How to Start an Online Boutique – A Complete Guide 09 November, 2018   

Online shopping is the new mania. If you are a fashion freak and is great to do business, then starting an online store is a great idea. But, wondering on how to start an online boutique never helps. Starting an online boutique just not requires a business mind but also a passion for it. To set up an online boutique is a major goal. The field of fashion is full of professionals and competitors. To stand out in such a crowd, you will have to come up with a unique fashion trend. Though starting a business sounds a bit heavy, our article how to start an online boutique will surely help you out. 

Searching for the right product with a beautiful color scheme and at an attractive price to style your customers around is a great task. Well, here we provide you the complete guide on how to make your great task a simple one.

Make a good plan

You need to have a striking plan. Research well on how to start an online boutique. Plan on what you wish to provide your customers and how you do it. Strategize your budget. Ensure that you have got enough funding or else make a convincing business plan and seek investors. Choose your right investor.

Choose an attractive brand name and tagline

Choosing your store name is a prime part of your business. Find out an attractive, easy to memorize and unique name for your boutique. This is a crucial step as your business, and you will be known by this brand name in the future. Choose it right…!!!

Making a tagline for your brand may be challenging for you, but a good tagline attracts more attention and is also a great part of your business identity.

 Choose your domain name

Choosing your domain name is equally important as choosing your brand name. This will be your online identity. Make it easy, short and memorable. Use an appropriate domain extension. If possible try adding your site keyword.

Choosing your website platform

Platform for online boutiques needs similar attention as choosing your store. This is the area where your customers engage. So, you need to do a good research before settling for one. If you have a good team, you can make your own e-commerce platform with all the required specifications. The only drawback for this is the time taken and lack of an experienced team to work on it. The other best option is to choose a pre-build e-commerce platform. You have a wide choice for this. But here the challenge is to choose the right one for your need. Choose wisely.

The very first thing to make sure is the security feature. The sensitive data’s of your store and customer should be kept safe and secure. Budget is the real consideration. Choose the one which is affordable and at the same time the one which is best for you. Ensure that it gives you all the tools and features you need; it should support your needs. Make sure that your platforms provide you with a convenient payment method. Ensure that your platform’s customer service is available 24/7.  It is a huge relief to have someone available to help you with the running of your e-commerce platforms. Nowadays, 70% of the searches are done through mobile, so it is important to choose a website platform which is mobile friendly.

 Customizing your website

After you choose your right website platform, customize your website in a boutique design. Visual is everything, decorate your boutique website with beautiful images that tempt your customers to click on them. Design your product gallery elegantly. Arrange your gallery with all necessary details like the size, color, material and different variations available for the product. Provide multiple images of a product so that your customers can experience a real look and feel. Adding a video of the product is also a better option to present. Highlight your offer products and also let your customers know your latest fashion. Optimizing your online boutique with a live chat increases your engagement with the customers.

Get your online business license

Every store requires a business license, be it an in store or online. The first step to start a business, as usual, is to register your business name. Obtain your Employee Identification Number (EIN). This is a federal identification number provided to you by the Internal Revenue Service to identify your business entity. If your online store has employees, register with the state labor agencies. Obtain your sales tax permit. Also, check your zoning codes to ensure whether you need to obtain a home occupation permit.

Payment method

A website providing four or more online payment method other than credit cards is found out to have a higher conversion than those which offer one. So, try to offer more online payment options, hence providing your customers with greater alternatives and convenience. Some of the best payment systems for online business are:

•  PayPal
• Square
• Apple Pay
• Amazon Payment
• Stripe
•  2Checkout
• WePay 

Shipping

One of the most challenging and important part of planning on how to start an online boutique is shipping. It is really important how you reach your product to the customers. It should be in the most perfect way. Being perfect doesn’t mean being expensive. If a customer visits your website and finds products they are interested in but later in the checkout page they are hook by the shipping and handling charges, the possibility of your customer leaving your website disappointed is too high. Free shipping is the new love of shoppers. Though free shipping may not be possible, offer your customers with an affordable shipping charge. Packing is another aspect that rates your brand. The perfectly packed products are the only way to touch and feel your brand. Make a standard packing with the right package size ensuring safe transport, and provide your customers with a great unboxing experience of your brand. Set up an option on your website explaining the time estimated for delivery and order tracking. Prepare your return policies flexible and straightforward.

Mobile App

  Mobile phones, a 24/7 friend of human. The use of mobile phones has increased drastically since a few years. It has got almost all the features in it that you can run a business in it.  Then why not you make a mobile app for your online boutique? With a mobile app, you can be with your customers all day. The freedom of shopping anywhere and anytime can increase your sale. It has got a long-term benefit for your online boutique. It improves your brand identity. Notifications from your app can give your customers regular updates and your relation with the customers will increase. Your mobile app plays a similar role as a store. Put your store on the map for brand recognition. 

Social Media

When you start an online boutique, the digital media do play an important role. Without any presence in the digital media, the growth of your online boutique will be really hard. The most engaging of all digital media’s is the social media. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest have become the best tool for online business. Social media marketing generates more traffic to your website and also improves your search engine rankings. Blogs, images, videos, and comments lead to more visibility and gain higher conversion rates. Customers’ interaction with your business social media demonstrates your love for your customers. 

Add active social media links to your website and also to other social profiles. Stick to a common social profile name. Creating a consistent visual branding is also the best step in branding your online boutique. To grow your social followers, it’s important to post content consistently. Post on a regular basis and use tools for scheduling future posts. The scheduled post helps in making an active presence of your brand profile throughout without taking much of your valuable time. Respond to the messages and comments in very little time or set up an auto response. This increases your social media engagement.

Brainstorm some ideas for promoting contests and giveaways on Facebook and Instagram. A simple Facebook post on product stock update will make your customers happy. Tell your people your experience. Almost 80% of your customers will be interested in hearing your brand story, share with them the behind scene of how you start an online boutique. Try advertising short videos of your product on social media’s. Create a Facebook and Instagram store. This way, your customers feel free to purchase directly without necessarily visiting your website.

Pinterest is the new social platform that provides a great visual experience. It is increasingly becoming a powerful platform for online boutique owners; you get a platform for your product photos to shine. Use the Pinterest buttons on your website. Create boards and add prices to your pinned images. Pinterest also allows you to use hashtags. Just like Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest also can be used to promote contests where you can engage your fans and followers.

Marketing

Other than social media marketing there are a few more marketing methods after you start an online boutique. Among them, content marketing is the best. People quite often search for fashion blogs and fashion updates. Keep the right track on the latest fashion updates and share it with your audience. You can attract more traffic. E-mail marketing is the next. It is one of the most powerful marketing tools. Use it effectively.

Advertising is important for a new business, but paid advertising is not always the best. Paid advertising done with the targeted audience will do the best. Affiliate marketing, where you let other people market your product is also a better way of marketing.

Since your boutique is an online store doesn’t mean you need to market and advertise it only through online strategies, offline marketing is also equally important as online marketing. Since your field is fashion try conducting or participating in a fashion contest. Carrying a business card wherever you go is a good move, you get to meet unexpected customers at times. Newspaper and magazine ads can also be used for marketing your online boutique.

Marketing your new online boutique with a brand ambassador also increases your brand value. A well-known blogger or vlogger advertising your brand is a good move.

The fashion field is a competitive industry, to stay high in this industry you need to have strong passion and talent. It is a globalized sector. You need regular updates on the latest fashion and trends. An undying passion with a great self-confidence and our guide on how to start an online boutique will definitely bring you the success.