You run a brand or a shop in Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Islamabad or Karachi. Orders come through Instagram and WhatsApp, and someone copies each one into a notebook. You want a store of your own, where the customer orders, pays or chooses cash on delivery, and your staff see everything in one list. This guide answers the questions owners across Pakistan ask before the build starts. Points specific to Karachi, such as on-site demos and local couriers, are covered in ecommerce website development in Karachi.
What must an online store in Pakistan handle?
- Cash on delivery as a normal choice, with a confirmation step by WhatsApp or call before the parcel is booked. The full flow is in cash on delivery on your own online store.
- Bank transfer, JazzCash, EasyPaisa and cards through a payment gateway your business contracts with.
- Courier booking from the order screen, with the tracking number saved on the order and sent to the customer.
- Product pages that open quickly on a phone on mobile data, because that is where customers browse.
- Sizes, colours and packs as variants, each with its own stock, so a sold-out size cannot be ordered.
- Delivery charges by city or zone, and a returns policy the customer can read before paying.
- An admin panel where staff add products, change prices and process orders.
What should the admin panel let staff do without the developer?
This is the part owners forget to ask about and the part they use every day. Ask to see the admin screens before the build, not only the customer side.
- Add a product with photos, description, variants and price, and place it in a collection.
- Change stock when a lot arrives or pieces are damaged.
- See the day's orders by stage: new, confirmed, booked, delivered, returned.
- Confirm an order, book the courier and print the label from the order itself.
- Run a sale with a start and end date, and create discount codes.
- Edit banners, the home page and the policy pages.
- Give each staff member a login that shows only what their job needs.
Shopify, WooCommerce or a custom build: which one?
| Platform | Who it fits | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Brands selling a standard catalogue that want to start fast | Plan and app fees continue; confirm the courier and payment apps you need exist |
| WooCommerce | Businesses already on WordPress with a modest catalogue | Theme, plugin and hosting updates, or the store slows and breaks |
| Custom build | Stores tied to a shop POS, an ERP or unusual pricing rules | A developer who stays after launch and hands over the code |
A short table cannot settle it. The full comparison, with the questions to ask yourself, is in Shopify vs WooCommerce vs a custom store.
How does stock stay right between the shop and the website?
Keep one stock figure. If you have a counter in a market or a godown behind the brand, the website should read stock from the same place the POS writes it, so a sale at the counter lowers what the site shows. Where the shop has no system yet, the website's admin becomes the stock register and staff update it when stock moves in or out. Two separate counts drift within days, and the first sign is an order for a size you no longer have. Returned parcels go back into stock through the admin, not through a note on the wall.
What decides the cost of an online store?
The number of products and variants, the payment methods, courier integrations, whether the store connects to a POS or ERP, the languages, and who writes the descriptions and takes the photos. A store with a few collections and cash on delivery is a smaller job than one tied to a shop's stock with card payments and courier booking. Starting prices are on our pricing page; ask for a written quote that lists each feature, with payment by milestones.
How is an online store built, step by step?
Brief
Agree the product list, variants, delivery cities and charges, payment methods and return rules, in writing.
Design
Approve the home, collection, product, cart and checkout screens on your own phone before anything is built. The admin screens are shown at the same stage.
Build
The store, the admin panel and the payment and courier connections are built and released for you to try with your own products.
Load and test
Products and stock are loaded, and test orders are placed through cash on delivery and every online payment method you offer.
Launch and train
The domain is pointed at the store, staff are trained on the live admin in Urdu or English, and every login is handed to you.
What should I prepare before the build starts?
- A product list with prices, variants and the photos you already have.
- The cities you deliver to, the charges for each, and your return rules.
- The payment methods you want at launch, and the business papers a gateway will ask for if cards are among them.
- Your domain name, or the login for one you already own.
- The logo, brand colours and the WhatsApp number orders should reach.
Which stores has Operix built?
RAAH Fits is an online store for a Karachi streetwear brand that takes cash on delivery across Pakistan and has its own admin for products, stock, orders and customers. Our web development team builds stores on the platform that fits the business, and our website development company in Karachi page explains how a project runs from brief to handover. Karachi clients get on-site demos; brands in other cities work with us online, on the same WhatsApp number. The domain, hosting and code are registered in the client's name. Book a free demo and bring your product list; we will tell you which platform fits and what the first version should include.
Questions people ask
Can the store take JazzCash and EasyPaisa?
Yes, through a payment gateway your business signs up with, or by showing your merchant number at checkout and confirming payments by hand. The gateway is contracted by the business, not the developer.
Can I run the store from my phone?
Yes. The admin should work on a phone, so you can confirm orders, update stock and change a price from anywhere.
Do you build stores for brands outside Karachi?
Yes. Operix works from I.I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi; brands in Lahore, Islamabad and other cities are served online, on the same WhatsApp number.
How long does an online store take to build?
It depends on the catalogue size, the payment and courier connections and how quickly product content is ready. Ask for the timeline in the written quote.
Should I also sell on Daraz?
Many brands do both. A marketplace brings buyers who are already searching; your own store builds repeat customers and a brand name people search for.
