Starting an online store can feel like a lot at once: products, photos, payments, shipping, tax, a website. The good news is that you do not have to do everything perfectly before you begin. You need a clear order of steps, and the patience to improve as you go.
This checklist is written for small Indian businesses: a home baker, a handloom shop, a spice seller, a boutique, a stationery store or a restaurant. Work through it at your own pace.
Step 1: Decide what you will sell, and to whom
Before thinking about websites, be clear about your offer.
- What are your first products? Start with a focused range you know well, rather than everything at once. Ten to thirty good products is plenty for a start.
- Who will buy them? Local customers, people across your state, or all of India? This affects shipping, language and marketing.
- Why would someone buy from you? Quality, a craft tradition, a family recipe, better service, a local connection. Write this down in a sentence; you will use it on your home page.
- Can you deliver it? Some products, such as fresh food or fragile items, are easier to sell locally than nationally.
Step 2: Work out your prices properly
Many new sellers underprice and lose money without noticing. For each product, add up:
- Cost of the product or materials
- Packaging
- Average shipping cost, if you offer free delivery
- Payment gateway fees
- GST, if you are registered
- An allowance for returns and damage
- Your time and your platform costs
Then set a price that leaves a fair margin. You can always run offers later; it is much harder to raise prices once customers are used to them.
Step 3: Sort out the basics of your business
- Business name: short, easy to say and not confusingly close to an existing brand.
- Bank account: a current account in your business name makes payments and accounts cleaner. Your bank can advise on what documents you need.
- GST: find out whether you need to register. This depends on what and where you sell; see GST basics for online sellers and speak to a chartered accountant.
- Licences specific to your product: for example, food businesses usually need FSSAI registration or a licence. Check what applies to you.
Step 4: Choose a domain name
Your web address should match your shop name and be easy to say over the phone. Buy it in your own name and keep the login safe. Our guide to choosing and connecting a domain explains .in versus .com and how to connect it.
Step 5: Pick a platform and a theme
You can build a website from scratch, hire a developer, or use a store platform. For most small businesses, a platform is the quickest and most affordable route, because hosting, security, checkout and updates are taken care of.
When comparing platforms, look at:
- Total monthly cost, including any commission on sales or paid add-ons
- Indian payment methods, including UPI and COD
- GST invoices
- Indian shipping and PIN code delivery zones
- Speed on mobile phones
- Support for your language, if your customers prefer it
UpMinutes was built for Indian small businesses. It has 150 themes covering shops, food ordering, bookings and catalogue or WhatsApp-quote stores, with plans from ₹500 a month including 18% GST and no sales commission. You can compare it with other options on our comparison page.
Step 6: Photograph and describe your products
This is where most of your effort should go, because it is what customers actually see.
- Take clear photos in daylight on a plain background. See product photos with a phone.
- Write a description that answers customers' real questions: material, size, care, what is included. See writing product descriptions.
- Add variants such as sizes and colours, with stock for each.
- Set the HSN code and GST rate for each product if you are registered.
Step 7: Set up payments
Decide which payment methods to offer. Most Indian stores offer UPI, cards and net banking through a payment gateway, and many also offer cash on delivery.
In UpMinutes you connect your own Razorpay account, so payments go straight to you. Apply early, because the gateway's KYC checks can take a few days. Decide whether you will offer COD and whether to set a limit. Our guide to UPI, cards and COD covers the choices.
Step 8: Set up shipping
- Decide whether you will deliver yourself, use a courier, use a courier aggregator, or a mix.
- Weigh and measure your packed products.
- Set delivery zones by PIN code, state or distance, with charges based on real costs.
- Decide whether to offer free delivery above a certain order value.
- Buy packing materials that fit your products well.
See shipping in India for the details.
Step 9: Write your essential pages
Customers look for these before buying from a new store:
- About us: who you are, where you are, and why you do this.
- Contact: phone, WhatsApp, email and address.
- Shipping policy: where you deliver, how long it takes, and what it costs.
- Returns and refunds: what can be returned, within how long, and how refunds work.
- Privacy policy and terms: how you handle customer information and the terms of sale.
Keep them short, clear and honest.
Step 10: Test everything
Before you tell anyone, place a few test orders yourself, on a phone, on mobile data:
- Can you find products easily from the home page?
- Does the "Check delivery" box show the right charge for different PIN codes?
- Does payment work by UPI and by card?
- Does the order confirmation arrive by email, WhatsApp or SMS?
- Does the invoice show the right details?
- Can you refund or cancel an order?
Ask a friend or family member to try it as well. They will spot things you have become used to.
Step 11: Launch to the people who already know you
Your first customers are likely to be people who already know you: existing customers, friends, family, your WhatsApp contacts and Instagram followers.
- Share your store link on WhatsApp status and Instagram.
- Put the link in your Instagram bio and WhatsApp Business profile.
- Print the web address on your shop board, bags and visiting cards.
- Consider a small, genuine launch offer, such as a coupon for the first week.
Step 12: Keep improving after launch
- Ask happy customers for reviews.
- Set up Google Search Console and work through our first 90 days of SEO.
- Switch on abandoned-cart emails to remind people who did not finish checking out.
- Look at which products sell, which do not, and what customers ask about, and adjust.
- Plan ahead for festivals. See planning a festive-season sale.
The whole checklist at a glance
- Decide products and customers.
- Price properly, including all costs.
- Bank account, GST and licences.
- Domain name.
- Platform and theme.
- Photos and descriptions.
- Payments.
- Shipping.
- Essential pages.
- Test orders.
- Launch to your existing audience.
- Keep improving.
You do not need to be perfect on day one. Get a small, honest store live, learn from your first customers, and build from there. When you are ready, start your 14-day free UpMinutes trial, with no card needed, and browse the themes to find one that suits your shop.