Everything you need to know — domain, products, payments, SEO, WhatsApp ordering — to launch your online store and start selling in India today.
Before you start, here's exactly what's required (and what's optional).
For Indian small businesses, you need a platform that supports WhatsApp ordering (India's #1 messaging app with 500M+ users), UPI payments, and Hindi/regional languages. WSTORES is purpose-built for this. Shopify and Wix are built for Western markets — they don't have native WhatsApp checkout or UPI AutoPay.
💡 India-specific tip: 70% of Indian online orders happen via mobile, and WhatsApp has 487 million Indian users. A platform without WhatsApp integration is leaving most of your customers unreachable.
At wstores.in, click "Get Started Free" and enter your email address. You'll receive an OTP — no password needed. Then fill in your business name, category (grocery, clothing, bakery, jewellery, etc.), city, and WhatsApp number. This takes under 3 minutes.
Every WSTORES store gets a free URL: yourname.wstores.in. Choose a URL that's easy to remember and share on WhatsApp. PRO and Lifetime plan users can also connect a custom domain like yourshop.com or yourshop.in — WSTORES handles the entire DNS setup for you.
Upload product photos (even phone photos work). Add a name and price for each product — WSTORES auto-generates the description if you want. You can organize products into categories (e.g., Vegetables, Dairy, Snacks for a grocery store). There's no limit on how many products you can add.
For bulk uploads, use the CSV import feature — upload 500 products in one go with a spreadsheet.
Link your WhatsApp Business number in the store settings. WSTORES adds a green "Order on WhatsApp" button to every product page. When a customer taps it, a pre-filled WhatsApp message with the product name, quantity, and your store link is sent to your number — you reply to confirm and arrange delivery. No extra app needed.
WSTORES integrates with Razorpay to accept UPI (PhonePe, GPay, Paytm), debit/credit cards, and net banking. Setup takes 10 minutes. WSTORES charges 0% transaction fees — you keep every rupee. Standard Razorpay processing fees of 2% apply for card payments (UPI is typically free).
Upload your logo. Set your brand colors. Add a hero banner image (1200×400px works well). Add a short "About Us" section so customers trust you. You can also add FAQ sections, customer testimonials, and social media links — all from the drag-and-drop dashboard.
Click "Publish Store". Your store is live immediately. Share the link in your WhatsApp groups, add it to your Instagram/Facebook bio, print it on visiting cards, and submit the URL to Google Search Console for faster indexing. WSTORES auto-generates a sitemap and product schema to help you rank on Google.
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Transaction Fee | WhatsApp Orders | Indian UPI Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSTORES BASIC | ₹399/mo | 0% | Built-in | Native |
| WSTORES PRO | ₹499/mo | 0% | Built-in | Native |
| WSTORES Lifetime | ₹5,999 once | 0% | Built-in | Native |
| Shopify Basic | ~₹1,700/mo | 2% + gateway | Plugin needed | Third-party |
| Dukaan Pro | ~₹800/mo | 0.99% | Basic only | Yes |
| Wix Business | ~₹1,200/mo | 2.9% | No | Limited |
*Prices approximate and subject to change. WSTORES pricing as of 2025.
Shopify and Wix are designed for Western markets. They lack native UPI support, WhatsApp checkout, and India-specific payment gateways. Your customers will face a clunky checkout experience.
In India, 90% of customer inquiries happen on WhatsApp. A store without a WhatsApp order button loses most of its mobile traffic to competitors who have one.
Products without photos get 70% fewer orders. Even basic phone photos with good lighting convert. Invest 30 minutes taking photos before you launch.
Without submitting your store URL to Google, indexing takes weeks. Submit immediately after launch and your store can appear in search results within 48–72 hours.
GST registration is required once your annual turnover exceeds ₹20 lakh (₹10 lakh for some states). For small home businesses and micro-entrepreneurs just starting, GST is not mandatory. You can create your store and start selling before registering for GST.
WSTORES offers a 7-day free trial with full access to all features — no credit card required. After the trial, plans start at ₹399/month. There's no permanently free plan, but the trial is long enough to fully test your store and receive your first orders.
WSTORES integrates with Razorpay to accept UPI (PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm), debit/credit cards, and net banking. UPI payments are free for customers and have near-zero processing fees. Card payments have a standard 2% Razorpay gateway fee — WSTORES itself charges nothing.
Yes. WSTORES has a mobile management dashboard. Add products, view orders, track customers, and manage inventory entirely from your smartphone. No laptop required.
7-day free trial. No credit card. Live in 10 minutes. 2,100+ Indian businesses already selling on WSTORES.
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