TL;DR — by revenue stage
- Pre-launch / <₹3L/mo: Shopify Basic + Razorpay + Shiprocket. ₹3-4K/mo running, ₹40-80K to launch.
- ₹3-50L/mo: Shopify + Razorpay + Shiprocket + WhatsApp BSP + influencer/Meta ads. ₹15-50K/mo running, ₹1-3L to optimise.
- ₹50L+/mo: Custom (Next.js + Razorpay + own logistics integration) OR headless Shopify. Operations-heavy.
The starter stack (pre-launch to ₹3L/mo)
Pick speed and ecosystem over customisation:
- Shopify Basic ($29/mo) — store, theme, inventory, checkout
- Razorpay or Cashfree — payments (Shopify Payments not yet in India 2026)
- Shiprocket — multi-courier logistics aggregator
- Free Mailchimp / Klaviyo — email + SMS
- Premium theme (₹15-40K) like Dawn / Sense / Ride from Shopify Theme Store
- Apps ₹2-5K/mo: Judge.me (reviews), Gokwik (UPI checkout uplift), Webengage (engagement)
Total to launch: ₹40-80K including theme, branding, content. Running: ₹3-4K/mo + transaction fees.
The growth stack (₹3-50L/mo)
Add:
- WhatsApp BSP (Interakt / Wati) — order updates, abandoned cart, broadcast
- Klaviyo — full email/SMS automation
- Meta + Google ads — performance marketing
- Influencer marketing — micro influencers Reels-first
- SEO — collection pages, blog, schema
- Customer support — Tidio / Freshdesk + WhatsApp inbox
- Analytics — Triple Whale / North Beam for Meta attribution
At this stage you're spending ₹15-50K/mo on tools + ad budget that scales with revenue (typical ROAS 2-3 in 2026).
The scale stack (₹50L+/mo)
Hit Shopify Plus territory or move headless. Add:
- Custom checkout — Shopify Plus or headless (Shopify Storefront + Next.js frontend)
- Own warehouse / 3PL integration — beyond Shiprocket
- Own ERP integration — Tally / Zoho / SAP
- CDP (Customer Data Platform) — Segment / Webengage
- BI — Metabase / Looker
- Internal team tools — order management, returns, inventory
The 5 things D2C brands consistently get wrong
- Premature theme switching — chasing latest theme costs ₹50K each time, doesn't move conversion
- Over-investment in custom — staying on Shopify until ₹50L/mo is almost always right
- Ignoring WhatsApp — abandoned cart on WhatsApp recovers 3-5× more than email in India
- No influencer strategy — performance marketing alone caps growth
- Cheap photography — product photos are 50% of conversion. Don't skimp.
What we ship
D2C launch: ₹40-1.2L (Shopify build + branding + initial content). D2C growth optimisation: ₹50K-2L (CRO, WhatsApp, email automation). D2C custom (₹50L+/mo brands): ₹3-15L. D2C builds →
Last reviewed: 28 March 2026.
Want this built for you?
Talk to Kashvi — 30-min call, honest assessment, no pitch deck.