Selling online in India is not about having a store; it is about surviving cash-on-delivery returns, keeping checkout fast for UPI users, and answering 'where is my order' before the customer asks on WhatsApp. AICLEX Technologies builds ecommerce websites for D2C brands, retailers and manufacturers who want to sell direct instead of paying marketplace commissions.
We are honest about platform choice. Sometimes Shopify is the right answer and we set it up properly. Sometimes your catalogue, pricing rules or B2B needs demand a custom Next.js store. Because we build our own WhatsApp product, WhatsPilot, every store we deliver can send order confirmations, shipping updates and abandoned-cart nudges on WhatsApp from day one.
Shopify or custom? An honest comparison
Choose Shopify if you sell standard retail products, want to launch in 2 to 4 weeks, and accept a monthly platform fee plus transaction charges. We customise the theme, set up Indian payment gateways, configure GST-inclusive pricing, connect shipping and WhatsApp, and train your team. The trade-offs are recurring cost, limited custom logic, and app subscriptions that add up.
Choose a custom store on Next.js, Node.js and PostgreSQL if you have B2B and B2C pricing tiers, sell configurable or made-to-order products, need integration with your ERP or Tally, or expect volumes where per-transaction fees hurt. It costs more upfront and takes 8 to 14 weeks, but there is no platform fee and you own the code. A saree wholesaler with dealer pricing needed custom; a skincare brand with 40 SKUs was better on Shopify.
- Shopify: fast launch, monthly fee, limited custom logic, ideal for standard retail
- Custom Next.js: higher upfront cost, no platform fee, any workflow, full ownership
- Both: Razorpay or Cashfree with UPI, cards, netbanking, EMI and COD
- Both: WhatsApp order and shipping notifications through WhatsPilot
Payments, shipping and the Indian checkout
Indian shoppers abandon carts when checkout demands an account, hides shipping charges or lacks UPI. We build guest checkout with OTP, show the total including GST and shipping before payment, and integrate Razorpay or Cashfree so UPI, cards, netbanking, wallets and EMI all work. For cash on delivery we add pincode serviceability checks and optional WhatsApp confirmation to cut fake orders, which otherwise drive a painful share of returns.
Shipping connects to Shiprocket, Delhivery or Bluedart through their APIs, so labels are generated from the admin panel, tracking numbers flow back to the order, and the customer receives a WhatsApp message with a tracking link on dispatch. Returns and exchanges get their own workflow so support is not managed from a notebook.
Step-by-step delivery of an online store
Week 1 is a catalogue audit: products, variants, images, GST rates and pricing rules, and the platform decision. Weeks 2 to 3 cover design of homepage, category, product and checkout pages, with mobile first since most Indian orders come from phones. Weeks 3 to 8 (2 to 4 total for Shopify) cover the build, gateway KYC, shipping API setup, WhatsApp template approval with Meta, and the admin panel for orders, inventory and coupons.
We then import products by CSV or migrate from your existing store, set up GST-compliant invoices per order, and place test orders with real ₹1 payments, real labels and real WhatsApp messages. Launch includes training on order processing, refunds and stock updates, plus Google Merchant Center and Meta Catalog connections for Shopping ads and Instagram shops.
- Catalogue audit and platform decision: week 1
- Design of key pages: weeks 2 to 3
- Build, payments, shipping and WhatsApp templates: weeks 3 to 8
- Data import, invoicing, test orders and launch: final 1 to 2 weeks
Mistakes, ownership, security and support
Stores die quietly from poor product photography, 3 MB images that take 8 seconds to load, wrong GST setup, a missing returns policy that also delays gateway approval, and a checkout untested on PhonePe, GPay and Paytm. We fix these before launch with image compression, GST rates per category, drafted policy pages and a UPI test matrix, and keep inventory inside the admin panel so items are not oversold.
For a custom store the code is in your GitHub and hosting in your Vercel or AWS account. For Shopify the store, domain and gateway are in your name and we are a removable staff account. Card details never touch your server because hosted payment pages are used; admin login has two-factor, webhooks are signature-verified and the database is backed up daily.
After launch you get 30 days of fixes, then an optional monthly plan covering theme or dependency updates, new payment methods, offer pages and performance checks before Diwali and other peak periods.
Who this is for
- D2C brands in fashion, beauty, food and home decor selling direct instead of only on marketplaces
- Manufacturers and wholesalers wanting a B2B ordering portal with dealer pricing and credit terms
- Retail shops in Delhi NCR and other cities extending to online orders with local delivery
- Coaches and creators selling books, kits or merchandise alongside their programmes
- Store owners on WooCommerce or Shopify whose site is slow or losing orders at checkout
Why choose AICLEX™
Platform advice without bias
We build on both Shopify and custom stacks, so the recommendation follows your catalogue and margins, not what we happen to sell.
WhatsApp inside the order flow
Our own WhatsPilot powers order confirmations, shipping updates, COD verification and abandoned-cart reminders, cutting support calls.
Indian payments and shipping done before
Razorpay, Cashfree, Shiprocket, Delhivery, GST invoicing and pincode checks are integrations we have shipped, not experiments on your timeline.
Built for mobile-first shoppers
Every page is tested on low-end Android phones at 4G speeds, because that is where most Indian orders come from.
Pricing
A Shopify store with theme customisation, payments, shipping and WhatsApp notifications typically ranges from ₹40,000 to ₹1,20,000 plus Shopify's own subscription. A custom Next.js ecommerce build with admin panel and integrations usually starts around ₹2.5 to ₹8 lakh depending on catalogue complexity and B2B features. Written proposal after a discovery call, milestone payments, GST invoice on each.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an ecommerce website cost in India?+
A Shopify store with Indian payment gateway, shipping integration and WhatsApp notifications is typically ₹40,000 to ₹1,20,000 plus the monthly Shopify plan. A custom store with its own admin panel, B2B pricing or ERP integration starts around ₹2.5 lakh and can reach ₹8 lakh or more. We quote a fixed price after reviewing your catalogue.
Should I choose Shopify or a custom ecommerce website?+
Shopify if you sell standard products, want to launch in weeks and accept a monthly fee. Custom if you need dealer pricing, made-to-order products, Tally sync, or volumes where platform fees bite. We say so honestly during the catalogue audit; we have advised several clients to stay on Shopify rather than pay us for a custom build.
How long does it take to launch an online store?+
Shopify stores launch in 2 to 4 weeks if product data and images are ready. Custom stores take 8 to 14 weeks including gateway KYC, shipping APIs and WhatsApp template approvals from Meta. Gateway onboarding and policy pages cause the usual delays, so we start them in week 1.
Can the store send WhatsApp order updates and confirm COD orders?+
Yes. Through WhatsPilot on the WhatsApp Business API the store sends order confirmation, dispatch with tracking link, delivery confirmation and a review request. COD orders can require a WhatsApp confirmation before shipping, which reduces fake orders and RTO losses. Templates are pre-approved by Meta during setup.
Who owns the store, code and customer data?+
You do. Custom code lives in your GitHub and runs on your hosting account. Shopify stores are opened under your email with us as a removable staff account. Gateways and domains are registered to your business, and customer data is never reused by us; a confidentiality clause is part of the agreement.
Do you offer maintenance, and can we start with a small catalogue?+
Yes to both. After 30 days of included fixes, a monthly plan covers updates, new features and pre-festival performance checks. You can launch with 20 products and grow to 2,000 on either platform. Many brands start small, learn from real orders and ad data, then expand categories.