E-commerce has changed the retail industry forever.
Today, many customers choose to make purchases online rather than in person out of convenience. While some brick-and-mortar stores can’t compete with online retailers, others adapt to changes in the industry and become even more successful.
As the owner of a brick-and-mortar fabric store, you can either resist the move to online sales — or embrace it. By learning how to sell fabric online, you can capitalize on the demand in the market, expand your customer base, and increase profits.
Setting up an online fabric store and e-commerce processes may seem overwhelming, especially if you’ve been running your physical store for years. But, with the right tools, it may not be as difficult as you think. In this blog, we’ll go over six simple steps to set up your online store, so you can start making online sales fast.
Let’s dive in.
The first step in learning how to sell fabric online is choosing a digital platform to help you. If you’re running a small business, a digital e-commerce platform is an invaluable resource that simplifies this process. With a digital platform, you can manage your website, take orders, and ship products to your customers — but it’s important to choose the right digital platform that has all the features your business needs.
Modern point of sale (POS) systems offer features for e-commerce, and features to help you run in-store operations like ringing up customers, managing inventory, and hosting events. Using a POS system gives you the best of both worlds because it allows you to manage the digital and in-person tasks of your business.
For best results, look for a POS system designed specifically for the fabric industry. A fabric-specific platform includes features like fractional yardage and access to fabric suppliers, so you have everything you need for a successful business.
Related Read: The Best Fabric Store Website Builder: 5 Top Providers
Your website and your in-person fabric store need to match. You can keep them consistent by creating a unified brand.
Factors that contribute to your brand include:
Take time to determine what you want your brand to be and use the same branding in store and on your website, so customers recognize it everywhere. Branding helps your store stand out among the competition and encourages customer loyalty.
Your website needs to have intuitive navigation, too. Make it easy to explore your products, search for a certain style of fabric, fill your cart, and complete a purchase. The easier your website is to use, the more sales you’re likely to make.
Unless you’re a web developer yourself, you have to collaborate with website designers from an external platform to put your website together. Work closely with them and communicate exactly what features you need to help your customers find what they’re looking for. Remember: If your website is difficult for you to use, your customers may struggle as well, so keep your website simple and present your fabrics in the best light possible.
The disadvantage of online shopping is that customers don’t get to inspect the product up close before buying it. But, the customers have a more complete sense of what they’re buying if you add high-quality images and detailed descriptions. These give customers greater confidence in making a purchase.
For fabric items, include close-up views, so the customer can see the color and texture of a material. This helps them decide if it’s right for the project they’re working on.
Your product descriptions need to explain what the product is, significant features of the fabric, and suggestions for what it can be used for. For example, you may include that a certain fabric is cotton, its color is royal blue, its price per yard, and that it’s a good fit for quilting, crafting, or home accents.
By including high-resolution images and detailed descriptions, you can create a website that customers enjoy browsing and want to come back to again and again.
Related Read: Fabric Shop Organization: 6 Tips To Manage Your Merchandise
The process a customer goes through to make a purchase on your online fabric store is more important than you think. It has to be simple, secure, and offer multiple payment options.
Try to facilitate a sales transaction in as few screens as possible. The fewer hoops a customer jumps through to buy something, the more likely they are to complete the sale. If there are too many steps, a customer may lose interest and abandon their cart. Your payment system needs to be secure, too. Use a platform you trust to reduce errors and avoid fraud.
In addition to creating a simple and secure transaction, it’s important to have multiple payment options. Traditionally, online purchases are made with credit or debit cards, but digital payment methods like PayPal and Apple Pay are continually increasing in popularity. By offering a variety of payment methods, you can serve more customers.
As you begin operating in the e-commerce market, don’t neglect the importance of great customer service. If a customer has questions, doesn’t receive an item, or needs to return an order, it’s important you and your employees are available to help them resolve the situation.
Offer customer service over email, text, or phone. Multiple options allow a customer to choose what’s most convenient for them. If you’re getting the same questions over and over, try creating a FAQ section on your website where you answer these questions.
This is a great opportunity to set e-commerce policies. Decide from the start if you accept returns, if you accept them after a certain amount of time, or if you accept them only unmodified. Determine how you handle refunds for defective products as well. Settling on these issues in the beginning makes it easier to resolve problems that come up in the future.
Related Read: 6 Essential Retail Policies for Quilt Store Owners
According to a recent report, 65% of all U.S. online retail orders are placed from mobile devices. This gives you an idea of how important mobile optimization is for any e-commerce website. As you set up your fabric site, make sure it’s organized, readable, and easy to navigate on mobile. Test your site from multiple mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones, to ensure it functions well and purchases are easy to make.
Related Read: What Is the Best Quilt Shop POS System? 6 Top Providers [Features & Pricing]
Launching an online fabric store expands the potential of your business. It allows you to serve more customers, sell more fabric, and bring in greater revenue. Following these steps gives you a good start as you learn how to sell fabric online — to both local residents and customers across the nation.
Remember: Find a reliable platform to work with that’s suited to your business. Use effective and consistent branding, create high-quality product listings, offer helpful customer service, and optimize your site for mobile.
You’re best equipped to launch your online store with a platform designed specifically for fabric stores. Like Sew is an all-in-one, cloud-based POS system built with the needs of fabric store owners in mind. With website tools, e-commerce features, and access to the best suppliers in the fabric business, you have everything you need to get started.
To see Like Sew for yourself, schedule a demo today!