How to start an online store in Pakistan, step by step

Start with a product you understand and can source reliably. Clothing, lawn and pret, skincare, fragrance, shoes and home decor all sell well online, but they also have plenty of competition. What sets you apart is usually a clear style, better quality at a fair price, or a customer group other sellers ignore.

• Order a small first batch, or take pre-orders for a few designs.
• Note which products get repeat "price?" and "available hai?" messages.
• Ask early buyers what nearly stopped them from ordering.
• Check that your supplier can restock the items that sell.

Most Pakistani brands start on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp because it costs little to begin and you talk to customers directly. The trade-off is that every order is handled by hand, prices and sizes are answered one DM at a time, and it becomes hard to keep records as you grow.

It is tempting to skip the paperwork until you are bigger, but a few basics make life easier and help you look credible to customers, couriers and payment providers. Requirements for registration and tax can change and depend on your situation, so speak to an accountant or check with the relevant authority rather than relying on what another seller did.

• Choose a business name and check it is not already used by another brand.
• Ask a professional whether and how you should register the business.
• Open a separate bank account so shop money is not mixed with personal money.
• Keep records of every sale, purchase, courier remittance and return from day one.
• Check your current tax and registration obligations with an accountant.

Online shoppers cannot touch the fabric or try the shoe, so your photos and words have to do that job. Use natural daylight, a plain background and the same setup for every product so the catalogue looks consistent. Show the front, back, close-ups of fabric or texture, and the item being worn or used.

Many new sellers price by looking at competitors and subtracting a little. That often leaves no room for the real costs of selling online. Before you set a price, add up everything a single order costs you, including the orders that come back.

• Product cost, including stitching, labels or bottles.
• Packaging: flyers, boxes, tissue, thank-you cards.
• Courier charges for delivery, and for parcels that are returned.
• Any cash on delivery handling charges your courier applies.
• Advertising spend per order once you start running ads.
• A margin for damaged stock, exchanges and your own time.

Cash on delivery is what most Pakistani shoppers expect, especially from a brand they have not bought from before. It builds trust, but it means the courier collects your money and sends it to you later, and some customers refuse parcels at the door. Choosing the right courier matters as much as choosing the right supplier.

• Do they deliver to the cities where your customers actually live?
• How and when is cash on delivery money remitted to your account?
• Do they offer pickup from your location, and how often?
• How are refused and returned parcels handled and sent back?
• Do they have a booking portal or API so you are not writing slips by hand?

When you are ready for a website, focus on what helps a shopper buy without messaging you. A good store answers price, size, stock and delivery questions on the page and makes checkout simple on a phone. If you work with a builder, ask to see each of these working in a demo before you commit. ecomm.builder, for example, keeps a demo store at /demo showing product options, a size guide, cash on delivery checkout and order tracking.

• Your own domain and brand, not a generic subdomain.
• Product options such as sizes and colours with their own stock.
• A size guide and clear product details.
• Search and filters once you have more than a handful of products.
• Cash on delivery checkout with the delivery charge shown before ordering.
• Guest checkout, so customers do not have to create an account.
• Order confirmation emails and a page where customers can track their order.
• A WhatsApp button for quick questions.
• An admin panel you can run yourself for products, orders and discounts.

Clear policies reduce arguments and make you look like a real business. Keep them short and in plain language. Your shipping policy should explain how orders are dispatched, which couriers you use and how customers will receive tracking. Avoid promising exact delivery days you cannot control.

Your first customers usually come from people who already know you. Tell friends, family and past contacts, and ask them to share. Post consistently on Instagram with clear photos, prices in captions and a simple way to order. Reels showing fabric movement, packaging or unboxing tend to explain a product better than a still photo.

Early on, a simple routine prevents most mistakes. Set a fixed time each day to confirm new orders, pack them and book them with your courier. Confirm cash on delivery orders by WhatsApp or a quick call before booking, especially from first-time customers. Share the tracking number so the customer expects the rider.

• Keep one list of all orders with status: new, confirmed, booked, delivered, returned.
• Update stock counts as soon as an order is confirmed.
• Match courier remittances against delivered orders every week.
• Record why each return happened so you can fix the cause.

DMs work well for the first few orders a day. The signs you have outgrown them are easy to spot: messages go unanswered during busy launches, the same price and size questions eat your evenings, you oversell stock that has already gone, and you cannot say who ordered what last month.