It’s the feeling of gratitude that some users give a payback for their parents and wanted to venture on online business by creating a stunning online apparel store like this fellow:
“I want to payback my parents for what they have spent for me.
I want to start my own business but I dont know where to start. I want to sell greek apparel. I really need someone’s experienced advice. I am really young, but I have a good feeling about this business.
I want to sell apparels including Sorority and Fraternity paraphanelia. Such as Delta Sigma Theta and Omega Psi Phi items. I have been burned by a local store when I put the garments on consignment. I want to try sell online.
– James, New York“
But for some reasons, there are certain factors that keep them from doing so. Oftentimes, they are helpless on how to build their online apparel site. With this is mind, here is an informative guide on how to quickly create your online apparel store without the need to hire a developer or spend big amounts in ecommerce solutions.
Do you like this apparel website? Make it possible by building your own.
3 Things You Need
- Web Hosting Service and Registered Domain Name
- Free Shopping Cart Platform for the Site
- Customizing the Professional Look of Your Site
1. Web Hosting Service and Registered Domain Name
Getting Registered Domain
if you want to create a self-hosted online apparel store site, you need to have your own registered domain. You may ask why? This is for the reason that it can give your site its unique identity on the internet in addition to giving a professional presence business online. There are lots of accredited best domain registrar out there, but feel free to try Name.com. Simply search for your desired domain name and it will return the availability results. If its available, you can proceed to check out otherwise if not, search for another domain name again or use the domains that are suggested. But, please stay away for branded domain names.
You can also use the free domain registration included in some premium web hosting packages, but you have to shoulder the domain renewal expense when it comes to renewing before it expires.
Getting a Premium Web Hosting Service
The perfect web host I discovered at this point is Hostgator. I’m an affiliate marketer with Hostgator and I may be given commission for each and every sales I make that’s why I recommending it. Nearly all of my sites is hosted by them. Even though they are not giving most affordable website hosting plan rates in contrast to others nonetheless they have trustworthy servers that I like the most to maintain my sites working continuously, have responsive customer support, longer money-back guarantee period, A+ BBB rank, cpanel and auto-installer support, and they also stand on what they’re really providing concerning web hosting capabilities. What’s the good thing is they feature coupon codes for their first-time people to get their hosting service at a less expensive cost. You can utilize:
2. Type in your domain. Input any verified Hostgator coupon code you have.
3. Select a package Type and billing cycle.
4. Create your Account as well as your billing details.
5. And finally, create your account.
2. Free Shopping Cart Platform for the Site
To minimize the expense, in this tutorial we will use Magento as the free shopping cart platform of the online apparel site. Magento can be quickly set up using auto-installer like Fantastico and QuickInstall in addition to having a lot of ecommerce fashion themes and modules that you can use. Aside from that, Magento is:
- not difficult to integrate with many of the third-party websites required to run a highly effective eCommerce site, which includes SalesForce.com, Google, Constant Contact, open-source databases like MySQL, all main payment gateways such as PayPal, and shipping services like FedEx
- simple customization
- incorporates built-in SEO (search engine optimization) attributes, identifies international currencies and changes currency rates live, offers you online marketing tools, permits buyers to rate etc.
- ability to operate multiple stores from the same backend user interface, with all of the details for your shops available on the same admin panel
- modified on a regular basis by developers, which suggests you’ll constantly get additional features and fast bug fixes, along with support through the Magento community
Tutorials in Installing Magento
1.Signin to your cPanel.
2. Click on QuickInstall.
3. On the left side of the QuickInstall interface, click Magento.
4. Simply the ‘Continue’ button to begin the installation.
5. Look forthe domain name or subdomain you wish to use from the dropdown selection and fill in the necessary details such as the Admin Email and your Firstname and Lastname. Leave the others as defaults. Keep in mind that your admin email is important for your information on the installation.
6. A successful message will be displayed after your installation.
3.Customizing the Professional Look of Your Site
1. Open up inbox, click on the link or copy and paste the link to access to your Magento admin panel and employ the given username and password.
2. Start by customizing your online apparel store site by modifying your pages, just go to CMS->Pages then select the page you wish to edit.
3. In order to change the theme of your online apparel store, you have to upload your template file on your server. Download your Magento fashion template and extract it. Utilize a ftp client such as Filezilla and login employing your ftp login details(your web host gives your ftp login details via email). Search the template folder(s) you want to install in the left side and then drag and drop the folders on the right side(your server). On your own Magento Admin panel, browse to System->Cache Management.
4. On the cache menu dropdown, pick on ‘Refresh’. Save your changes. Your ‘Templates’ menu will appear on your admin panel.
5. Go to Templates->Install Template.
6. In ’Website/Store/View’ dropdown list, select on ‘Main Website’. In the ‘Template’ dropdown list, select the template you wish to install. Click on the Install button.
7. Navigate to System->Cache Management.
8. On the cache menu dropdown, select on ‘Refresh’. Save your changes.
9. Under Catalog->Catalog Rewrites, click on ‘Refresh’ button.
10. View your website by inputting your domain in your web browser.
Here are some Magento themes you can utilize in creating your online apparel store:
1. Madame – most flexible Magento theme completely adjustable for any device
2. JM Siotis – now comes with 6 exciting extensions including: JM Mega Menu, JM Slideshow2, JM Products slider, JM Product, JM Quick Buy and the awesome JM Basetheme.
3. Apparel and Clothes – dedicated for apparel and clothes stores
4. Acumen – a powerfully flexible, grid-based Magento theme. It was designed specifically for easy customization and to fit a wide range of stores
5. Dresscode – premium responsive magento theme which can be used according to your needs and requirements
Congratulations! You’ve successfully conquered your fears and create your own apparel online store.
Aside from Magento, there are lots of free shopping cart you can use such as Zencart, Cubecart and OsCommerce. Content management system such as Joomla and WordPress can also be used in creating your online apparel store. These are all open source and have available apparel or fashion theme that you can use. Remember that it is also important to be comfortable on what ecommerce software you will be using to avoid any possible mistakes and confusions.
