How to Start an Online Grocery Store in India
Last updated: June 2026
To start an online grocery store in India you need three things: a place for customers to order, a way to take payment, and a way to deliver — plus a way to bill and track stock behind it.The good news is you don't need a developer, a website project or a custom app. With e-Kirana, one Windows desktop app gives your grocery business its own branded online store, billing and POS, UPI payments and home delivery, all from one screen.
This guide walks through what an online grocery store actually involves, the five steps to get live, and how owning your own store compares with renting a slot on a marketplace or quick-commerce app. The theme throughout: you own the store, the customers and the margin, instead of paying a platform a cut of every basket.
What does an online grocery store actually involve?
An online grocery store is more than a product list on the internet. To run one for real you need a catalogue customers can browse, billing that records each sale and keeps stock accurate, payment you can trust before you pack, and deliveryto get the groceries to the door. The mistake first-timers make is buying four separate tools that don't talk to each other. e-Kirana puts all four in one desktop app: build the catalogue by barcode, bill at the counter, auto-verify UPI payments, and dispatch delivery — with your shop's own branded online store on its own subdomain sitting on top. Because billing and the online store share the same stock, customers only ever see what you actually have.
Want the storefront-only view first? See online store for kirana shop.
Five steps to start your online grocery store
Starting is a short sequence, not a big project. Each step runs from the same e-Kirana app, so you never stitch tools together or hire anyone to wire them up.
- 1Install e-Kirana and set up billing.
Put e-Kirana on a Windows computer and use it as your grocery billing and POS. This is the base everything else sits on — every online order will land in the same screen you bill from. Available in 22 Indian languages, so you work in the language you're comfortable with.
- 2Build your grocery catalogue by barcode.
Bulk-import your products by barcode once, then set prices and stock. The prices and stock you keep in e-Kirana flow straight to the online store, and every change at the counter shows up online automatically.
- 3Switch on your branded online store.
Turn on your store and pick a name. Your grocery business gets its own branded storefront on its own subdomain — ready to share on posters or a shop board. No website to build, no developer to hire.
- 4Set up UPI auto-verify.
Pair the "e-Kirana Payments" Android companion app by QR so UPI payment alerts are read and verified automatically — you know an order is paid before you pack it.
- 5Start taking orders and delivering.
Share your store link and start taking orders. Deliver with your own staff using the delivery-partner app — batch nearby orders, follow an optimised route, record COD, and let the customer watch live GPS tracking. For orders beyond your range, hand off to a courier partner.
Focused on your immediate neighbourhood first? See start an online store for your area.
Your own grocery store vs. a marketplace or quick-commerce slot
The biggest decision when you start is who owns the store. Listing on a big marketplace or grabbing a quick-commerce slot gets you visibility, but on their terms — their brand, their commission, their grip on the customer. Your own store keeps all of that with you. Here is the difference side by side.
| What matters | Your own e-Kirana grocery store | A marketplace / quick-commerce slot |
|---|---|---|
| Whose brand is on it | Your store name on its own subdomain | Their app; you are one of many sellers |
| Who owns the customer | You — repeat buyers return to your store | The platform keeps the relationship |
| Per-order commission | None taken by e-Kirana on your sales | A cut of every basket |
| Who sets prices & stock | You, live from your counter | Often constrained by platform rules |
| Delivery | Your own staff, or a courier for far orders | Their fleet, their coverage and rules |
| Works when internet drops | Yes — offline order capture + cloud sync | Needs their app and network |
For grocery specifically, owning the store matters even more: margins are thin, so a per-basket commission is the difference between a profit and a loss on everyday items.
How payment and delivery actually work
Two things make or break an online grocery store: getting paid reliably and delivering affordably. e-Kirana handles both without extra tools. For payment, the "e-Kirana Payments" Android companion app reads your UPI payment alerts and verifies them against the order — you pair it to the desktop by scanning a QR code, and from then on an order shows as paid before you pack it. For delivery, you have two options. Deliver yourself with your own staff using the delivery-partner app, with order batching, route optimisation, COD recording and live GPS tracking — ideal for your nearby area. For orders beyond your own range, hand off to a courier partner such as Shiprocket Quick, which offers same-day hyperlocal delivery in major metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad), backed by Shiprocket's pan-India network reaching 19,000+ pincodes (Shiprocket's claim).
For the full delivery picture — batching, routing and the partner app — see how the online store and delivery work together.
How much does it cost to start?
e-Kirana is premium, paid-upfront software — no ads, and you own your store and your data. Plans are ₹2,999/year (Standard), with up to 2,500 SKUs, and ₹4,999/year (Business), with up to 5,000 SKUs, both plus 18% GST, billed annually. There is no free trial and no freemium tier. The Business tier adds GST invoicing with HSN codes, which most growing grocery businesses will want. Crucially, e-Kirana takes no commission on your sales — so unlike a marketplace, the price is fixed and the margin on every basket stays with you. Beyond the licence, your real costs are the everyday ones of any grocery business: stock, packing and delivery.
See the full breakdown on the pricing page.
Key facts
- ✓Your grocery business gets its own branded online store on its own subdomain — not a slot on a marketplace.
- ✓Billing & POS plus inventory by barcode, with prices and stock syncing live to the online store.
- ✓Automatic UPI payment verification via the "e-Kirana Payments" Android companion app, paired by QR.
- ✓Home delivery with your own staff — order batching, route optimisation, a delivery-partner app, COD recording and live GPS tracking.
- ✓A customer mobile app, an offline-friendly PWA, and offline order capture with cloud sync.
- ✓No commission on your sales; pricing is ₹2,999/year (Standard) or ₹4,999/year (Business), both +18% GST, in 22 Indian languages.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a physical shop first to start an online grocery store?
No, you don't need an existing shop, but it helps. e-Kirana works the same whether you already run a kirana store or you're starting fresh — you install it on a Windows PC, build your grocery catalogue by barcode, and switch on your online store. An existing shop gives you stock, local customers and a delivery base to start from; a first-timer simply sets those up as part of opening. Any registrations or permissions your local rules call for are yours to arrange — e-Kirana is the software that runs the store once you do.
Do I need a developer or to build an app to start?
No. You don't hire a developer, build a website or publish an app. With e-Kirana you switch on your store inside the desktop app and pick a name, and your grocery store appears on its own branded subdomain automatically. Customers reach it through the e-Kirana customer mobile app or an offline-friendly web app (PWA). There is nothing to code and nothing to maintain.
How do customers order from my online grocery store?
Customers find your store by area and pincode in the e-Kirana customer app or PWA, fill their basket and place the order. Every order lands in your e-Kirana billing screen, and UPI payments are verified automatically before you pack — so you know an order is paid before it goes out.
Do I pay any commission on my grocery sales?
No. e-Kirana takes no commission on your sales. You pay a fixed yearly price for the software and keep the full margin on every order, unlike a marketplace or quick-commerce platform that takes a cut of each sale. The more groceries you sell, the more you keep.
What does it cost to start an online grocery store with e-Kirana?
e-Kirana is paid-upfront Windows software. Plans are ₹2,999/year (Standard, up to 2,500 SKUs) and ₹4,999/year (Business, up to 5,000 SKUs with GST invoicing and HSN codes), both plus 18% GST, billed annually. There is no free trial and no freemium tier. Beyond the licence, your real costs are the everyday ones of any grocery business — stock, packing and delivery — not platform commissions.
Start your online grocery store — on your terms
Your own branded store, billing and POS, UPI auto-verify and home delivery — no commission, no app to build. See the plans and get started.
See plans