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Why Start an Online Store on Shopify in India in 2026?
India's eCommerce market crossed $100 billion in GMV in 2025 and is projected to reach $350 billion by 2030. The growth isn't just in the metros — Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are driving the next wave of eCommerce demand, powered by 4G/5G penetration, UPI adoption, and rising disposable incomes. For entrepreneurs who want to build their own brand (rather than sell on Amazon or Flipkart where you compete on price alone), a direct-to-consumer Shopify store is the most powerful vehicle available in 2026.
This step-by-step guide walks you through every decision from creating your Shopify account to launching and marketing your store. It's written specifically for the Indian context — covering INR pricing, Razorpay, GST, and Indian shipping logistics.
Step 1: Choose Your Shopify Plan
Shopify offers three main plans for individual merchants. All prices are billed in USD but charged to your Indian bank card (the conversion happens automatically):
| Plan | USD/month | Approx. INR/month | Transaction Fee (India) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $25 | ~₹2,100 | 2% per transaction | New stores, under ₹20 lakh/year revenue |
| Shopify | $65 | ~₹5,500 | 1% per transaction | Growing stores, need advanced reports |
| Advanced | $399 | ~₹33,600 | 0.5% per transaction | High-volume stores, custom shipping rates |
| Shopify Plus | $2,300+ | ~₹1,93,000+ | 0.15% per transaction | Enterprise, ₹10+ crore annual revenue |
Recommendation for most new Indian stores: Start with Basic. Once you're doing ₹5 lakh+/month in revenue, the Shopify plan's lower transaction fee typically pays for itself.
Step 2: Start Your Free Trial and Create Your Account
- Go to shopify.com and click "Start free trial" (3-day free trial in 2026)
- Enter your email address and create a password
- Answer Shopify's onboarding questions (what you're selling, revenue range)
- Your store is created with a default
yourstore.myshopify.comURL - Choose your plan and enter billing details (international credit/debit card required)
Step 3: Set Up Your Domain
Your .myshopify.com subdomain is functional but not professional. Get a custom domain:
Option A: Buy a Domain Through Shopify
Shopify Admin > Online Store > Domains > Buy new domain. Shopify sells domains starting at $11/year (~₹925). Automatic SSL and DNS configuration. Convenient but slightly more expensive than third-party registrars.
Option B: Buy from a Domain Registrar (Recommended)
Better options for Indian businesses:
- GoDaddy India: .com from ₹999/year, .in from ₹599/year
- Namecheap: .com from ~₹840/year
- BigRock: .com from ₹999/year, .in from ₹449/year
After purchasing, connect to Shopify by updating the domain's DNS records (A record and CNAME) to point to Shopify's servers. Shopify Admin > Settings > Domains > Connect existing domain provides step-by-step instructions.
Step 4: Choose and Customise Your Theme
Your Shopify theme determines your store's visual identity and user experience. Shopify's Theme Store has 100+ themes — 13 are free.
Best Free Themes for Indian Stores in 2026
- Dawn: Shopify's flagship free theme. Excellent performance, clean design, highly customisable. Best for fashion, lifestyle, home decor.
- Craft: Elegant, editorial feel. Best for artisan products, handmade goods, Indian crafts.
- Sense: Clean, minimal. Best for beauty, wellness, personal care.
- Ride: Bold, high-energy. Best for sports, fitness, outdoor.
Premium Themes Worth Considering
- Impulse ($380): Advanced filtering, mega menu, promotional sections — best for large catalogues
- Prestige ($380): Luxury feel, editorial layouts — best for premium/luxury brands
- Turbo ($350): Extremely fast, feature-rich — best for large fashion/lifestyle catalogues
After installing a theme: Shopify Admin > Online Store > Themes > Customise. Use the visual editor to set your brand colours, fonts, logo, homepage sections, header, and footer. No coding required for most customisations.
Step 5: Add Your Products
Shopify Admin > Products > Add product. For each product, complete:
Product Title and Description
Write descriptive, keyword-rich titles (e.g., "Handloom Cotton Saree — Royal Blue, 5.5 metres" rather than "Blue Saree"). Descriptions should be 150–500 words covering material, dimensions, care instructions, and unique selling points. Use HTML formatting (bold for specs, bullet lists for features).
Product Images
- Minimum 1200×1200px, square or consistent aspect ratio
- Show product from multiple angles (front, back, detail, in-use)
- Use white or consistent background for main image
- Add descriptive alt text to every image for accessibility and SEO
- Compress images before upload (use Squoosh or Shopify's built-in compression)
Pricing
- Price: The selling price (enter GST-inclusive amount if targeting B2C)
- Compare-at price: The "original" price (used to show discounts). Only enter this if there is a genuine original price — fake discounts harm trust.
- Cost per item: Your purchase/manufacturing cost. Shopify uses this to calculate profit margins in reports.
Inventory and SKUs
- Enter a unique SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) for every variant — helps with inventory management and fulfilment
- Enable "Track quantity" if you have limited stock
- Set "Continue selling when out of stock" only for made-to-order products
Variants
Use variants for size, colour, material, or pack size. Each variant can have its own price, SKU, and inventory quantity. Maximum 3 variant options with up to 100 variants per product on standard plans.
Step 6: Set Up Razorpay (Payment Gateway)
Razorpay is the most popular payment gateway for Shopify stores in India, supporting UPI, net banking, credit/debit cards, wallets (Paytm, PhonePe), and EMI.
Razorpay Setup Steps
- Create a Razorpay account at razorpay.com
- Complete KYC: upload PAN card, Aadhaar, and cancelled cheque / bank statement
- Razorpay verification takes 1–3 business days
- In Shopify Admin: Settings > Payments > Third-party providers
- Search for "Razorpay" and install the official Razorpay app
- Enter your Razorpay Key ID and Key Secret from your Razorpay dashboard
- Enable test mode and complete a test transaction
- Switch to live mode and place a live ₹1 test order
Razorpay Fees for Shopify Stores
- Domestic cards, UPI, net banking: 2% per transaction
- International cards: 3% per transaction
- EMI: 1.5–3% per transaction (varies by bank)
- Plus Shopify's transaction fee: 2% (Basic), 1% (Shopify plan), 0.5% (Advanced)
PayU as an Alternative
PayU (owned by Prosus) is Razorpay's main competitor in India. Similar pricing (2% domestic), good for high-volume merchants. Setup process is identical to Razorpay on Shopify.
Step 7: GST Configuration for Indian Stores
GST compliance is mandatory for Indian eCommerce stores. Here's how to set it up correctly:
GST Setup in Shopify
- Shopify Admin > Settings > Taxes and duties
- Click on "India" under Tax regions
- Enable "Charge taxes on this region"
- Set the default tax rate (for most products, this will be overridden by product-specific rates)
- Under Settings > General, enter your GSTIN (Goods and Services Tax Identification Number)
Product-Level GST Rates
GST rates vary by product category. Common rates for Indian eCommerce:
| Product Category | GST Rate |
|---|---|
| Textiles and clothing (under ₹1,000) | 5% |
| Textiles and clothing (over ₹1,000) | 12% |
| Footwear (under ₹500) | 5% |
| Consumer electronics | 18% |
| Beauty products and cosmetics | 18% |
| Packaged food (branded) | 5–12% |
| Books and educational material | 0% |
| Luxury goods, tobacco | 28% |
GST-Inclusive vs GST-Exclusive Pricing
For B2C stores: show GST-inclusive prices (customers see ₹599 inclusive of GST — typical Indian consumer expectation). Enable "Show prices with taxes included" in Shopify's Tax settings. For B2B stores: show GST-exclusive prices with a tax line at checkout (business customers expect to see GST separately for input tax credit claims).
Step 8: Set Up Shipping Zones
Shopify Admin > Settings > Shipping and delivery > Manage rates.
India Domestic Shipping
Create a shipping zone for India with rate options:
- Free shipping threshold: Set free shipping above a minimum order value (e.g., free above ₹499). This improves conversion and increases AOV.
- Flat rate shipping: Fixed fee regardless of order size (e.g., ₹49 or ₹99 for standard delivery)
- Weight-based rates: Different rates for different weight bands — useful for high-weight products
- Real-time carrier rates: Delhivery, Shiprocket, BlueDart rates pulled live at checkout (requires Shopify Advanced plan or carrier app)
Recommended Shipping Partners for Indian Shopify Stores
- Shiprocket: Aggregates multiple couriers (Bluedart, Delhivery, Ekart, DTDC). Best for new stores. Shopify app available. Rates from ₹25/500g.
- Delhivery: Direct integration. Best for stores with high volume (100+ shipments/day).
- Pickrr: Similar to Shiprocket, good coverage in Tier 2/3 cities.
- Bluedart: Premium courier, best for high-value shipments requiring reliable delivery.
International Shipping
Create separate zones for international markets (USA, UK, UAE, Australia are top Indian eCommerce export markets). Use flat rates or Shiprocket International for Indian post/FedEx international.
Step 9: Add Legal Pages
Shopify Admin > Settings > Policies provides templates for all required legal pages. Customise them for your store:
- Privacy Policy: Required by DPDPA (India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023). Covers what data you collect, how you use it, and customer rights. Add your GSTIN and registered address.
- Terms and Conditions: Your store's rules — acceptable use, order acceptance, liability limitations.
- Refund Policy: Clearly state your return window (7, 15, or 30 days), conditions for returns, refund method, and timeline. A clear, fair return policy increases conversion.
- Shipping Policy: Estimated delivery times, which areas you ship to, what happens with lost/damaged shipments.
Add these pages to your footer navigation: Shopify Admin > Online Store > Navigation > Footer menu.
Step 10: Pre-Launch Checklist
- Test complete purchase flow with a real payment (place a ₹1 test order and refund it)
- Verify order confirmation email reaches inbox (not spam)
- Check store on mobile — iPhone Safari and Android Chrome
- Remove Shopify's password page: Shopify Admin > Online Store > Preferences > Uncheck "Restrict access"
- Connect Google Search Console and submit your sitemap (
yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml) - Install Google Analytics 4 via the Google & YouTube Shopify channel
- Set up Facebook Pixel if running Meta ads
- Connect your store to Instagram Shopping and/or Google Shopping
- Set up a professional email (hi@yourdomain.com) — use Google Workspace (₹125/user/month)
- Test all contact forms
Post-Launch Marketing Strategy for Indian Shopify Stores
A store without traffic makes no sales. Here's how most successful Indian DTC brands drive initial traction:
- Instagram and Facebook: Product photos, Reels, and Stories. Build an organic following before investing in paid ads.
- WhatsApp Business: Share your store link in WhatsApp groups relevant to your product. Use WhatsApp broadcasts to reach repeat customers.
- Google Shopping Ads: Highly effective for product-based searches. Connect your Shopify product feed via Google Merchant Center.
- Email marketing: Use Shopify Email or Klaviyo. Set up welcome series, abandoned cart, and post-purchase flows from day one.
- Content/SEO: Blog about topics your target customer searches for. A fashion store should write about styling guides, care instructions, and seasonal trends.
- Influencer marketing: Micro-influencers (10k–100k followers) in India typically charge ₹5,000–50,000 per post — often deliver better ROI than macro-influencers for niche products.
Quick Answers
Which Shopify plan is best for a new Indian store?
For most new Indian stores, the Basic Shopify plan ($25/month ≈ ₹2,100/month) is the right starting point. It supports unlimited products, 2 staff accounts, and all essential features. Upgrade to the Shopify plan ($65/month) when you need professional reports and better shipping discounts. The Advanced plan is for stores with high volume needing third-party calculated shipping.
How do I set up Razorpay on Shopify in India?
Install the Razorpay app from the Shopify App Store, create a Razorpay account and complete KYC verification, then connect your Razorpay API keys in the Shopify payment settings. Razorpay supports UPI, net banking, cards, wallets, and EMI on Shopify. Note that Shopify charges an additional 2% transaction fee on the Basic plan when using Razorpay.
How do I set up GST on Shopify for Indian stores?
In Shopify Admin > Settings > Taxes and duties, enable India as a tax region. Set GST rates by product category (5%, 12%, 18%, or 28% as applicable). Enter your GSTIN in store settings. For tax-inclusive pricing (prices shown include GST), enable the 'Show prices with taxes' option. Issue GST-compliant invoices using a billing app like Tera Invoice.
Do I need a company registration to start a Shopify store in India?
You can start a Shopify store as an individual without company registration. However, you will need a GST registration number if your annual turnover exceeds ₹20 lakh (₹10 lakh for special category states). Payment gateways like Razorpay require KYC documents (Aadhaar, PAN, bank account). For long-term credibility and tax compliance, registering as a sole proprietorship or private limited company is recommended.
How much does it cost to start a Shopify store in India?
The minimum cost to start a Shopify store in India: Shopify Basic plan ₹2,100/month + domain ₹700–1,500/year + a free theme (₹0) + Razorpay setup (free, pay-per-transaction). Total first-year minimum: ₹26,200–27,700. With a premium theme and basic apps (email marketing, reviews), budget ₹35,000–60,000 for year one. Professional setup by a developer: ₹25,000–80,000 additional.
Launch Your Shopify Store in India
We set up Shopify stores for Indian businesses — theme customisation, Razorpay integration, GST configuration, product upload, and launch. Get a setup quote today.