When you are starting a boutique, there are a number of choices that you are going to need to make in order to provide your customers with an easy shopping experience. Most importantly, you want to ensure that your platform loads as fast as possible. As it relates to this matter, it is extremely important to find a web host that provides fast loading for its hosted websites (especially if you are using the WordPress platform). A good load time for a website should be less than 2.5 seconds. I am fully confident that you are well versed on browsing the internet, and I am equally as sure that you understand the frustration that can occur when a website fails to load quickly. It should be noted that if you are developing a proprietary online boutique, you may want to work with a qualified web design firm that will ensure that the content, images, and other functionality of your website is properly initiated in order to keep load times down to a minimum.
Through this page, we are going to discuss the numerous specific issues that need to be addressed when you are determining the architecture of your boutique’s ecommerce functions. Similar to the other content on this platform, we will discuss certain categories of issues that need to be addressed as well as common questions.
Noted Points of Interest
Security (SSL Certificates)
The key to maintaining trust with your customers is to ensure that all communications between your website and their browser are completely secure. This is especially true for online boutiques as people will be providing payment information when they conduct transactions. Your web host will be able to provide you with a SSL certificate that ensures full encryption of information between your platform and your audience. The cost of an SSL certificate is relatively low, and it usually has a yearly fee of $60 to $100. In some cases, a web host will provide this certificate for free (especially if you are a new customer).
Keeping your website secure is also a major component for engaging in search engine optimization. Over the past five years, ensuring that platforms have proper security credentialing has become a necessity.
Payment Processors
Through this platform, we have frequently discussed using third-party platforms such as Shopify and Square in order to manage the ecommerce transactions that occur on your website. These platforms offer the most straightforward solutions for getting your online boutique up and running quickly. On a quick side note, platforms like Square can also provide you with transaction functionality if you are opening a brick and mortar store.
The key factor when examining different payment processors is whether or not they will integrate with the backend ecommerce software that you are using for your boutique. Generally, the software suites that you will be reviewing will often list compatible payment processors that will allow you to seamlessly enter your credentials for this purpose.
Common Questions
Does my boutique website need to be mobile friendly?
Absolutely! In fact, this is one of the foremost components of developing a successful online boutique. Many search engines have placed a substantial amount of priority in regards to ensuring that the content of any given website can be easily read on all mobile devices and tablets. Although this used to be a far more complicated technical challenge from a web development standpoint, the tools that are offered by website creation platforms seamlessly allow for your web pages to be seen clearly on mobile devices. This is especially true if you are starting your boutique using WordPress. This functionality is embedded into this ecosystem and there is very little that you need to do in order to ensure a good experience for customers that use their phones/tablets to make purchases.
As you expand, you may want to consider work with an application development firm that will create an iOS/Android friendly app. However, the vast majority of online boutiques wait until they are profitable before going down this road. The cost of developing a proprietary ecommerce driven application can cost upwards of $10,000 depending on the functionality that is needed.
Is it more cost effective to use a third party platform, like Shopify, to run my online boutique?
In a word, yes. Companies like Shopify have perfected the way that individuals can seamlessly set up online stores. This includes easy to use functionality that allows for the seamless addition of new products to add to inventory, making changes to pricing, managing shipping options, and providing tools that can be used in regards to social media marketing and search engine optimization. One of the nice things about these types of companies is you can generally use your own domain name even though the functionality of your boutique is provided completely by these third party service providers.
Do I need to consider search engine optimization matters when selecting an ecommerce solution for my boutique?
Yes, and you should absolutely make sure that any ecommerce software suite that you use have embedded functionality that will assist with your SEO efforts. As discussed above, one of the most important features of a well designed ecommerce suite is that pages load quickly (under 2.5 seconds). If you are using software that requires a substantial amount of load time per page (especially if there are numerous images showcasing your products), you want to consider faster options.
Should my ecommerce pages contain video?
This is a major thing that is overlooked by many boutique entrepreneurs. In many cases, people simply upload a large number of photos for each product. However, creating a video of a model showcasing your apparel is immensely important to your ecommerce operations. Additionally, you can upload your video to YouTube, which can be seen by thousands of people on a daily basis when relevant searches are conducted. These individuals can then be directed directly to the sale page that showcases the product. You will also receive the added benefit of having a modest boost to your search engine optimization campaigns.
What are the costs associated with using ecommerce software to power my boutique?
The monthly costs these days, as of 2023, are relatively low. You can expect to spend as little at $20 to per month to as much as $100 per month depending on how much functionality that you want include in your site. These services have become somewhat commoditized over the past ten years given the prevalence of this type of technology.
Should I integrate analytics into my website?
Absolutely! In fact, most of the software suites that we discussed above have integrating analytics that show you the number of people that came to your website over any given time period, how many pages they visited, on what page they left the website, and conversion analytics regarding your sales. One of the most popular website analytics tools is Google Analytics. They are considered to be the gold standard as it relates to gathering this information on a minute by minute basis. Additionally, Google Analytics seamlessly integrates with a number of WordPress plugins.
The most important aspect of a good analytics suite is that it will show you where improvements may be needed to your online boutique website. This includes reducing the number of people that only visit one page and then leave the website (which is commonly referred to as the bounce rate). These suites can also provide you with an in-depth understanding of what products are receiving the most traction in conjunction with your organic traffic.
What are the costs associated with having a completely custom ecommerce platform developed for my boutique?
The costs associated with a completely custom platform can vary widely. If you can provide your web development firm with concrete specifications regarding what types of functionality you want present on your boutique’s website then you can expect that the fee will run $1,000 to $5,000. If you are seeking to integrate an application that compliments your website then these costs can range from $10,000 to $20,000. An additional consideration is the cost of graphics that may be integrated. These costs can vary depending on the licensing that you will be acquiring among stock photo and stock video platforms. A well established web design firm can provide you with quotes regarding this matter.
Conclusion
There are numerous points to consider when you are starting a boutique and determining which ecommerce software suites/platforms are most appropriate for your business. Each decision has a different benefit profile. Most importantly, the key to selecting an ecommerce solution that will benefit you in the long run is to ensure that marketing modules can seamlessly integrate with the software from both a search engine optimization and analytics perspective.