyo) sync customer data for segmentation and lifecycle marketing. Connections are set up in Settings → Connections and responders are configured on campaigns.

Set up SMTP server connection (if using custom email provider like SendGrid)
Configure marketing automation connection (if using platforms like Klaviyo)
Test email delivery and tracking

Customer Service Integration

Set up tools for your support team to assist customers.

Phase 4: Marketing & Analytics

Set up tracking, attribution, and reporting infrastructure.

Tracking & Attribution

Tracking Variables

Tracking variables allow you to pass custom attribution data with orders (up to 20 variables per order). This data flows through to analytics, postback pixels, and reporting.

Define tracking variable names in Settings → Configuration → Tracking Names
Document your tracking schema:
- tracking1: (e.g., UTM source, affiliate ID, etc.)
- tracking2: (e.g., UTM medium, campaign name, etc.)
- tracking3-20: (document what each will capture)
Configure your checkout or API integration to pass tracking variables
Test tracking variable capture on test orders

Postback Pixels

Postback pixels fire in real-time to notify external systems (CRMs, affiliate networks, analytics tools) when orders are processed. Configure at multiple levels based on your needs:

Campaign Level Postbacks:

Configure default campaign postback pixel for general conversion tracking
Test postback fires correctly

Conditional Postbacks (if using multiple traffic sources/affiliates):

Set up campaign tracking pixels that fire based on tracking variables
Configure different postbacks for different affiliates or traffic sources
Test conditional logic matches correctly

Transaction & Offer Level Postbacks:

Configure transaction-level postbacks on offer cycles (if needed for detailed transaction data)
Set up offer lifecycle postbacks for subscription events (cancellation, reactivation, expiration)

Phase 5: Testing & Quality Assurance

Critical Phase: Testing is essential before going live. Issues found during testing are easy to fix. Issues found in production can result in lost sales, chargebacks, and customer dissatisfaction.

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Testing Fundamentals
Before switching to production, you must thoroughly test your implementation:

Test every feature you configured - If you set it up in Phases 1-4, test it now

Verify all integrations work correctly - Payment gateways, fulfillment, fraud tools, tax services, responders, and webhooks

Ensure no test configurations remain - Remove test gateways, test credentials, and test-only settings from production campaigns

Test the complete customer journey - From landing page through purchase, fulfillment, and post-purchase communications

Essential Testing Checklist

Use the resources below to guide your testing:

Order Flow & Transactions:

Review how to place test orders and obtain test cards from your gateway
Test successful purchases for each offer type you're using (one-time, subscription, prepaid, trial)
Test declined transactions and verify dunning triggers correctly (for subscriptions)
Test all payment methods you're accepting (credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal)
Verify pricing, discounts, tax, and shipping calculate correctly
Test upsells to ensure they're configured properly (if using)

Integration Testing:

Verify transactions post correctly to your payment gateway
Verify shipments post correctly to fulfillment and tracking syncs back
Test fraud screening and verify decisions log correctly
Verify tax calculation accuracy across different addresses
Test chargeback alert webhooks (if configured)
Verify custom webhooks fire correctly with proper payloads

Communication Testing:

Test all responders you configured (order confirmation, shipping, renewals, declines, etc.)
Verify emails render correctly on desktop and mobile
Check emails don't land in spam folders
Test SMS notifications (if using)
Verify cart abandonment sequences trigger correctly

Subscription-Specific Testing (if applicable):

Verify renewal dates and amounts are correct
Test subscription modifications (pause, cancel, reactivate, quantity changes, swaps)
Test dunning schedules with declined test cards
Verify renewal reminder responders fire at correct timing

Final Checks:

Test with multiple user roles to verify permissions work correctly
Verify tracking variables capture properly and appear in reporting
Test postback pixels fire correctly
Verify all test-mode connections are disabled or removed

Phase 6: Go-Live Preparation

Switch from test environment to production and prepare for launch.

Final Launch Verification

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Before Launch: Switch all gateways and connections from test/sandbox to production credentials. Remove or deactivate any test-only merchants or campaigns.

Test one live transaction with real payment method
Verify transaction appears correctly in production gateway
Verify fulfillment posts correctly in production
Confirm customer receives order confirmation email
Verify tracking variables capture properly
Check all production logs for errors

Launch!

Launch Day Activities

Familiarize yourself with Vrio analytics and reporting to monitor your business
Monitor first orders closely for any issues
Watch payment processing and gateway logs
Verify fulfillment posts successfully
Check email delivery and responder logs
Monitor fraud screening decisions
Track conversion rates and decline rates

First Week Focus Areas

Review subscription renewals (if applicable)
Monitor dunning performance for any failed payments
Check fulfillment tracking updates
Review customer feedback and support inquiries
Analyze marketing attribution and conversion rates
Verify tax calculation accuracy across orders
Check for any integration errors or anomalies

Ongoing Optimization

Set up daily monitoring of key metrics (sales, declines, fulfillment status)
Review weekly reports on churn, retention, and conversions
Create custom dashboards and alerts as you identify key metrics to track
Continuously optimize based on data:
- Refine fraud rules
- Adjust dunning strategies
- A/B test checkout variations
- Optimize email templates and responder timing
- Expand product catalog and test new offers

Need Help?

Support Resources

Email Support: [email protected]
Emergency Issues: Contact your account manager

Common Launch Issues

Orders not processing:

Check payment gateway credentials are production (not test)
Verify payment router configuration
Check merchant account caps

Fulfillment not posting:

Verify fulfillment connection is in production mode
Check SKU mapping
Review connection error logs at Settings → Connections → Fulfillment

Emails not sending:

Check responder activation status
Verify sender email configuration and authentication
Review email connection logs

Tracking not captured:

Verify tracking pixels are added to campaign
Check tracking variable configuration
Test with browser developer tools

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Congratulations on your launch!
You've completed a comprehensive Vrio implementation. Continue to monitor performance and optimize based on data. Your Vrio team is here to support your success.