WooCommerce Starter Store Setup for Handmade Candle Brand
Project overview: The client created and sold handmade soy candles. Before working with us, they made 90 percent of their sales through Instagram DMs and local pop up events. They were tired of manually answering payment questions, calculating shipping costs, and tracking orders in a spreadsheet. They wanted a proper online store so they could stop spending time on administrative work and focus on creating their products.
Client Goals
- Stop taking orders through social media direct messages
- Accept credit card payments securely on their website
- Automate order confirmation emails and shipping updates
- Make it easy for customers to browse products and place orders at any time
- Keep the store design simple, clean, and aligned with their existing brand
The Store We Built
We set up a clean WooCommerce store on their existing WordPress website. We uploaded their full product catalog of 18 candle scents, added high quality product photos, and wrote clear product descriptions that answered the most common customer questions. We configured Stripe and PayPal payment gateways so customers could pay securely without leaving the site.
We set up their shipping zones and calculated rates based on their local and national shipping costs. We created product categories and simple filters so customers could quickly find scents, gift sets, and limited edition products. We designed a simple and streamlined checkout process with as few steps as possible to reduce cart abandonment.
We also configured automated email notifications. The customer receives an instant order confirmation as soon as their payment is processed, and they receive a second automated email with tracking information as soon as the client marks their order as shipped. The store owner receives an instant notification every time a new order is placed, so they can start preparing the order for shipping right away.
Post Launch Results
In their first full month of operating the new store, the client generated 2.7 times more revenue than they were previously making through direct messages. They saved approximately 6 hours every week that they previously spent replying to order questions and manually writing payment links for customers. The automated order emails also reduced the number of status update questions they received from customers by 70 percent.
Because the store is connected to their existing website, they are also able to run simple sales and discount promotions without needing to manually message every follower on their social media accounts.
Key Takeaway
You do not need a complex, expensive store to start selling products online. For most small product based businesses, a simple WooCommerce setup with clear product pages, secure payments, and automated emails is more than enough to drastically increase sales and reduce manual work.
Want us to build your eCommerce store?
If you are currently taking orders through direct messages or spreadsheets, we can build you a simple and reliable WooCommerce store that handles payments, shipping, and order notifications automatically.
