You have a passion for clothes and want tostart an online boutique。It’s a great small business idea—you’ll capture some of the$294 billionconsumers spend on clothes each year.
The problem? You don’t have any money to invest in starting aclothing business。
Here’s how to open an online boutique with no money. From discovering products to promoting them online, you’ll get your boutique up and running in record speed—even if you’re budget strapped.
How to start an online boutique with no money
1. Choose a business model
Abusiness modeldescribes how you’ll sell clothes through your online boutique.
Dropshipping clothes is great if you’re starting out with no money. Find adropshipping clothing supplier, use their imagery on your store, and pay for inventory once it sells. You’re responsible solely for marketing. It’s your supplier’s responsibility to pick, pack, and ship items from your boutique to customers.
Other budget-friendly options include:
2. Select products you’ll sell
Choosing a niche market for your boutique means you can be known as the go-to place for one specific type of clothing. That might be:
Hannah Nash, online boutique owner and co-founder ofLucy Nash, says, “Our boutique specializes in high-quality jewelry that is designed to be worn. Rather than buying mass-produced jewelry that will end up in a drawer, our pieces are unique and will add distinction to any outfit.
“We also focus on quality over quantity. We only select the best materials and use skilled artisans to create each piece. This attention to detail ensures that our customers can enjoy their jewelry for years to come.”
3. Write a business and marketing plan
An online boutique business plan details how your store will attract customers and make money online. Use this freebusiness plan templateto break down how you plan to work around minimal investment, detailing:
- Your business structure
- How you’ll source inventory
- Whether you need a business license
- If you’ll secure financing or funding
- Who your competitors are
- Budgets for inventory, marketing, and paid advertising
While you’re planning, spend some time crafting amarketing planthat details your target market and how you plan to reach them.
Which social media marketing platforms will you use? What types of content does your target customer engage with? How will you drive them to your online boutique? Use afree marketing plan templateto answer these questions.
4. Create a brand
A brand sets your online boutique apart from the rest. Yours should communicate what you sell, who you sell to, and why someone should buy from your boutique.
ToDIY a visual brandon a budget, create:
- A business name
- A tagline or slogan
- A value proposition
- Core values
- A visual identity, including a professionallogo, colors, and fonts
Whatever you choose, be consistent with your online boutique’s branding across all touchpoints with potential customers. Brand consistency can increase revenue byas much as 33%。
5. Open your online store
To sell clothing through online boutiques, you need an ecommerce website for potential customers to search, browse, and purchase your inventory.
“Shopify makes it super easy for anyone to create a really nice, professional, and useful website, so long as you do a little research into what themes work best for you, and are willing to pay a little money for their use.” —Mariko Ichikawa, founder ofMariko Ichikawa
An欧宝体育官网入口首页(instead of marketplaces likeselling on Etsy) gives you greater control over the brand experience, and helps you retain important customer data that can be used for future retargeting.
Pay attention to the following elements of your online store:
- Clothing product photography.Showcase what your boutique inventory looks like in various scenarios, like models of various sizes, hung on a hanger, or folded up.
- Product descriptions.Share your size guide, the material it’s made from, and why your boutique’s inventory is different from other brands.
- Navigation.Help people discover new products in your boutique by linking bestselling products and categories.
- Store policies.Fromshippingtoreturns, giving potential customers this essential information upfront often makes them more comfortable in making their first purchase.
The best part? You don’t need tons of cash to get started. Start selling online withShopify’s Starter plan。每月仅为5美元,你会得到的所有工具you need to sell via social media. Mariko Ichikawa, founder of Mariko Ichikawa, found it was easy to get up and running: “Shopify makes it super easy for anyone to create a really nice, professional, and useful website, so long as you do a little research into what themes work best for you, and are willing to pay a little money for their use.” For just $5 per month, you’ll get all the tools you need to sell via social media.
6. Decide on your shipping strategy
How will you get items from your online boutique to your customers? UseShopify Shippingfor discounted shipping rates. It’ll prevent extra costs that deteralmost halfof potential customers from making a purchase.
Consider domestic andinternational shipping rates, and whether you’ll offer free shipping—some 66% of customers are put off if they have topay for shipping。Work around this problem without sacrificing your profits by enforcing a minimum spend threshold, such as “spend $50 for free shipping.”
This problem is taken off your plate entirely if you’re using the dropshipping business model to run your online boutique.Order fulfillmentand shipping are the responsibility of your dropshipping supplier.
7. Price your boutique’s inventory
One of the hardest things about opening an online boutique is pricing your inventory. You’ll need to sell products for more than they’re costing you.
Consider different pricing strategies, such as:
Regardless of which pricing model you’re using, calculate profit margins usingthis free calculator。Bake fixed costs (mainly your domain and Shopify plan) into your product pricing to make sure you’re still turning a profit after paying for the online boutique’s overheads.
8. Get set up to take payment
You’ve set the prices for each item in your online boutique. Next, get your payment processor up and running to collect money from each customer.
The most popular payment method is debit or credit card. Accept these on your online store usingShopify Payments。Customers can use their American Express, Visa, or Mastercard to pay for online purchases.
Alongside debit and credit cards, offer alternativepayment methodson your boutique to generate more sales. That includes:
- Mobile wallets, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay
- Buy now, pay later, such asShop Pay Installments
- Bank transfer
9. Start promoting your online boutique
Your job isn’t over once your boutique is up and running. Smart marketing strategies increase the odds of people stumbling upon your online store. The more ecommerce website traffic you have, the greater your chance atmaking money online。
Promote your online boutique usingfree promotion tacticslike:
- Gifting free products to fashion influencers
- Guest posting on clothing publications
- Creating TikTok videos
- Offering a discount code
- Running an automated email marketing campaign
- Hosting a social media giveaway
Use Shopify analytics to figure out what’s working—and do more of it.
10. Optimize your online store
The average conversion rate for an online store is just2.86%。traf的类型fic you’re driving to your online boutique largely impacts your conversion rate. But there are things you can do to squeeze more revenue from existing website visitors.
Optimize your online store withconversion rate optimization (CRO) tacticslike:
- One-click checkout
- Trust signals, such as payment processor logos or free returns policy
- A/B testingelements on the page, such as your product photos or layout
- Showcasing social proof, such as customer reviews or user-generated content
- Mobile-friendly designthat automatically resizes based on a visitor’s device
You don’t need cash to start an online boutique
Opening an online boutique is agreat low-cost business idea。Choose a business model that doesn’t require upfront cash, like dropshipping or print on demand, and explain how you’ll work around a minimal budget with a solid business plan.
Get up and running withShopify’s Starter planfrom $5 per month.
Ready to create your first business? Start your free trial of Shopify—no credit card required.
How to start an online boutique with no money FAQ
Is owning an online boutique profitable?
An online boutique can become a profitable business, since it allows you to tap into the$775 billionglobal consumers spend on fashion. The key to success is monitoring your profit margins and selling clothes at a higher price than they cost you.
How do I start a small online clothing business from home?
Start by choosing a business model that doesn’t require upfront investment, such as dropshipping. Find a reliable supplier, sync their inventory with your online store, and start promoting your boutique online.
How much does it cost to start a boutique?
Start an online business for as little as $5 per month withShopify’s Starter plan。If you’re dropshipping inventory for your online boutique, you’ll only pay for inventory once you’ve sold it.
What can be sold in a boutique?
- T-shirts
- Sweaters
- Jewelry
- Handbags
- Cosmetics
- Luxury goods
Where do boutiques buy their inventory?
- Thrift stores
- Directly from manufacturers
- Dropshipping suppliers
- Wholesale fashion retailers
- Online marketplaces like eBay