For those of you who are new around here, there’s something you should know about me: I’m a huge fan of Squarespace. I switched over to the platform a couple years ago after using both Blogger and Wordpress, and I’ve never looked back. I started the Elle & Company site on the Squarespace platform and I’ve been so pleased by the simple interface and gorgeous template designs that I highly recommend it to every design client and blog reader. I also wrote a blog series on it a couple months ago that included 2 free webinars, all of which are recorded and shared here.
Somehow, in all of the many features I shared with you within that series, I left out one of Squarespace’s most functional capabilities: e-commerce. Today I’m giving you a look at how easy it is to set up shop using Squarespace.
But before I dig into the plans, templates, and how-to’s, there are a couple things that are worth highlighting about e-commerce with Squarespace.
Squarespace e-commerce sites are compatible for mobile. Each Squarespace template is designed to look great on both web and mobile. There’s no extra work on your part either; set up your shop in web view and it automatically adjusts for mobile view.
Squarespace e-commerce is easy to create and manage. Unlike other platforms, Squarespace doesn’t require any coding. It’s straight-forward drag-and-drop user interface and beautiful templates make it a breeze to create and manage any e-commerce site.
Squarespace allows for digital downloads. E-books, printables, tutorials, etc. can be sold right from your website. After checkout, Squarespace delivers the digital products via customized email links that expire 24 hours after the purchase.
Squarespace doesn’t charge a fee for e-commerce sales. While Stripe charges 2.9% and 30 cents per transaction, Squarespace doesn’t take out any additional fees.
Plans
All 3 of Squarespace’s plans include a fully integrated e-commerce option.
The first tier allows you to sell 1 product and accept donations for $8/month. The second tier allows you to sell up to 20 items for $16/month. And the third tier allows you to sell an unlimited number of products and sync up with other helpful e-commerce tools like ShipStation and Xero for $24/month.
For a look at the plans in more detail, click here.
Templates
If you're just getting started in Squarespace, it can be a little overwhelming to look through the templates and find a good solution for your website, especially when you're looking for an e-commerce option. I'm often asked about my favorite templates, so here's a look at the layouts I like most:
Setting Up Shop
Once you've chosen your plan and your website, it's time to set up shop. By clicking Commerce in the main menu of your Squarespace site, you can walk through the simple setup.
Orders
This section allows you to keep up with all of the orders that have been placed from your shop. It displays the order number, the date and time the order was placed, the customer's name and email address, the total amount, the status of the payment, and whether the order is pending or has been fulfilled. There is also a search option which allows you to find orders quickly by number, name, or email address.
Payment Activity
This section syncs up with your Stripe account so can find information about payments, refunds, failed charges, and chargebacks.
Inventory
This section allows you to easily see how much of each product is in stock. You can easily click on each item to update the quantities and pricing.
Donations
This section is especially helpful for non-profits. Squarespace allows you to take donations on your site and processes them through Stripe.
Shipping
This section allows you to control which shipping options are available to your customers. You can add more than one shipping option and automatically apply the costs to products, and Squarespace also provides an option to connect to ShipStation.
Coupons
Are you interested in offering a percent discount or free shipping for your customers? Add promo codes in this section, customize the discount, and set start and end dates.
Taxes
While taxes are never fun, Squarespace makes them easier. Simply add your country, state, and zip code to define where sales taxes are applicable to your business.
Accounting
Squarespace syncs with Xero to offer accounting for your online shop. You can export orders, refunds, donations, and taxes to Xero, which helps you track finances and keep up with sales taxes.
Email Settings
This section lets you set up customer support emails, alerts, and order confirmations.
Store Settings
This section:
- ConnectsStripe to your store
- Enables live orders
- Allows you to set up store currency, measurement standards, and order numbers
- Enables express checkout
- Collects email addresses from your customers at checkout and imports them to MailChimp
- Enables a custom checkout form
- Contains sections for you to enter your return policy, terms of service, and privacy policy
Adding Products
You can add a product page in Squarespace just like you would set up a normal page or blog in the backend of your site. The backend of the site walks you through each step, from adding products to arranging them on the shop page. Here's a quick look at how easy it is to set up a shop using the Galapagos template:
First, add a product page to your navigation (I chose to set mine up as an unlinked page for demonstration, and I would recommend doing the same until you get everything all set up and ready to launch).
Next, add your products one-by-one. Walk through the options in the top right corner of the pop-up window to add details, customize buttons, and enter pricing.
Once the photos and information are set up for your products, the layout of your shop can be customized in Squarespace's Style Editor.
With a couple clicks of a mouse, you can change the layout of your products, the appearance of your prices and product names, and your hover settings.
While each template allows for different customization options, many of the characteristics are the same across all templates. But regardless of the template you use, Squarespace makes it very easy to add products and customize the appearance of your shop.
Squarespace makes it possible to set up a well-designed, user-friendly shop within an hour. Whether you're starting a site from scratch or hoping to add a shop to your existing Squarespace site, it's as easy as adding a new product page and adjusting the settings within the Commerce menu. Once again, Squarespace makes website building so simple!
For more helpful posts on the platform, visit our Squarespace resource page or reach out to us through the contact form. We love hearing from you!
Do you use Squarespace for your site? What are your thoughts on Squarespace's e-commerce features?
