Web design for boutiques and retail shops
I design and build websites for independent boutiques that make the shop feel worth the trip, and let people buy online when they cannot make it in.
Free homepage teardown for your shop
Send me your site. I’ll record a short video on what works, what doesn’t, and what I’d change first.
How clients choose
Most boutique customers are local. They search for the shop by name or by what they want, check the hours and look for a sense of the edit before they visit. Some will buy online, many just want to know it is in stock. The site has to show the taste of the buyer and make the physical shop easy to find.
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What people type before they choose. Each of these deserves a clear answer somewhere on your site, usually its own page.
Pages your site needs
The pages I plan for almost every shop website, and why each one earns its place.
Shop online
A focused catalogue of what sells well online, not every SKU in the store. Curation is the brand.
Visit the shop
Address, hours, parking, transit and a photo of the storefront. It is often one of the most visited pages on a boutique site.
Brands we carry
A list of the labels and makers you stock. People search for a brand and want to know who carries it locally.
New arrivals
A page that changes weekly gives regulars a reason to check back and something to share.
Gift guide
Seasonal edits by price or recipient. Gift buyers want a short list, not a full catalogue.
Events and workshops
Trunk shows, launches and late nights. They give locals a reason to come in.
What builds trust
The signals that move someone from browsing to choosing a shop.
The real shop in photos
The space, the displays and the people behind the counter. It is what separates you from a chain.
Accurate hours
Holiday and seasonal hours kept current on the site and on Google, so nobody arrives to a locked door.
Named stockists
The brands and makers you carry, with a line on why you chose them.
Local pickup
Buy online and pick up in store tells people the shop is real and nearby.
The conversion path
Primary action: Buy online or reserve for in-store pickup.
Fallback: Get directions to the shop.
Two paths run side by side: a short route to checkout for people ready to buy, and a clear visit page for people who want to see it first. Local pickup bridges them and saves shipping on small orders.
Common mistakes
What I see most often when I review sites in this field.
Uploading the whole store
Hundreds of thin product listings with phone photos make a curated shop look like a warehouse.
Stale stock
Products online that sold out weeks ago frustrate people who come in for them.
Hours only on Google
When the site and the Google listing disagree, customers trust neither.
Features worth building
Shopify with Shopify POS
One inventory for the shop floor and the website, so what shows online is actually on the shelf.
In-store pickup
A pickup option at checkout with a clear ready-for-pickup email.
Editable events and arrivals
Simple sections you update yourself, so the site keeps pace with the shop.
Websites for boutiques and retail shops: common questions
Not everything, but something. A small, well-photographed online edit of best sellers and giftable pieces earns sales from people who cannot get to the shop, and it shows locals what kind of store you are. Selling every SKU online is often more work than it returns. Start with a focused catalogue and grow it if the orders justify it.
Use one system for both. If you run Shopify POS or Square in the shop, the website draws from the same inventory, so a sale at the counter removes the item online. I set the site up on whatever your till already uses where possible, rather than asking you to change how the shop runs.
Start with a complete Google Business Profile, accurate hours and photos of the shop. Then give the site pages that match how people search: brands you carry, gift guides by occasion, and a clear visit page with your neighbourhood named. Those pages give Google something specific to rank beyond your shop name.
Yes. People search for a brand name plus their city to find a local stockist, and a brands page lets you show up for those searches. It also signals your taste. Check each brand’s guidelines on logos and imagery first, since some wholesale agreements have rules about how they appear on stockist sites.
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- nick@tavro.ca
- 587-439-9994
- Calgary, Alberta