How to use this launch checklist
This checklist covers the last stretch before your online store goes live and the first 30 days after. It assumes your products, photos and stock data are already prepared; if they are not, start with our guide to preparing your catalogue and inventory before going online, because no checklist rescues a launch with incomplete product data.
Copy the items into a shared sheet, give each one an owner and a date, and do not mark anything done until someone has actually tested it. The checklist is written for Indian stores selling to consumers or small businesses from their own website, whether that is a manufacturer, a retailer or a brand.
Policy pages to publish before the first order
Policy pages are not decoration. Customers read them before paying, payment gateways usually check for them before activating your account, and Indian consumer rules expect sellers to disclose certain information. Publish these pages, link them in the footer and at checkout, and make sure they match how you actually operate:
- Return, refund and cancellation policy: which items can be returned, within how many days, in what condition, who pays return shipping and how and when refunds are made.
- Shipping and delivery policy: where you deliver, expected dispatch and delivery times, shipping charges and what happens if a parcel is refused or undeliverable.
- Privacy policy: what personal data you collect, why, who it is shared with (couriers, payment gateway) and how customers can contact you about it.
- Terms and conditions: pricing errors, order acceptance, warranties and how disputes are handled.
- Contact and grievance details: business name, address, phone and email, and who handles complaints.
The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 set out disclosure and grievance requirements for online sellers; read the current version on the Department of Consumer Affairs website. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 is also relevant to how you handle customer data; see MeitY for official information. This article is not legal advice, so have a lawyer or adviser review your policies if you are unsure.
Test orders: run every path a real customer will take
Place test orders the way a customer would: on a phone over mobile data, then on a computer, using real addresses. Record the expected and actual result for each scenario, and fix anything that does not match before launch.
| Scenario | What should happen |
|---|---|
| UPI payment on a phone | Order confirmed, stock reduced, confirmation message sent |
| Card payment on a computer | OTP step works, order confirmed, invoice generated |
| Payment cancelled or failed | Clear message, retry option, no confirmed order, stock released later |
| Cash on delivery order | COD rules applied, phone confirmation step works |
| Coupon code applied | Correct discount, correct tax on the discounted amount |
| Pincode outside delivery area | Buyer told before payment |
| Product goes out of stock during checkout | Buyer cannot pay for unavailable stock |
| Customer cancels before dispatch | Order cancelled, refund triggered, stock returned |
| Return requested after delivery | Return recorded, credit note and refund follow your policy |
The checkout design behind these scenarios, including how UPI, COD and failed payments should behave, is explained in our guide to UPI and checkout must-haves.
Payment and refund tests with real money
Test mode proves the integration works; it does not prove money reaches your bank. Once the gateway account is live, place one or two small real orders using UPI and a card, then check three things: that the order shows as paid in your admin panel, that the payment appears in the gateway dashboard, and that it arrives in your bank account on the expected settlement date with the expected deductions.
Then refund one of those orders in full and another in part, and confirm both refunds reach the paying account. Check that your store records the refund against the right order and that the customer receives a message. Finally, make sure test keys and test-mode settings have been removed from the live site; a forgotten test setting can make a store accept fake payments or reject real ones.
Shipping and courier set-up
Choose your courier arrangement before launch, not after the first order arrives. Agree the pickup schedule and address, the serviceable pincodes for prepaid and COD orders, how COD money is remitted to you and how often, and what happens to parcels the buyer refuses, often called RTO (return to origin).
- Packaging: decide box sizes for your common orders and weigh a packed sample of each, because charges depend on packed weight and size.
- Labels and invoices: confirm the store can print shipping labels and that an invoice goes inside or with every parcel.
- Tracking: make sure tracking numbers flow back into the order and that dispatch and delivery messages reach the customer.
- Reconciliation: plan a weekly check of COD remittances and shipping charges against your orders.
GST invoices and records from day one
If you are registered for GST, every order needs a correct tax invoice: your GSTIN, invoice number from a consistent series, date, customer details, HSN code, taxable value, tax charged and place of supply. Within your own state, tax is normally split into CGST and SGST; for delivery to another state, IGST applies. Returns need credit notes linked to the original invoice.
Before launch, place test orders to an address in your state and another outside it and check that each invoice shows the right tax. Ask your CA how online sales should flow into your returns and whether any additional registration or compliance applies to your situation, and refer to the GST portal for official guidance. For invoice fields in more depth, see our guide to GST billing for retail.
Analytics, Search Console and backups on launch day
Set up measurement before the first visitor arrives, otherwise your first month's data is lost. Install analytics and confirm it records the key steps: product view, add to cart, checkout started and purchase. Verify the site in Google Search Console and submit its sitemap; Google Search Central explains how.
An online store's database changes with every order, so daily backups should run from launch day, stored away from the store's own server, and someone should confirm a restore works. Our guide to website security updates and backups explains what a complete backup includes. Also review admin access: each staff member gets their own login with only the rights they need, and the developer's temporary accounts are removed or restricted after go-live.
The first 30 days: what to watch week by week
The first month is when you discover what testing missed. Keep the routine simple and assign one person to it.
| Week | Focus | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Every order | Open each order and follow it from payment to dispatch; check invoices, messages and stock |
| Week 2 | Payments | Failed and pending payments, abandoned carts, any payment without a confirmed order |
| Week 3 | Delivery | Dispatch times, delivery times, refused parcels, COD remittance received |
| Week 4 | Customers | Return reasons, questions asked by phone or WhatsApp, pages where visitors leave |
Turn what you learn into fixes: add answers to common questions on product pages, tighten COD rules for pincodes with high refusals, and rewrite descriptions for products that are often returned for the same reason.
How MATROP supports a launch, and what to do if you are not ready
MATROP's e-commerce development process ends with two stages built around this checklist. Testing covers checkout, security checks, performance and devices. Launch covers go-live, domain and SSL, hosting set-up and analytics tracking. After launch, support is available as an AMC option covering bug fixes, upgrades and a roadmap for new features, and ongoing updates and backups can be handled through our website maintenance service.
If you cannot yet tick off policy pages, courier arrangements or GST invoicing, it is better to delay launch by a few weeks than to go live and fix problems in front of customers. And if you plan to sell only through marketplaces at first, you may not need your own store yet; build it when you want direct customers and control over your brand experience.
Questions people ask
Can we launch without cash on delivery and add it later?
Yes. Many stores start prepaid-only to keep operations simple, then add COD for selected pincodes once courier remittance and refused-parcel handling are set up properly.
Do we need a separate privacy policy if we already have terms and conditions?
Yes, keep them as separate pages. Terms set out the rules of buying from you, while a privacy policy explains what personal data you collect, why and how it is protected; payment gateways and customers both look for it specifically.
How many test orders should we place before launch?
At least one for every path in your test table, on both a phone and a computer, plus a small real-money order that you then refund. Repeat the key ones after any late change to the checkout.
Orders are slower than expected in the first month. What should we look at first?
Check where visitors drop off: product page, cart, checkout or payment. A drop at payment points to a checkout or gateway problem, while low traffic overall is a marketing and search visibility question rather than a store problem.
