Build · E-commerce
Shopify and WooCommerce development: online stores set up to sell, ship and invoice properly
CountryDevs builds online stores on Shopify and WooCommerce: the theme, the catalogue, payments, shipping, tax and the emails customers receive, set up so the store works on a phone and the orders reach your team cleanly. We help you choose the platform, design the store around your products, connect the gateways and couriers you use, and move your products, customers and links across if you already sell online.
When an off-the-shelf store cannot do what your business needs, we write the custom part: an app, a plugin or a checkout integration, built by engineers who also build payment systems from scratch. It suits brands selling direct, retailers moving online and makers who want their own shop alongside marketplaces.
Updated
Shopify or WooCommerce: which platform should your store use?
Both platforms run serious stores. The right one depends on how fast you need to launch, how much the store has to differ from standard and who will look after it. We build on both, so we have no reason to push one. The criteria below are the ones that decide most stores; the marker on each row shows which way it leans.
Shopify: Hosted for you. Shopify runs the servers, security patches and uptime.
Hosting and security
Leans ShopifyWooCommerce: You host it. Speed and security depend on the host and on keeping WordPress and plugins updated.
Shopify: Fast to launch with a theme and a few apps; the setup is guided.
Getting started
Leans ShopifyWooCommerce: More setup: hosting, WordPress, WooCommerce, a theme and the extensions you need.
Shopify: A monthly plan plus paid apps, and a possible transaction fee when you use a third-party gateway.
Running cost shape
Depends on the storeWooCommerce: The plugin is free; you pay for hosting, premium extensions and the time to maintain it.
Shopify: Themes and apps work inside Shopify's rules; deep checkout changes are limited outside its top plan.
Control over code and data
Leans WooCommerceWooCommerce: Full access to the code and the database: almost anything can be changed, by someone who knows how.
Shopify: A basic blog and pages, fine for most stores.
Content and blogging
Leans WooCommerceWooCommerce: WordPress is a full content system, strong when content brings the traffic.
Shopify: Apps from the Shopify App Store, reviewed by Shopify, often billed monthly; each one adds a little to page weight.
Add-ons
Depends on the storeWooCommerce: Thousands of WordPress and WooCommerce plugins of very mixed quality; choosing few and good ones matters more than on Shopify.
Shopify: Handles traffic spikes for you, which matters on sale days. Catalogue and variant limits apply per product.
Large catalogues and traffic
Leans ShopifyWooCommerce: Scales well on good hosting with caching, but a big catalogue on cheap hosting slows down fast.
Shopify: Little to do beyond apps and theme updates.
Upkeep
Leans ShopifyWooCommerce: Regular updates for WordPress, WooCommerce and every plugin, ideally on a care plan.
Choose Shopify when you want to sell soon, keep upkeep low and your catalogue and checkout are standard.
Choose WooCommerce when content drives sales, you need deep changes, or you already run WordPress and will keep it maintained.
Choose neither when many sellers list on your site, when buying works like booking or bidding, or when the store is one part of a bigger app. That is a marketplace or a custom build. See marketplace app development.
How we build on Shopify
- Themes built on Shopify's sections and blocks, so your team can rearrange the home page and landing pages without code.
- Product details that do not fit the standard fields, such as fabric, dimensions or care instructions, stored as structured custom fields and shown consistently on every product.
- As few paid apps as possible. Each app is a monthly cost and extra page weight, so we use one only when the theme and settings cannot do the job.
- Selling abroad set up deliberately: which countries, which currencies, and how shipping and duties are shown, rather than switched on everywhere at once.
How we build on WooCommerce
- Changes kept in a child theme or a small custom plugin, so updating the theme or WooCommerce never wipes them out.
- A staging copy of the store where updates and new plugins are tested before they touch the live shop.
- Hosting chosen for the catalogue size, with page caching and image optimisation, because a slow WooCommerce store loses buyers on phones.
- Admin logins limited and protected, plugins kept to a short trusted list, and backups held away from the server they protect.
What you get with a Shopify or WooCommerce store build
A store is a chain: if any link is weak, orders get stuck. Payment confirmed but stock not reduced, an invoice without the right GST rate, a tracking email that never sends. So we deliver the whole chain, set up and tested together, not a theme with the rest left to you.
Every item on this receipt is configured in your own store account and documented, so your team, or anyone you hire later, can see how it was set up. Items you do not need, such as international shipping for a store that sells only in India, are left out on purpose and noted, not forgotten.
What we need from you: your business and bank details for the gateway application, a GSTIN if you are registered, product photos and descriptions (or a plan for us to help produce them), your shipping and return terms, and someone on your side who will pack the first orders. The store cannot launch faster than the slowest of these, so we list them in the first week.
What a default setup often misses for Indian buyers
- Cash on delivery offered everywhere, including pincodes the courier does not serve
- Prices shown without making clear whether GST is included
- Failed or abandoned payments never followed up, so a buyer whose UPI app timed out is simply lost
- Order emails in a template voice that does not match the brand
- Product pages without sizes, delivery time or return terms, the three things buyers check before paying
COUNTRYDEVS · STORE BUILD
Platform choice and setup
Plan or hosting, domain, SSL, store settings, staff accounts
Theme and design
Designed to your brand, tuned for phones, product pages that answer buyer questions
Catalogue
Products, variants, collections, images and stock imported and checked
Payments
Your gateway connected for UPI, cards, netbanking and wallets; cash on delivery where you want it
Tax
GST rates per product, GSTIN on invoices, invoice numbering set up with your accountant
Shipping
Zones and rates, courier or aggregator connected, tracking emails
Customer emails
Order, shipping, delivery and refund messages in your voice
Search and speed
Clean URLs, product structured data with price and stock, sitemap, compressed images, collection pages written to be found
Analytics
Store analytics, Search Console and conversion tracking connected to your own accounts
Policies
Shipping, returns, refunds, privacy and terms pages written for how you actually work
Handover
Staff training, a written guide and every login in your hands
ResultA store that takes orders
Set up in your store account · documented · tested with real orders
How we build an online store, from the first product list to launch
A store build runs like this board, left to right. Most of the risk sits in the first column: a store designed before anyone listed every product type or traced how an order is packed and shipped will need reworking later. A small store with a standard catalogue moves through the board in a few weeks; a migration or a store with custom rules takes longer. You see the store on a private preview from the Build column onwards, and nothing moves to Test and launch until you have placed an order on it yourself.
Plan
Choose the platform
From your catalogue size, how often you change the store and how much the checkout must differ from standard.
List every product type
Variants, bundles, made-to-order items and anything sold by weight or length.
Map the order flow
From payment to packing, courier, delivery and returns, including who does each step.
Write the store policies
Shipping, returns, refunds and privacy pages, which payment gateways ask to see before they approve an account.
Design
Product page first
It is where buyers decide, so it gets the photos, sizes, delivery promise and questions answered.
Phone checkout
Most orders are placed on a phone; we design the cart and checkout there first.
Collections and search
How a buyer narrows a big catalogue down: categories, filters by size or price, and a search that forgives typos.
Build
Theme and pages
Built from the designs, with the brand's fonts and colours.
Connect payments and couriers
Gateways, cash on delivery rules, shipping rates and tracking.
Import and check the catalogue
Every product, price and stock level checked against your list.
Test and launch
Place real test orders
Every payment method, a refund and a return, on real phones.
Train the team
Whoever packs orders, answers customers and adds products gets a short session on their own tasks.
Go live
Domain pointed, redirects in place, first orders watched closely.
The six questions every product page we design answers
The product page is where a buyer decides, so it gets more design time than any other page in the store. Before a theme is chosen, we check that each product type can answer these six questions without the buyer scrolling past them.
- What is it, exactly?
- A title buyers would search for, and photos on a plain background plus one in use.
- Will it fit or suit me?
- Sizes, dimensions or compatibility in a table, not buried in a paragraph.
- When will it arrive?
- A delivery estimate, ideally by pincode, before the buyer reaches the cart.
- What if it is wrong?
- Return and refund terms in one line, linked to the full policy.
- Can I trust this shop?
- Real reviews where you have them, clear contact details and secure payment marks.
- How do I pay?
- The payment options shown early, including UPI and cash on delivery if offered.
How one order travels through an Indian online store
Selling in India adds steps that a default store setup does not handle on its own: UPI and cash on delivery, GST invoices, courier bookings and returns. We set up and test each stop on this route before launch. For the rules on handling payments, see our guide to RBI payment aggregator rules.
Payment
The customer pays by UPI, card, netbanking or wallet through your gateway, or chooses cash on delivery if you allow it. The store records which, and only marks a prepaid order paid when the gateway confirms it.
GST invoice
A tax invoice with your GSTIN, the right rate per product and a sequential number goes to the customer and into your records. Shipping charges and discounts are taxed the way your accountant has agreed, not the way a default template guesses.
Pack
The order reaches your team with a packing slip, and stock goes down once. If a payment fails or is abandoned, the customer gets a reminder rather than silence.
Courier
A shipment is booked with your courier or aggregator, the label printed, and the tracking link sent to the customer automatically. Weight and box size are set per product so shipping charges match what the courier bills you.
Delivery
The order is marked delivered. For cash on delivery, the collected amount is reconciled when the courier remits it, so money owed to you never sits unnoticed in a courier account.
Return or refund
If something comes back, the return is logged, stock restored and the refund sent to the original payment method or recorded for COD. A parcel refused at the door is tracked separately from a return, because the costs and the fixes are different.
Choosing a gateway. Gateways differ in how quickly they settle money to your bank, which documents they need before approving your account, which payment methods they support and what they charge per transaction. We help you compare them for your order size and mix, then connect the one you choose and test it with real small payments before launch.
Cash on delivery, carefully. COD widens your market, but unaccepted parcels come back at your cost. Common controls are offering COD only on some pincodes or order values, confirming COD orders by message before dispatch, and nudging buyers towards prepaid with a small incentive. We set up the ones that suit your margins.
Selling on marketplaces too. If you also sell on large marketplaces, your own store and those listings draw on the same shelf. We connect them through an inventory app or connector so stock stays in step and you do not sell the last unit twice, and we keep your own store's prices and product pages distinct so it has a reason to exist.
Returns that do not hurt. A clear return window, a simple request form and a refund rule written down before launch save more support time than any feature. We set the store up so a return is a few clicks for your team, not an email thread.
Moving your store to Shopify or WooCommerce without losing customers or rankings
Most store migrations go wrong in the details: a product variant that maps to nothing, customers who cannot log in, or a year of search rankings lost because old links now show an error. We plan each kind of data separately and check it after it moves, with counts you can compare against the old store.
Products and variants
Titles, descriptions, prices, variants, images and stock, mapped to the new store's structure and checked line by line.
Customers
Accounts and addresses moved. Passwords cannot be copied between platforms, so customers set a new one with a friendly email.
Order history
Past orders imported where the platform allows, so support can look them up; very old history can stay as an export.
Pages, blog posts and reviews
Policy pages and blog posts move with their URLs. Product reviews move through an import where the review app supports it; otherwise they are kept as an export.
Links and rankings
Every product and category URL that gets visits or links is redirected permanently to its new address before launch.
On switch-over day the old store stays up until the new one has taken real orders. We freeze product changes for a short window, move the last orders and customers across, point the domain, and place test orders against the live store before telling anyone it has moved. If something goes wrong, the old store is still there to switch back to. In the weeks after, we watch Search Console for pages Google cannot find and fix any redirect we missed.
When your store needs custom code, and how we write it
Most stores need little or no custom code, and we will not add any you do not need. When they do, it is usually in one of five places, and payments are where care matters most.
// Illustration: confirming a payment on the serverconst order = await Orders.find(orderId);const amount = priceFromCatalogue(order.items); // never trust the browserverifySignature(payload, signature, secret); // reject forged callbacksif (order.status === 'paid') return ok(); // the same webhook twiceawait Orders.markPaid(orderId, { amount });await Stock.decrement(order.items); // exactly onceA gateway or courier with no ready-made app
Some Indian gateways, couriers and ERPs have no good Shopify app or WooCommerce plugin. We write the integration: the API calls, the webhooks and the status your team sees.
Rules the store settings cannot express
Pricing by customer group, made-to-order products, minimum order rules for wholesale buyers or a delivery promise that depends on the pincode. These need code, kept small and documented.
The store talking to the rest of the business
Orders flowing into your accounting or inventory system, stock coming back from the warehouse, invoices matching what your accountant expects.
Payments done the careful way
In our own apps we price every order on the server, never from the browser, check every payment signature and make sure a repeated callback cannot mark an order paid twice. Proton's course payments work this way, and Trainr's app takes live card payments. We bring the same care to store integrations.
Reports the platform does not give you
Margin by product after gateway and shipping costs, cash on delivery collected versus remitted, or a GST summary in the format your accountant asks for. Usually a small export rather than a new system.
Custom code in a store should be small, written down and easy to remove. We keep it in a separate app or plugin rather than editing the platform or theme files directly, log every call to an outside service so a failed courier booking or payment callback is visible, and write a short note on what each piece does and how to switch it off. That way a future theme change, platform update or new developer does not break the shop or depend on us.
Related integration guides: Razorpay subscriptions and Stripe payments and payouts.
Launching an online store, and the first month after
Launch day is a point on a longer line. The two weeks before it decide whether the first orders go through cleanly, and the month after is when real customers show you what to fix. This is where the build hands over to the Ship stage: hosting and updates for WooCommerce, and ongoing improvements for both. We avoid launching the day before a sale or a festival weekend; a quiet week gives the store a chance to settle before the first rush, and gives your team time to get used to packing from it.
T−14
Content freeze
Products, prices and pages final; anything late goes in after launch, not into launch week. The gateway account should be approved by now.
T−7
Test orders
Every payment method, cash on delivery, a refund and a return, on real phones, with the invoices and emails checked for each.
T−2
Redirects and records
Old URLs redirected, domain and email records prepared, staff accounts ready, and the courier pickup booked for launch day.
Launch
Go live
Domain switched, first real orders watched as they arrive, and each one followed through to the courier.
T+7
First-week fixes
Anything real customers trip over is fixed while it is fresh, from a confusing size chart to a slow page.
T+30
Review
Search Console, checkout drop-off and support questions reviewed together, with the next improvements listed.
After launch, a store needs the same care as any product. See our maintenance plans, or the pre-launch security checklist.
Questions about Shopify and WooCommerce development
Should I build my online store on Shopify or WooCommerce?
Shopify suits most stores that want to launch quickly and keep upkeep low: it is hosted, secure and simple to run. WooCommerce suits stores where content drives sales, where the checkout or catalogue needs deep changes, or where you already run WordPress. If many sellers list on your site, or buying works like booking, neither fits and you need a marketplace or a custom build.
Can a Shopify store in India accept UPI and cash on delivery?
Yes. Indian Shopify stores take payments through a third-party gateway such as Razorpay, PayU or Cashfree, which covers UPI, cards, netbanking and wallets, and cash on delivery can be offered as a manual payment method. We set up the gateway in your account, configure cash on delivery rules and test every method with real orders before launch.
How do GST invoices work on a Shopify or WooCommerce store?
The store needs the right GST rate for each product, your GSTIN on every invoice and a sequential invoice numbering your accountant accepts. Both platforms do this through settings plus an invoicing app or plugin. We set it up with your accountant's input and place test orders to check the invoices before any customer sees one.
Can you move my store from another platform without losing Google rankings?
Yes, if the move is planned. We import products, customers and, where possible, order history, then redirect every old product and category URL that gets visits to its new address before the switch. Customers cannot keep their old passwords across platforms, so they get a friendly email to set a new one.
When does an online store need custom development?
When the store settings and existing apps cannot express how you sell: a gateway or courier with no ready app, pricing rules for wholesale buyers, made-to-order products, or orders that must flow into your accounting or inventory system. We keep the custom part small and documented, so the store stays easy to update. If most of what you need is custom, that is a sign the store should be a custom build or a marketplace rather than a heavily modified Shopify or WooCommerce site.
How long does it take to set up a Shopify store?
A store with a standard catalogue, one gateway and one courier usually takes a few weeks from the first product list to launch, and most of that time goes into product content, photos and testing rather than the theme. A migration from another platform, a large catalogue, or custom rules such as wholesale pricing take longer. Gateway approval can also take time, so we start that application in the first week. You get a dated plan once we have seen your product list and order flow.
Do I need a separate app or can my online store work well on phones?
A well-built store works well in a phone browser, and for most shops that is enough: Shopify and WooCommerce themes can be made fast and easy to use on a phone. A separate app makes sense when customers buy from you often, such as groceries or daily essentials, and push notifications or saved preferences bring them back. We build both, and will tell you if an app is not worth it yet.
Who maintains a WooCommerce store after launch?
Someone has to, because WordPress, WooCommerce and every plugin need regular updates and an unpatched store is a common target. You can do it in-house with a written routine we provide, or put it on one of our maintenance plans, where updates are applied and tested every month and the backups are checked.
Tell us what you sell and how it reaches the customer
A short note is enough to start. We reply with questions, a platform recommendation and what the first version of the store should include.
- What you sell and roughly how many products
- Where you sell today, if anywhere
- Your payment gateway and courier, if chosen
- What must be different from a standard store
We reply with questions first, then a recommendation: Shopify, WooCommerce, or neither if a marketplace or a custom build fits better, and what the first version should leave out so you can start selling sooner.
Building a website rather than a store? See website design and development.