How to start an online store in India in 2026 (step by step)

Starting an online store in India has never been cheaper or faster — if you avoid a few common traps. This guide walks through the whole process, from zero to your first order.

1. Decide what you’re selling — and how

Physical products need inventory tracking and shipping. Digital products (ebooks, courses, presets) need secure delivery links. Events need ticketing and reminders. Pick a platform that handles your product type natively — bolting ticketing onto a T-shirt store with plugins gets expensive fast. Sellerlane supports physical, digital, event, and gift card products out of one catalog.

2. Pick a platform priced for India

Three things to check before you commit:

• Currency: Is the subscription priced in INR with GST invoices, or in dollars?
• Transaction fees: Many platforms add 1–2% on top of gateway fees. Over a year, that’s often more than the subscription itself. Sellerlane adds 0%.
• UPI support: Most Indian buyers pay by UPI. It must be first-class at checkout, not an afterthought.

3. Set up payments with Razorpay or PayU

Create a merchant account with Razorpay or PayU — you’ll need your PAN, bank account, and basic KYC. Connect the gateway to your store, and settlements go directly to your bank account. On Sellerlane this is a guided flow that takes about ten minutes.

4. Connect your domain

Start on a free subdomain (like yourstore.sellerlane.io) and connect a custom domain when you’re ready — a .in or .com from any registrar works. Look for a platform that manages SSL certificates automatically; expired certificates kill trust and search rankings.

5. Make product pages that convert

• Use 3–5 sharp photos per product (your platform should optimize them automatically)
• Write the first 160 characters of each description as if it’s the Google snippet — it often is
• Add real dimensions, materials, and care instructions: fewer support questions, fewer returns

6. Launch checklist

Before sharing your link: place a test order, check the confirmation email lands in the inbox (not spam — this is where managed DKIM/SPF matters), verify your refund policy page exists, and confirm your store loads fast on a mid-range phone over 4G. That last one is most of your audience.

7. Get your first 10 orders

Your first orders come from channels you already have: WhatsApp status, Instagram bio link, community groups. Add a launch discount code, and turn on abandoned checkout recovery so the people who almost bought get a nudge.

Total cost to launch: a domain (~₹800/year) plus your platform subscription. Everything else — design, SSL, email, analytics — should be included.