Building an online store involves more than a product grid and a cart. This checklist covers the features customers in India expect and the operational pieces your team needs behind the scenes.
Product and browsing
- Clear categories and filters, such as size, colour and price.
- Fast, forgiving site search that handles misspellings.
- Product pages with multiple images, zoom, specifications, size charts and stock status.
- Variant selection that updates price and images.
- Related and frequently-bought-together products.
Cart and checkout
- Guest checkout, so customers are not forced to create an account.
- Indian address formats with PIN code validation and serviceability checks.
- Payment options customers expect, typically UPI, cards, net banking and wallets.
- Cash on delivery rules if you offer COD, including limits by order value or PIN code.
- Clear display of shipping charges, taxes and delivery estimates before payment.
- Coupon and discount support.
After the order
- Order confirmation by email, SMS or WhatsApp.
- Shipping integration with tracking updates.
- GST-compliant invoices. Confirm requirements with your chartered accountant.
- Simple returns and exchange requests.
Trust and policies
- Shipping, returns, privacy and terms pages.
- Real contact details, including business address.
- Secure checkout on HTTPS.
Marketing and measurement
- SEO-friendly product and category pages with structured data.
- GA4 e-commerce tracking. See GA4 setup.
- Email capture for offers, with consent.
- Integration with marketplace and inventory systems. See inventory sync.
Admin needs
- Easy product and stock management.
- Order management with status updates.
- Reports on sales, products and customers.
VENUS DIGITAL CORPORATION builds e-commerce websites for Indian businesses. See Web & Software and E-Commerce.
Planning a website or software?
Fast, search-friendly websites and business software built around how your business works.