What can we help you with?
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Email Marketing
About Shoptiques email marketing.
How does Shoptiques email marketing work?
What type of emails do you send on my behalf?
How do I send you my mailing list?
How do I export my mailing list from Constant Contact?
How do I export my mailing list from Mailchimp?
What is the monthly opt-in email series?
How often should I send emails to my customers?
How much does Shoptiques email marketing service cost?
How should I start collecting emails from my customers?
How do I create a promo code?
How does Shoptiques email marketing work?
What type of emails do you send on my behalf?
How do I send you my mailing list?
How do I export my mailing list from Constant Contact?
How do I export my mailing list from Mailchimp?
What is the monthly opt-in email series?
How often should I send emails to my customers?
How much does Shoptiques email marketing service cost?
How should I start collecting emails from my customers?
How do I create a promo code?
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About Shoptiques Email Marketing
An e-commerce business starts with a webpage, but it only succeeds with an effective online marketing strategy. Email marketing is one of the powerful parts of your online marketing mix!
As a small business owner, we understand that you are busy and designing effective email marketing campaigns may not be at the top of your to-do list. This is why we decided to help our stores by providing a full service professional email marketing service - for free.
As a small business owner, we understand that you are busy and designing effective email marketing campaigns may not be at the top of your to-do list. This is why we decided to help our stores by providing a full service professional email marketing service - for free.
How does Shoptiques email marketing work?
It's pretty simple- you can provide us with your mailing list, and we do the rest of the work. A few things to mention:
- This list is never added to our main Shoptiques mailing list.
- We only send emails when you request it.
- Whenever we email your customers, it is about your boutique and links directly to your Shoptiques e-store.
Once you have provided us with your list, we will:
- Create email templates designed to convert to tell your customers about your products on Shoptiques.
- Send the graphic to you to approve. You do not need to do anything, just say GO!
- Send this email on your behalf to your customers when you request it.
- Get more traffic and visits to your Shoptiques e-store!
What type of emails do you send on my behalf?
We generally recommend sending emails to your customers around the following events:
- Announcing your partnership with Shoptiques (please note - this is required in our agreement and must happen within 2 weeks of your site going live).
- Announcing your new Shoptiques website if we have made one.
- New Arrivals - Let your customers know when you add new product to the site.
- Sale or promotions for your online store (end of season etc).
How do I send you my mailing list?
Send your mailing list to help@shoptiques.com as an email attachment. Please be sure to send this attachment as an .xlsx or .csv spreadsheet.
How to export your mailing list from Constant Contact:
1. Login to Constant Contact.
2. In your left-hand menu, click the group of contacts you want to export or search for your contacts.
3. Select all of the email addresses that displayed by clicking the check box next to "Name"
4. Click "Export" in the menu
5. Choose the fields you want to include in your export.
6. Click Export Contacts
7. Click "Activity" in the yellow sub-menu at the top of your screen
8. Click "Download CSV" or "Download Excel" for the export you just did.
Note: It may take a few moments for that link to be available. Click the refresh icon in the gray bar for the most updated version.
9. Depending on your browser, a pop-up message will give you the choice to save or open the file.
10. Click Save and choose your desktop as the location for the file.
11. Email your list in an .xlxs file or a .csv file to help@shoptiques.com.
1. Login to Constant Contact.
2. In your left-hand menu, click the group of contacts you want to export or search for your contacts.
3. Select all of the email addresses that displayed by clicking the check box next to "Name"
4. Click "Export" in the menu
5. Choose the fields you want to include in your export.
6. Click Export Contacts
7. Click "Activity" in the yellow sub-menu at the top of your screen
8. Click "Download CSV" or "Download Excel" for the export you just did.
Note: It may take a few moments for that link to be available. Click the refresh icon in the gray bar for the most updated version.
9. Depending on your browser, a pop-up message will give you the choice to save or open the file.
10. Click Save and choose your desktop as the location for the file.
11. Email your list in an .xlxs file or a .csv file to help@shoptiques.com.
How to export your mailing list from Mailchimp:
1. Login to Mailchimp
2. Click the "Export List" button, to go to the Subscriber Exports page
3. When the export is ready, click the Export button. This might take a few moments.
4. Lists are exported as CSVs. Email the list to help@shoptiques.com.
Need more help? Mailchimp has a great video tutorial which you can view here.
1. Login to Mailchimp
2. Click the "Export List" button, to go to the Subscriber Exports page
3. When the export is ready, click the Export button. This might take a few moments.
4. Lists are exported as CSVs. Email the list to help@shoptiques.com.
Need more help? Mailchimp has a great video tutorial which you can view here.
What is the Monthly Opt-In Email Series?
Our Monthly Opt-in Series is a set of pre-designed email templates that we create for our stores. These are specifically designed by our marketing team to be seasonally relevant and convert to sales.
Several times each month, we may also provide a discount to customers in the form of a promo-code. This is paid for out of our commission, so you can offer a savings to your customers at no additional cost to yourself.
How it works:
Like all of the email campaigns Shoptiques sends on your behalf, these emails look like they are coming directly from you and include a link to your Shoptiques e-store.
You can view the designs and opt-in via the Boutique Admin.
Several times each month, we may also provide a discount to customers in the form of a promo-code. This is paid for out of our commission, so you can offer a savings to your customers at no additional cost to yourself.
How it works:
- Every month we send our stores a series of email campaigns that our marketing team has designed,
- Each mailing graphic corresponds with a specific date when the email will be sent.
- If you "opt in" to this email campaign, we will send it to your customer list on your behalf, on that date.
Like all of the email campaigns Shoptiques sends on your behalf, these emails look like they are coming directly from you and include a link to your Shoptiques e-store.
- You can opt into as many or few of these campaigns as you would like on a monthly basis
- You can also opt into all emails for a certain month, or all emails for all time
You can view the designs and opt-in via the Boutique Admin.
How often should I send emails to my customers?
There is no exact calculation for how often to send emails to your customers. The rule of thumb: set a rhythm and stick to it (or gradually increase it). We recommend sending 3 emails a week once you get into the swing of things, however, if you have never emailed your customers before, start slow with one email a week and gradually increase the frequency.
How much does Shoptiques Email Marketing service cost?
It's FREE! Your success is our success, and we want to provide you with all the tools you need to establish a strong web presence.
It's FREE! Your success is our success, and we want to provide you with all the tools you need to establish a strong web presence.
I have not collected emails from my customers, how should I start?
Collecting emails from your in-store customers is one of the most important things that you can do to grow both your in-store and online business.
Here are a few quick tips!
Here are a few quick tips!
- Set up a fishbowl at your cash register and have a monthly drawing for all customers who drop in a business card of leave their business address!
- Employees are your best asset- incentivize your employees to collect emails. (Free manicure for whoever collects the most emails this month!)
- Add an email collection popup to your website! Don't know how to do this? Head on over to our web services page, our sites have it built in!
- Mention your e-commerce business at checkout and keep a log at your cash register. "Would you like to sign up for our email newsletter for exclusive online and in store promotions?"
How do I create a promo-code?
Creating a promo code is a great way to offer your customers added incentive to make a purchase. It’s easy to create your own custom coupon in the Boutique Admin - just follow these steps:
* Make sure your code is unique! If it has been used before, you will get an error message. Using "10-OFF-MYBOUTIQUE" is more likely to be unique than "10-OFF."
- Log in to the Boutique Admin.
- Select “Promo Codes” from the menu on the left hand side of the page.
- Click “Add New Promotion.
- Fill in all of the requested information.
- Code: This is the code customers will enter at check out. It can be anything you want! Feel free to get creative.
- Once Per Customer: Check this box if you would like the coupon to be single-use only. Leaving it unchecked will allow the code to be used more than once.
- First Shoptiques Purchase Only: The coupon will only be valid if the customer has never purchased from Shoptiques before.
- Start Date/End Date: If you would like, you can set date parameters for your discount - this is a great option for a holiday or special occasion discount, but it is not required.
- Discount type: You can select from a $ discount (ex. $10 any purchase) or % discount (10% off everything). Tiered discounts allow you to offer a deeper discount to customers making larger purchases.
- Minimum Amount: You can set a minimum amount for the discount to be applicable. For example, a $10 discount on orders of $50 or more - in this case, you would enter $50 into the Minimum Amount field.
- Description: This is for your own reference and will not be customer-facing
- Click "Save"
- Share with your customers!
* Make sure your code is unique! If it has been used before, you will get an error message. Using "10-OFF-MYBOUTIQUE" is more likely to be unique than "10-OFF."
Web Services
What web services do you provide?
What are the features of your web services?
Why should I let Shoptiques build my website?
Why did Shoptiques start creating websites?
What does running a website on my own, without Shoptiques support, mean for me?
How will Shoptiques Web Services make me more money?
Do I still own my domain name?
Can I have a shopping cart on my own Shoptiques site?
What are the features of your web services?
Why should I let Shoptiques build my website?
Why did Shoptiques start creating websites?
What does running a website on my own, without Shoptiques support, mean for me?
How will Shoptiques Web Services make me more money?
Do I still own my domain name?
Can I have a shopping cart on my own Shoptiques site?
What web services do you provide?
As a Boutique Partner, you have access to our Shoptiques Web Services, and we can help you with your website in 3 ways:
- We can design and host a website for you. You can see some examples here, here, and here. You will be able to give us input and guidance for the initial design of the site. From there, we will send you a preview of a new site we created, get your feedback, and after you approve it, launch the site for you.
- If you already have a website you are happy with but no e-ecommerce, you can put a "Shop Online" link on your site to direct customers looking to purchase your product online to your Shoptiques e-store. You can see examples here, here, and here
- Many of our boutique partners that already have e-commerce put a link on their site to shop a curated selection of products directly on Shoptiques. These stores find an increase repeat rate of their online shoppers when they have two avenues to purchase their products online.
What are the features of your Web Services?
- Reduced commission - we take a reduced commission on orders placed via your site.
- Easily update and manage content on your own using our drag and drop back-end tools.
- Be more accessible to your customers on the go, with a site optimized for mobile shopping.
- Make it easier for customers to search for and find your site through SEO tools.
- Understand your business with data that's automatically captured and analyzed for you.
- Exceptional customer support from a team that understands your business and priorities.
- We provide a full service package that is above all, affordable!
Why should I let Shoptiques build my website?
Meet Liz.
Liz opened her Boutique in 2012. As a small business owner, she has an endless list of daily tasks and is always juggling an array of urgent issues that need her attention. After a year of owning her business, she knew having a great website that brought in additional revenue was an important part of her long term business strategy. So, she spent thousands of dollars creating a site, photographing her products, writing all of her descriptions, setting up her shipping and packaging systems, and advertising her new site to send new customers to it.
After all of the work she put into it her new site, the orders barely trickled in. After months of banging her head against the wall, she shut down her site and decided e-commerce was not for her.
Liz may be a made up person, but her experience is what we hear from our boutique partners day in and day out. Liz is the reason that Shoptiques.com exists! We are here to create a better e-commerce experience for boutiques.
Meet Liz.
Liz opened her Boutique in 2012. As a small business owner, she has an endless list of daily tasks and is always juggling an array of urgent issues that need her attention. After a year of owning her business, she knew having a great website that brought in additional revenue was an important part of her long term business strategy. So, she spent thousands of dollars creating a site, photographing her products, writing all of her descriptions, setting up her shipping and packaging systems, and advertising her new site to send new customers to it.
After all of the work she put into it her new site, the orders barely trickled in. After months of banging her head against the wall, she shut down her site and decided e-commerce was not for her.
Liz may be a made up person, but her experience is what we hear from our boutique partners day in and day out. Liz is the reason that Shoptiques.com exists! We are here to create a better e-commerce experience for boutiques.
Why did Shoptiques start creating websites?
"My nephew's ex-girlfriend built my site, but they broke up and now I can't update my hours. It says I am closed on Sundays but I am OPEN on Sundays and no one ever comes in - help!"- Liz (not a real person, but does that sound familiar?)
We started with Shoptiques with an intense passion for helping small businesses compete in an increasingly complicated digital world. The marketplace came first so that boutiques could showcase the merchandise to a larger customer audience, but then we started hearing about your trials and tribulations with web building and managing your own sites and knew we could create a better experience.
We started with Shoptiques with an intense passion for helping small businesses compete in an increasingly complicated digital world. The marketplace came first so that boutiques could showcase the merchandise to a larger customer audience, but then we started hearing about your trials and tribulations with web building and managing your own sites and knew we could create a better experience.
What does running a website on my own, without Shoptiques support, mean for me?
Although there are plenty of sites out there that you can use to set up a simple website, success is really not that simple, and creating a web-site is only the first step.
This is the bare minimum of what it takes for you to create a successful e-commerce business on your own:
It is a LOT of work! Aren't you already busy enough?
This is the bare minimum of what it takes for you to create a successful e-commerce business on your own:
- Build the site.
- Produce all of the images and content.
- Write all of the copy for your product descriptions, about us, blog etc.
- Test photographers for a photoshoot, negotiate rates, and facilitate a photoshoot.
- Hire a lawyer to write a terms of service.
- Test your site on every mobile and desktop platform to ensure it works.
- Upgrade and improve your site constantly to keep up with industry best practices.
- Submit URL to search engines.
- Optimize for SEO.
- GET PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY SEE IT!
It is a LOT of work! Aren't you already busy enough?
How will Shoptiques Web Services make me more money?
You receive a reduced commission for referrals, and this applies to all orders that you sendto the site.
Customers today expect secure payment processing, dedicated customer support, and free shipping (even for returns!) when they shop online. If you can't offer this, your customer will go to Amazon who can use the magic of the internet to fly the product in on trained super-monkeys equipped with jetpacks (or whatever it is they do). Can you compete and still successfully manage your brick and mortar business?
Considering the fixed costs required to sell online (and that's just for the essentials) it ends up being less expensive to sell on Shoptiques. For example:
Let's assume your average order size is $100 (to keep the math simple). For every order you will have to cover the following costs whether you decide to manage your own site or run it through Shoptiques:
Not to mention, any of the following may be needed:
We cover these fixed costs through the commission we collect, so these are benefits are INCLUDED in your membership. You not only save money by partnering with Shoptiques for your e-commerce, but our dedicated support means that you are also more likely to be successful! Many of our boutique partners who used to manage their own e-commerce have shut down their websites and now sell online exclusively through Shoptiques so they can focus on their brick and mortar.
Customers today expect secure payment processing, dedicated customer support, and free shipping (even for returns!) when they shop online. If you can't offer this, your customer will go to Amazon who can use the magic of the internet to fly the product in on trained super-monkeys equipped with jetpacks (or whatever it is they do). Can you compete and still successfully manage your brick and mortar business?
Considering the fixed costs required to sell online (and that's just for the essentials) it ends up being less expensive to sell on Shoptiques. For example:
Let's assume your average order size is $100 (to keep the math simple). For every order you will have to cover the following costs whether you decide to manage your own site or run it through Shoptiques:
- Shipping to the customer (~9%)
- Payment Processing (~3%)
Not to mention, any of the following may be needed:
- Return shipping (another ~8%)
- Promotion/advertising for your products (~10%)
We cover these fixed costs through the commission we collect, so these are benefits are INCLUDED in your membership. You not only save money by partnering with Shoptiques for your e-commerce, but our dedicated support means that you are also more likely to be successful! Many of our boutique partners who used to manage their own e-commerce have shut down their websites and now sell online exclusively through Shoptiques so they can focus on their brick and mortar.
Do I still own my domain name?
Yes! You will still own your domain name that you buy through a 3rd party (like GoDaddy, etc). This way, if you ever decide to make your own website separate from Shoptiques, you will be able to do so.
Can I have a shopping cart on my own Shoptiques site?
Shoptiques built websites cannot have their own individual shopping carts. All e-commerce on the sites we create must run through Shoptiques.
Website Management
How do I login to the website Shoptiques made for me?
How do I edit and update my site once it's created?
How do I edit and update my site once it's created?
How do I log in to the website Shoptiques made for me?
1. To login to your web editor, please open either Google Chrome or Firefox on your computer. Please note that other web browsers are not compatible with the web editing platform.
2. Once your web browser is open, you'll want to type in your domain name and add a "/login" to the end. For instance, if your domain name is www.rosaboutique.com, you'll want to type in "www.rosaboutique.com/login" into your web address bar.
2. Once your web browser is open, you'll want to type in your domain name and add a "/login" to the end. For instance, if your domain name is www.rosaboutique.com, you'll want to type in "www.rosaboutique.com/login" into your web address bar.
3. Once you are on your login page, you'll need to find your login credentials (username and password). The login information for your website was emailed to you when your website went live. The subject of the email was "IMPORTANT: Your Website Is Live."
If you can't find the email or you need more help email help@shoptiques.com.
If you can't find the email or you need more help email help@shoptiques.com.
How do I edit and update my site once you create it?
If we have made your website for you, you have access to make image changes and change the text of your site as often as you would like. Of course, there are some limitations to the features that can be implemented on our websites, but you will be able to make basic changes as you see fit. We provide user-friendly drag and drop tools to make editing your site easy.
Build Awareness
How can I promote my Shoptiques e-store in my brick and mortar?
- Make sure your web address is visible at the register
- List your web address at the bottom of your paper receipts
- Stick a Shoptiques “Find Us Online” sticker on your store front. Request your sticker here
- E-receipts are a great way to collect email addresses
- Keep business cards with your web address on the counter by the register
- Host a launch party
- Tell family and friends
- Make flyers announcing the launch of your e-store and hand them out around town
- Network with other local business owners
Best Selling Categories for Fall / Winter
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Dresses
Casual Dresses Mini, Knee and Maxi Little Black Dresses Sequin Dresses Outerwear Jackets Puffer Coats Vests |
Tops
Sleeveless, Short and Long Sleeved Tops Tunics Sequin Tops Lace Tops Silk Tops Velvet Tops Silk Tops |
Shoes
Booties Boots Pumps & Heels Accessories Scarves & Wraps Winter Accessories |
Bottoms
Pants & Leggings Skirts Sweaters Crew / Scoop Neck Sweaters Cardigans Ponchos & Capes |
Best Selling Colors for Fall / Winter
- Accessories: Multicolor, Black, Silver, Gold, Grey, White, Blue, Pink, Beige
- Activewear: Black, Grey, Blue, Multicolor
- Bags: Black, Multicolor, Brown, Grey, Blue, Beige
- Bottoms: Black, Blue, Multicolor, Grey, Red, Beige, Green
- Dresses: Multicolor, Black, Blue, Red, White, Grey, Beige, Green, Pink, Yellow, Plaid
- Home & Gifts: Multicolor, White, Silver, Pink, Black, Brown, Green
- Outerwear: Black, Beige, Brown, Grey, Multicolor, Blue, Red, White
- Jumpsuits & Rompers: Black, Multicolor, Blue, Red, Beige, White
- Lingerie & Sleepwear: Black, Beige, Red, Pink, White, Purple, Multicolor
- Matching Sets: Multicolor, Black, Yellow, Green, Red
- Shoes: Black, Brown, Beige, Grey, Multicolor, Blue, Red, White
- Skirts: Multicolor, Black, Red, Beige, Blue, Brown, Grey, Plaid
- Sweaters: Grey, Multicolor, Beige, Black, White, Blue, Green, Red, Brown
- Tops: Multicolor, Black, White, Grey, Blue, Beige, Red, Green, Brown, Purple, Plaid
Upcoming Editorial Themes
Please sign up for our boutique emails to ensure you receive monthly email calendar so you can add products with those themes.