How to Choose the Right E-commerce Solutions for your Online T-shirt Business

The business trends have changed dramatically over the decade. Every business today, big or small, has an online presence. In such scenarios, it is important to make your business look good online. You can go for different options like a marketplace or self-sustained e-commerce solutions, depending on your business requirement. If you are just looking for a platform to sell your products, a marketplace like Amazon, eBay, Flipkart etc is best suited for you. But if you wish to build a brand and have maximum control over your business, having your own website is the key.

There are many small companies that strive to build a brand. Ranging from beauty products to fashion brands, online bookstores to service-based assistance, the virtual world is full of innovative and productive ideas. One such idea is the online T-shirt business. It is a trendy industry, has regular demand and requires average investment. However, choosing the right e-commerce platform for this venture can be tricky. There are many e-commerce solutions in the market that claim to support your business and help it grow. But how many actually do that for real?

The type of product you are dealing with is just one piece of the entire pie. There are many other factors that influence your business, even if you think it is just a T-shirt selling platform. You must know the potential of your business first by asking the following questions.

Will you be dealing with custom products?

If yes then you will need respective tools to execute the editing part. Find an e-commerce solution that has an inbuilt tool or open code software to cater to your requirements.

How diverse is your product inventory?

This information will let you decide how are you going to categorize your product and apply various filters (like colour, brand, price, etc.) in your e-commerce platform.

Will it be a store with unique printing and limited stock or a wholesale store with bulk products and lower rates?

These factors must be clear as they will help in selecting an ideal platform for your business.

Do you know your target audience?

Who are they and where can you find them? For instance, you are offering coupons on your Instagram business page. Make sure the e-commerce solution you have, provides discount and coupon features.

Can you find a reliable solution provider?

A number of products, visitors, and admin accounts generally differ with respect to plans. Few solution providers have these limitations in order to force the customer to buy expensive packages. Look for genuine market-players, that focus on the features and post-sales support.

 Are you choosing the right technology?

Carefully choose the technology you want. It is crucial to decide whether you want a self-hosted solution or a SaaS-based solution.

Finding the right e-commerce solutions for your online T-shirt Business may seem an easy task given the host of options available in the market. However, only an exclusive few are capable of offering a variety of choices along with growth opportunities. After a generic survey conducted for small business owners, it was eminent that there are two main factors to look for while searching for the best e-commerce solution for your business – first is “ease of usage” and second is “options for customization”.

Keeping these factors in mind there is a list of features that you should look for in your e-commerce platform

1. One Stop Solution 

Every business needs a website. The right e-commerce platform is an all-in-one solution that offers everything, from web hosting to the domain name and even bandwidth of your online T-shirt store. Many platforms also provide features like content management system, blogs, theme customization, etc.

2. Attractive store design 

If you choose the right e-commerce solution, they provide a good storefront to showcase your T-shirts online along with other services. You can also edit your inventory and add products and their descriptions, along with price, image, product variants, searches and navigation.

3. Payment 

If you choose the right e-commerce service, there won’t be a need to unnecessarily, apply for a credit card processor. You must be wondering if a small scale online T-shirt business needs such functionalities. You will be amazed to know that good platforms already include the functionality of payment gateway. You just have to integrate these with your store to start receiving orders.

4. Business Tools

Manage and use your data well with tools made for tasks like cart abandonment reminder, social media connectivity, deals, gift cards, marketing tools, special discounts, etc. Even your small-scale T-shirt business has the potential to boost your income substantially if you learn to analyze the data well using inbuilt in your e-commerce solution.

5. Integration

Look out for an e-commerce platform that helps you integrate multiple third-party systems that help you manage and grow your online T-shirt business. Choose a platform that helps you in integrating apps or software to connect better with your customers by sending emails, notifications etc. You can thus have the flexibility to streamline your data and make your life simpler.

6. Security

Your online T-shirt business is your asset. Protecting it from various threats is the least you can do. Make sure the solution you take has strong SSL encryption that guards customer information and confidential business details. Also look for fraud protection tool if possible.

7. Mobile responsive 

Pick a platform that has a mobile-friendly user interface. This gives customers, the freedom to buy your T-shirts from any place, anywhere, using their smartphones and tablets. Also look for features like mobile payment options that can simplify the buying process and take your business to the next level.

8. Customer care 

Many e-commerce solution providers avoid customers interaction after selling the solution. Choose a service provider that offers consistent support, through emails, calls, forums and live chats. You should have a solid backup to fix any technical glitch in your system within minutes. For this, you need a solution that provides support through multiple channels. The whole idea is to make the customer feel they are dealing with professional T-shirt dealers. This will help build your brand as well.

These are mandatory features of the platform you choose for your online T-shirt business. Taking the cost into consideration, the price range is huge. It all depends on the platform and the features you take. Features like storage space, customization, domain name, payment gateway, etc. determine the final price of any e-commerce solution.

There are some platforms that have average features and charge fortunes for any enhancements in the configuration. On the other hand, there are solutions that focus on maximum efficiency of the platform and customize it as per client’s business requirement. The success of your business somewhat depends on the platform you pick. Functionality, Design, and Marketing are the other aspects that you need to take care of. But remember, the platform you choose can be a game changer and help you flourish your business.

Conclusion

StoreHippo e-commerce platform has been the leader in offering solutions for the online T-shirt business and many other varieties of apparels. The well-rounded platform offers end-to-end-solution to start a clothing and fashion website in no time. Thanks to the various inbuilt tools and features setting up the store require just basic computer know-how. You can set-up your fully functional online T-shirt store in hours and then start selling within days.

StoreHippo incorporates all the features needed for a successful e-commerce solution. Planning to launch your online T-shirt business? Need help? Drop us a mail at [email protected] or book a demo with our experts.