How to create an e-commerce website
To create an e-commerce website in India, choose a platform such as WooCommerce, register a brand domain, pick hosting sized for checkout traffic, add products with CA-confirmed HSN codes and GST rates, connect a UPI and card gateway, set pincode shipping zones, and publish return, privacy and grievance-officer details before taking the first order.
For Indian sellers, D2C brands and shop owners moving from marketplaces or WhatsApp orders to their own online store.
knowledge
- Read time
- 4 min
- Sections
- 5
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
Which e-commerce platform should an Indian shop choose?
Choose WooCommerce on WordPress if you will run the shop yourself and want plugins and full control, a hosted shop platform if nobody will maintain software, and a custom build only when checkout or catalogue rules fit no existing tool. The decision rests on who edits the shop and how unusual your rules are.
| Route | Fits when | Recurring costs | You own |
|---|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce (self-hosted) | You want COD rules, GST control, many plugins | Hosting, domain, gateway fees, paid plugins | Site, data, customer list |
| Hosted shop platform | No one will patch or update software | Monthly platform fee plus metered apps | Data via export; site stays on the platform |
| Custom build | Dealer pricing, complex configurators, ERP sync | Development, then hosting and maintenance | Everything, including code |
| Marketplace only | Testing demand before building | Commission and fees per order | Little: the marketplace owns the buyer |
If you want the shop built for you, WebJi® builds WooCommerce stores in two to four weeks within an indicative ₹1,50,000–₹5,00,000 band before 18% GST, quoted before work starts; bespoke catalogues fall under e-commerce website development.
How do you set up the domain and hosting for an online store?
Register a short brand domain in the business's name, then choose hosting sized for product photos, checkout traffic and email, with backups you know how to restore. A store needs more headroom than a brochure site because cart and checkout pages cannot be cached.
- Pick a name customers can spell after hearing it; a .in domain is ₹1,000 a year at WebJi®.
- Register it in the business name with registrar lock on.
- Choose hosting: WebJi® WooCommerce hosting starts from ₹300 a month before 18% GST for a small store; busy catalogues move to a VPS.
- Point DNS at the hosting account and confirm free SSL is issued before building.
- Confirm backup frequency and test one restore before importing products.
On WordPress, WooCommerce installs from Plugins → Add New, or with wp plugin install woocommerce --activate over WP-CLI. Prices shown are as published; checkout confirms the final amount.
How do you set up products, GST and HSN codes?
Create categories in the words buyers use, give each product the HSN code and GST rate your chartered accountant confirms, and show your GSTIN on tax invoices. Never copy a tax rate from a blog or another product; rates are set by GST notifications and can change.
| Item | Enter | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Categories | Buyer language: "cotton kurtis", not "SKU-CK" | One category per product |
| Product data | Title, price, stock, weight, dimensions, clear photos | Missing weights, which break shipping rates |
| HSN and GST | Code and rate confirmed by your CA, as a WooCommerce tax class | A guessed slab applied to every product |
| Invoices | Your GSTIN, HSN, tax breakup, buyer GSTIN for B2B orders | Invoices without tax details |
Selling through your own website, ordinary GST registration thresholds apply; selling through marketplaces has separate rules. Confirm both with your accountant before launch, then set up invoices as in GST invoices in WooCommerce.
How do you add UPI, card and COD payments?
Connect an RBI-authorised payment aggregator that supports UPI, cards, net banking and wallets, enable cash on delivery with clear limits if you offer it, and place a real low-value order before launch. Use live keys from the gateway dashboard, never test keys left on after go-live.
- Gateway KYC: business PAN, bank account and GSTIN are typically needed before live keys are issued.
- Webhooks: the payment-return URL must never be cached or blocked by a security rule.
- COD: set a maximum order value and exclude pincodes your courier cannot collect cash in.
- Test: pay, refund and cancel one real order end to end.
The WooCommerce screens for UPI are in UPI payments on WooCommerce.
How do you set up shipping across India by pincode?
Group pincodes into zones such as local, in-state, rest of India and remote, attach a rate or courier method to each, and mark unserviceable pincodes so checkout refuses them. One national flat rate either overcharges nearby buyers or loses money on distant ones.
- Get your courier's serviceable pincode list, including COD-eligible pincodes.
- Create shipping zones by pincode range or list.
- Attach a flat rate, weight-based rate or courier-calculated method to each zone.
- Run a light product and a heavy product through checkout in each zone.
The screen-by-screen version is in WooCommerce shipping zones for India.
Which legal pages must an Indian e-commerce site publish?
Publish return, refund and cancellation terms, shipping terms, a privacy policy, terms of use and full seller identity before the first order; the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 also require a named grievance officer with contact details. These pages are part of the shop, not a later task.
- Seller identity: legal name, registered address, email, phone and GSTIN.
- Grievance officer: name and contact; complaints must be acknowledged within 48 hours and resolved within one month.
- Returns and refunds: conditions, time limits and how refunds are paid.
- Product details: total price including taxes and delivery charges, and country of origin where applicable.
- Privacy: what checkout collects and why, consistent with the DPDP Act, 2023.
Write your own policies or have them reviewed; pasting another company's policy creates promises you cannot keep.
What should you test before launching an online store?
Before launch, complete a real order with each payment method, check every shipping zone, confirm emails and invoices arrive, and test the store on a mid-range phone over mobile data. Most Indian buyers will see the shop on a phone first.
Also check page speed for product and category pages, confirm the site has a sitemap submitted in Search Console, and keep one full backup taken just before launch. After launch, the WooCommerce hosting requirements guide covers capacity planning for sale days.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need GST registration to start an online store?
It depends on turnover, the state, what you sell and whether you sell through marketplaces, which have their own registration rules. Many gateways also ask for a GSTIN during KYC. Confirm your position with a chartered accountant before launch.
How many products can WooCommerce handle?
WooCommerce runs stores with thousands of products when hosting, caching and the database are sized for it. Large catalogues with many variations need more RAM and a well-indexed database, which usually means a VPS rather than entry shared hosting.
Should I sell on a marketplace or my own website?
Many sellers do both: marketplaces bring first-time buyers, while your own site keeps repeat customers, their contact details and a higher margin. Start your own site once you have products and customers who would come back.
How long does it take to build an e-commerce website?
A small WooCommerce store with ready photos and product data can be set up in days by an experienced owner. A professionally built store typically takes two to four weeks, depending mostly on how ready the catalogue, policies and gateway KYC are.
Legal summary from the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020; not legal or tax advice · Reviewed by the WebJi® team, Jaipur.
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