We can now setup web forms to pull client data into your CRM from Shopify. Track style preferences, sizes, social URLs and more. 

Less paid plugins the better. Sometimes it’s faster and easier to use a commercial off the shelf solution (COTS). Here are a few ideas to help any savvy retailer improve their online store.

Need help with Shopify? Contact us at http://facebook.com/agencycouture

1. Facebook to Sync products

2. Pinterest

3. A Wishlist

4. A Buy now button

5. SoldLive for comment selling directly to Shopify

6. Desktop & mobile notifications

Your website can send customers push notifications

7. Mobile-friendly design

8. Add to Homescreen

Did you know that you’re site can be saved on someone’s phone like a mobile app

9. Email newsletter sign up

10. No more than 1 disruptive item like a modal (pop-over) to interrupt the shopping experience

11. Contact information

Examples: location, return address, phone number, facebook, Instagram, any other social networks

About the Apps

Details about the recommended Shopify Apps

Facebook App

Sync products

This allows you to  manage all products available to Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Marketing.

Did you know Shopify is one of the few platforms that can sync to Facebook Commerce?

Pinterest

Sell Products

Allows you to upload a product catalog and publish Pins for items that you sell. By using this you are literally advertising products from your website for free.

Wishlist

Save and favorite products

Shoppers nowadays mostly do window shopping. You want to make it easy for them by adding a wishlist on your website. That way they can just jump back into the website and see the items they like without going through all your available items again.

Did you know that it can be built into your theme?

Buy Now Button

Fast checkout

Having a buy now button helps your shoppers to buy your products easier. You can also place buy now buttons on non shopify websites. By creating a buy now button you can create check out links that will direct customers to your check out page.

Did you know that it can be built into your theme?

SoldLive

Comment selling directly to Shopify $49/mo

Allows your boutique to sell instantly to shoppers who purchase from your live stream. An invoice is created to anyone who comments in the right format, it reads in your variant like color or sizes and shows it to your buyers. Or they can completely choose the variants in their comments.

Desktop & mobile notifications

Push notifications / popups

Gives the option to send push notifications to shoppers on their phone or on their desktop via a website. Perfect for abandoned carts so you can easily recapture lost sales for a targeted notification. Can also be used for notifying your customers about new stocks and events.

Mobile-friendly design

Responsive website design

Having a mobile friendly design not just helps you but also your shoppers to navigate and browse through your page. Also helps you with adding useful information to your website such as maps, videos, and images which makes your website look great!

Mobile Add to Homescreen Button

App-like button

Having a nice home screen Icon makes it easier for customers to find your page. Think of it like looking for your favorite make up brand, or favorite cereal brand. Having one great icon definitely makes an impact.

Did you know that it can be built into your theme? No app needed!

Email & SMS newsletter sign up

Email and text message marketing

We can't forget about newsletters of course. Having a great newsletter sign up makes it pleasing to the eyes of your customers to know more and sign up for it. Make sure you have set up great newsletters too to give it a great combo.

Did you know that it can be built into your theme?

Minimize Disruption

No more than 1 disruptive item like a modal (pop-over) to interrupt the shopping experience

It's best to have 1 pop-over that can show the best reviews given by previous shoppers. This will boost customers' shopping experience by letting them know that previous buyers spend their time to leave you good reviews.

Contact information

Examples: location, return address, phone number, facebook, Instagram, any other social networks

Adding your business information on your page is always a plus! Let them know you are all over social media so that they won't get behind your newest releases. This also gives the impression that you are well established.

Don’t forget to add your social content to your product pages. 

Why Use Shopify?

Having a website is an important asset for any retail store. It’s the storefront for anyone shopping. Shopify is an amazing platform amongst other options out there like Wix, Wordpress, SquareSpace, Magento and BigCommerce because it has the capability to quickly and seamlessly sync with so many markets, including Facebook, other stores, Instagram, Pinterest, CommentSold, Vjaro, Wabelo, Amazon, eBay, Orbelo and many more. And unlike a mobile app or some CMS systems, it’s very SEO and mobile friendly. Shopify also can do almost everything a mobile application can do (except appear in the App Store), but unlike a mobile application it can also show up in search results and sync products to Facebook. Out of all the platforms listed earlier for eCommerce, only BigCommerce and Shopify can sync products to Facebook Commerce.

Need help getting your website setup on Shopify? aCo Digital can help. 

We’re Shopify Partners. 

Contact us at http://facebook.com/agencycouture

Or Info@aco.Digital

About aCo Digital 

a co-mpany focused on helping boutiques grow. In business for nearly two decades. 

We take a holistic approach to boutique marketing. Our services include: team training, procedures documentation, data analytics, automation, SEO, text marketing, email marketing, design and user experience research. 

More details at http://aCo.Digital 

A trademark distinguishes your brand, products or services from similar providers. 

It's a word, symbol, design, sound, color, or smell. 

Trademark: Brand

Patent: Inventions

Copyright: Original artistic works

Facebook Shop collections are, as the name implies, as collection of products in a business pages' storefront. 

Lookbooks are digital or print magazines that show off that season's catalog! 

It's a great marketing tool and helps later if you need to destash. 

Tool Example:Sweet Paul Magazine

ISSUU

Challenge: Sweet Endeavors Honey was on Square and wanted to expand their market reach, have more visibility over sales, and improve the brand design. The owner, Dean Coleman, wanted a new website, logo, brand packaging, marketing plan, and social media strategy.

Solution: In order to do accomplish these goals, aCo Digital built a new website on Shopify, designed a new logo, developed a brand kit, and began an extensive marketing and advertising program on multiple social networks. 

Tell your story! Who are you? What is your brand about? Introduce your team. Be relatable.

YouTube is the SECOND largest search engine online, after Google (which owns YouTube).

Challenge: The client wanted to feature real estate that she was doing open-houses for to help promote sales. 

Solution: We created a full branding package including a new logo, social media cover imagery, story icons for Instagram, and storyboards for videos. We then took images from the MLS and her photographers to create custom videos to help promote listings. 

Original question: Graphic designers, how do you handle a project where the client dictated at every step along the way what he wanted, but then disliked the final result?

So, how do I handle the design process with a typical client? (Just kidding, kinda)

I’m a UI designer and UX Architect with a degree in art and design. Throughout my career, it’s felt like I’ve needed to advocate and sell my work. The presentation and explanations have always been just as important as the task. The burden of selling likability is purely on you, the designer, or getting buy in from people like account managers to let you sell your own stuff.

Many clients have an opinion, ok scratch that, everyone has opinions. It’s up to you to direct the process if you want good end results. Start by setting the tone at the beginning of the project.

Setting the tone

Ask questions AND listen. Take notes (so many of my mentees show up, barely listen, then next meeting ask the same damn questions, it’s exhausting and rude).

Set goals. I try to start every meeting by setting a purpose and trying to keep on track to that purpose. By listening, you can ask about the clients goals, why they are goals, and what their timeline is. My favorite goal methodology is SMART goals. Really, you’re trying to get a deadline, to know if the deadline is flexible (doable), what they want, why, and if they know (roughly) the style they like. Leave the meeting asking your client to find inspiration and send it to you.

Write it down. Once a client has set goals, put it in writing. Create a written proposal or task list. Ideally have them sign off on this as part of your contract or at least email it to them with enough questions that they reply so it’s obvious they read it. Your contract doesn’t have to be super rigid unless it’s a big expensive project with hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars at stake. Just make it obvious what was asked for, what you intend to do, and clarify anything that comes up that’s unclear. Talk them the client through the contract.

Find inspiration. After the goals meeting, if you followed my advice, you asked the client to find inspiration. This doesn’t need to be similar designs, it can be anything.

• Get a good idea of the colors they like/dislike and why they want to use them. Figure out a complimentary color palette by engaging your knowledge of color theory.

• Create a design board based on the client designs.

• Get examples of layouts they like.

• Get their branding documentation and guidelines. These exist for a reason, follow them if they exist.

• Get access to their style guide if one exists. Follow these strictly.

This inspiration should paint a picture for you. The picture of what the client wants but is unable to articulate. Ask them to explain what they like and dislike. Listen and take notes. Send them a meeting follow up with an overview of your notes and a design board so they can provide feedback if you’re off track.

After you have gathered requirements and brainstorming is complete you’re ready to design.

Start designing but get feedback regularly. The more you meet with your stakeholder, the more opportunity you create for feedback and buy-in. A beautiful design is useless if you can’t get sign off.

If you charge for revisions be clear about this. Get feedback documented.

Wrap it up in a nice bow with a final review. Walk them through their original goals & requests. Show initial designs and revision requests then reveal the final project.

As you’re designing if the client defeats from the contractor originally set goals, it’s your responsibility to set realistic expectations. You may be willing to work out of scope but should be clear on how those tasks effect timelines and cost.

This type of process and clear cut expectations should help clear up issues with your client hating the final product. I also recommend getting final sign off. You could add your logo to designs to watermark it and charge them to remove that. Explain after sign off and final payment that they will receive a document handing off limited intellectual property rights. Until then you own the designs and all revisions. After they will own the final design only, unless otherwise agreed upon or you work full time for the company. This should encourage them to move along with sign off or maybe you do one more round of final revisions that result in a significantly happier client who brags about you going the extra mile.

Good luck.