To start an online store in Sri Lanka you need seven things: something to sell, a domain name, a shop platform, a way to take payments, a delivery plan, good product pages and a way to bring in your first customers. None of them needs a developer any more. This guide goes through each step in the order you should do them.
1. Decide what you sell and who buys it
Start narrow. A shop that sells "everything" competes with the big marketplaces on price. A shop that sells one kind of thing well (handloom sarees, phone accessories, baby products, spices) can win on trust and knowledge.
Write down three things before you spend any money: what you sell, who buys it, and why they would buy from you instead of the shop they use now.
2. Register a domain name
Your domain is your address: yourshop.lk or yourshop.com. A .lk name tells customers you are a Sri Lankan business; a .com is better if you plan to sell abroad as well. Keep it short, easy to say out loud, and without hyphens or numbers.
Register it in your own name, not your developer's. The domain is the one thing you can never easily replace.
3. Choose how your shop will be built
You have three real choices.
| Way | What it means | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Custom development | A developer or agency builds your site from nothing | Large budgets and unusual needs |
| Rented platform | You pay a monthly fee and use a hosted shop builder | Starting quickly with little money |
| Ready-made software | You buy finished shop software once and run it on your own domain | Owning your shop without building it |
Custom development takes the longest and costs the most, and every new feature is another invoice. A rented platform is quick, but you pay for as long as the shop exists. Ready-made software sits between the two: the shop is already built and tested, and it is yours.
Ceylumen Commerce is the third kind, and it also has a rented option. It costs from LKR 69,999 once, or from LKR 2,990 a month if you would rather have it hosted for you.
4. Set up payments
Sri Lankan shoppers pay in three main ways, and a serious shop offers all three.
- Cash on delivery. Still the first choice for many buyers, especially for a shop they have not used before.
- Card and mobile wallet payments. A local payment gateway such as PayHere lets you take Visa, Mastercard and wallets like eZ Cash, mCash and Genie. You apply with your bank account and business details; check the gateway's current requirements and fees before you apply.
- Bank transfer. The customer transfers the money and sends the slip.
Whatever you use, make sure an order is marked as paid only when the payment is really confirmed. Checking slips by hand in a chat window is where money goes missing.
5. Plan delivery
Decide three things: who delivers (a courier company, your own rider, or both), what you charge (a flat fee, by district, or free above a certain order value), and how long it takes. Put all three on the product page. Unclear delivery is one of the main reasons people leave a checkout.
6. Add your products properly
A product page does the job of a salesperson. Each one needs:
- Clear photos on a plain background, including one that shows size
- A title that says exactly what it is
- The price, and the delivery fee before checkout
- Stock, so nobody orders something you do not have
- Honest details: size, material, warranty, what is in the box
If you have hundreds of products, use a platform that lets you upload them from a spreadsheet instead of typing each one.
7. Launch and find your first customers
Your first customers are the people who already buy from you. Tell them first.
- Put the shop link in your Facebook, Instagram and TikTok profiles and in your WhatsApp status
- Offer an opening voucher for a first order
- Run a short flash sale so there is a reason to buy this week
- Ask every happy buyer for a review; reviews sell more than adverts
- Make sure each product page has its own title and description so Google can find it
What it costs to get started
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Domain name | A yearly fee, paid to the registrar |
| Hosting | Monthly or yearly, unless your platform includes it |
| Shop platform | From LKR 2,990 a month, or LKR 69,999 once, with Ceylumen Commerce |
| Payment gateway | A percentage of each card payment, set by the gateway |
| Delivery | Per parcel, usually paid by the customer |
The short version
Pick a narrow range, register your domain in your own name, use shop software that is already built, offer cash on delivery and card payments, be clear about delivery, write honest product pages, and tell your existing customers first. You can be open for orders within days.