A boutique website that brings people into the shop and to the stylist

Decide what the website is for

Independent boutiques usually fall into one of two camps. Some sell mainly in the shop, with a loyal local following, and want the website to show the edit and bring people in. Others run a real online store alongside the shop. Anticode suits the first camp completely and the second camp as the brand's front page, with a Shop link that goes to the store platform where the products, sizes and checkout live.

Be clear which you are on the homepage. A "Shop now" button that leads to six products and no sizes frustrates people more than an honest "New in store this week" with a phone number.

A new-in lookbook that changes weekly

The reason regulars visit is to see what's arrived. Keep a new-in CMS collection where each entry is a delivery or a look: the date, a title, the brands, a short note on how you'd wear it, the size range that came in, and photos. Each gets its own page and the newest sits at the top. Staff can add a delivery from the dashboard on the day it's unpacked.

• Shoot on real people, ideally staff or regulars of different sizes, not only on a hanger.
• Say the price range for the delivery, or the price of each piece, so visitors know what to expect.
• Add "ask us to hold it": a line telling people to call or message to reserve a size, if you do that.
• Name the brands. Shoppers search for the labels they love plus their town.

Generic generated fashion sites lean on oversized serif headlines, beige gradients and stock models. Use your own photography and one consistent look. The Luxury (Jost) design system with a black or gold action colour suits an occasionwear or designer boutique; Editorial (Geist) suits a relaxed, magazine-style edit.

Personal styling appointments

Styling sessions, bridal and occasion fittings, and private shopping evenings are where many boutiques stand out from chains. They're one-to-one, so they fit Anticode's booking calendar: the customer picks the appointment type, a day and one of six fixed times (Mondays are skipped), and gives their name, phone and email. Each slot goes to one booking, and dates more than 120 days ahead are refused.

The booking form's fields are fixed, so it won't ask about the occasion, sizes or budget. Either ask when you confirm, or use a custom form for styling requests that collects the occasion, date, sizes, colours they love or avoid, and budget, then confirm a time by reply. Describe what happens in a session, how long it lasts, whether there's a fee and whether it's redeemable against purchases. If you charge a fee, send a payment link after booking; the calendar can't take deposits.

Linking to the online store

If you sell online, keep the store on a platform built for apparel and link to it clearly from the header. Anticode sites have one payment link per account, which every buy button opens; it can point at Shopify, among other providers, which works for a gift card, a single featured item or a product list. For a full catalogue with variants, keep shoppers on the store itself. Anticode has no cart, size variants, stock levels, shipping or returns handling, and it doesn't take payments on the site itself.

Opening hours, events and the mailing list

Put opening hours, late-night shopping and holiday changes near the top, and link to directions, as maps can't be embedded. Shopping evenings, trunk shows and sale previews belong in an events collection. The newsletter sign-up asks only for an email, and connectors can pass each sign-up to Mailchimp (with double opt-in) or Kit. A short note on what subscribers get, such as first look at new deliveries or sale previews, earns more sign-ups than a generic offer.

What to pair Anticode with

• A store platform for online sales with sizes, stock, shipping and returns.
• Your till system for stock and loyalty: nothing syncs with the website.
• An email platform for campaigns, fed by the newsletter connector.
• Social profiles, linked rather than embedded, since published pages can't embed feeds.

Questions people ask

Can I sell clothes online with an Anticode boutique site?

A gift card or single item can sell through the account's payment link. For sizes, stock, shipping and returns, link to a store platform such as Shopify.

Can customers book a personal styling session?

Yes, on Anticode's booking calendar, one booking per slot. Ask about the occasion and sizes when you confirm.

How do I show new arrivals without a shop?

Post each delivery as an entry in a CMS collection with photos, brands and sizes, and invite people to call to reserve.