Identifying Your Boutique Platform
eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, Big Cartel, WooCommerce, Wordpress, Squarespace, Wix, BigCommerce, Storenvy, Gumroad, Ecwid, Weebly, Inktale, Persta Shop, Opencart, Magento, Volusion, Demandware, 3dcart, Kibo, Zen cart, Symphony Commerce, Drupal Commerce.
I could go on and on about the different platforms that are available in the market today to help you start your Online Boutique but you get my point!
So with so many options available, how does one decide what to choose?
Check out the training to Finding The Right Platform
Let's start with the basics.
There are 2 major types of platforms to start an Online Boutique -
+ Marketplace
+ Website
In layman terms, marketplace is like a Target store. There are multiple brands to pick & choose from. Therefore, a marketplace is an online platform or website where third parties can sell their products to a wider audience. Examples of marketplace are platforms like Etsy, eBay, Amazon, Tictail and more. Advantage of selling on a marketplace is the existing traffic/footfall of customers that you can leverage for the purpose of selling. So if you just starting out and want to check the demand of your new product or get a sense of people’s response to it, you can begin by selling on marketplaces than jumping directly on creating your own website, which brings me to the next point.
Website on the other hand is like a Forever 21 store, dedicated to only one brand. When you create a website, you make use of E-Commerce platforms aka software application that allows you to manage your website, sales and back end operations via business tools. Example – Shopify, Magento, Opencart, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and more.
Diving further, the E-commerce platforms or software to build a website are further categorized into – Self-hosted & cloud.
Self-hosted e-commerce platforms are ones where you buy the hosting, install all the required plug-ins and DIY manually. In cloud e-commerce platforms, a 3rd party offers you hosting & does all the management for you.
Think of self-hosted platform as, IKEA furniture. You go to the store, buy the table you like, get it home and make the whole damn thing by yourself. Whereas, a cloud e-commerce platform is like furniture from your local market store that comes assembled & anytime you have an issue, they’ll come and fix it for you.
Thinking why I’m telling you all this? It’s because knowing the difference between all the above mentioned terms will help you make a better decision when launching your Online Boutique. If you don't have the right platform that matches your needs and your technical know-how, it can have a direct effect on your business.
Importance of Choosing the Right Platform // What to look for in a platform?
It’s necessary to choose the right platform for your boutique because it will define the growth and smooth running of your business. With hundreds of platforms available on the internet, it is difficult to find out which one is right for you without signing up and trying each one of them.
I’ve been there! Before I started my boutique, I signed up and tried several platforms to see which will be the right one for me. To avoid you from doing the same, here are a few criteria to keep in mind when you searching for the right platform for your boutique –
How much technical knowledge do you have?
If you are new to the world of e-commerce and don’t have too much technical knowledge, you can always start your boutique at marketplace, to get exposure, make some money while you are learning and growing your business.
If you want your own website but have no idea about coding and HTML, you can go for platform like Shopify which is simple drag and drop system or squarespace.
Product management
Anytime you start browsing for a platform for your store, be sure to check how much inventory it can hold for you or how many products you can sell in your boutique? If you have a wide range of products or if you plan to grow your business by adding new categories, choosing a platform with low selling limit can hinder the growth of your boutique.
Here are some pointers to keep in mind when checking platform for space –
How will the product data be imported/ exported?
Can you add multiple images to your product? What’s the limit?
Can you add variation to the products?
Do they have built-in inventory management system?
Can you add related products?
Will the platform allow you to accept pre-orders?
How are the product url generated?
Can they support product attributes?
What kind of products are you selling? Digital? Physical? Handmade or Wholesale?
What you are selling makes all the difference. Some platforms allow you to sell digital products only while you can use others for both physical and digital products. Look for platform that suits your product needs.
Fees and taxes
Before you finalize any platform be sure to read their FAQs and terms and conditions to know more about their fees. You don’t want unexpected fees and taxes going out from your pocket.
Payment Plan
Not many people think of this as a criterion but if you have financial constraints or if you don’t want to spend too much on your platform when getting started. Select a platform that goes with your pocket from setting up to listing and after sales. You can choose from platforms that charge a small percentage of sales or opt for platforms that charge a monthly fee or have your own website. Some clients prefer monthly fees while others prefer to pay a one time annual fees and not worry about it until next year. The options are unlimited, but it all depends on your needs.
Customer Service
Is it easy to reach the customer service associates in case of any issues or problems with the platform? No matter how easy the platform is for navigation, at some point you might need assistance. Having an on-call or 24/7 customer service team or even a dedicated team that replies to you within 12hrs is essential for running a successful boutique. Anything can go wrong (I’m not saying it will, but we need to keep our options open!) and you need someone to help you ASAP.
Here’s what you need to know before selecting your platform:
Can your e-commerce platform provider help you 24/7 or do they have limited customer service hours?
Do they have ticket systems or chat options to connect with customer service reps?
What other services will they be able to help you with when it comes to running a successful boutique?
What is the average wait or response time for a query?
Can they offer a dedicated representative to you if needed? Is there extra cost for it?
Social Media Integration
Social media is getting important day by day. More and more people are joining social media for numerous purposes including shopping. So, if you want to caputre a massive audience or engage with your existing and potential customers, having a platform with social media integration is a must.
Also check -
Does your provider charge extra for publishing products to social media accounts or Facebook / Instagram shop?
Do they support Pinterest buy buttons?
Can users check out within Facebook or would they be re-directed to our online store?
Are social media sharing links displayed post-purchase?
How can the right e-commerce platform benefit your Boutique?
In addition to helping you put your products in front of the customer, the right e-commerce platform will help you to scale your boutique and offer additional benefits and tools that will help you manage your
Products
Pricing
Promotion
Search capabilities
Personalize sales and services
I know you thinking, we get it but with so many platforms, how do we really figure out which is the right platform to get started with? Where do we start?
Here’s the first thing you need to ask yourself - Where do you want to open your Online Boutique? Do you want to sell on a marketplace or do you want to create your own website?
Once you have those answers, you can then explore your options accordingly.
So what is it going to be for you?
Ready to set up your platform?
Download the step by step guide below: