Multi-vendor store launch with pincode checks and per-product COD

The challenge

An Indian start-up had a landing page and a plan: an online store where independent sellers from across India could list and sell their products. It needed a working multi-vendor platform, a storefront using the theme the client had chosen, and the features Indian shoppers expect, including online payment and cash on delivery.

Delivery coverage was a particular concern. Not every product could be shipped everywhere, and cash on delivery was not appropriate for every item, so shoppers needed to know before ordering whether a product could reach them and how they could pay.

What we did

• Multi-vendor foundation. We installed OpenCart with our own multi-vendor extension, giving sellers their own accounts and product listings and giving the client central control of the store.
• Theme integration. We installed the client's chosen theme and made the multi-vendor screens compatible with its design, then adjusted the logo, currency and language settings.
• Pincode availability and COD. Shoppers can enter their pincode to check whether a product can be delivered to them, and cash on delivery can be switched on or off for each product individually.
• Payments. We installed and configured PayUmoney as the storefront payment gateway.
• Usability and SEO. We added ajax product search, search-friendly URLs and a coming-soon page for the pre-launch period.
• Testing and bug fixing. The client tested on a staging link and recorded issues in a shared bug sheet, which we worked through item by item until the list was closed.
• Deployment. We moved the finished store to the client's own hosting, set up the database and configured HTTPS throughout.

Tech stack

PHP, MySQL, OpenCart, vQmod, multi-vendor extension, PayUmoney