If you plan to sell products online, then you need to have a great online boutique website design. There are a bunch of platforms, themes and services that make it easier than ever to design a website on your own. But what should you consider to make sure that it actually performs well? In this blog post, we’ll share 7 tips for designing an effective online boutique website.

Define Your Target Customer and Brand

Before you start designing your website, it’s important to clearly define your brand and target audience. This will help you create a website that resonates with your target audience and accurately represents your brand. Consider things like your brand’s colors, typography, and imagery. And make sure you have an understanding of who else your customer shops with and what her values are. That will help you create an attractive experience that encourages to choose your online boutique. Not clear on who your target is? Read this blog post to understand the process better. 

Choose The Right Platform

There are many different platforms available for creating an online boutique website, each with its own set of features and capabilities. Some popular options include Shopify, Squarespace, WooCommerce, and Magento. Consider your budget, technical skills, and the specific needs of your business when choosing a platform. We recommend Shopify because it’s simple to set up and they have all of the tools and apps you’ll need to support your growth as a new online boutique owner.

Keep Your Design Simple

Keep Your Design Simple: A good online store should be simple, clean and easy to navigate so that customers can find what they’re looking for quickly. Too many elements can easily overwhelm a potential customer and make it difficult for them to find the products they’re are looking for. You can find well-designed pre-made themes from marketplaces like Out of the Sandbox or Themeforest. 

Design for Mobile Devices

More and more online shoppers are using their phones to place orders. In fact, according to a recent survey from Statista, mobile phone orders now account for more than 50% of all online purchases. This trend is likely to continue as more shoppers seek out the convenience of browsing and ordering products on their phones. That means you’re website should be easy to use on smaller screens too.  Thankfully, most website themes are mobile responsive so you’ll be able to  make sure all your customers have an amazing experience, regardless of their device.

Use High-Quality Product Images 

A picture is worth a thousand words, so make sure to use high quality photos of your products to draw in customers and show off the product’s best features. This can help create a sense of trust with customers and give them an idea of what they’re buying before they even click through to the product page. 

Remember, you’re selling online and the right visuals are essential. People can’t just try your products on like a physical store so the best thing you can do is to make sure all the details are easily visible. You can also use videos to show how the product fits or how to style them. 

Include Product Reviews and Testimonials

Adding reviews and customer testimonials in your online boutique website design can help you build trust with potential customers and reassure them that other people have had great experiences with your products. This can also increase conversions since it gives shoppers even more confidence when they’re deciding to make a purchase. 

Don’t be shy about asking customers to submit reviews! People who have good experiences don’t have a hard time sharing it so make sure you’re crafting an experience that worthy to be talked about online. 

Offer Live Chat Support

Live chat support can be a great way to provide fast and efficient customer service. This can help customers get answers quickly, which can lead to more successful purchases and an overall better customer experience. Plus, you can reply to messages from your phone with the right app or service. So it would be just like having a text conversation with a friend. 

It’s a great way to share information about sizing, colors, styling options, shipping and whatever other questions shoppers may have to make them feel more comfortable and confident about buying from your online boutique. You can also include an FAQ  page on your website to provide quick answers to commonly asked questions that you or a team member can reference. 

Include Clear Calls-to-Action 

Make sure to include clear calls-to-action like “Shop The Collection”, “Buy Now”, or “Add To Cart.” This helps customers know exactly what to do next to take when they reach the home page, collection page, or product page, which can increase conversions and make it easier for them to purchase your products. 

It’s also important to track the performance of your calls-to-action so you can adjust them if they’re not working as well as you had hoped. We usually recommend you take anywhere from 30 days to 3 months to gather as much data as possible. Try different wording and placement to find what works best for your online boutique. 

Additionally, make sure the steps in the checkout process are easy to understand in your online boutique website design, so customers don’t get confused and abandon their carts. You can also use a service like Hotjar to get feedback from customers on their checkout experience. With this information, you can make adjustments or changes to improve user experience and increase conversions.

BONUS TIP!

Finally, offer customers incentives like discounts or free shipping when they purchase certain items— either as a banner at the top of your website, on product pages or in their cart while they’re shopping. This encourages them to buy  more and leads to higher conversions.

By considering these key factors when creating and designing your online boutique website, you’ll be able to create a website that accurately represents your brand, showcases your products, and provides a great user experience for your existing and future customers.