Online business is booming for the past decade as more and more online platforms are emerging every day. From the basic necessities to luxury goods, there is nothing that you can not find online. Not only have people grown more accustomed to online shopping, but business owners have also realized the importance of online.
The fashion industry is no stranger to it. Fashion eCommerce is now an emerging trend considering that people are now finding it more convenient to buy online. As a result, a lot of apparel companies and businesses have started to set their shop online.
However, unlike the big brands, boutiques have a rather conserved image that sets them apart. Being a setup that provides custom products that define their specialty, they offer a limited range of fashion merchandise. It later goes on to become a part of their charm. Still, they haven’t fallen behind their bigger adversaries and started gaining ground by showcasing and selling their products via their websites. A website for a fashion business is a tad different from other conventional websites.
There are some features your boutique website absolutely needs to have:
- Design: A boutique has a characteristic to appeal by displaying the products for customers to view the moment they enter their store. Showcasing their specialty in the form of their dresses and apparel is how you can enhance your boutique’s website. A carousel is the best way to display your product line to customers. It allows consumers to easily browse, discern and select their perfect dress from your website.
- Blog: A good way for the customers and users to keep visiting your website is by maintaining a fashion blog. Your online boutique will gain value as users appreciate well-written content and regularly updated blogs. Try writing blog articles on outfits, fashion tips, advice and expert opinions. Don’t forget to make these articles more alluring by adding images and videos.
- Cart: Customers visiting a fashion website with the intention of window-shopping end up liking a few things that they can’t readily buy at the moment. A shopping cart would allow them to select and buy the product at a later date or time. It also helps in the case when you have sold out your stock and still have customers waiting. Instead of losing these buyers to the competition, you can retain them by selling the dresses saved in their cart later when you have restocked.
- Payment Portal: The most vital feature of any eCommerce website, payment portals make online transactions between buyer and seller possible. A secure payment portal that accepts a varied form of payment is much preferred.
That said, looking for a hosting service that can support such a website loaded with features comes next. In general, hosting like shared, reseller and WordPress hosting that can handle an eCommerce website will be good.
But how will you know which hosting?
Hosting for eCommerce Websites
Web hosting services nowadays are substantially more advanced and way cheaper than before. Hosting providers have focused on giving services that ensure a high performance versus the low cost of the subscription.
Still, the criteria and traits of a hosting to put up an eCommerce website online are deviant.
- High processing: The website that would suit your boutique business should have everything an eCommerce site has. First of all, your website will need a plethora of applications to support many online operations for your enterprise. All these applications on a single website would demand decent processing capabilities. Check for a shared hosting that has ample RAM and other resources to make these applications run smoothly.
- Secure: The threat of cybercrimes is on the rise and mulls over every online business. Your website must discourage cybercriminals and also protect your customer’s information. Opt for a hosting service that provides your website security with SSL certification. Also, see that the provider offers you tools to scan and eradicate malware.
- Bandwidth: The bandwidth or data transfer for your website will determine the amount of web traffic or online shoppers your website can handle at a time. It is the most crucial feature to consider if you want to make your online business successful by introducing promotional deals for your buyers. It is a no-brainer to avail of a hosting that provides a large bandwidth.
- Memory Storage: Memory storage or disk space allows you to upload media files, applications, databases, etc. on your website. Of course, the storage capacity matters, but most of all, you should check if the storage technology is fast and secure. Pick a hosting service that provides ample storage space on SSD, SAS or at least HDD drives.
- Maintenance and Management: Running a boutique is not an easy task. You have to manage inventory, reassess the supplies and do much more than wrapping your head around your website’s hosting. Nevertheless, maintaining and managing the configurations of your hosting allows your website to function without a hitch. Select a hosting service that provides you with management and maintenance tools like a control panel application.
Which Hosting Service will Suit your Fashion Boutique?
In the end, I guess it is about hosting an eCommerce business online. It all depends on certain non-technical and more real-world aspects as well.
For example, if your boutique is still new and has yet to be popular, it is highly advised that you opt for a regular shared hosting service. It is cheap, it gives perfect resources for your first website and most important of all, you can learn about hosting.
Many boutiques prefer crafting their website with WordPress. If that is the case with you, I recommend you take WordPress hosting service. It may cost a little more than the shared, but it more than makes up for it with its WordPress exclusive features. Think of it more like a heftier investment that increases the chance of gaining more returns.
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