diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 12edc7cf..41ca962c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -4,51 +4,68 @@ This is the code for our online store. This is a simple store for buying and sel
 
 ## Development
 
-> [!IMPORTANT]
-> You **MUST** use `127.0.0.1:3000` instead of `localhost:3000` when developing the website. This is because those URLs are considered as distinct for the purposes of CORS, and `store/settings/configs/local.yaml` is configured only to support `127.0.0.1:3000`.
+To get started developing:
 
-To develop the application, start React and FastAPI in separate terminals:
+1. Clone the repository
+2. Install the React dependencies and create a `.env.local` file
+3. Install the FastAPI dependencies
+4. Start the Redis and DynamoDB databases
+5. Initialize the test databases
+6. Serve the FastAPI application
+7. Serve the React frontend
 
-### React
+### Database
 
-To install the React dependencies, use [nvm](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm) and [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/):
+#### DynamoDB
+
+When developing locally, use the `amazon/dynamodb-local` Docker image to run a local instance of DynamoDB:
 
 ```bash
-cd frontend
-nvm use 20.10.0
-npm install
+docker pull amazon/dynamodb-local  # If you haven't already
+docker run --name store-db -d -p 8000:8000 amazon/dynamodb-local  # Start the container in the background
 ```
 
-To serve the React frontend in development mode:
+Then, if you need to kill the database, you can run:
 
 ```bash
-npm start
+docker kill store-db || true
+docker rm store-db || true
 ```
 
-To build the React frontend for production:
+Initialize the test databases by running the creation script:
 
 ```bash
-npm run build
+python -m store.app.db create
 ```
 
-To automatically rebuild the React frontend code when a file is changed:
+##### Admin Panel
+
+DynamoDB Admin is a GUI that allows you to visually see your tables and their entries. To install, run
 
 ```bash
-npm run watch
+npm i -g dynamodb-admin
 ```
 
-To run code formatting:
+To run, **source the same environment variables that you use for FastAPI** and then run
 
 ```bash
-npm run format
+dynamodb-admin
 ```
 
-#### Environment Variables
+#### Redis
 
-You will need to set `REACT_APP_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID`. To do this, first create a Google client id (see [this LogRocket post](https://blog.logrocket.com/guide-adding-google-login-react-app/)). Then create a `.env.local` file in the `frontend` directory and add the following line:
+For Redis, use the `redis` Docker image:
 
+```bash
+docker pull redis  # If you haven't already
+docker run --name store-redis -d -p 6379:6379 redis  # Start the container in the background
 ```
-REACT_APP_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
+
+Then, if you need to kill the database, you can run:
+
+```bash
+docker kill store-redis || true
+docker rm store-redis || true
 ```
 
 ### FastAPI
@@ -74,9 +91,6 @@ Serve the FastAPI application in development mode:
 fastapi dev 'store/app/main.py' --port 8080  # On port 8080 to avoid conflicts with Docker
 ```
 
-> [!NOTE]
-> You will need to run `npm run build` at least once in order to generate the static files in `frontend/build/static`.
-
 #### Configuration
 
 Settings for the app backend live in the `store/settings/` directory. You can use the following environment variables:
@@ -95,33 +109,40 @@ export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=test
 export REACT_APP_BACKEND_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8080
 ```
 
-#### Database
+### React
 
-When developing locally, use the `amazon/dynamodb-local` Docker image to run a local instance of DynamoDB:
+To install the React dependencies, use [nvm](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm) and [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/):
 
 ```bash
-docker pull amazon/dynamodb-local  # If you haven't already
-docker run -d -p 8000:8000 amazon/dynamodb-local  # Start the container in the background
+cd frontend
+nvm use 20.10.0
+npm install
 ```
 
-Initialize the test databases by running the creation script:
+To serve the React frontend in development mode:
 
 ```bash
-python -m store.app.db
+npm start
 ```
 
-### Miscellaneous
+To build the React frontend for production:
 
-#### DynamoDB Admin
+```bash
+npm run build
+```
 
-DynamoDB Admin is a GUI that allows you to visually see your tables and their entries. To install, run
+To run code formatting:
 
 ```bash
-npm i -g dynamodb-admin
+npm run format
 ```
 
-To run, **source the same environment variables that you use for FastAPI** and then run
+#### Environment Variables
+
+You will need to set `REACT_APP_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID`. To do this, first create a Google client id (see [this LogRocket post](https://blog.logrocket.com/guide-adding-google-login-react-app/)). Then create a `.env.local` file in the `frontend` directory and add the following line:
 
-```bash
-dynamodb-admin
 ```
+REACT_APP_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
+```
+
+Additionally, you should set `REACT_APP_BACKEND_URL` to the URL of the FastAPI backend. This should be `http://127.0.0.1:8080` when developing locally.
diff --git a/frontend/package.json b/frontend/package.json
index 8842e720..18052fc6 100644
--- a/frontend/package.json
+++ b/frontend/package.json
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   },
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
-    "start": "react-scripts start",
+    "start": "HOST=127.0.0.1 react-scripts start",
     "build": "react-scripts build",
     "test": "react-scripts test --env=jsdom",
     "eject": "react-scripts eject",
diff --git a/store/app/db.py b/store/app/db.py
index 2aca899f..28a7d1e3 100644
--- a/store/app/db.py
+++ b/store/app/db.py
@@ -97,9 +97,23 @@ async def delete_tables(crud: Crud | None = None) -> None:
         await crud._delete_dynamodb_table("Parts")
 
 
+async def populate_with_dummy_data(crud: Crud | None = None) -> None:
+    """Populates the database with dummy data.
+
+    Args:
+        crud: The top-level CRUD class.
+    """
+    if crud is None:
+        async with Crud() as crud:
+            await populate_with_dummy_data(crud)
+
+    else:
+        raise NotImplementedError("This function is not yet implemented.")
+
+
 async def main() -> None:
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
-    parser.add_argument("action", choices=["create", "delete"])
+    parser.add_argument("action", choices=["create", "delete", "populate"])
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
     async with Crud() as crud:
@@ -108,6 +122,8 @@ async def main() -> None:
                 await create_tables(crud)
             case "delete":
                 await delete_tables(crud)
+            case "populate":
+                await populate_with_dummy_data(crud)
             case _:
                 raise ValueError(f"Invalid action: {args.action}")