Amanda launches her online boutique!

We can’t tell you how excited we are to share this completed project with you! Our team are big fashion addicts so we absolutely LOVED working on creating this super feminine boutique branding and e-commerce website design.

Amanda came to us looking for help with her brand new business. As she was starting from scratch, she needed a complete solution from brand to social media and website design with copywriting. She also needed someone to guide her along the process and take things step by step with the final goal being her managing both social media and online store.

Just have a look at the finished shopify website below! 😍😍😍

But first things first! We started from branding the business. Amanda wanted something contemporary, feminine and minimalistic but with an edge. We created a logo incorporating all those elements with a strong pink watercolor wash. The pastel palette was then rolled out across all collateral and social media. The logo also comes in one alternate and one round version to ensure it can be applied to various devices - from social to labels. We also created some subtle illustrations of hand-drawn florals and abstract shapes to add depth and create a cohesive brand across all platforms. Have a look below!

For the e-commerce website we suggested Shopify as it’s currently the most advanced yet user-friendly platform for selling online. While Wordpress + Woocommerce is a great cost-saving solution and allows lots of customisations plus you have access to your hosting and files, Shopify beats it in terms of intuitive, uncluttered admin and offers free support for its members. It definitely beats Squarespace which hasn’t got the multi-currency and lacks some core backend features which may be a bit frustrating if you run a high-volume store. So if you plan to open your first e-commerce store, Shopify or Wordpress with Woocommerce are the options you may wish to consider.

Check out how beautifully responsive (mobile-friendly) Shopify design can be. It adapts to large screens, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones with ease.

A good way to promote your shop and keep existing clients engaged is to run a newsletter. You can do this by collecting client’s e-mail addresses via popup, footer form and during checkout, then adding them to your Mailchimp or similar newsletter provider which is free. Shopify also offers some built-in (paid) newsletter services which can be added to your store. You can sign up for a free trial and see if Shopify is the right solution for you.

We also wanted to talk a bit more about the content and user experience. There are some visually pretty websites out there, but they often lack in terms of usability and accessibility.

We strongly believe a beautiful and technically sound website is only a partial success. Without intuitive navigation, easy to find information and accessibility features it’s only a pretty and working website.

Last year our web designer Angela became a certified User Experience designer with Accessibility specialization. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is for your website to be user-friendly and that includes those with impairments.

Did you know Domino’s pizza got (successfully) sued over their inaccessible website? The case was originally brought by a blind man named Guillermo Robles, who sued the pizza chain after he was unable to order food on Domino’s website and mobile app despite using screen-reading software.

Beach to Peach has a dedicated Accessibility section where impaired users can request help with purchasing and we made sure all information is visible and accessible, including things like customer service contact details or sizing chart. There are also several places across the site where users can request customer service help if they feel stuck or need more info.

To sum up - if you are looking to open an online store with Shopify or another platform, it’s a great opportunity to get your products or services out there, especially with e-commerce taking over traditional ways of shopping.

Start with a strong branding that will help elevate your business and create a professional, cohesive look across all channels. Invest in a designer who truly understands the entire process from branding to web and who is able to coordinate these stages as well as advise on marketing and post-launch. Last but not least - look into content creation, usability and accessibility as they are very important factors that will take online shopping experience from good to great.