Plenty of guides tell you how to start an online store in a weekend. Technically true. But a store that actually gets orders takes a bit more thought, and the sequence matters.
Here is the process we walk founders through, with realistic numbers for India attached.
"Fashion" is not a niche. "Handloom sarees from Tamil Nadu" is. The narrower your starting point, the cheaper your marketing and the clearer your brand.
Validate before you build. Check search volume, study who already sells this on Amazon and Instagram, and talk to ten potential customers. If nobody is searching for it and nobody is selling it, that is usually a warning, not an opportunity.
Sort out sourcing and margins now. After payment gateway fees, shipping and marketing, you need enough margin left to survive. Under 40 percent gross margin makes D2C very hard.
For most first-time founders in India, the choice is Shopify or WooCommerce. Shopify is faster to launch and fully managed; WooCommerce is cheaper to run and more customisable if you have technical help.
Do not start with a custom-built store. Prove demand on a platform first, then invest in custom work when your requirements outgrow it. We build on both platforms in our e-commerce development practice, and we tell most new founders the same thing.
Whichever you pick, invest in photography before themes. Buyers forgive a standard template; they do not forgive dark, blurry product photos shot on a bedsheet.
Razorpay is the default choice for Indian stores, and for good reason: UPI, cards, netbanking and wallets in one integration, with straightforward onboarding. PayU and Cashfree are solid alternatives.
You will need a current account and basic KYC documents. If you sell as a registered business, keep your GST number handy; gateways ask for it above certain thresholds.
Decide on cash on delivery early. COD lifts order volume in India but brings returns and refusals with it. Many brands start COD-enabled and tighten rules by pincode as data comes in.
Use a shipping aggregator like Shiprocket or Delhivery rather than negotiating with couriers directly. You get discounted rates, one dashboard and automatic tracking from day one. Compare rates by zone, because the cheapest courier for metros is rarely the cheapest for smaller towns.
On GST: registration is mandatory if you sell through your own website across state lines, which almost every online store does. Register early, price with tax included, and use invoicing that generates GST-compliant bills automatically. An hour with a CA now saves you a painful cleanup later.
A store without traffic is a brochure. Plan your first 90 days of marketing before launch, not after.
Start with Instagram and WhatsApp because they are cheap and personal. Build a small waitlist pre-launch, offer an opening discount, and ask every early customer for a photo review. Then layer in Google and Meta ads once you know which products convert; paid traffic amplifies a working store, it cannot fix a broken one.
WhatsApp automation earns its keep early too: order confirmations, shipping updates and abandoned cart nudges recover revenue you already paid to attract.
A realistic starter budget: platform and apps Rs 2,000 to 7,000 per month, a professionally set up store Rs 30,000 to 1,50,000 one-time depending on scope, product photography Rs 10,000 to 50,000, and an initial marketing budget of at least Rs 15,000 to 30,000 per month for the first quarter.
Timeline: a focused launch takes 3 to 6 weeks. One week for niche and sourcing decisions, two to three weeks for store build and content, one week for payments, shipping and test orders. Founders who launch in a weekend usually spend the next three months fixing what the weekend skipped.
The honest summary: starting is cheap, growing is not, and the difference between the two is preparation. Get the niche, margins and first-90-days plan right, and the store itself is the easy part. If you want an experienced team to compress those 6 weeks, talk to us and we will map your launch plan in one call.
Budget roughly Rs 50,000 to 2,00,000 for a proper launch: store setup, photography and your first quarter of marketing. Running costs start around Rs 5,000 per month.
Yes, in almost all cases. Selling across state lines through your own website makes GST registration mandatory regardless of turnover.
Razorpay is the most common starting point, covering UPI, cards and netbanking in one integration. PayU and Cashfree are good alternatives.
A focused launch takes 3 to 6 weeks including store build, payments, shipping setup and test orders. Weekend launches usually need months of fixes afterwards.
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Email: We@kentaurx.com
