I Want To Start A Boutique, But Am Afraid It Will Be Too Expensive.
How many times have you rejected the idea of starting your Online Boutique because -
+ You are afraid that you’ll purchase a ton of inventory and not be able to sell it?
OR
+You are afraid that you’ll invest all your hard-earned money in starting the boutique and be left with products in your garage?
I totally get it!
I’ve been there, wanting to start my store, not wanting to spend my savings but yet wanting to get started. AND I DID but not how you are thinking. . . .
Before I tell you more, I just want to say that you are not ALONE!
It is one of the biggest struggles (for many) when it comes down to getting started!
How do I know?
fear-Online-Boutique
And that’s what I’m here for.
To help you and show you a different way of getting things done!
And don’t hate me— but here’s the bad news— A lot of people are still stuck trying to do things the old-fashioned way.
Buying goods, storing them to sell on their Online Boutique and packaging and shipping it off every time they made a sale.
BUT here’s the good news— It’s TOTALLY possible to start an Online Boutique without holding or investing in inventory. And I know this because I’ve been successfully doing it for past 4 years.
And there’s even more good news— You can do it too! You too can run a successful e-commerce store from the comfort of your home without investing in inventory or storing pieces in your garage.
Wouldn’t that be just great?
The new way of doing things is called
DROPSHIPPING
Dropshipping is a unique retail selling model that allows you to sell items on your online store that are packed & shipped directly from supplier to your customer. These suppliers are called dropshippers.
Instead of purchasing products in bulk from wholesale suppliers, you buy products after you've made a sale. Just like in traditional brick and mortar business model, the owner buys products in bulk, adds a profit margin and puts it for sale on his online store, similarly, in dropshipping business model, you sell the product on your own website by adding a profit margin.
If you've been following the blog for a while, you know I'm a HUGE fan of this concept. It not only helped me get started into the world of e-commerce but also helped me start my own Boutique and an eBay store.
Check out the training I did talking about Dropshipping -
Here are some benefits of Dropshipping -
Less or No investment required
– You don't need financing or capital to start an Online Boutique. As you won't buy any goods until they are sold, you don't need any capital for purchasing. Your cost is limited to setting up website or storefront, taxes and marketing, and admin cost or overhead expenses for automation (if any).
Easy to get started
– It is easy to run an Online Boutique with dropshipping than wholesaling because you don't need finance or space to store products. You finalize the niche/products you want to sell, find a supplier and get started from there.
Location Free
– You can work from anywhere in the world, even if that means while doing your part-time or full-time job. You don’t have to be location dependent.
Choose from a wide range of products
- You can put a wide range of products on your website or boutique and not worry about pre-purchase costs or return items to suppliers if they didn’t sell.
Easy to scale
– Online Boutiques are easy to scale be it in terms of multi-channel selling or increasing the range of products in your store.
How to get started with a Dropshipping Boutique?
Identify WHAT Products To Sell OnlinE
One of the important foundations to focus on when starting your boutique is to find products to sell. It's essential to narrow down on a niche that is profitable and at the same time scale-able.
Identify Your Potential Customers / Tribe
You know what you want to sell, next figure out WHO your potential customer/ tribe is & get to know their nitty gritty details.
The more information you have about your potential customers, the easier it is to build a successful boutique. Go beyond the basic demography.
Example - If you are selling mom clothing, your tribe is mothers but you can not just stop there. You need to dig deeper into her habits, her clothing style, where she hangs out, where she likes to shop, how much she likes to spend & more.
Knowing the little details about your potential customers help you -
Finalizing products to add to your online store
Identifying where you should be focusing your efforts for marketing
When you should be posting online
What content to create
Finding Dropship Suppliers
I know it's cliche, but when finding a dropship supplier, it's essential to pick one that provides products that not only fit your narrow niche but also helps you create a complete collection & from where you can source products to expand your online store.
Read the information on the supplier’s website, communicate with them via chat or email and ask questions, even if there’s info on the site, talking helps you understand their customer service system & how effective they are with troubleshooting. You can also Google the drop shipper for reviews.
Deciding on E-Commerce Platform
Now that you have the products you want to sell, it’s time to narrow down on the e-commerce website platform. Where do you want to sell? Do you want to sell on online marketplace like eBay or sell on Amazon? or Do you want to sell on your own website build on platforms like - Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce etc.
There are a lot of e-commerce platforms available to chose from.
Resource - You can check out my blog >> How to choose the right platform for your Online Boutique to help you narrow down on the platform.
Build Your E-Commerce Store
You have everything you need to start your online store, it’s time to set things up. The information you share on your online store website can make a huge difference when it comes to making or breaking a sale.
As your potential customers can’t touch or feel the selling products, it’s essential to provide them with answers to all the questions they maybe thinking about. Think of your ecommerce store as your best salesgirl who has alll the answers & makes your customer feel safe, trusted & excited to buy from YOU.
Be sure to provide your potential customers with all the information, regardless of what e-commerce platform you pick.
Resources - You can check out my blog 6 Website Pages To Include In Your Online Boutique for more information.
