How to Start an Online Boutique Business?

It is beyond any doubt that the fashion industry has taken the world by storm. Not only has the online boutique business penetrated everybody’s life but it has become the most happening online business idea among entrepreneurs with farsightedness. The research giant Statista shows the global fashion eCommerce market is anticipated to reach just over 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars by 2027. Considering the pace at which eCommerce trends have revolutionized the global market, the industry is only here to witness unprecedented growth in the coming time.

So, if you want to leverage the best benefits of online boutique business, this is the time to start thinking about executing your best business ideas into a reality. And, if you wonder how to start an online boutique business, here is the guide to take you through all the necessary steps. Let’s start with an obvious concern – why go for an online boutique business?

Why is it better to be online than a ground store?

As mentioned in statistics, the online retail market for online clothing boutiques has been growing by leaps and bounds. One of the benefits of the online business of boutique is that it can get you a wider customer base across different locations and time zones. Other advantages include reduced rent costs, utility, staff, and inventory.

What are the benefits and challenges of running an online boutique?

Any business comes with its advantages and limitations. Likewise, there are some challenges and benefits of running an online boutique store.

Benefits of online boutique business

As stated earlier, the online clothing business will get you ample benefits for your company. Here are a few noteworthy ones –

• Getting customers beyond specific areas
•  Targeting specific segments of customers (through online ads)
• Saving big chunks of money on rentals
•  Saving great in overheads and workforce (such as salaries)
• Being your own boss
•  Enhancing chances to make your brand globally recognized
• Having specific categories and segmentation of online apparel shopping
• Setting your own prices
• Offering online discounts through offers and coupons
• Being creative in the display of products and services

Challenges of online boutique business

You need to prepare for a few challenges if you want to venture into an online clothing boutique business of any kind. Here are the ones to mind –

•  Cyber data and security
• Converting visitors into loyal customers
• Online identification
• Cutthroat competition on the Internet
• Price and shipping (logistics)
• Cross-border eCommerce
• Compliances and rules of local and international trading
• Maintenance of websites and apps for online boutique
• Product return and refund policies

How to start an online boutique business?

Starting an online clothing business requires strategically taken steps that cover choosing the right boutique business and the right eCommerce model for your websites or apps. There are many types of eCommerce business models you can think of through which you would secure your steady income. Once you decide on the model that suits your business idea, you can proceed in that specific direction to convert your thoughts into a tangible product.

Here are the general steps to follow to start an online clothing boutique business –

Planning and research

Careful planning through research and analysis is the foundation of any business. For an online boutique business, you need to conduct a market survey and research to know what exactly is in demand and what people want. The planning and research include several steps to mind –

Business plan and budget

First, you need to think about how to create a business plan and budget for your online boutique. While there are many boutique business types available for your online venture, you need to be quite specific about your enterprise idea. This is because the budget for an online boutique business depends on the type you choose. The bigger the plan, the more bucks you need to shell out to execute it.

Market research and analysis

The next step to opening an online boutique store is conducting specific market research and analysis for the type you have chosen as a business. For instance, if you are typically into kids’ wear, the market segment and analysis should focus on the choices of mothers. Also, a SWOT analysis for an online boutique would be specifically focusing on kids’ clothing.

You also need to carefully analyze the big players in the market who have been in the same segment for years. Browsing their websites and applications and jotting down their pros and cons will help you design your online boutique shop in a better way.

Suppliers and wholesalers

The biggest challenge in online eCommerce business for retail garments is finding the right supplier and wholesaler chain and maintaining it to the core. There are supply chain management companies who offer bespoke solutions to your logistics and shipping, it is also important to find wholesalers and carry out a win-win business model.

Thinking of pre-development phase

Once you are thorough with the research and planning, you have a perfect online boutique business model with you. It is now when you enter into the core of the online business – having your online presence. There are a few factors you need to mind before you set up your online boutique business.

Choosing a name, logo, and domain

How you present yourself online and to millions of potential customers matters a lot as it will make or break your online boutique business. You need to be specific about choosing your boutique name and accordingly selecting the logo. The domain name for your eCommerce portal for your online clothing shop should also be relevant. You can take the help of brand strategies to carry out these jobs.

Registering and abiding by compliances

Contrary to the popular belief that everything works on the Internet, you do require registration and license for your online boutique store with local and international registries. In addition, since you are in online trading, such businesses should abide by a set of compliances and rules that you need to follow. A legal advisor for an online eCommerce business can be hired to overcome these complexities and have a legally fair business.

Designing and optimizing

Design is the backbone of any eCommerce or online retail business. You can acquire sound knowledge of aesthetics by reading an eCommerce UI design guide to strategically plan and discuss the placement of the components for your online boutique store. While you need to stick to the rudiments of UI design, you can further customize your online boutique app or website as per your customers’ choice and local trends. Here are the steps to follow –

Select the best mobile and web app development company

When you think of starting an online boutique business, you need to streamline an array of setups and tasks to shape it up as a tangible product. Your online presencewill last long only when you present your boutique in a pleasant way through digital products such as a customized mobile application or a web portal and offer your users a seamless experience.

To make complex things short and simple, fixing a deal with the best mobile and web app development company would do most of your jobs. Not only do such companies have experience in building quality solutions but they would also help you out with how to stay competitive in the digital era.

Discuss the idea, work on feasibility

Having the best IT company at the helm, most of your job is done. You can check out the latest eCommerce trends and discuss them with their business and technology consultants to accommodate them in your product. Tech consultants will work on the feasibility of integrating those features and facilities on your online boutique app or web products.

Decide the best features to have for your online boutique shop

While you should be sure to have must-have features for an online boutique, further customization according to the target customers’ preferences and choices would make a big difference. For instance, a boutique specifically for ladies with Western taste would have an all-different approach for its digital presence as compared to that of those who love ethnic wear. Yet, here are a few important lists of features you may think to have in your online clothing boutique store.

• Easy registration and profile management
• Product description
•  Price comparison
• Online tracking
• Secure payment gateways
•  Loyalty programs
•  Easy returns and refunds
•  Cross-selling
• Social media marketing
• Feedback and reviews

Integrating the latest technologies

Online boutique business can be enhanced using the latest tools and technologies. For instance, AI in eCommerce has become a common norm where the smart application can suggest to users some specific products as per their tastes.

Other contemporary technologies such as Machine Learning will help your online boutique app to learn users’ behavior and choices and act accordingly by suggesting to them the best products that they are likely to buy. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are other options that you can opt for to give a unique experience to your users. For instance, AR/VR enables users to visualize themselves with different clothing options without trying them on their bodies.

Yet another latest technology trend is to have a chatbot for your online clothing store wherein customers can interact with an AI-enabled chatbot to get required information 24/7 increasing the chances of sales on your boutique shop.

Fix deliverables and costs

Your ‘how to start an online boutique business’ enthusiasm ends with fixing deliverables and costs for developing an online boutique mobile app and/or web portal. You can discuss the budget you have allocated for this digital product. Software development companies offer various hiring models to choose from. Depending on the project’s complexity, size, and type the hiring model is selected.

Things to mind while online boutique app development

With the eCommerce development company at your side, most of the tasks are done perfectly; nevertheless, here are a few things you must take care of as a buyer or owner of the product.

•  Payment gateways: it is important to have multiple ways for payment. More than one payment gateway will help tap all types of users who use various options to pay online. It may include eWallet, wire transfer, bank transfer, credit/debit card, and so on.
• UI/UX: designing is a crucial part of any online boutique app and, therefore, paying special attention to the user interface of your web-based clothing store will pay you off later when your app is in the market.
• Manage inventory, orders, and shipping: the online boutique app should have the capability of managing inventory, orders, and shipping. This is a complex process and you should mention this to your tech partner.

Marketing online boutique store

Marketing your online clothing boutique business is the last step which will never end. Online or digital marketing for your store should be performed regularly and vigorously. Social media and other web-based promotions are important to keep your online business alive and kicking.

Ready to launch a successful online boutique store?

For now, you know the alpha and omega of how to start an online boutique business, it is time to get ready to launch a successful venture. Give wings to your business idea and make it possible to turn it into a digital product that is ready to allure customers beyond geographical boundaries.

Ashish Parmar

He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Prismetric . An enthusiastic entrepreneur, interested to discuss new app ideas, rich gadget tricks and trends, and admires signature tech business styles to readily embrace. He enjoys learning most modern app crafting methods, exploring smart technologies and passionate about writing his thoughts too. Inventions related to mobile and software technology inspire Ashish and he likes to inspire the like-minded community through the finesse of his work.