Features of Successful Online Fashion Store

In the online fashion space, it is survival of the fittest.

Whether you already have an online fashion store, or if you are planning to kickstart one – this article serves a purpose to both, and to eCommerce enthusiasts who wish to know the must-haves in an online fashion store.

No doubt, eCommerce is taking the world on a stride. The revenue generated from eCommerce in 2018 stands at a whopping $517 billion, which is 15% more than 2017. Online shopping has made its presence felt across all industries possible, and is already on the way to enter unexplored sectors.

Online Fashion Shopping has turned into a boon for brands. Not many would have thought there would be thousands thronging to eCommerce sites to buy fashion apparels, clothes, etc. without even trying them out, or even seeing the product!

There are already thousands of fashion stores online. In such a crowded space, for your online fashion store to stand out and be noticed – it requires extra efforts to attract customers and win their trust.

Let us take a look at what should be done in online fashion stores to make shopping experience-worthy. There is a success secret too, in the bottom.

Sweet and Simple UI

Low effort experience is the key!

A study derives 76% of consumers say the most important characteristic in a website is its ease of use. The simpler it is, the keener shoppers would feel to explore.

The objective of any eCommerce site is to make customers tap the buy button, and with the help of a simple UI coupled with relevant images and effective navigation – it becomes a tad simpler to win over customers.

Mobile Shopping

Mobile does the magic.

eMarketer, a leading research firm, forecasts mobile commerce will account for 53.3% of all retail eCommerce sales in the US by 2021.

In the light of this research, it is obvious mobile is the highest channel of online sales. Ensuring your eCommerce site is mobile responsive, and creating a mobile-friendly online store is a sure shot way to increase your site traffic which inversely converts visitors into customers.

No Misleading Data

Customer trust lost once is lost forever.

Every product data and image present in the online store must be accurate and in tandem with the product displayed. In the case of a fashion store, it’d be the size of apparel, its features, colors available, and so on.

Back then, shoppers would walk into stores and try out products before making purchases. But the same can’t be said with online stores. Customers believe what is given, and it is important to present customers with relevant and rich data.

Quality Images

Because images create impressions.

Product images power your business, and they are extremely important in online fashion stores as they form a major part of a shopper’s initial impressions on the product. Images which are not-so-good, blurry, and small in size could be the backburner for you.

Whereas, high quality images with multiple views of the product allows customers to have a better look and feel. This pushes the customers towards making a buying decision.

Benefits of Images in Online Fashion Stores:

• Instant Information
• SEO Friendly
• Social Sharing
• Attracts Customers

The clearer the images, the better odds on your side.

Product Reviews

Building brand trust and loyalty.

Shoppers usually are inclined towards buying fashion products which are already purchased and found to be good. One area where they can know how good the products are, is by reading product and online reviews of dresses, apparels, cosmetics, etc. In fact, online reviews influence purchase decisions for 93% of customers.

Have an exclusive space in your fashion store where customers can write what they feel about the product, and also encourage the customers to do the same. It is a sales booster, for sure. Trust us, it has worked. It still does.

Easy Pay Option

Easy payment checkout makes the difference.

The payment process must be quick and hassle-free. There should be multiple and advanced payment options available. If not, your abandoned cart list would increase by one. 😉

Offer as many feasible payment options as possible – credit card, debit card, net banking, PayPal, Apple Pay, cash on delivery, etc.

A customer might be hesitant to walk all the way to another physical store if she/he is not happy about the payment. But the same can not be said with an online store. By not having a quick payment gateway, you are just giving an advantage to your competitor.

Wishlist

Every wishlist is a bucket list.

Some visitors buy the products today. Some don’t. If they love the fashion goods you offer, they will surely come back to you. Be sure to have a wishlist where customers can save the products they want to buy later.

Having a wishlist brings fortune to store owners. Brands can know customers’ tastes and preferences which help stores in launching targeted marketing campaigns to bring back the customers by reminding them of their favorite products.

Introduce New Products Regularly

Fashion is an overnight trendsetter!

No one knows how the fashion trends change. They are always evolving and adapting based on the current tastes and preferences of consumers. Shoppers would want to adorn themselves with the latest market additions and are always on the lookout for new products.

As an online fashion store, be sure to stay aware of the current trends and design products accordingly. Surprise the customers with new products every time they step into your online store. Marketing campaigns before a product launch is a must to grab eyeballs and increase traffic.

Return Policy

Product returns are a nightmare, but the merchants have to deal with it gracefully.

At least 30% of the products ordered online are returned, and 92% of shoppers have said they’d reconsider buying on the same website if there is an ease in product returns. Of that, 75% of goods fall under the clothes and accessories category.

Defective products, buyer’s remorse, and product misrepresentation are some of the key reasons why customers opt to return the products.

Options like a free return policy empower customers to make a buying decision with ease. And, the fact is, a firm return policy can help prevent product returns and boosts sales. Not the other way around.

Quick Loading Time

Every second counts.

The slower your site, the more chances of customers drifting away.

Websites with more than three seconds of loading time lose 40% of their initial website visitors, and 52% of online shoppers say their loyalty towards a site is based on the loading time.

Page loading time is an essential factor of any online store’s user experience, and even more critical when it comes to search engine rankings. Implement a design that loads all the assets quickly.

Online stores (or any website) must be optimized. There are several tools available online to do the tasks for you. Let slow loading time not be a reason anymore for the customer to ditch your site.

Special Offers

Appeal to customers with special offers.

Customers feel special when they realize they are receiving an offer. This empowers the customer to spend more time on the site and buy products.

Discounted products, slashed rates, holiday season offers, and mid-year sales are all ways to make more customers throng to your online fashion store.

Seasons and customer segmentation plays a crucial role in enhancing sales for your online store. Customer segmentation helps to analyze what products a specific set of customers are most likely to buy. Once merchants have the data in hand, targeted campaigns can be implemented to make the customer arrive at a buying decision faster.

The same with seasonal sales – run campaigns based on the seasons, as there’s a fashion for every phase.

Product Category

Help customers find what they are looking for, easily.

If shoppers do not find the products they want to buy, they are not going to buy them. It is as simple as this. Also, not all visitors navigate the same way or have similar needs. The onus lies on merchants to create and provide a variety of enriching product options to ensure customers of any kind can quickly locate the products they desire.

Using highly searched names for your product category will help both to increase your SEO rankings, and also for customers to search efficiently.

Pro Tip: When you are organizing products, make sure they are not too broad.

Cash On Delivery

Freshly launched online stores, this is for you.

With top players like Amazon and eBay dominating the market space, what can new or emerging online fashion stores do to increase sales (or at least make their brand noticeable) amidst such stiff competition.

Shoppers may have second thoughts when it comes to buying products from a new store. Someone has to break the ice and spread the word about your brand to instill credibility. Visitors are not aware of how your products would be packaged and delivered, whether your site is trustworthy enough to give credit card details, and so on. In such circumstances, offering cash on delivery would seem to be a great system to kickstart sales and improve credibility on the brand.

Attractive Homepage

The homepage is the first thing your customers see, and the stakes are high.

It is the starting point of the journey around the website, and many people will come to a conclusion about the online store in a fraction of seconds based on how the homepage looks.

The homepage receives the most traffic and should provide glimpses of products for sale with attractive visual imagery and catchy product captions to delight the customers.

At the same time, it should be simple with clean navigation and should not be clogged with products. The homepage must also be updated regularly based on the launching of new products.

If your brand has any signature products, this is where those products finds their abode.

And here comes the top secret…

Who doesn’t love a personal touch in a product they order? Satisfying all the tastes and preferences of customers was a hurdle once. It still is. But, with the entrance of product customization, the gap has been reduced significantly as shoppers are now presented with compelling options to design the product exactly the way they want it.

Check out the benefits of product customization and how it can be a game-changer for your online fashion store.

The love towards product customization is evident, and it sends out a strong message to eCommerce merchants: Product customization is here to stay and rule the market.

Offer custom fashion products to let shoppers design the product they want to buy. Productimize is ready to help integrate customization into your online fashion store. Get in touch with us to explore and enter into the world of product customization!