How to Start an Online Store in India: A Step-by-Step Launch Guide

Payment gateways and couriers will ask for documents before they work with you, so get these ready first. Doing it early also avoids a scramble on launch day.

• A business structure: sole proprietorship, partnership, LLP or private limited company.
• A current bank account in the business name.
• PAN for the business, or your own PAN for a proprietorship.
• GST registration, if it applies to you. Rules depend on what you sell, your turnover and whether you sell to other states, so check with your CA.
• A business address that can receive courier pickups and returns.

Shoppers cannot touch your product, so the product page has to answer every question they would ask in a shop. Start with a focused range you can photograph and describe well, rather than everything at once.

• Clear photos from several angles on a plain background, plus one showing the product in use.
• A short description, then key details: material, size, weight, care instructions and what is in the box.
• Variants such as size or colour, each with its own price, stock and photo.
• A size chart where fit matters.
• Delivery time and return policy shown near the buy button.

Give every product a unique SKU and record its weight and package size. You will need these for stock control and for shipping charges.

Most Indian shoppers expect to pay by UPI, with cards, net banking and wallets as backups. A payment gateway such as Razorpay, Cashfree or PayU handles all of these and settles the money into your bank account, usually within a few working days.

Gateways review your website before they activate your account. They look for a working store, your contact details, and shipping, refund, privacy and terms pages. If you plan to sell abroad, ask about international cards or use a gateway such as Stripe or PayPal alongside.

Invoices

If you are GST registered, each order needs a proper tax invoice with your GSTIN, the product's HSN code, the taxable value and the right tax split. Sales within your state usually show CGST and SGST, and sales to other states show IGST. Your store should create these automatically so you are not typing invoices at night.

Policy pages

India's e-commerce rules expect online sellers to show who they are, how to contact them, a grievance contact, and clear terms for returns, refunds, shipping and cancellations. Write these in simple language, keep them consistent with what you actually do, and have your CA or lawyer review them.

Shipping

A shipping aggregator such as Shiprocket, or a direct courier account, lets you book pickups, print labels and share tracking links. Add a pincode checker on product pages, so buyers know before they order whether you deliver to them and roughly when.

Cash on delivery

COD helps first-time buyers trust a new store, but refused parcels come back at your cost. Keep COD and protect yourself at the same time.

• Limit COD to pincodes and order values you are comfortable with.
• Confirm each COD order by WhatsApp or OTP before you ship it.
• Charge a small COD fee, or give a small discount for paying online.
• Track which pincodes refuse most often and adjust.

Returns

Decide your return window, what condition items must be in, and whether you refund, exchange or give store credit. A clear return process actually helps sales, because buyers feel safer trying a new store.

1. 1Place real orders with UPI, card and COD, and check the money and the invoice.
2. 2Ship a test parcel to a friend in another city and watch the tracking updates.
3. 3Process a return and a refund from start to finish.
4. 4Open the store on an older Android phone using mobile data.
5. 5Check that order emails and WhatsApp messages reach the customer.

A new store gets no visitors on its own. Start with the people who already know you, then widen the circle.

• Tell your existing customers, contacts and WhatsApp groups, with a first-order offer.
• Post products on Instagram and link straight to the product pages.
• Write product descriptions and category pages that match what people search on Google.
• Run small ad tests on a few products before spending more.
• Follow up on abandoned carts with a reminder by WhatsApp or email.

We build e-commerce websites for Indian sellers with product variants, UPI, card and COD checkout, automatic GST invoices, pincode checks, courier booking and tracking, returns, coupons and abandoned cart reminders, all managed from one admin panel.

If you want a quicker start with ready-made software, see our E-commerce Application. Tell us what you sell in the form below and we will send a fixed, itemised quote before any work starts.