Quick Answer: What Must You Check Before Launching a Shopify Store in Chennai?
Before launching a Shopify store in Chennai, you must verify: Indian payment gateway (Razorpay/PayU) tested end-to-end including refunds, COD configured, GST checkout correct, all products have meta tags and ALT text, Google Analytics 4 tracking live, Core Web Vitals passing, shipping rates configured for India, legal pages published (Privacy Policy, T&C, Shipping Policy, Return Policy), and domain connected with SSL active. Missing any of these items on launch day costs you revenue, rankings, or legal compliance from day one.
Shopify Launch Checklist — 8 Categories at a Glance
Store Settings — Store name, currency, timezone, notification emails, domain, SSL
Why a Launch Checklist Is Non-Negotiable for Chennai Shopify Stores
Every Chennai business launching a Shopify store for the first time is managing a complex set of technical, legal, and commercial requirements simultaneously. Working with a professional shopify development company in Chennai means this checklist is handled systematically before handover — but whether you are self-launching or verifying an agency build, running through every item on this list before going live protects your revenue, your SEO equity, and your legal compliance from day one.
The cost of missing a launch checklist item is not theoretical. A payment gateway that fails silently means orders are lost without you knowing. A store without Google Analytics means your first week of traffic data — the most valuable data you will ever collect — is gone forever. Legal pages missing on launch day create liability risk under Indian consumer protection law. BYB Traction, a full-service digital marketing agency in Chennai, built this checklist from real-world experience across 100+ Indian store launches. This guide covers every item across all 8 categories so nothing slips through.
💡 How to Use This Checklist
Print or save this checklist. Work through every item systematically — do not skip categories. Items marked CRITICAL in red must be verified before going live without exception. All other items should be completed within the first 48 hours of launch. If you are using a Shopify agency, share this checklist with them and ask for written confirmation of each completed item.
These are the foundational settings that affect everything else. Errors here cascade across payment processing, customer communications, and Google indexing.
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Store Settings & Configuration
7 Items
Custom domain connected and SSL activeCritical
Verify https:// shows in the browser. Shopify provides free SSL — it activates within minutes of domain connection. Test on mobile and desktop.
Store name, store currency set to INR
Settings → General. Ensure currency is Indian Rupee (INR). Timezone should be set to Asia/Kolkata (IST).
Store notification email address is a business email
Not a Gmail or Yahoo address — use your domain email (e.g. orders@yourbrand.com). This is the address customers reply to and see on invoices.
Storefront password removed
Online Store → Preferences → Disable password. Google cannot index a password-protected store. This is a common oversight on launch day.
Order notification emails tested and formatted correctly
Place a test order and check the confirmation email arrives with correct store name, contact details, and branding. Check spam folder first — whitelist the Shopify sending domain.
Contact page with address and phone number live
Indian consumers expect a physical address and phone number. A contact page without these reduces trust and conversion rate significantly.
Favicon uploaded and displaying correctly
Online Store → Themes → Customize → Theme Settings. A branded favicon shows in browser tabs and bookmarks — small but visible trust signal.
Category 2 — Indian Payment Gateways, COD & Tax
This is the most critical category for Chennai businesses. Payment failures on launch day mean lost revenue that cannot be recovered. Test every payment method before removing the storefront password.
💳
Payments, COD & GST Setup
8 Items
Razorpay / PayU live mode activated (not test mode)Critical
Confirm with your agency that the gateway is switched to live mode with production API keys. Test mode transactions do not process real money — stores have launched accidentally in test mode.
Full payment cycle tested with a real Rs 1 transactionCritical
Place a real order using a debit/credit card, UPI, and net banking. Verify the order appears in Shopify admin, confirmation email arrives, and payment shows in Razorpay / PayU dashboard. Refund the test amount.
Razorpay / PayU webhooks configured for order confirmationCritical
Webhooks ensure orders are created in Shopify even when customers close the browser before the success page loads. Without webhooks, you lose 5-15% of paid orders silently.
UPI payment option visible and working at checkout
UPI is the dominant payment method in India — 50%+ of online transactions. Verify it appears as an option at checkout on mobile.
COD (Cash on Delivery) enabled and testedCritical
COD accounts for 20-40% of Indian eCommerce orders. Enable it in Settings → Payments → Manual payment methods. Verify COD orders are tagged differently from prepaid in the order list.
GST tax rates configured correctly for your product category
Settings → Taxes. Configure IGST, CGST, and SGST rates for your product category. Verify prices display tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive as per your pricing strategy. Check the GST amount appears on the order invoice.
Refund flow tested — refund processed back to original payment method
Process the refund for your test transaction from the Shopify admin. Verify it reflects in Razorpay / PayU dashboard and returns to the source account.
EMI options enabled for applicable product price points
If your average order value exceeds Rs 3,000, enabling EMI through Razorpay / PayU can increase conversion rate by reducing upfront payment friction. Verify it appears correctly at checkout.
Product titles should include: product name, key variant (colour/size/material), and brand name. Example: "Blue Cotton Kurta for Men — XL | BrandName" rather than just "Kurta".
All product images have ALT text written
ALT text on every product image is required for Google Image Search ranking and accessibility. Without it, your products are invisible in image search results — a significant traffic source for fashion, food, and lifestyle brands.
Product images compressed to WebP format
Large uncompressed images are the single biggest cause of slow Shopify store load times. Compress all images to WebP with a maximum file size of 200KB. Tools: Shopify automatically converts uploaded images to WebP — ensure originals are not excessively large before upload.
All variants (size, colour) set up correctly with inventory tracked
Verify each variant has the correct price, SKU, and inventory quantity. Test adding each variant to cart. Sold-out variants should display correctly rather than allowing checkout and then failing.
All products assigned to the correct collections
Verify the navigation menu links to collections, not individual products. Test every collection page on mobile — confirm all products are visible and correctly categorised.
Prices are correct and include or exclude GST as intended
Double-check that tax settings match your pricing strategy. If prices are tax-inclusive, ensure the checkout total does not add GST on top, resulting in double taxation display.
Compare-at price set for products on offer
The compare-at price shows the original price with a strikethrough, creating a visible discount display. This increases perceived value and conversion rate for discounted products.
Want a Shopify store audit? Talk to our Chennai team today.
Google Analytics 4 with eCommerce tracking activeCritical
Place a test order and verify a purchase event fires in GA4 real-time report. Without eCommerce tracking, you cannot measure conversion rate, revenue per session, or product performance — your most important business metrics.
Google Search Console connected and sitemap submittedCritical
Submit your Shopify sitemap (yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml) to Google Search Console. Without this, Google may take weeks or months to discover and index your store. Verify the sitemap is accepted with no errors.
Homepage meta title and description set
Online Store → Preferences → Homepage title and meta description. This is what Google displays in search results for your brand name. It should include your primary keyword and brand name.
All product pages have unique meta titles and descriptions
Each product should have a unique SEO title and description — not the default product title and truncated description. Duplicate meta tags confuse Google and reduce ranking ability.
URL handles are clean and descriptive (no numbers or random strings)
Product URLs should read like /products/blue-cotton-kurta-mens not /products/prod_12345. Clean URLs rank better and improve click-through rate in search results.
Schema markup verified for Product and Organization types
Use Google Rich Results Test to verify your product pages return valid Product schema with price, availability, and review markup. Rich results appear as enhanced listings in Google with price and star rating visible.
Meta Pixel installed and purchase event firing correctly
If you are running Meta Ads, the Meta Pixel must be installed with purchase and add-to-cart events firing correctly. Use Meta Pixel Helper Chrome extension to verify. Without this, Meta Ads cannot optimise for purchases.
Canonical tags set correctly (no duplicate content from collections)
Shopify creates duplicate URLs when products appear in multiple collections. Canonical tags tell Google which URL to index. Verify canonical tags are set to the primary product URL, not a collection URL.
Google PageSpeed Insights score above 70 on mobileCritical
Test at pagespeed.web.dev. A score below 50 on mobile indicates serious speed problems that will hurt both Google rankings and conversion rate. LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) should be under 2.5 seconds.
Complete checkout flow tested on mobile device (Android & iOS)Critical
Test the full journey on a real phone: homepage → product → add to cart → checkout → payment → confirmation. Do not use desktop browser dev tools to simulate — use an actual mobile device. Test on both Android and iPhone.
All product images compressed and loading in under 1 second
Use GTmetrix or WebPageTest to check individual image load times. No single image should take more than 1 second to load on a 4G mobile connection.
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) below 0.1
CLS measures visual instability — elements jumping as the page loads. High CLS causes accidental add-to-cart taps on mobile and is a Google ranking signal. Check in PageSpeed Insights.
No broken images on any page (check on mobile and desktop)
Broken images on product pages destroy trust and conversion rate. Check every product page, collection page, and homepage section on both devices. Use a site crawler like Screaming Frog for large catalogues.
Store tested on low-speed 3G connection
A significant portion of Indian eCommerce traffic comes from 3G or congested 4G networks in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Use Chrome DevTools to throttle to Slow 3G and verify the store is still usable and checkout is completable.
Category 6 — Legal Pages & Compliance
Indian consumer protection law requires specific information to be published on eCommerce stores. Missing legal pages creates liability risk and reduces consumer trust.
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Legal Pages & Compliance
6 Items
Privacy Policy published and linked in footerCritical
Required under Indian IT Act and GDPR if you serve international customers. Must cover what data you collect, how it is used, and how customers can request deletion. Shopify provides a template — customise it for your specific data practices.
Return & Refund Policy published and linked in footerCritical
Required under Consumer Protection Act 2019. Must clearly state: return window (e.g. 7 or 14 days), condition of returned items, refund timeline, and non-returnable categories. Ambiguous return policies are a primary cause of consumer complaints and chargebacks.
Shipping Policy published with delivery timeframes for Indian citiesCritical
Must cover estimated delivery times for metro and non-metro Indian cities, which courier partners you use, handling time before dispatch, and what happens if an order is delayed or lost in transit.
Terms & Conditions page published
Covers the legal agreement between your business and customers. Includes: acceptance of terms, intellectual property, limitation of liability, and governing law (typically the state of Tamil Nadu for Chennai businesses).
GSTIN displayed on website if GST-registered
If your business is GST-registered, your GSTIN should appear on the website footer and on tax invoices. B2B customers require this for input tax credit claims.
All legal pages linked in the footer navigation
Privacy Policy, Return Policy, Shipping Policy, and Terms should all be accessible from the footer on every page. Google uses footer links as trust signals and payment gateways check for these pages during merchant onboarding.
Shipping rates configured for all major Indian pin codesCritical
If you use manual shipping rates, ensure all major zones are covered — metros, Tier 2 cities, and general India. A missing shipping zone means customers in that area cannot complete checkout. Test with pin codes from different Indian states.
Free shipping threshold configured if applicable
A free shipping threshold (e.g. free shipping above Rs 999) is one of the highest-impact conversion rate optimisations for Indian stores. If you are offering free shipping, ensure the cart displays the amount remaining to qualify.
If you use Shiprocket or a similar Indian shipping aggregator, place a test order and verify the order appears in the Shiprocket dashboard with correct dimensions, weight, and delivery address.
Order confirmation email verified — arrives within 2 minutes of purchase
Check the email arrives promptly, displays correctly on mobile, contains the order number and all items, and shows the correct delivery address and expected timeline.
Abandoned cart recovery email enabled
Settings → Checkout → Abandoned checkout emails. Enable automatic abandoned cart emails sent 10 hours after cart abandonment. This single automation typically recovers 5-15% of abandoned carts and requires no ongoing effort after setup.
Checkout fields configured for Indian addresses (state, pin code)
Verify the checkout address form includes state selection and pin code for Indian addresses. Some Shopify themes require customisation to display these fields correctly for Indian customers.
Inventory tracked and low-stock alerts configured
Enable inventory tracking for all products. Configure low-stock notifications so you are alerted before items go out of stock and customers encounter checkout failures on sold-out variants.
Category 8 — Post-Launch Monitoring & First Week Plan
📊
Post-Launch Monitoring
6 Items
Monitor Razorpay / PayU dashboard every 2 hours for first 24 hoursCritical
Payment gateway issues often only appear with real customer traffic. Check for failed transactions, webhook failures, or unusually low payment success rates in the first 24 hours.
Check GA4 real-time report is showing live trafficCritical
Verify GA4 is recording sessions within the first hour of launch. If traffic is not appearing, recheck the GA4 Measurement ID installation on the store.
Google Search Console request indexing for homepage and key product pages
Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to manually request indexing for your homepage, top collections, and best-selling product pages. This accelerates Google discovery from weeks to days.
Set up uptime monitoring (UptimeRobot or similar)
Free tools like UptimeRobot check your store every 5 minutes and alert you by email or SMS if it goes down. While Shopify's uptime is excellent, custom domain DNS issues can cause unexpected downtime.
Schedule a formal review of GA4 data at the end of week 1. Key metrics: conversion rate (benchmark: 1-2% for new stores), add-to-cart rate, cart abandonment rate, and bounce rate by traffic source.
Customer support channel live (WhatsApp, email, or chat)
Indian customers expect responsive support. Have a WhatsApp Business number, contact email, or live chat ready from day one. First-week customer questions about products, delivery, and returns are your most valuable market research.
⚠️ The 5 Most Common Launch Day Mistakes for Chennai Stores
Based on BYB Traction experience across 100+ Shopify launches: (1) Payment gateway left in test mode — customers cannot pay. (2) Storefront password not removed — Google cannot index. (3) COD not enabled — 20-40% of potential orders blocked. (4) GA4 not installed — first week data lost forever. (5) No legal pages — liability risk from day one. Every item on this checklist exists because of a real mistake we have seen cost a Chennai business real money.
Ready to build your Shopify store? Book a free consultation now.
BYB Traction Completes This Entire Checklist Before Every Handover
Every Shopify store BYB Traction builds and hands over to a Chennai client is verified against this complete checklist — with written sign-off on each category — before the domain is connected and the store goes live. Our post-launch support window ensures we are available to address any issues that surface with real traffic after launch.
If your Shopify store is already live and you want to know which items on this checklist were missed during your original build, BYB Traction offers a free store audit. We will review your payment setup, SEO configuration, speed performance, and legal compliance and give you a written report. Request your free audit →
A Shopify store is not ready to launch because it looks good in a browser preview. It is ready to launch when every item on this checklist has been verified — payments tested with real money, COD configured, GST compliant, SEO setup complete, legal pages published, speed verified on mobile, and monitoring in place. Missing even one critical item on launch day creates a problem that either costs you revenue immediately or creates a liability that surfaces later.
Use this checklist whether you are self-launching or verifying an agency build. If you need a broader digital presence beyond Shopify, BYB Traction also provides Website Development Services in Chennai including WordPress and custom builds. If you are working with BYB Traction for your Shopify store, every item in this guide is covered in our standard build process and verified with written sign-off before we hand over your store.
What must be checked before launching a Shopify store in Chennai?
Before launching a Shopify store in Chennai, you must verify: your Indian payment gateway (Razorpay or PayU) is in live mode and fully tested including a real transaction, COD is configured, GST tax rates are set correctly, all products have meta tags and ALT text, Google Analytics 4 with eCommerce tracking is active, Google Search Console is connected with your sitemap submitted, your store passes mobile checkout testing on a real device, all four legal pages are published (Privacy Policy, Return Policy, Shipping Policy, Terms and Conditions), and your storefront password has been removed.
How do I test my Razorpay payment gateway before launching on Shopify?
To test Razorpay before launching your Shopify store, first ensure the gateway app is switched from test mode to live mode with your production API keys. Then place a real order using a debit card, UPI, and net banking — using the minimum amount possible (Rs 1). Verify the order appears in your Shopify admin, the confirmation email arrives, and the payment shows in your Razorpay dashboard. Then process the refund and confirm it returns to the source account. Also verify that Razorpay webhooks are configured so orders are not lost if customers close the browser before the success page loads.
Is COD (Cash on Delivery) important for Shopify stores in Chennai?
Yes — COD is critical for Indian eCommerce stores including Chennai. COD typically accounts for 20 to 40 percent of orders for most Indian product categories, particularly fashion, FMCG, and consumer electronics. Not offering COD means blocking a significant portion of potential revenue from customers who prefer to pay on delivery, including first-time buyers who have not yet built trust with your brand. COD should be enabled and tested as part of every Shopify store launch checklist.
What legal pages are required for a Shopify store in India?
Indian eCommerce stores are required to publish: a Privacy Policy (required under the IT Act 2000 and IT Rules 2011, covering what personal data you collect and how it is used), a Return and Refund Policy (required under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, specifying your return window, conditions, and refund timeline), a Shipping Policy (specifying delivery timeframes for Indian cities and courier partners used), and Terms and Conditions (covering the legal agreement between your business and customers). All four policies must be accessible from the footer of every page on your store.
How do I check if Google Analytics is tracking correctly on my Shopify store?
To verify Google Analytics 4 is tracking correctly on your Shopify store, open GA4 in one browser and open your Shopify store in another. Check the GA4 real-time report and confirm your session appears. Then place a test order and check that a purchase event fires in the GA4 real-time events view. If no purchase event appears, your GA4 eCommerce tracking is not configured correctly and you will not be able to measure conversion rate or revenue from day one.
What PageSpeed score should my Shopify store achieve before launching?
Your Shopify store should achieve a minimum PageSpeed Insights score of 70 on mobile before launch. A score below 50 indicates serious performance problems that will hurt both Google rankings and conversion rate. Key Core Web Vitals targets: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) under 2.5 seconds, CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) under 0.1, and FID (First Input Delay) under 100 milliseconds. Test at pagespeed.web.dev using your homepage URL and your best-selling product page URL.
How long does it take Google to index a new Shopify store?
Without active submission, Google may take 2 to 8 weeks to discover and index a new Shopify store. You can accelerate this significantly by connecting Google Search Console on launch day, submitting your sitemap (yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml), and using the URL Inspection tool to manually request indexing for your homepage and top product pages. Stores that submit their sitemap on launch day typically begin appearing in Google search results within 3 to 7 days for their branded terms.
Do I need to monitor my Shopify store after launch?
Yes — active post-launch monitoring is essential, especially in the first 24 to 48 hours. Check your payment gateway dashboard every 2 hours for the first day to catch payment failures or webhook issues. Verify Google Analytics is recording live traffic within the first hour. Set up uptime monitoring using a free tool like UptimeRobot. Schedule a formal first-week review of conversion rate, cart abandonment rate, and top traffic sources. The first week of live traffic reveals issues that no amount of pre-launch testing can fully predict.
BYB Traction is a Chennai-based Certified Shopify Partner with 15+ years of eCommerce experience. We have launched 100+ Shopify stores for Indian brands and complete this full checklist on every project before handover. Shopify development plans start at ₹34,999. Contact: contact@bybtraction.com · +91-9600448666
