In this article · 10 sections
Launch week sets the tone for an online store. If the first customers hit a broken payment, a wrong price or a confusing checkout, they rarely come back. This checklist helps you catch problems before customers do. Tick each item, ideally on a phone, since most Indian shoppers buy on mobile.
Products
- Every product has clear photos (main + at least 3 more)
- Descriptions cover material, size, use and care
- Prices are correct, including sale prices and end dates
- Variants (size/colour) work and show correct stock
- Out-of-stock items are hidden or clearly marked
- Categories and collections are logical
- Size charts are added where needed
Cart and checkout
- Add to cart works from product and category pages
- Cart updates quantities and removes items correctly
- Coupon codes work and expire correctly
- Shipping charges calculate correctly by zone/weight
- Pincode serviceability check works
- Checkout works as a guest (don't force account creation)
- Address form is simple and works on mobile
- Phone and email validation work
Payments
- Test a real UPI payment
- Test a card payment
- Test a failed payment and confirm the order isn't marked paid
- COD rules work (limits, fees, confirmation). See reducing RTO
- Payment gateway is in live mode, not test mode
- Refund process is tested
Orders and notifications
- Customer receives order confirmation email/SMS/WhatsApp
- You receive new-order alerts
- Order status updates send notifications
- GST invoice generates correctly (same-state and other-state). See GST basics
- Shipping integration creates shipments and tracking links
Policies and trust
- Returns & refund policy page. See return policy guide
- Shipping policy page
- Privacy policy and terms
- Contact page with real address, phone and email
- Business name and GSTIN in the footer (if registered)
- Secure HTTPS on every page; no "Not secure" warnings
SEO and tracking
- Unique titles and meta descriptions for main pages
- Product schema (price, availability) is valid
- XML sitemap submitted in Search Console
- Google Analytics 4 with e-commerce events
- Meta Pixel / Google Ads conversion tracking, if running ads
Speed and mobile
- Pages load quickly on a mid-range phone on mobile data
- Images are compressed (WebP)
- Buttons are easy to tap; nothing overflows the screen
Do a full test order
Place at least three real orders yourself (UPI, card and COD) to different addresses, then go through the whole cycle: confirmation, packing, shipping, delivery, return and refund. Note every friction point and fix it.
Soft launch first
Share the store with friends, family and loyal customers for a week before announcing it widely or running ads. Their feedback costs nothing; problems discovered during an ad campaign cost money.
After launch
- Watch abandoned carts. See reducing cart abandonment
- Respond to every order message quickly
- Ask early customers for reviews
- Review sales, traffic and RTO weekly for the first month
We build and launch online stores from ₹12,999, and test every item on this list before go-live. Start your store.