The Pre-Launch Checklist Every E-Commerce Store in India Needs

Launching an online store is exciting, but a surprising number of small e-commerce businesses in India skip basics that cause problems later.

Payment gateway KYC takes time — start this early, since verification can take several business days and you cannot go live without it. Shipping partner integration matters just as much as the store design; know your delivery timelines and costs before you promise anything to customers on the checkout page.

Have a clear returns and refund policy published before launch, not after your first complaint. Customers actively check for this before buying from a store they haven't used before, and its absence is one of the quiet reasons carts get abandoned.

Finally, test the entire checkout flow yourself, on a phone, on mobile data — not just on your office WiFi. Most Indian e-commerce traffic is mobile, and a checkout that works fine on desktop but breaks on a mid-range Android phone will quietly cost you sales you'll never know you lost.