How Much Does It Cost to Start an Online Boutique?

Today, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, shopping looks a lot more different than it did ten years ago. People are more likely to scroll through their phones than get in a car and go to a physical store, thanks to safe online business offers and the convenience they provide.

More and more shoppers are buying accessories, shoes, clothes, and all sorts of items online, making the growth potential one of the most appealing aspects of an online boutique. Online stores finally have an edge against the big players due to the changes in consumer spending, technology, and digital innovation.

Before we start talking about how much it costs to start an online boutique, we first need to review its definition. An online boutique is a store that sells items on the Internet.

It is an eCommerce business that sells certain products to a well-defined audience. The products that are sold can be sourced from a supplier or created by the business that runs the boutique.

1. Domain and Hosting

The bones of your online store are the domain and hosting. When it comes to domain registration, you wouldn’t want to settle for a service that doesn’t fit your needs, so make sure you apply strict criteria when looking.

When hosting is the place where all of your files will be stored. All websites need web hosting. There are different types of hosting plans, so you should pick one that best suits your needs.

2. Web design

To establish your online store, you will need to build brand awareness and do outreach through digital ads, email, and social media. Your website should be easy to navigate so customers can have a hassle-free experience when buying a product, and the landing page should look amazing.

For impeccable web design, you can hire a developer or go with a more cost-saving approach and use a content management system or website builder.

3. Inventory

The items you’ve ordered from your suppliers will need to be stored somewhere once you’ve purchased them. Another option you can consider is drop-shipping, where the products are directly shipped to your customer by the supplier.

However, drop-shipping takes away the opportunity to check the quality of the items you are selling. Make sure you take into consideration the money you’re going to need for the inventory of your products.

4. Staff

When you start off your business, you can choose to do everything by yourself to eliminate costs for staff.

You can use fully managed hosting and a website builder. This way, you can operate without having a huge workforce.

As you grow, you might need help in different areas, so take into consideration the money you will have to spend on staff.

5. Customer engagements and Marketing

By creating an engaging and active social media presence, you can generate a lot of traffic on your site, thus lowering the costs for pay-per-click ads. However, creating advertising techniques will also demand cost.

6. Licensing requirements and permit

This is a procedure that depends on the local government. To legalize any business, including an online boutique, you will need licensing and business permits.

7. Logo design

Although optional, having a logo is an important step in order to build brand awareness.

If you’re on a budget, you can create a logo by using free drawing tools like Canva or Crello.

However, since the logo is an essential part of your business, you should invest money to get it done right.

Starting an online boutique doesn’t require huge loans or giving up millions. Anyone can start an online boutique with proper planning. Depending on what you have planned, the cost of investment will vary.

The success of an online boutique depends on many things, including a great web hosting provider, as well as the perfect hosting package.

At Verpex, we provide you with the most comprehensive set of features and tools for the ideal domain name experience.

When it comes to web hosting, we provide 24/7 expert support, so you can run your online boutique smoothly and a 60-day money-back guarantee in case there’s anything you’re dissatisfied with.