Tag: Shopify

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Selling Fabric on Shopify

Shopify

Having an online store can be tough. Keep reading to find out how to sell fabric on Shopify.

Your store probably has hundreds of different fabric options for customers. Managing a site that’s also easy for customers to navigate and order these fabrics can prove a difficult challenge. If you’re serious about selling your products online, there’s no better time to jump on the ecommerce bandwagon than now.

Sew Much Commerce

Shopify is the biggest ecommerce site on the internet with over 600,000 stores. Shopify is known for having a box of core functions; when they stay in the box they do these functions really well. Anything outside of the box will need some assistance.

Because you can’t sell 1/3 of a t-shirt or 0.5 of a shoe, Shopify does not have the ability to purchase quantities outside of whole numbers. That’s where Sew Much Commerce steps in. Sew Much Commerce is a code that goes along with Shopify that enables your customers to buy fabrics in 1/4 and 1/2 quantities. Adding this service can make your online store tailored with your customers in mind.

Shopify

Shopify has several functions that make it stand out from its competitors. It’s easy to build a site, multiple employees can work on the site at the same time and at different locations, and it can keep your inventory updated on various platforms (no matter if your customer bought in store or online).

If you’re ready to take ecommerce more seriously, making the move off Etsy is a good place to start. Switching to Shopify can help legitimize your place in the industry.

What platform do you currently use to sell your products online? Do other products have the same problem of only offering fabric quantities in whole yards? Leave your comments below to help other retailers like you.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.

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Quilting and Technology

Technology

Quilting has come a long way since it’s origins thanks to advances in technology and society. Like most other industries, quilting has made even more progress in the past three decades than the rest of it’s history combined.

Quilts can now now be much more elaborate and patterns much more varied thanks to the artistic freedom technology provides. Fabrics come in all colors and designs, and the number of tools available to quilters continues to grow.

On the flip side, dedicated quilters are also spending more time online. The amount of time they spend researching the quilting industry increased from 2.5 hours to nearly 8 hours a week since 2014. Further, “68% of dedicated quilters were buying fabric, batting, and thread online,” as of 2017.

Technology is disrupting the traditional business model that brick-and-mortar stores follow. In order to compete now you have to learn how to establish an online presence as well as make your product as easy as possible to get into the hands of the consumer.

Industry professionals feel like they’re behind in more ways than one. Common areas they want education include:

  • Product photography
  • Video workshops with best practices for Instagram and YouTube
  • Best ways to sell fabric on Shopify
  • The ins and outs of selling through Amazon
  • Copywriting for social media posts and online content in general
  • Shipping logistics
  • Email marketing with details on specifics like list segmentation and more

What’s Next?

The times are always changing and it’s up to us to keep up with them so our businesses stay relevant to our consumers. How is technology helping your business and how is technology making things more difficult? What tech-related skills do you want to learn?

American Quilt Retailer is dedicated to connecting you with like-minded professionals to help out with problems like these and many more. Share your tips about what technological advances have been the best moves for your business.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.