Gone are the days when people fought their way inside a shoe store to get a hold of the newest limited pair of sneakers. These days, every little new trendy thing is just a click away – all thanks to e-commerce. People can now go to the shop’s website, choose their size and preferred color, add them to their shopping cart, and checkout. It’s that simple!
So, how helpful is e-commerce to your shoe store, you ask? The best thing about this is your 
clients don’t have to let your store clerks wait for them to make a purchase. With e-commerce, they can shop at your store even from the comforts of their couches and take all the time in the world. With a laptop or a smartphone, your clients can browse your products and buy without hassle.
Want to get started on how to build an e-commerce website for shoes to bring your digital strategy to life? Here are a few basic tips.
Establish Your Brand
The first and most important thing an aspiring e-commerce website owner must do is to establish their brand. You have to be sure about your niche and know what kind of shoes you’re selling. Your brand should be clear to your clients so you can stand out among your competitors. Establishing your brand also helps with building your website as it can help you choose the best SEO and AdWords keywords to use.
Pick a hosting platform
Once you’re sure about the type of shoe store you want to be, the next step is to consider your e-commerce hosting platform. With the rise of e-commerce, there are various hosting websites to choose from. All of these platforms serve its purpose, but you have to pick the one that works to your advantage.
Shopify is probably the most popular e-commerce website for business owners. Shoe stores such as Portugal-based Wolf & Shepherd and Spain-crafted Jack Erwin use Shopify as their e-commerce hosting platform. It is extremely customizable, beginner-friendly, and boasts a lot of plugins and options for people who are keen on DIY projects.
Magento is another hosting platform that should definitely be on your list of options. It works on just about any kind of business – shoes, clothes, food – and is one of the most flexible platforms when it comes to customization. If you’re only starting out and want to see how it works for yourself, you can choose the free version which is Magento Community. However, if you already have a considerable amount of following and want to establish a legit website to direct your traffic to through your sales copywriting, you can go for the Magento Enterprise.
To look for Magento inspirations, you can look up the websites of family-owned shoe business Oliver Sweeney and 50-year old shoe company Rancourt & Co.
Design Your Website
You’ve established your brand and picked out your e-commerce hosting platform – what’s next? Designing your website! This step is the most exciting part of building an e-commerce website. All you need to do is think about the theme of your brand, the feel and look of the whole custom craft web design, and the visuals that you want to highlight. And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun!
