• Designing a Clothing Store

It is commonplace to consider that marketing to end-users (consumers) is somehow a different process from marketing to business. It is frequently overlooked that resellers, agents, distributors, as well as the end users are actually part of a communications continuum where all need information to meet their needs, even if that information is filtered to focus on specifics, or exclude what may be inappropriate. Formerly the domain of TV, radio and magazine advertising in the case of consumers and trade publications, sales representatives and brochures in the case of business purchases, the Internet has forever changed a customer`s ability to find and evaluate suppliers, products and services. The information now readily available on-line allows easy comparison of competitors and the value propositions communicated can make or break the perception the customer has of the supplier.

Ultimately, a purchase by the end customer will depend upon many factors but brand image remains one of the main motivators. However, as a serious wake-up call to the major suppliers who distribute only through traditional outlets, there is a growing appreciation that Internet Marketing is to sales what guerrilla warfare is to conventional warfare. Even a small marketer can mix it successfully with the big boys if the right skills and techniques are adopted and a prime example of this is where a major brand is made available to the consumer exclusively via the Internet, as distinct from a retail outlet. In such cases, the purchaser does not need to be convinced of the quality or viability of the item to be purchased, so the sale requires only that the payment and delivery may be assured.

Not to be overlooked is the selection of the web hosting service. The best of these will provide comprehensive support in the form of sub-domains, email broadcasting, anti-spam and anti-virus functions, as well as top-class support and simple upload access for site updates. Of course, the actual development of a successful website is rarely as simple as many might wish. Too many sites are artistic masterpieces, yet lack effective functionality, poor content, little or no "call to action" or simply cannot be found due to poor search engine optimisation. Regrettably, even professional web development firms are sometimes guilty of some or all of these failures. In worst case scenarios, the developer is really just a graphics shop, relying on the client to provide the copy, whereas it should be providing meaningful input into the communications strategy, the content, functionality and execution.

The style of the website is, of course important because it must reflect the identity of the marketer and the products on offer. This means that the "look and feel" of the site must complement these factors. Next in terms of importance is the site functionality, meaning what it actually does. If on-line purchase and payment are to be included, such functions should be considered from the outset (even if added later) so that the data on the website is derived from the inventory system, so as to eliminate re-keying of product information, codes and prices. Functionality might also deliver email newsletters to signed-up members or prior customers, announce specials and so on. The next component of a successful website is the actual content, meaning the descriptive text, illustrations, item specifications, reviews, testimonials, all or some of which must contribute to the overall effectiveness of the site. Last, but by no means least in the promotion of the site itself. This inv! olves use of targeted key words, titles, phrases, links and similar techniques to optimise the way in which search engines find the site, for example if you are targeting the phrase Boss mens designer wear, you need content, inbound links and on-page code optimisation all in support of this phrase. However, old-fashioned techniques have not disappeared and advertising, flyers, telemarketing all contribute to directing traffic to the site.

Designing a Clothing Store Website