How To Start Your Own Online Boutique

According to STATISTA (https://www.statista.com/statistics/379046/worldwide-retail-e-commerce-sales/), a company that provides market figures and forecasts, the global retail e-commerce revenue is predicted to grow to 5.4 trillion US dollars in the year 2022 from 4.28 trillion US dollars in the year 2020. That is almost a 26% increase! If you plan to start your own online boutique, now is the right time.

With the growing numbers of people choosing to buy their clothing and accessories online, it would be beneficial for you to enter the world of e-commerce. Not only do you get millions of customers worldwide, but you also save capital from investments in physical stores, human resources, and other business processes that are not necessary when you go online. But how to start your own online boutique? This is now the real question, especially if you are a beginner with zero knowledge of e-commerce. Don’t you worry, because we’ve got your back! Here are the steps you can follow to successfully start a boutique online.

1. Determine Your Niche

Before you dive into the world of online boutiques, determine what SPECIFIC PRODUCT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT. This would be your niche and what would set you apart from your competition in the market you choose to enter. Are you interested in women’s clothing? What specific fashion items do you plan to sell? To whom do you want to sell it? Make sure that your target customers are as specific as possible. For example, if you are passionate about shirts, is it for women or men?

It is important that the market you choose is what you’re really passionate about because when times get hard, this reason will keep you moving. When you enter e-commerce, the first year is where you’ll struggle a lot. You’ll encounter zero sales a day, revenues just enough to pay for your business expenses, etc. But because this is your passion and this is what you want to do, you’ve got one reason to continue doing your business.

2. Research The Market

Now that you have your product, research your market. If you want to sell hand-beaded necklaces, research how many buyers want to buy this kind of product. How many COMPETITIONS do you have? Who are the top three successful companies or small businesses in the field of hand-beaded necklaces? With knowledge of these, you’ll be able to get ideas on how to run your shop. Adapt the things that made these small businesses successful but don’t copy them.

3. Develop A Strategic Business Plan

It is now time to start planning the future of your boutique. Layout how you plan to run your shop in full detail. Set your SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM GOALS for your boutique. These goals will guide your business to the successful boutique you dream of in the future. You might be discouraged by the technicalities that come with creating a formal business plan. If you are a startup that wants to start a small boutique, you don’t have to be so formal with your business plan. Only include those that apply to your shop such as mission, vision, source of funding, etc.

4. Create Your Brand

Your brand should be original and unique enough to help you stand out from your millions of competition. Selling online gives you millions of potential customers but also gives you millions of competition. Choose a BRAND NAME, LOGO, TAGLINE, AND DESIGN that is original, memorable, and resonates with your shop. This is the part where you’ll really spend a lot of time thinking. Researching will be of great help to you. Get inspiration online, but if you know your product by heart and the mission and vision of your business, your brand will come out naturally.

5. Choose An E-commerce Platform

The e-commerce platform will serve as the physical store of your product. Choose one that will help you accomplish your goals and best resonates with your personality and your shop. An e-commerce platform mainly for clothing and accessories is best for your online boutique because it already has daily visitors who are really looking for fashion items. ETSY has great organic traffic to drive customers to your boutique. If organic visits to your online shop are what you want and what you prioritize, you can go for this e-commerce platform.

6. Register Your Boutique

Every business has to be legal, whether your shop is an online store or a physical store. When you secure BUSINESS PERMITS, you guarantee that your products are safe and deserve the trust of your potential customers. Trust is important because in doing business, you build a relationship between you and your customers. Licenses are also needed when you go to your bank and request a business loan or when you want to secure an insurance system for your online boutique.

7. Locate Suppliers

If your products are handmade, you will need a supplier for the raw materials needed to create your product. You can also consider designing your product and entrust the production of it to a MANUFACTURER. The manufacturer will supply you with the products that you will sell on your online boutique but the design of the product is yours. If your products are men’s clothing, you can just partner with a DROPSHIPPER to fulfill all your orders.

8. Determine Shipping

Because your shop is online you need to figure out how to ship your products from your storage to the house of your buyers. You need a shipping solution that is cost-effective, fast, and reliable. Did you know that most of the time customers purchase items that have a fast-shipping time? Choose one that delivers a high-quality service that won’t create a bad image for your boutique. Also, consider the cost. If a shipping company charges too much for a quality delivery system, you still won’t gain profit.

9. Market Your Product

Adopt a marketing strategy that is effective given the products that you sell. There are tons of marketing strategies you can adapt. Research online and find what’s best for your boutique. One effective way to market your product, especially if it’s handmade, is to film how you make your product and then upload it on TikTok. People enjoy watching how things are made on TikTok and most of the time they purchase these items. If your products are made by your manufacturer, you can just film how you package them, because that’s another trending theme on TikTok.

10. Develop Your Products

Continually and consistently develop your products. You can base the development of your product on the reviews, comments, and suggestions given by your customers or based on what’s on-demand in the market. People always look for something new and they get tired of products easily. If your product is handmade bracelets, you can add more designs so you give your customers different bracelets they can choose from.

Conclusion

It is easy to start an online boutique once you know what product you want to sell. E-commerce is an already successful market, you just have to stand out for customers to notice you. Keep in mind the 10 steps mentioned above on how to start an online boutique so you don’t get lost. In doing business, there will always be risks, but your passion is what will keep you going in times of both ups and downs.