Your website is often the first way shoppers discover your quilt or fabric store. To make a lasting impression, it needs to reflect the care and craftsmanship you bring into your physical space.
According to a 2025 survey, 22% of quilters prefer to buy fabric online, while 51% still shop from a local store. This shows your online site isn’t a threat — it’s a helpful addition that meets customer demand and expands your reach.
Fabric might seem like something people need to feel before buying, but your site can highlight so much more — kits, tools, and inspiration. As quilters and sewists increasingly use online shopping to plan, source, and learn, your website becomes as important as your store’s front door.
In this blog, we’ll explain why a strong digital experience matters — and how to apply e-commerce website best practices that can help your quilt or fabric store thrive online.
Let’s get started.
Your online presence can help customers near and far discover your shop. Take someone like Tammy, for example. She wants to sew her own bridesmaid dress but lives in a small town with limited fabric options. With a full-time job and little time to travel, she turns to the internet. Late at night, she finds your shop online — and it has exactly what she needs.
With a poorly functioning website, Tammy might not have found what she was looking for. This turns into a lost sale — and a missed opportunity for word-of-mouth referrals. An approachable, easy-to-use e-commerce experience connects you to more shoppers like her and helps them place orders with confidence.
The following tips can help you improve your online store experience and give shoppers more reasons to explore — and buy — from your website.
Think of your website navigation as the layout of your physical store. Visitors expect to find fabrics by color, collection, designer, and material without getting lost.
Group products in ways that reflect how your customers shop. For example:
The goal is to make your site feel intuitive and inviting, just like walking through your store.
A point of sale (POS) system that connects directly with your website can simplify this step. When your in-store and online categories match, it’s easier to manage product organization and provide a consistent experience for shoppers across both channels.
76% of Americans use their smartphone to shop online. This includes many quilters and sewists browsing fabric, tools, and project ideas during breaks, in the evenings, or on the go.
You’ve probably heard terms like mobile-friendly or mobile-optimized tossed around — but they’re not the same. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Let’s say a customer is trying to reorder fabric from a kit she bought last month while sitting in the school pickup line. If she can’t easily tap, zoom, or load images, she’s unlikely to complete the order.
Luckily, a POS system built for quilt and fabric stores often includes a website builder that takes care of mobile optimization for you — so your customers get the smooth experience they expect, with no extra tech work required.
Customers can’t feel the fabric through a screen, so your photos have to do the work. Use natural lighting, neutral backgrounds, and show products from multiple angles. For fabric, close-ups need to show texture, weave, and print scale clearly.
If you sell precuts or kits, include images that show how they’re packaged and exactly what’s inside. Clean, detailed visuals help shoppers make confident decisions. The more you show, the less copy you need — because a strong image answers questions before they’re asked.
A strong product description gives customers confidence in what they’re buying and improves search engine optimization (SEO). It needs to provide the essential details customers look for when deciding what to buy:
Your descriptions don’t need to be long, but they can be specific. For example: “Riley Blake Designs, 100% cotton poplin, 44” wide, lightweight with a smooth finish. Great for summer quilts, kids’ clothing, and pillowcases. Prewashed and shrink-resistant.”
A POS system built for quilt and fabric shops can pull updated product details directly from vendors, which helps you keep listings accurate and complete without having to update each one manually.
Related Read: Do Your Product Descriptions Make or Break the Sale?
Few things frustrate customers more than falling in love with a fabric, only to find it’s out of stock at checkout. A well-managed inventory allows customers to shop confidently and helps prevent missed sales.
When your system syncs online and in-store stock levels, you reduce the risk of overselling and make sure shoppers always see what’s actually available. Some systems can even flag low-stock items or display when new bolts arrive.
A POS system designed for quilt and fabric retailers automates updates across all channels, so your inventory stays accurate without constant manual work.
Related Read: Textile Inventory Management 101: The What, Why, and How
Not every customer wants their fabric shipped across the country — some just want to swing by and pick it up. Offering both local pickup and shipping options lets you serve quilters near and far and can even encourage more online orders from nearby customers.
A solid POS system makes this easy. For example, some systems support features like buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS), local home delivery, and flat-rate or price-based shipping. These tools help you set clear expectations around fulfillment and offer the flexibility your customers expect — all while keeping inventory and order management streamlined behind the scenes.
Transparent shipping rates, return policies, and processing times also go a long way in building trust (and cutting down on those “Where’s my order?” emails).
Every extra step at checkout increases the chance a shopper bails. Keep the process simple with guest checkout, a clear cart summary, and minimal required fields.
Shoppers also want to know their information is safe. Use secure payment gateways and display trusted logos like PayPal and major credit cards to boost confidence.
The right POS system can simplify all of this by offering secure transactions, guest checkout options, and even saved preferences for returning customers.
Well-organized categories and product tags help shoppers find what they’re looking for — and help search engines understand your site.
Examples of helpful tags include:
This makes your product pages more searchable, both within your site and on platforms like Google.
Online customers still want to feel as supported as they do in person. Consider adding live chat, a contact form, or a FAQ section.
Answer common questions like:
A helpful experience builds loyalty and increases the chance of return visits.
Tools like Google Analytics can show you where shoppers are coming from, what pages they visit most, and where they tend to leave the site.
Pay attention to:
You don’t need to be a data expert — just checking in once a month can help you make smarter decisions.
Many POS systems include reporting dashboards that track sales trends, top-performing products, and online activity. This gives you a clearer picture of what’s driving results without needing to juggle multiple tools.
Related Read: 24 Key Retail KPIs To Track in Your Fabric Shop
Keep your site feeling fresh by rotating featured collections, seasonal fabrics, or popular notions. Create a “New This Month” or “Just In” section, so returning customers always have something fresh to browse.
This encourages repeat visits and gives you more opportunities to showcase what’s special about your shop.
Improving your online store isn’t just about looks — it’s about making it easier for people to find what they need, trust what they see, and feel confident placing an order.
Creating a great online store doesn’t mean doing everything manually. Like Sew is the premier POS system built specifically for quilt and fabric shops, combining e-commerce tools with the features shop owners need to run a smooth, modern business.
With Like Sew, you can:
It’s a system designed to support how you work, help more customers find you, and keep your store running efficiently behind the scenes.
Not every quilt shop has the same needs — explore our Good, Better, Best plans to customize your system and get a price that works for you.