Introduction to Website Design for a Custom Decoration Business
Every business should have some type of website, be it informational or ecommerce, but it is especially important for product decoration businesses. An informational website provides consumers with basic information like your contact information, product line, and prices. This tells consumers who you are, what you do, and why they should purchase whatever products you sell. An ecommerce website is essentially an informational website that also has the ability to conduct sales. If done right, conducting sales through an ecommerce website can be a low-cost way of increasing both sales and profits. The type of website you choose will be dictated by your business model and budget. Regardless of what type of website you have, remember it is an online extension of your business's brand, and should therefore be held to the same standards as the other parts of your business.
Content Management Systems
Creating a website from scratch can be an expensive and exhausting process, and there is no guarantee you will still end up with exactly what you want. Using a content management system (CMS) is the easiest way to create a website that looks good and performs well while not breaking the bank. Still, you get what you pay for when it comes to content management systems. Good CMS software allows you to customize all the variables for your website, including the pages, design, products, and prices, among others. If you are concerned with keeping costs as low as possible, then a Wordpress website is probably your best option. Wordpress websites are best suited for informational websites, as their strengths focus on displaying content. So blogs, journals, and other content-based websites work well on Wordpress.
CMS’s like Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify represent a step up from Wordpress. Each of these three CMS’s allow a business to easily create a custom ecommerce website capable of converting sales 24/7. Each of these systems have tiered services that improve upon the basic package based on what you are willing to pay. The more expensive the service, the more website features and marketing tools you will have available to you.
There are also two CMS companies that focus specifically on product decoration business websites: Inksoft.com and DecoNetwork.com. Both of these companies have built their software to specifically cater to the needs of decoration businesses. These companies offer products unique to decoration businesses, but the software is more expensive than a typical CMS due to its more narrow use. One of the most critical functions both of these CMS’s have is an online design tool that allows customers to create custom products through the website or in a retail location.
If you are serious about creating an ecommerce website for your decoration business and want to allow your customers the ability to design products online, then you should consider using either DecoNetwork or Inksoft’s software. If your focus is on simply selling retail products, a CMS like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify would likely be more cost effective. Finally, if you really just want to have an informational business website, then Wordpress or a similar competitor should be enough to meet your needs.
Why Use DecoNetwork?
Our recommendation for CMS software for custom product decoration businesses is DecoNetwork. DecoNetwork is always evolving and improving, as all successful companies do. What really makes DecoNetwork different is how much they listen to their clients’ wants and needs, looking to implement their ideas to make the software better. DecoNetwork has a variety of support tools, including forums, support tickets, the Idea Center, blogs, and numerous help articles & videos. Since DecoNetwork’s software is so powerful it can be a little intimidating at first. That is why they have taken the time to create a strong support network to help fulfillment centers reach their maximum potential.
DecoNetwork has also made strong partnerships with several other companies within the decoration industry. DecoNetwork’s software is connected to several blank product suppliers, like Sanmar & S&S, which provides fulfillment centers with detailed product information including colors, photos, descriptions, and size charts. This information is extremely useful for determining product lines and building orders. With DecoNetwork, it is as simple as adding a product to your fulfillment center and then just configuring the variables, including the price and decoration processes that can be used on that product. The ability to quickly add customizable products to a fulfillment center makes launching a high quality ecommerce website much easier and fun.
Website Design and Content
When it comes to website design, it all starts with the color scheme. Keep it clean, most likely white or some other solid color as a background. Successful ecommerce websites typically use some type of white background and easy-to-read text. Site pages should all have a few similar elements, including a header, footer, and navigation bar or menu. Besides those core elements, the remainder of each web page should be filled with content. Content includes text, pictures, videos, and more. Content should be both original and unique, as you want to set yourself apart from your competition. Search engines crawl websites to looking for content so that sites can be accurately categorized and called upon when a relevant search is conducted. Good content is one of the most important factors in establishing a quality business website, whether it comes in the form of informative articles, high-quality product photos, or whatever else you feel is important to share.
Website Pages
A business website must be logically organized, and that organization begins with the various pages of the website. Every page has many variables that must be properly configured, and they must all fit together to form a cohesive and coherent website. Not every website will have the exact same pages as another, though there are certain core pages every website must have. Being able to navigate easily from page to page is a vital part of a good website, and some websites use subpages to make site navigation more efficient. Subpages are especially useful for listing products or decoration services. Below is a brief summary of both the core pages of a website and some pages that are specific to product decoration businesses.
Every Website
Home: The landing page is typically the first page of a website a visitor will see, and as such is one of the most important pages of a website. The home page sets the tone for a visitor’s entire experience on a website. A product decoration business home page ought to have some sort of call-to-action to help convert sales or gather valuable consumer information
About: The about pages tells your website visitors who you are, why they should purchase from you, where you are located, what products you offer, and when the business was started. This page can serve as a sales tool, illustrating your experience, qualifications, and capabilities.
Contact: The contact page lists all the various ways consumers can get in touch with your business, including its phone number, address, email address, links to social media accounts, and even forums.
Retail Pages
Pre-Decorated Products: The pre-decorated products page (also known as just the products page) is where you can display your complete product line that customers can easily add to their cart and purchase. This page should have high quality photos of goods or of the results of services to really sell the consumer on the quality of the product.
Designs: A designs page allows your customer to choose a design from those you have available and then choose the product they want to have it printed or sewn on to. Again, high quality photos of designs make a big impact on the ability of your website to convert sales.
Custom Decorating Services Pages
Pricing: The pricing page is will give your customer the ability to quickly create a quote themselves by looking at your pricing tables. When it comes to a pricing page, you likely want to display your decoration price tables and potentially a short list of your blank products for sale. It is also a good idea to include downloadable versions of your price tables and product line.
Get a Quote: When it comes to quotes there are really two types: instant and requested. An instant quote (also referred to as a quick quote) allows a customer to select order variables like products, quantities, and designs and the website will then automatically generate a quote based on those choices. The other type of quote is a requested quote, in which the customer will fill out a form detailing what they are looking to order and submitting it to the business so that a custom quote can be created.
Blank Products: A blank product page is important for custom decoration service websites, as customers should know the important details about the products that can be decorated. This page should contain valuable information like colors, sizes, and styles. The way in which blank products are organized is important, and we recommend using Unisex, Ladies, Youth, and Accessories as your main product categories.
Designer Tool: An online design tool that allows customers to design custom products within minutes is a very powerful sales tool, as it engages the customer and gives them control over the product they are buying.
Other Common Pages
FAQ Page: FAQ (short for Frequently Asked Questions) pages help cut down on time and money spent on customer service. Every business has questions they hear repeatedly from customers, and laying them out in a question-and-answer format on your website is a great way to answer those questions without having direct contact with a customer.
