Best Website Features for Quilt Shops

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Even with the onset of new technologies, old-fashioned hobbies like quilting and making other homemade crafts have not fallen to the wayside. However, quilt shops still need to learn to embrace technology to keep up with online sales and the other newfangled aspects of running a store. When making a new website, or updating an old one, for your quilt shop, make sure to include these four aspects.

Integrated POS Shop

One of the most important things to include on any shop website is the shop itself. Depending on which platform you are building the website on, there will be different templates to work with. Some website users prefer to work with another website or software to make sales. These other options can be embedded or linked within the website. Those with more technical know-how may instead choose to use POS quilt shop software. All and any of these options are great to use. Depending on the option you choose, there will be a few things to keep in mind.

If you are making sales directly through your website, not through a secondary source, then you will need to make sure your website is as secure as possible. When websites are not secure, customers do not feel good about inputting their credit card information. One of the best ways to make sure your site is secure is to get an SSL certificate for the website.

Using a secondary source, like a linked website (Etsy, eBay, etc) has its benefits and drawbacks. One major benefit is that websites like these already have all of the security they need to operate. They have big names, so customers are more likely to trust them. However, selling on these platforms often comes with additional fees.

Finally, using Point of Sale software will have various benefits, but these all depend on the kind of POS you buy. The biggest downside is that it does cost money to use. The biggest upside is that a POS software can work both with in-person and online sales. Many of them can even keep track of inventory for you!

Advanced Search Options

Most shop websites will have a search bar that customers can use to look up products. Usually, the search bar works by matching the searched term with the words in the item description or item tags. While having this set up on a quilt shop website would work well enough, upgrading it to have advanced search options will make it easier for customers find exactly what they are looking for.

When it comes to quilt shops, or any other type of craft store, having the option to sort by color is a must. Add any additional search terms you think your customers will like. Searching by needle size, cloth weight, and fabric types are all great places to start.

Event Calendar

If your business ever hosts quilting events, your website will be able to benefit from having an event calendar. There are a few ways to make a calendar for your website. What works best for you will mainly depend on your technological skill level.

If you have very little in the way of technological skills, then it will be best to make a picture of a calendar. Manually type in all of the events and times to correspond with the correct dates. If you are a little more tech-savvy, then try using a plugin or widget. Depending on which one you use, you can link events on the calendar to pages on your website or on social media.

Facebook Events is a great tool to use when making or sharing events on Facebook. Creating an event with this feature is free. However, business owners can choose to share the event on their own pages for free or share to the wider world of Facebook for a fee. When linking, make sure to link to something that will give your website users relevant information for the event– not just a blank page with the same information that is on the calendar.

If you know your way around a website, or even simply know how to take advantage of website templates, then you can customize your website to meet your (and your customer’s) needs. Try some of the tips listed in this article to improve your website.