What makes fashion ecommerce different
People buy clothing and shoes with their eyes. They can't touch the fabric or try the item on, so the website has to make up for that with photos from different angles, on-model video, and descriptions of the material and fit. The more accurately a shopper can picture the item, the less often they return it.
The second factor is seasonality. Collections change several times a year, the assortment is updated and older styles go on sale. The brand team needs to launch new collections without a developer and without losing pages that already bring in search traffic.
The third is brand character. An appliance store can be neutral, but a clothing brand's website needs its own identity. A template design works against sales here.
Challenges brands come to us with
- Lots of size-related returns. Shoppers order two sizes at once or send items back because they "run small."
- The website doesn't convey the brand's style. A template store looks the same as hundreds of other sellers.
- Sales only through social media. Orders come in through DMs, records are kept in a spreadsheet, and as the brand grows this stops working.
- Working with wholesale partners is clunky. Seasonal catalogs are sent as files, and orders are collected manually.
- Expanding into new markets. You need other languages, currencies, international shipping and returns from another country.
What we build for clothing and footwear brands
- A brand online store with collections, lookbooks and the option to shop the whole look.
- A catalog website for brands that sell through partners or a showroom: collections, store locations and requests from retailers.
- A wholesale buyer portal with the seasonal catalog, wholesale pricing and pre-orders.
- Localized versions with separate prices, shipping options and return policies for each country.
- Landing pages for a collection launch, a collaboration with another brand or a sale.
If your company is more of a multi-brand retail chain with a large assortment than a single brand, also see our retail page: it covers warehouses, inventory and multichannel sales in more detail.
Product pages, sizing and returns
In fashion, the product page does most of the work. Here's what we build into it:
- on-model and plain-background photos, a short video in motion, and zoom for details and texture;
- a size chart specific to that category and brand, not one generic chart for the whole site;
- the model's height and size in the photo, plus a fit description: relaxed, fitted, oversized;
- fabric composition and care instructions;
- other colors of the style and items it pairs well with.
We also plan returns carefully: how shoppers submit a request, how it gets into your records, and how refunds are issued. The easier it is to return an item, the more confidently people place their first order.
Integrations: accounting, inventory, marketplaces
A clothing brand usually works with several systems, and the store needs to exchange data with them:
- accounting and ERP systems (such as QuickBooks or Odoo): styles with sizes and colors, prices, stock levels by warehouse and store;
- a CRM for orders and the customer base, with purchase history and the sizes each person usually chooses;
- online payments, UPS, FedEx, USPS and international shipping;
- product feeds for Amazon, the Meta catalog for Instagram, and Google Merchant Center.
When inventory syncs automatically, the website doesn't show sizes that have already sold out in the showroom.
Selling internationally
More and more fashion brands sell to other countries, and simply translating the website isn't enough. A shopper from another country needs prices in their currency, familiar payment methods, clear shipping costs and delivery times before checkout, and an answer to a simple question: how do I return this if it doesn't fit?
What we plan for an international store:
- separate language versions with adapted, not word-for-word translated, descriptions;
- size charts with US, UK and EU size conversions;
- prices and shipping for each region, payment by international cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay;
- return policies for each country, explained in plain language.
Social media, content and search
For many fashion brands, Instagram and TikTok are the main source of new customers. The website should naturally continue that journey: open straight to the right item from the link in bio, load fast on a phone, and allow checkout in a few steps.
We help connect your store to social media, set up product catalogs for ads, and configure analytics to see which posts drive sales. If you need someone to run the brand's social accounts, see our social media marketing page.
We build fashion SEO around categories and curated collections: "black midi dress," "women's leather loafers." These pages should outlive a single season, so we plan their structure in advance.
What affects the cost
- Design: how expressive the presentation needs to be, and whether you need animations and custom collection pages.
- Catalog: number of styles, colors and sizes, and how often collections are updated.
- Sales channels: retail only, or also wholesale partners, showrooms and marketplaces.
- Markets: number of languages, currencies and shipping countries.
- Integrations: accounting, CRM, inventory, shipping and returns services.
For launch, you can start with a store with core features and add lookbooks, a wholesale portal or new languages in later phases.
Frequently asked questions
We don't have many styles yet. Is it worth having our own store? If the brand is growing and orders from social media are already hard to handle manually, yes. You can start with a compact store and expand it along with your assortment.
Can we sell on pre-order before production starts? Yes. We set up a separate product status, deposits and notifications to the shopper about the ship date.
How can we reduce returns? Accurate size charts, the model's measurements in photos and customer reviews about fit all help. You can't avoid returns entirely, so it's important that they're convenient for both sides.
Can we update the website ourselves for each collection? Yes. We make it possible to add collections, banners and lookbooks in the admin panel without a developer.
Why Promodex
For a clothing brand, it's important that the website designer, developer and marketer understand each other, and at Promodex they work on one in-house team. Our portfolio includes projects for clothing, footwear and accessories brands: HeelsHub, RuViSo Dancewear, Zlato Sriblo and Correa. The agency has been operating since 2015 and has delivered 750+ projects. After launch, we help with new seasons, promotions and growing your store.
