Orders on WhatsApp are hard to keep track of
Many shops already take orders online, just not in an organised way. A customer sends a photo of a handwritten list on WhatsApp. Another sends a voice note. Someone calls during the evening rush. The owner reads each one, guesses what "the usual oil" means, checks whether it is in stock, types a reply with the total, and hopes nothing is missed.
An online store for your shop puts your items and prices on a page customers can open on their phone. They pick what they want and send a clear order. The difference with Cartix Prime is that the store is not a separate website you have to update: it comes from the same items and prices you bill with.
What the Cartix Prime online shop does
The online shop is part of the Platinum plan. It is your shop's own store, not a listing on someone else's marketplace.
- Items, prices and stock from your billing: change a price at the counter and the store shows the new price. No second list to keep up.
- Customers order without an account: no sign-up and no password, which matters for older customers and first-timers.
- Order tracking: customers can see where their order is, so fewer "is it ready?" calls.
- Your look: the store uses your shop's colour, a banner, an announcement line (for example "Home delivery till 8 pm") and featured items at the top.
Three themes for three kinds of shop
| Theme | Made for | How it feels |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh | Supermarkets | A store to browse, with featured items at the top |
| Quick list | Kirana and provision stores | A fast list for customers who know what they want |
| Menu | Restaurants | An online menu customers order from |
A restaurant using the Menu theme gets its own online menu ordering, separate from any food delivery app, with dishes and prices from its Cartix Prime billing. Restaurant billing itself (tables, KOT, kitchen screen) is on Gold; see restaurant billing software.
How it works
- On Platinum, switch on the online shop and pick a theme: Fresh, Quick list or Menu.
- Set your colour, banner, announcement and the items to feature.
- Share the store's link with your customers on WhatsApp, on your bills or on a board at the counter.
- A customer opens the link, picks items and places the order without creating an account.
- The shop gets the order, packs it, and the customer follows it with order tracking.
Getting customers to use it
An online store only helps if your regulars know about it. A few simple steps:
- Send the link to your regular customers once, with a short note on how delivery or pickup works.
- Use the announcement line for the things customers ask most: delivery hours, minimum order, the area you cover.
- Put this week's offers in featured items, so returning customers see something new.
- When a customer sends a long list on WhatsApp, reply with the store link for next time.
Think of a kirana store in Malappuram that delivers within two kilometres. With the Quick list theme, regulars tick their monthly items on the phone instead of dictating them, and the owner gets a clean order with today's prices.
Who it suits
The online shop suits supermarkets with a delivery boy, kirana and provision stores that already take WhatsApp orders, bakeries taking orders ahead, and restaurants that want customers to order from their own menu. Combined with the customer CRM and loyalty points, the same customer is known whether they order at the counter or online.
Which plan, and the Offline edition
The online shop is on Platinum: ₹12,999 a year for one computer and one phone, or ₹2,599 on a phone only, before 18% GST. Platinum also has the customer portal, CRM Pro, scratch cards, table bookings and more than one branch.
The online shop is not in Cartix Prime Offline (the edition with its own database on the shop's computer), because it needs the internet. If an online store matters to you, choose the cloud version. See offline POS for Windows for what the Offline edition does include.
Compare plans on the pricing page or start with Cartix Prime. The free trial is 7 days of Silver, with no card needed.
Questions people ask
How can I create an online store for my kirana shop?
With Cartix Prime Platinum you switch on the online shop, pick the Quick list theme, set your colour and banner, and share the link. Items, prices and stock come from your billing, so you do not build a separate catalogue.
Do customers need to create an account to order?
No. Customers order from the Cartix Prime online shop without an account, and they can follow their order with order tracking.
Can a restaurant take online menu orders with Cartix Prime?
Yes. The online shop has a Menu theme made for restaurants, showing dishes and prices from the billing. It is the restaurant’s own ordering page, on the Platinum plan.
Which Cartix Prime plan has the online shop?
Platinum, at ₹12,999 a year with one computer and one phone, or ₹2,599 on a phone only, before 18% GST. It is not in the Offline edition.
Can I take WhatsApp orders through a website instead of messages?
Yes. Share your online shop link on WhatsApp. Customers pick items on the page and send a clear order, instead of a photo of a handwritten list.