Build a free online store from Claude, step by step

From chat to checkout in six steps

1. 1

   Connect Claude to SitesPlaced (one-time, ~2 minutes)

   In claude.ai: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → paste https://sitesplaced.com/api/mcp. Sign in to your free SitesPlaced account when prompted and approve access. That's the whole integration — OAuth handles the rest, and you can revoke it anytime.

2. 2

   Describe the store like you'd describe it to a friend

   Name, city, what you sell, prices, where orders should land. Say Meera runs a small-batch pickle and podi business from Coimbatore: "Create a store called Amma's Pantry — homemade pickles and South Indian spice powders. Products: Mango Avakkai ₹280, Garlic Podi ₹180, Curry Leaf Podi ₹180, Lemon Pickle ₹220, Gift Box of 4 ₹750. Orders on WhatsApp +91 97XXXXXX11. Copy should feel like a family kitchen, not a brand."

3. 3

   Claude authors the store and creates it in one call

   Claude picks a storefront theme, writes the hero, about and footer copy in your voice, and structures all five products with descriptions — then calls the builder once. Product photos: paste image links in chat (they're fetched and rehosted on SitesPlaced storage so they never break) or add photos later from the dashboard.

4. 4

   It's already live — with checkout that costs you nothing

   Stores publish automatically on the free plan. From the first minute, buyers can pay by UPI, choose cash on delivery, or order over WhatsApp — and SitesPlaced takes 0% commission on every sale, free plan included.

5. 5

   Refine by conversation

   "Make the announcement bar say free delivery in Coimbatore above ₹500." "Add a Diwali gift hamper at ₹1,100." "Raise Avakkai to ₹300." Claude updates store settings, adds products and edits prices with targeted calls — each change merges into your store without touching anything else, and it's live within moments.

6. 6

   Upgrade only when the store earns it

   The only paid step, ever: the Ecommerce plan (₹499/month) puts the store on your own domain (ammaspantry.com), removes the SitesPlaced badge, and raises product and storage limits. If you hit the free plan's product cap in chat, Claude gets the pricing link to show you — never a surprise charge.

What “free checkout” actually includes

“Free store” usually means a storefront you can look at but not sell from. Here the free plan is the selling plan: UPI payments, cash on delivery, WhatsApp ordering, Razorpay online payments, GST-ready invoices and shipping integrations all work without paying anything — and SitesPlaced’s commission is 0% on every plan. The business model is simple: we charge for the custom domain and branding removal, not for your sales.

One honest boundary worth knowing: Claude builds and edits the store, but it cannot see your orders or your customers’ details — that data is deliberately walled off from the connector. Order management happens in your SitesPlaced dashboard (or the mobile app), which is where it belongs.

When chat beats the dashboard — and when it doesn’t

• Chat wins for bulk and wording: creating the store, adding a batch of products from pasted notes, rewriting copy for a festival sale, price changes across items. Claude does in one message what would be ten dashboard forms.
• The dashboard wins for visuals and operations: uploading photos from your phone, arranging the gallery, and everything around orders — packing, shipping labels, customer messages.
• They're the same store.Anything Claude builds you can open in the visual editor a minute later, and vice versa. There’s no import/export between the two worlds.

Frequently asked questions