working it out

hello chers amis, ça va?  it’s officially friday, let your hair down and swing from the rafters! ok well at least unbutton your collar or the waist of your pants. the point is to let it all hang out. glad you’re here for a minute hanging out on day 4 of the 365 day project. before anything, let’s announce the winner of the ‘Paris Style Guide’ book. hold on, going to the generator now…

and our winner is #13, Jo of My Gramas Soul. your link isn’t live so please contact me with your addy and i’ll send it right out. ok up next is another book to give away, but this one is a christian lacroix journal. we’ll draw the winner on tuesday so if you’re interested, just say so!

so…what’s going on today? well i had a lot of time to think about it and decided that you’re right, it’s not about selling TPA, it’s about making it better. the website is what i would call stagnant in the fact that the html pages haven’t been updated and have been left alone for so long it’s crying for a makeover. the boutique is easy to use and i still like it. but it does have its limitations and issues. maybe because i’m resistant to change, it’s easy to overlook these issues but it’s time to jump in and go pro. i met a young web developer in december who is a friend of a friend and he offered to help. i’m taking him up on it and i’ll pass his info on to you if you’re interested. he recommends that the e-commerce be built with wordpress compatibility. since i’m not techy and already use and trust them it’s fine with me. so he had me google ‘wordpress e-commerce templates’ and wow did i fall down that rabbit hole! i didn’t want to let so many pretty options go by without bookmarking and eventually using one and thought if you’re doing something similar this can be a shortcut since it’s really time consuming,  i didn’t want those hours to go to waste so here are a few:

zigzagpress.com/themes

nimbusthemes.com/ecommerce-wordpress-themes

themeforest.net/item/glamo-responsive-wordpress-ecommerce-theme/8980416?ref=pelfusion

shopkeeper.getbowtied.com/woocommerce-video

mr-tailor.getbowtied.com/indie-store

demo.woorockets.com/themes/wooplus/wordpress/#

just as i was about to close my eyes and purchase one, i thought about what else i wanted in a store…and it was…community. so just now i entered ‘multi vendor template’ in google then  realized we had to hold everything:

this is from ecommerce-platforms.com/ecommerce-selling-advice/the-best-ecommerce-platforms-shopping-carts-for-multi-vendor-ecommerce-marketplaces:

Multi-vendor online shops, aka marketplaces, are gold mines when done right. The big dogs are Etsy and Ebay, but you can find popular niche multi-vendor sites such asThemeForest or ArtPal. The idea behind multi-vendor sites is to allow people, or companies, to create profiles and post their products for sale.

When customers come to your multi-vendor site they can pick one item from John Q web designer and another from Company XYZ and it is all processed through the same shopping cart. The multi-vendor payment processing system divides the payments behind the two vendors and everyone goes home happy. This ecosystem of people creating and selling in one place helps the customer find a more diverse set of products.

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themeforest.net/item/-makery-marketplace-wordpress-theme/full_screen_preview/9609178

huh. what would it be like to have friends list their items, or let’s say my friends at the paris flea market? the idea is one i’m going to really mull over tonight.

themeforest.net/item/marketify-digital-marketplace-wordpress-theme/6570786

these site reviews gave me a ton to think about if the brand is going to be more than a mom and pop shop. i don’t want to lose the character and originality so it’s a fine line between modernization and keeping TPA’s atmosphere. check out some of the things they discuss if you’re looking to re-brand or freshen up too:

ecommerce-platforms.com/ecommerce-selling-advice/ultimate-epic-guide-successful-online-shop

Table of Contents

0. The infographic
1. Make an amazing first impression
2. Why photos matter
3. Improve your site’s navigation
4. Have a unique idea
5. Craft a strong USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
6. Start blogging
7. Create a mind-blowing About Us page
8. Develop a successful SEO strategy
9. Target the right visitor with the right product
10. Use Live Chat to help potential customers make faster decisions
11. To coupon or not to coupon
12. Improve shopping cart experience
13. Develop a successful shipping strategy
14. Ask for feedback
15. Rethink your newsletter approach
16. Show people your site is secure and trustworthy
17. Use the power of Social Media to promote yourself
18. Implement an Affiliate Program for your store
19. Don’t neglect mobile users
20. Choose the perfect ecommerce platform for your store

ecommerce-platforms.com/ecommerce-selling-advice/ultimate-epic-guide-successful-online-shop

siteturner.com/best-multi-vendor-wordpress-marketplace-themes

thought they put a lot of work into this info graphic. anyway, that does it. if you’re like me you’re ready to go have a true friday night. enjoy it. a demain!