Brochure Style/ Information Website Design and Web Development
If you want to inform and educate existing and potential female customers about your boutique business, but you don't want to sell products directly online, you will probably want a brochure style website. This can be a large, advanced table-less css designed website or a small chic website on which you can build. Blossom can add e-commerce (shopping cart) facilities onto it down the track if you need them.
There are number additionas you can include, such as galleries, pay pal buttons, contact forms, booking forms and pop up windows.Just tell Blossom what you are after, and we can make it happen.
Blossom can design and develop your boutique, informational website, from the initial design concept through to the website's exciting launch, and we have the specialists for each stage of the project.
Blog Design and Web Development
A blog can be a fantastic standalone website, or to be used in conjunction with your boutique informational or ecommerce website. Because of the variety of our client base, we can help advise you as to the right blog choice to suit your end goals, budget and business needs.
Our preference for a full blog is for Wordpress. Wordpress is a fabulous state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. The coding is open source which means that one installed and implemented, there are no licensing fees or ongoing costs, except when you want us to upgrade the security or look and feel.
If your budget is tight, a free eblogger account with google, can provide the basic blogging tools, and doesn't cost a lot of customise (although is less comprehensive in terms of functions and usability).
Blossom has designers to create the look and feel of your blog, as well as developers to install and implement the design in an SEO friendly way.
E-Commerce Boutique Website Design and Development
Introduce your gorgeous products to the world. Sell online safely and stylishly. Start selling online, with your own secure ordering and shopping cart solution, that is tailored specifically to the feminine market.
Because you are an individual, and every business is unique, Blossom offers bespoke, completely unique design csolutions for boutique ecommerce. Blossom will tailor an e-commerce shopping cart solution to your special, boutique needs, budget and industry, helping to ensure your online success.We can create beautiful, feminine and stylish websites for a wide range of businesses including fashion, beauty, cosmetics, haircare and lingerie boutiques.
We are flexible with our solutions, because an ecommerce site needs to address a wide range of usability issues, from the customers' needs, not to mention the needs of the administrator.
Clever, Innovative Newsletter Marketing
Opt-in mailing lists with E- newsletters educate and remind your customers about your boutique web business and it's products and/or services.
Using enticing and inspiring images, titles and copy can encourage customers to "click through" and improve your boutique website performance.
Keeping in touch with existing and potential customers in a cost effective and environmentally friendly way is fundamental. Not only will you save money on printing, but you'll be saving trees as well. Introduce your new feminine products, sales, new boutique services, techniques and tips.
Implement a newsletter system into your marketing plan that is measurable, cost effective and, importantly is SPAM law compliant. There are several, user friendly companies, that offer third party newsletter services and we know the best ones for each size, style of business. Not only that, but we can add a newsletter field into your store in a matter of minutes so you can set up a professional database and create professional looking e-newsletters, just like the big guys.
Blossom can design your initial newsletter template so you can complete future newsletters yourself, or we can design your successive newsletters. The choice is yours. You'll be able to track who opens, clicks through and and who forwards your newsletter.
Pretty, girly Graphics, Icons, Titles & Illustrations
Blossom can create stylish, chic graphics, icons, banners along with many other web based visuals to spice up your internet presence. Fancy animated .gif, pretty and effective banners and gorgeously girly titles are my specialty.
Website Management and Development
A website can be one of the most successful tools the for promotion of your feminine business online. A successful boutique website is always well planned and well maintained.This is vital, not for just aesthetics and content, but also security.
Blossom knows that not all small business owners have resourcesfor a staff web designer. If your time is valuable or you don't have the knowledge and skills, you may not be able to do this yourself.
This is the reason Blossom decided to introduce a website managment plan.
The time included in each plan can be used in many ways to improve your website including:
- Creation of new web pages
- Updating news, dealers, links pages
- Updating security on Blogs and Shopping Carts
- Flash animation design
- Improving Search Engine Placement (SEO)
- Updating Product Information
- Replacing outdated prices or updating your pricelist
- Reviewing your online marketing strategy
Domain Registration/Hosting
With Blossom's experience in setting up hosting and registering domain names, we are able to help take the confusion out of the web for newbies. Many businesses are not sure where to start, or in fact, what hosting and registration are, so Blossom will take the hassle out of hosting and direct you to the best solution for your needs. You'll need an great domain name, as well as secure and reliable hosting. Click here to read more about starting out on the web...
Blossom's web hosting provider is eco-friendly. Everything our host provider, Digital Pacific uses across their business operations including servers, routers and air conditioners are eco powered. So not only would you be you hosting your website on state of the art hardware, you're also showing your commitment to a more sustainable world. Click here to find out more about Digital Pacific's carbon neutral business hosting and email services.
Blossom's Web Philosophy
We specialise in design for a feminine audience. We don't "do" masculine or "blokey". If you are after a site that inspires and motivates predominantly women, Blossom can design a web solution for you. After years of experience we know what works online and what drives women to buy online.
Websites for women
A common theme that has emerged Blossom was born has been clients calling up after having difficulties communicating with their web designer/graphic and not getting the website that they wanted, even after paying up to tens of thousands of dollars. Blossom can also fix many sites that have been designed with a male consumer in mind, changing icons, graphics and type styles.
People come to Blossom usually via referrals from previous clients, or word of mouth, because Blossom has a proven track record of making the whole process simple without any hidden costs, and we always go the extra step in ensuring online success for our clients.
Boutique, Feminine E Commerce Specialist
Blossom Graphic Design will go out of our way to explain potentially confusing aspects of e commerce and web design to our clients (many of whom are unfamiliar with the technology, make them vulnerable in this relatively new market). We will outline what the costs are up front, what you are actually paying for, and ensure you are totally happy with the concepts before we proceed to implementation stage.
Women and Men Are Different
It may not be a PC thing to say, but it is so true. The web can be such male paradigm and Blossom was set up to address the needs of mostly female business owners/managers, wanting to target a predominantly feminine customer base.
My research also tells me not to assume all women are the same. It tells me not to patronise or generalise in print and web design. Thinking "pink" is not the answer for all women. Neither are butterflies, love hearts or lace. This overtly feminine style however does have a place in beauty, cosmetics, some fashion labels such as lingerie and vintage inspired fashion. But, for some brands a simpler, cleaner and understated approach is better.
High End...Not Lowest Common Denominator
Recently I was working with what I would call an "old school" web developer. I was working on the concepts and he was working on the programming. His primary concern, was to ensure that the site loaded quickly and efficiently on all computers, i.e. setting the sit up for the lowest common denominator. Now, while I understand the need for this, he was employing tactics that we used years ago in the days of dial up and tiny screens. As a result, the client ended up with a fast site, that someone with the slowest computer on the planet could have viewed on the tiniest screen. Guess what though...the product was aimed at a mid to high-end targeted demographic, aimed at the western affluent market...the majority of whom have big screens and super fast broadband.
My point is simple. Would you design a walk in shop, for a luxury product, using the same philosophy as a variety store - fast, efficient economical - in case some people were alienated? No. You would ensure everything was luxurious, of the highest quality, gorgeous, intimate, beautiful. Even if it took the customer a little longer to purchase the product. Why? Because it is about the experience of the purchase and how you feel about the visit - not about "getting in and out" as fast as possible.
It's food for though when deciding between high image quality versus page load speed and designing for the lowest common denominator.
Shopping Trolley v's Bags and Baskets
Supermarkets offer trolleys and plastic or wire baskets. Does a boutique that operates on a quality rather than quantity basis? No. Most women are not overly fond of supermarket shopping, so why have a "buy" icon that looks like one from the supermarket or green grocer if you are selling high end products?
Do You Use A Trolley To Buy Designer Products?
I prefer to think outside the square, and use a high end looking shopping bag, make up case or nice handbag. While there is a place for the stock standard "cart" most of my clients are boutiques and would prefer a more sensitive, up market approach.
I feel that the shopping cart, while it says "buy me" is not always the most clever answer to inducing a woman to part with her hard earned cash. I'd prefer to see a make up case, shopping bag, pram, even a little wardrobe. Something cute, inspiring and funky.
Approaching the design of a site from a female perspective means the designer has to think like a woman. Women designers tend to be better at that.
Our Choice of Host Providers, E Commerce Programs and Domain Registry Companies
