Many fashion brands that I work with ask me about fashion marketing - usually social media marketing. Instagram seems to be the platform of choice and I get so many questions from people who spend hours on this, but don’t get anywhere. If you’re one of those people, click here to read my thoughts on Instagram marketing for fashion brands.
However, I rarely get people asking for tips on their website. Here’s the important detail a lot of people forget; Social media marketing is only the first step.
(And you’re right, marketing is important)….
But, here’s the thing…
If you’re getting website visitors (which you can check using the data from your website provider)…
But aren’t making any sales, chances are the problem is with your website.
So, in today’s blog post I wanted to cover ecommerce websites and things to consider when selling your fashion designs online.
You have less than 15 seconds to impress, before someone decides to leave your site.
Experts disagree on how long it is exactly, but the reality is that people take only seconds, not minutes, to decide whether your website is worth looking at or not. So if your website isn’t properly optimised, all the hard work that you do on marketing your fashion brand is for nothing. Plus, your missing out on sales and leaving money on the table.
If you want a potential customer to stick around and check out your products, you need to make it as eye catching as a shop window during Christmas (/ the Holidays). That means making your homepage enticing and clearly letting the customer know who you are and how you can help them. It needs to be immediately obvious who your brand is for and who you can serve. You need to keep any important messages at the top of the page, so customers see them as soon as they land on your page. They shouldn’t have to scroll down to get the key details.
You’re not really selling products
Yup, that’s right. When you have a website you’re not actually selling clothing products. Now, before you think I’m crazy, consider this….you’re actually selling words and pictures. The customer can’t feel the product, try it on, walk around in it, see the true colour or detail online. They rely on our images and words to give them an impression of what the garment is like. The key here is in the impression. You need to give people an accurate impression of your products and make it desirable to the customer, using effective writing and photography. In fact, writing in particular is something that people misunderstand and undervalue so much. Let’s look at an example to see how choosing words selectively can make a difference;
For example, if your selling a metallic fabric dress to teen party goers…
Instead of; Midi Dress made with metallic fabric
Try; Our Midi Dress is made with a sparkly metallic fabric sure to make you shine at your next party
Rather than just using describing words, add something else that connects with your target audience - a hook to get them interested and excited.
Remember - people can’t try things on!
People get overwhelmed by choice
I see a lot of new brands who like to pack their pages full of different options and display every item in every colour on their homepage. This leads to only one thing….overwhelm! Think about it like this. If you go into a budget store, where the rails are packed and you can hardly get at anything, you really have to be in the mood for rummaging, or really want something in order to go through all of the stock. That’s why high end stores have a limited amount of stock on show, that’s well curated. The same goes for your website. If you have pages that are too cluttered, it’s a lot of work for people to go through and more often than not, visitors will decide it’s not worth the effort, or they simply don’t have time for looking now. Therefore, it’s much better to have a really clear message on your site that’s focussed, rather than giving people too many options.
You don’t need to learn code, or pay a web designer
The good thing about having a fashion brand today is that you don’t need to pay a lot for a fancy ecommerce store. There are so many inexpensive platforms and templates you can use that it really doesn’t need to cost a lot. The key factors as to whether someone will buy or not is how well you connect with the visitor and showcase your products. Yes, your website needs to look nice, but don’t feel that you’re at a disadvantage because you’re not a web designer. I’m flat out technically challenged, but I’ve built 5 websites myself (very cheaply too) and they’ve made me tens of thousands in sales. Plus, people always assume I’ve had help. I haven’t - it’s just that easy!
If you’ve enjoyed this article, I’d love to invite you to check out The Fashion Sales Kit, designed to help you market your fashion brand, get new customers and sell more to existing customers.
Pickleball outfit inspiration……