Do you have an eye for fashion? Perhaps you have always wanted to open your own online clothing shop but were afraid to do it on your own.
We are here to tell that you now is the right time to make that leap.
Building your online clothing store is not as difficult as you might think in today’s digital world with online store builders such as BigCommerce and Shopify.
There are many ways to make your ecommerce business plan perfect. From designing your own clothes step-by-step to working with other merchants, to starting your clothing brand.
Today’s guide will show you how to create your own online shop that sells everything, from t-shirts to swimsuits to boutique dresses. We’ll also show you that it doesn’t take a lot of capital to start your own online shop.
Make a business plan
The first step to building a small business is to decide who you want to sell to. It is crucial that you don’t try to reach everyone. Online shops rarely succeed. It is important to identify the right audience for what you are selling.
Ask yourself why you started your online shop. Do you have a passion for a certain type of fashion or do you prefer to sell simple items like custom t-shirts. It will be easier to target your potential customers if you are clear about your ecommerce store goals.
Once you have a clear idea of the target audience for your store, you can start to decide on the business model that you will use to run your online shop. There are many business models that you can choose from for your online clothing store, just like any other ecommerce site.
These are the most popular choices:
- Print on demand
- Cut and sew custom
- Private label clothing
- Dropshipping
Let’s look closer at each model.
Print on demand
This strategy is for you if you are looking to open your own online clothing shop but don’t have the experience or budget to do so. You can build your store quickly without worrying about money. You can simply print your design on a blank version for things like bags and t-shirts using an inkjet printer. This strategy is easy to implement and very affordable. Here’s an example Printful of a mockup generator created by Shopify.
Many tools integrate with WordPress or other online store builders, making it easy to create a print-on-demand clothing boutique. Printful is a popular choice. Printful has a wide range of products that include everything from clothing for children to mugs. This strategy has the disadvantage that you will likely have a lower profit margin than if you were using a more creative model.
Designing a boutique clothing line
You may be able to design your own clothing items if you have an idea for high-quality clothing you want to sell online. This business model allows you to design and produce your own products. It also gives you complete control over your small business.
However, it’s much more difficult to make your own clothing brand than to use a print-on-demand strategy. You will need to find manufacturers and pattern makers as well as track down the fabric you want for your clothing items.
Private Label store
Private label is another business plan option that can be used by a business owner who wants to start an ecommerce company. This strategy is somewhere between the cut-and-sew and print-on-demand models for your eCommerce website. Private label stores allow you to find a manufacturer who will make your clothes. This business model allows you to be more flexible than printing on demand. However, you don’t need to create the background and ideas necessary for designing your clothing business.
Private label allows you to purchase clothing without labels and then customize them with your logo or design. You will still need to manage inventory and fulfill orders by yourself. You should be able simplify the process by using eCommerce platforms that allow custom clothing to be purchased. Threadbird, for example, is a popular option for those who wish to use this model of business.
Your Online Store Builder
Once you know who your target audience are and what strategy you will use to build your clothing brand, you can start to design your storefront. Ecommerce business owners have many software options that can help them design the perfect store.
The business model you are using will determine the store builder you use. If you are designing a boutique line of clothing, the type of store that you choose for a dropshipping business model will be very different from the one you would use.
Today’s fashion entrepreneurs can create an online store without needing to know anything about coding or site creation. Online selling is possible for a fraction the cost of launching an online store. You will need to sign-up for an eCommerce website plan to connect payment processors to the store. This will allow you to accept online payments using debit and credit cards.
Online store builders simplify the process of building an online store. They also handle all the backend stuff that you may not be able to do on your own. Online store builders come with SSL certificates so you don’t need to worry about security upgrades once you start selling. These certificates allow you to encrypt all communications between your website and the consumer’s internet browser, ensuring that your transactions are secure and protected.
Which online store builder should I choose?
Which store builder should I be considering?
There are many options. There are many options available to create your storefront. Your choice will be heavily influenced by a variety of factors.
- How do you plan to manage your online clothing company?
- What technical knowledge do you have?
- What features are most important to you (email marketing strategy and search engine optimization, domain names choices, SSL certifications etc.)
- What amount of your budget are you willing to spend?
WordPress is a popular choice for anyone building an online shop. It offers simplicity and a lot of flexibility. WordPress allows you to build your entire business from scratch and then add plugins as and when you need them.
Shopify, which focuses more on selling, is the best choice for eCommerce. WordPress, however, is more suited for subscription websites and members.
Shopify comes with tools and plugins that can be used for dropshipping. This allows you to instantly make your store a success if that’s what you choose. You don’t necessarily have to pick the most popular software simply because it’s popular.
Many tools today offer a free trial, which you can use to try the technology out before purchasing. It is worth trying out a few options. You can test each store builder and find the one that is most intuitive and provides the greatest number of features.
Although there is no universal online store builder that will work for everyone, you need to choose one that lets you showcase the best aspects of your online clothing shop without spending a lot. You also want to choose a store builder that is easy to use.
Select the plan that suits you
The tricky thing about selecting an online store builder is that even if you have found the right brand, it’s not enough to make the hard decisions. Next, you will need to decide what plan is best suited for the store you are building. There are many plans available, from Shopify to BigCommerce.
You can generally expect to receive what you pay from multiple providers. You will get more features the more you pay. Online store builders offer higher-tier plans that often include more templates and extra storage. This storage is crucial for your business as you grow and add products.
You’ll also need less bandwidth and disk space to manage issues such as slow websites that can affect your SEO.
You should look for a plan with:
- There are many eCommerce templates. The more you have, the easier it will be to find one that fits your brand. Avoid using low-quality imagery and products that look too similar to others for your online clothing shop.
- Custom domains: This is a must-have for any small business. Your new business will look professional with a custom domain name. It will also attract potential customers to your brand.
- Premium Support: This feature is common to many ecommerce plans for online clothing businesses. This ensures that you have support in case you need it, such as with your SSL certificate or your coding.
- Plugin access: Having access to plugins allows you to get SEO support for new websites, and email marketing for your marketing strategies. Access to plugins is a key way to gain access dropshipping tools or Google analytics.
- Abandoned Cart Recovery: This component is crucial for your marketing strategy but also vital to the growth of your online clothing business. It is important not to lose customers at the final hurdle. You can get your clients back if you have a plan that includes abandoned cart recovery.
- SSL certificate – This will encrypt and protect all data that is sent between the browser of your customer and your online shop. This will protect you and your customers.
Select a domain name
You have now chosen an ecommerce plan with a custom domain for your online clothing shop. For small businesses, this can be a difficult task. It used to be easy to choose a name. You simply had to find the best Google title. Now, however, it is important to consider how your name will be perceived by your target audience.
You can make your own t-shirts, dropshipping, or your business online. A unique domain name gives your company an identity and makes you stand out from others. It helps customers to identify you and gives them something to relate to.
If the store builder does not offer access to your new domain name, you can always purchase it through a separate company. There is no single strategy to choose a name for a small business. However, there are some golden rules you can use when building your clothing store.
- Make your website unique: You don’t have to copy every clothing brand you see online. Choose the right title for your online shop to differentiate yourself and increase the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Your business will be more memorable if you are unique.
- Select a.com domain. While there are many Top level domains (Top-level domains) you can use for your online clothing shop, such as.org or.co.uk. However,.com is the best choice. This domain option will give your online clothing business the best professional appeal.
- Keep it simple: A clothing company name should be memorable. It must be concise and to the point. Avoid using unusual spellings that customers may not be able to understand. Your domain name should be easy to pronounce and not look too long.
You’ll have a great business if you choose a name that reflects the identity of your clothing brand or boutique clothing you intend to sell.
You can choose and customize your store template
It can be fun to choose a business name, especially when there are many coworkers and colleagues to brainstorm with. The most exciting part of starting an online clothing store is selecting a template.
As mentioned, ecommerce website designers provide access to a variety of templates to help you create professional-looking storefronts. These templates are often easy to customize and can be used for clothing stores.
Your business’s online appearance will be determined by the template you select. It also determines what professional strategy you can use for listing the clothing and products you plan to sell. We recommend that you try several different templates before making your final choice.
You should also consider the audience you are trying to reach through your online shop. Your storefront must appeal to more than search engines and you. It should speak to the customer you are selling to.
These are just a few options you have for templates.
- Shopify: Shopify offers a variety of themes that are specifically tailored to clothing and fashion stores. Although most templates for clothing businesses cost more, there are a few that you can get for free.
- BigCommerce: BigCommerce offers more than 30 templates for boutiques and clothing lines. These templates are usually expensive. Sometimes it is worth spending a bit more to have a lasting impact on your customers.
- WordPress: WordPress, an online website builder with hundreds of themes and templates to choose from, is highly customizable. There are many themes that you can choose from to match your marketing strategy. You also have premium and free options, depending on your budget.
- Wix: Wix has a variety of templates that can be used to create a storefront for a clothing company. Although you won’t find a lot of options, these templates are among the best available for eCommerce platforms.
After you have chosen the best template for your online clothing store, make sure to personalize it to your needs. You want to add your unique touch to your online presence to make your brand more memorable to your target audience. Your domain name is not the only way to personalize your online appearance. After you have chosen your theme, you can customize it further by:
- Add new pages listing your clothing line’s items
- You can add a news or blog page to keep your visitors entertained
- You can change or adjust the color palette to match your brand colors
- You can move or resize elements throughout your website.
- Update the sections of your store
- Incorporate social media buttons in your store
You’ll find the online store builder to help you start your online clothing business very user-friendly. These builders are easy to use because they know their customers want simplicity. Drag-and-drop customization allows for many templates to be modified.
You can hire a professional to assist you if you have any concerns about how to adapt your online storefront to fit your business. You can find many developers and designers who will help you with your store for an hourly rate.
Register Your Products
This is where your clothing store and small business can start to come together. The product pages are where you highlight the clothing items you offer for sale. You need to ensure that your products look great on your website, regardless of whether you are building your clothing line from scratch.
It’s easy to add products to your online shop, just as you can choose a template and customize it to suit your needs. It’s easy to add a product by going into your website builder’s back-end interface.
Shopify, for example, allows you to add products by simply clicking the blue button that appears in your store editor and says “Add Product.”
When creating product pages, think about your customers. Customers will likely be searching for high-quality images that clearly display the product they are going to buy. But, here are some other things to consider:
- Product descriptions – How will you share the benefits of your clothes with potential customers? Will they be able to imagine how it feels to wear your clothes?
- Product display – How big should your images be on the page It might be a good idea to add a video so customers can view the item from different angles. Are you able to take multiple photos?
- Navigation – How easy can customers find related products on a product page. How are products grouped on your product pages?
- Check out: What can customers do to add the items they desire to their baskets? Are numbers and other important aspects of the item easy to change?
- Search – Can customers search for specific items on your site by name, color, or brand?
Install your payment processor
After you have added your clothing items to your ecommerce site , don’t forget about the rest. Many business owners who set up an online store worry about how to choose and implement an ecommerce payment process. It’s actually quite simple than you might think. It’s essentially the same process as setting up your payment processor.
You will need a website that allows customers to input their debit and credit card details to sell clothes online. It is possible to keep it simple by adding a PayPal button to your store, which allows customers to shop that way.
You can also use Shopify’s integrated payment processor Shopify Pays if you have chosen Shopify to help you build your clothing business. This payment processor was created in line with Stripe’s brand so that you can be sure you will have an easy-to use environment. The Shopify builder can also be used with tools such as PayPal and Amazon Pay.
Shopify makes it easy to accept payments for your clothing and ecommerce stores. Many website builders have payment integrations. You can also find answers to your questions on forums and QA pages if you have any issues with the site builders that you choose.
You can find many guides on BigCommerce that will guide you step-by-step through setting up a payment processor.
You might find it helpful to review the feedback left by customers about the available payment processors if this is your first ecommerce store. This will allow you to determine which tools will give you the best results.
Google is coming!
Once you have all your clothing items listed on your online store and know how to handle credit cards and online payments you can begin to ensure that your customers are able to purchase your items online. It doesn’t have be difficult to sell clothes online. It’s not always easy to make sure your customers fall in love and find your brand.
You can make optimizing your store for Google or other search engines as easy as possible. Many online store builders include SEO tools. You can also add Yoast integrations to WordPress to improve your SEO.
You will need to be familiar with some basic SEO concepts to get started.
- SEO for keywords: Make your store searchable for terms like “boutique clothing business”
- Local appeal – Make sure you reach both local and global customers. This can be done by claiming your Google My Business Page.
- Backend performance – The best clothing websites must work flawlessly. This means you need to ensure your pages load quickly, and are not overloaded with plugins. Also, you need to make sure that Google can easily find your content on your website.
- External and internal linking: You need to first ensure that all pages on your website are linked to one another. Google will be able to find your website by linking to it. Next, you can get other trusted brands to link back through strategies such as guest posting or content syndication.
- Navigation and ease of use: Customers will spend more time on your site if they find it easy to navigate. Your search ranking will rise if your bounce rate (people clicking the back button) is lower.
Keep in mind the importance of having a news section or blog on your website, where you can regularly post new content. Your clothing business’s content marketing strategy will make it easier to succeed online in many ways.
Content not only gives Google more pages to rank on search engines and improves your domain authority but also allows you to get more keyword ranking opportunities. You’ll also attract more people if you produce valuable content not only about your clothing business but also about the ecommerce industry you work in.
Advertise and Market Your Online Clothing Store
It is finally time to make your clothing store a reality.
Make sure you use the preview function built into your online shop builder before you publish your store. This will let you search your website to find any problems. These issues should be caught before they become public.
You can always ask another person to review your preview page if you are concerned that you may have missed something about your eCommerce store. It’s a great way to ensure that your website is not missing any important information.
After you are confident that everything is functioning as it should, you can add marketing tools to your ecommerce platform. Take, for example:
- Email marketing: Offer your customers the option to sign up for your newsletters about your online shop. This will allow you to nurture your customers and increase their likelihood of becoming loyal clients. However, you should also give your customers the ability to unsubscribe at any time. Even though you may not want clients to unsubscribe from your newsletter, it is better for them to have that option if they aren’t interested in your clothing.
- Social Media Marketing It is always a good idea for your website to incorporate some form of social media marketing. You can use social buttons to allow customers to share recent purchases. Your social media accounts can be used to update your customers about sales or new items in your growing line.
- Content marketing – As we have already mentioned, content marketing remains one of the most effective ways to promote your online clothing shop. You can also use it to increase your website’s SEO potential and generate more traffic over time. Content marketing can be done through videos, podcasts and blogs.
Many store owners will combine a variety of marketing strategies to maximize their online presence and increase their digital reach. You can experiment with different marketing methods and track your results over time to see which ones work best.
Always strive to improve!
It’s there!
Now you can make money online with your online clothing shop
But that doesn’t mean you have to forget about it. No fashion store, no matter how big or small, can continue to make profits without hard work. Your online business will require you to devote time and passion. This means that you must focus on your online business and respond to your customers’ needs.
Be attentive to what your customers say about your brand via social media and on your product pages. Keep your eyes open for changes in the industry so you can see how other websites are offering better customer experiences. To make your website more engaging, you can experiment with the new features in your online shop builder.
Your chances of attracting a loyal and profitable customer base is higher if you are willing to invest in your clothing store. Fashion lovers are the best customers, especially if they’re loyal to your brand. You must be prepared to work hard, just like any business.
