How to Offer FREE Shipping to Your Online Boutique Customers

You might be wondering, how do online boutiques and stores offer free shipping and still making a profit?

It can be so challenging as a small boutique business to keep up with larger retailers and be able to compete with them in the online space. But customers WANT free shipping!

So, how do we as small business owners give them what they want and still be a profitable business?!

Continue reading to learn my top 4 ways I have been able to offer free shipping to my customers in my own online boutique businesses.

1) Offer free shipping over a certain order value.

Choose an order value in which your customer would receive free shipping. Most common order values are $50, $75, or $100.

Say for example you offer free shipping over $75. This will encourage customers to spend more money to hit the $75 and get free shipping. This will help you absorb the cost of shipping because you’ll be making more profit on those higher orders. And anything under the $75 the customer will be paying for shipping so you don’t have to absorb the cost on lower dollar amounts where you’re not making as much profit.

2) Run a free shipping promotion.

This is a really good tip if you are charging for shipping, but want to run a promotion. You could plan out a free shipping promotion every month alternating with your other sales promotions.

For example, you could run a 3-day free shipping promotion one week and the next week run a 20% off sale. But don’t run a sale AND free shipping at the same time. You’ll want to just offer one or the other. That way the free shipping is essentially giving them a discount or a sale, just in a different way.

You’re also appealing to more customers because some people will respond more to free shipping and others to a sale. Like for me, I’m the type of customer that loves free shipping. I hate paying shipping costs.

3) Calculate an average shipping cost into your retail price.

This is a good way to offer free shipping all the time. You can calculate shipping costs into your retail price. I will usually add an average shipping cost to the wholesale cost of my items and then calculate the retail price.

The average amount will become clearer once you’ve made a few months worth of sales in your online boutique. What I do is take my orders for the month and then how much I spent on shipping and divide up the cost of shipping per piece and tack that onto my wholesale price and then calculate my retail price. I’m not just adding the amount on top of my retail price.

4) Dropship for free from China.

I used to be so anti-dropshipping, even up until a few years ago and then I started to experiment with it and saw how successful it can be and what a great option it can be for people who want more flexibility and don’t want to risk thousands of dollars in inventory.

In order to get really low cost or free shipping from your drop shipping vendor, you’ll need to source vendors that are in China. China and many other countries, including the U.S. currently have an agreement that China can ship packages for free or at a very low cost. So, you can easily pass this savings on to your customers and also offer them FREE shipping.

Whether you’re just getting started in the boutique business or you’re looking for ways to increase your sales, make sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel for more important boutique business tips and watch my most recent video where I talk all about free shipping!

5 First Steps to Start Your Online Boutique

How to Come Up With a Name for Your Boutique Business

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Are you stuck trying to think of the perfect name for your new boutique business?

It seems like a lot of pressure, but what if I told you the name doesn’t matter?

Because it really doesn’t.

Now don’t go and name your boutique something completely out of left field like Sally’s Iphone Cases if you’re not actually selling iPhone cases.

So many people get hung up on naming their boutique.

They’ll spend months and months, maybe even years trying to decide and never make a decision. This usually means there’s more going on here than just picking the name, like an underlying fear of actually getting started, or a fear of failure.

My best cure for this, is to give yourself a deadline of 24-48 hours to decide. It’s also reassuring to know that I have seen some pretty strangely named boutiques be insanely successful – so don’t be too hard on yourself to come up with something super unique.

Here’s a good place to start to get some ideas flowing for your boutique’s name:

1️⃣ Start with names that are sentimental to you – your kid’s names, your favorite grandma, or your own name. You could even use a middle name!

2️⃣ What are your favorite places to visit? City names and street names are also great options! Just open google maps and have some fun browsing, thinking of your favorite places, or the street you grew up on, there are so many options with this one!

3️⃣ Come up with a list of adjectives that help describe the overall aesthetic of your boutique brand and start mixing and matching with the names you’ve already come up with from points 1 and 2.

4️⃣ When all else fails – check out ssa.gov where you can view the top 1,000 baby names and pick one you like! (I actually use this to name just about everything – boutiques, products, etc.!) This is a great way to get those creative juices flowing and to think of things you might have not thought of!

Hint: If the domain name is taken, try adding shop or boutique in the name and it will most likely be available!

But, just promise me, that no matter what you do – you don’t waste months deciding! Starting a business is all about making decisions. You will have to make many more throughout this process. Give yourself deadlines and stick to them!

Watch my latest Youtube video on this very topic to learn more about these 4 steps!

Whether you’re just getting started in the boutique business or you’re looking for ways to increase your sales, make sure to subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss out on important boutique business tips.

The 3 Things You MUST Ask Before You Buy Wholesale

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3 Questions That You MUST Ask Before Buying Wholesale

Shopping for wholesale inventory is one of the most essential (and fun) parts of owning an inventory based boutique.

But I also find that it’s one of the things that is holding a lot of people back from starting their boutique.

They’re afraid of sounding like a “newbie” and not knowing what they’re talking about, so those first steps of sourcing wholesale seem sooo scary.

Don’t let that imposter syndrome hold you back, girl!

💫If you’re thinking of starting an inventory based boutique – whether it’s online or brick + mortar) you MUST watch this video.

I go over the 3 questions that you need to ask a wholesale sales rep before you buy.

📌In this video you’ll learn:

👉The terminology frequently used by sales reps so you can understand what they’re talking about.

👉The 3 questions to ask to make sure you’re on track with your buying plan.

👉Why making a wholesale appointment isn’t as scary as it sounds.

This video is part of a series based on the top questions I received from my email “What boutique questions are you dying to know?”

👉Have more questions? – Leave me a comment below!

Scaling Up with Channell of Good Vibes Clothing Boutique

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In this week’s interview, I chat with Channell from Good Vibes Clothing Boutique.

She started her online boutique about 2 years ago and is scaling up and opening a brick and mortar location in the coming months. (Dreams do come true!)

This is a massive accomplishment and you don’t want to miss what she has to say!

1) What is the name of your boutique?

Good Vibes Clothing

2) What type of boutique do you own and where can we find you?

Women’s Clothing/Plus Size and Junior’s. Some Men’s clothing as well.

My business can be found on:

My website www.vibesclothing.net

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100027638077358
Instagram : www.instagram.com/goodvibesboutique91

3) What inspired you to start your own boutique?

My love for being unique which translates to my clothing is what inspires me. My clothing is a part of my identity. It speaks for me. Whether I’m feeling pretty one day or maybe I feel more chill on other days….My clothing will express me as a person as well as my customers. I aim to make people become one with my clothing and feel good about themselves.

4) What resources have been most helpful to you as a new boutique owner?

Self research has been a huge help for my business. I’ve watched Youtube videos on how to market, shop for vendors, set budgets, etc….Also Facebook Marketplace has worked wonders for me.

5) How did you feel when you made your first sale? What did you do to celebrate?

I felt accomplished. That moment made me feel as though I could do anything I set my mind to. Doesn’t matter if people know you, they will know my brand and that made me happy to know I can provide products that makes the people around me feel the same. I actually framed my first sale. That $20 changed my whole outlook on life.

6) What was the final push to follow your dreams and start a boutique? What was the “aha” moment for you?

My ‘aha” moment was when I was informed of lay offs at my job. I knew I had always wanted to start my own business every since I graduated High School I just didn’t know how to start. I was at a job that I really wanted to retire from but when the company fell into hard times I was let go without any remorse or compensation package. I was left to fend for myself. At that moment I realized I didn’t need to allow others to control my future I just needed my own will and determination. From that moment I registered by business name and never looked back.

7) Tell us what a “day in the life” looks like for you now that you’re running your own boutique business!

OMG do the days even exist anymore!? My days consist of daily promoting! I make it a mission to post something everyday to keep customers engaged in my content. I am constantly looking for new items, finding new vendors, creating useful tools to help other aspiring entrepreneurs and help them pave their own way. I’m also busy finding new models and getting photo shoots done. My life is busier than before and I LOVE it. I work for me and my business grows tremendously to do my hard work.

8) What has been your biggest challenge as a boutique owner and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was finding my target audience and getting the word out about my boutique. I started out thinking everyone needed to be a customer of mine but my range was too broad. Starting out I had no clue as to how I would get people to find out about my boutique. I tried talking to radio stations but their prices weren’t feasible for me just starting out so I had to use the old fashion ‘Word of mouth” technique. Placing business cards in every bag when a purchase was made…. Then I grew and started doing little ‘pop up shop” events! Worked wonders!

9) How do you stay inspired and motivated to run your boutique?

Seeing the positive feedback from my customers is what really drives me. Knowing that I’m not just providing clothing I’m providing an experience, a sense of hope for people that are scared to jump out on faith and do what makes them happy.

10) What’s the best part about being your own boss?

Creating memories with my customers and having the freedom to control how my life/business succeeds. I don’t have to depend on someone else to get me to where I want to be. I know own that power and I won’t allow myself to fail.

11) What’s your go-to favorite podcasts or blogs that you’d recommend to other girl boutique bosses?

I don’t really listen to podcast but I do follow a few blogs one being Sorella Boutique. She has a very similar story as mine and gives great advice and REAL advice to business owners. I also follow Jance Chartae very informative lady and so willing to help.

12) What is your number one piece of advice for aspiring boutique owners?

Do your research! Research clothing material, research the market in your area and see if there is a growing need for your business. Learn to invest in YOURSELF! Take classes, attend conferences. Put in adequate time and don’t rush. The more you know the more you’ll grow.

Questions about Channell’s boutique? Comment below!