Launching an Online Store: The Complete Pre-Launch Checklist

Products and catalogue

• Every product has a clear title, accurate price, stock level and variants (size, colour) set up correctly.
• At least three good photos per product, on a consistent background, plus a close-up of details.
• Descriptions answer real questions: dimensions, materials, what is in the box, how to use and care for it.
• Categories and filters match how customers think about your range, not how your warehouse is organised.

Payments

• Offer the methods your customers use. In India that typically means UPI, cards, net banking and, where it makes sense, cash on delivery.
• Test successful, failed and cancelled payments, and confirm the order status updates correctly in each case.
• Check that settlement reaches your bank account and that you understand the gateway’s fees.

Shipping and delivery

• Decide on a shipping model: free above an order value, flat rate, or calculated by weight and location.
• Connect a courier or shipping aggregator so labels and tracking are generated automatically.
• Show estimated delivery times on product pages and at checkout.
• Decide how you will handle pin codes you cannot serve.

Taxes and invoices

Configure tax rates for your products and make sure invoices show the details your tax registration requires. Generate a sample invoice and check it against the requirements, or ask your accountant to review it before launch.

Policies customers look for

• Shipping and delivery policy
• Returns, refunds and exchanges, with clear time limits and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Terms and conditions
• Contact details, including a phone number or WhatsApp

Payment gateways often require these pages before they activate your account, so prepare them early.

Notifications and operations

• Customers receive order confirmation, shipping and delivery updates by email or WhatsApp.
• You receive an alert for every new order.
• Someone owns daily order processing, packing and customer queries.
• Low-stock alerts are set so you do not sell items you do not have.

Trust and conversion

• Reviews and ratings on product pages.
• Secure checkout with clear totals before payment.
• Guest checkout allowed, so creating an account is optional.
• Fast pages on mobile, since most shoppers browse on phones.

The final test

1. Place an order on a phone using each payment method.
2. Process it end to end: invoice, label, dispatch, tracking update.
3. Issue a refund and a cancellation.
4. Check every email and message the customer receives.
5. Review analytics to confirm purchases are being recorded.

Our E-commerce Store packages include payments, shipping, invoices and test orders as standard.