3 Key Tech Platforms for Emerging Designer Brands

Words by The Folklore Team

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Making the decision to pursue your passion and starting your own business is an exciting prospect, especially in the creative industry. You become your own boss, you decide on your branding and create your own.

Nowadays, most businesses will find it hard to thrive or even survive without a digital presence, whether it’s a business website or a social media page. In today’s digitally native world, many people are discovering many things online, from jobs to relationships to their new favorite brand. As a budding entrepreneur, choosing the best tools and platforms to showcase your work or support your business is an important process.

Luckily, there is no shortage of well-developed and advanced technology platforms that you can select from to get yourself, and your company, off to a great start. So, from the best payment software to the newest e-commerce platform on the block (that’s us), we’ve picked three key tools that every entrepreneur should launch with.

Shopify

One of the first things you’ll need to set up is a web hosting platform to house your new brand’s home. The best options are the one that allow you to do as much as possible without too much technical know-how. One of the best known, and easy to use, is Shopify. It provides many features to help you set up a fully functional online store in just a few minutes, including shopping cart capability, payment processing in multiple currencies and editorial blog sites. You can choose from a number of templates to suit your brand’s style while integrating other apps and channels with your new site. And if you would like to try before you buy, Shopify offers a 14-day free trial.

Instagram

The power of social media when it comes to building a brand and attracting customers is well known and Instagram is one of the best visual platforms to use for enhancing the visibility if your new brand. The app has multiple features specifically for business owners, designed to show off your products or skills, from still posts on the grid to interactive Stories and engaging Reels. You can sell your products directly on Instagram or send followers to your online store, all with a few taps on the screen. Perhaps the best part of Instagram is the ease it provides for communicating with clients. Whether it’s direct messages, polls and questions or just feedback comments, Instagram allows you to know exactly what your customers are thinking (for better or worse).

The Folklore Connect

If you’re looking for an e-commerce platform that gives you control over every aspect of your business and the ability to scale as you grow, then you’re in the right place with The Folklore Connect. As Africa’s first B2B wholesale e-commerce platform, your growing brand can be discovered by the best global retailers on the planet without the need for attending costly trade shows and market weeks. Our all-in-one platform lets you create a digital showroom and organize all of your business processes in one place. Plus, with our new integrated Marketplace platform, you can reach customers and clients from all around the world.

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