Free Scaling Retail Business Guide
urbankissed.com
Handmade Products & Unique Finds From Curated, Small Brands

Urbankissed

Urbankissed, an online marketplace, was born out of our founder's passion for unique, handmade fashion and homeware from small brands. Inspired by the markets of the South of France, the idea was to make these exceptional small brands accessible to a wider audience through an online platform. To bring this vision to life, Sophie, the founder, chose CS-Cart as the cornerstone of the project. This decision was driven by the platform's comprehensive, all-in-one solution, integrated nature, and its ability to mitigate potential bugs arising from third-party plugins. By leveraging CS-Cart's built-in functionalities, the Simtech Development experts ensured a smooth and stable development process, contributing to the long-term success and efficiency of the project. Our team provided crucial assistance in the initial stages, offering specialized support in developing and supporting the project, aligning with experts intimately familiar with the specifics of CS-Cart.

Industries

Services

Location

Switzerland

Challenge

Help with CMS setup and configuration
Install project on Cloud hosting and provide overall support
Ensure general support on technical issues

Implementing the Project

Sophie’s main requirements for the Urbankissed website set up were to create an effective and fashionable eCommerce platform based on the Multi-Vendor software including all the corresponding features: availability of vendor accounts and handy admin panels, clear pricing for the software license excluding any hidden payments, user-friendly and intuitive interface, opportunity to extend functionality with seamlessly added plugins. She explains her choice of the CS⁠-⁠Cart solution as it does fully meet her requirements to such a software:

“To work with a software which includes everything: eCommerce, Multi-Vendor Accounts, 0% commission on sales performed through my site (unlike e.g. Shopify marketplace which charges you commission per sale), one-time fee for software (apart from yearly fees for updates), easy to handle interface, to offer great and many add-ons, to offer professional tools (technical and design)”
Sophie Brunner
Owner

Add-Ons Configuration

Reasons, among others, why this online boutique marketplace for hidden treasures performs so effectively are the following add-ons that were developed by Simtech Development for Multi-Vendor platform.

Amazon Style Menu

A multi-tier tree structure of the menu similar to Amazon store
A multi-tier tree structure of the menu similar to Amazon store

IP Geolocation by MaxMind

Allows determining the country and address of non-logged in byers for more precise pre-login shipping cost estimation
Allows determining the country and address of non-logged in byers for more precise pre-login shipping cost estimation

Mailchimp Advanced

Mailchimp advanced_
Customers can join the email list via Mailchimp signup forms

Product Labels

Adds most popular labels like “New”, “Hit”, “Cyber Monday”, etc.
Adds most popular labels like “New”, “Hit”, “Cyber Monday”, etc.
Shophie’s opinion about our add-ons: “Most of them are very effective and they really help us to improve our appearance and our performance as well as to make everything more professional and engaging. For me it was always very important to install only add-ons from an official CS-Cart developer due to the previous issues I faced when I was working with WordPress and WooCommerce. Simtech is also very often giving me hints on additional topics and questions for free which is just awesome”
Sophie Brunner
Owner

Cloud Hosting

Cloud Hosting is the recommended hosting for CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor and we are the only certified partner for CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor solutions. Our hosting team responsible for customers’ server issues applies the expert-level settings to provide maximum performance and stability. The team is devoted to its job and helps the entrepreneurs to effectively manage all server-related issues, protecting them against even a slightest bit of the website crashing risks.

According to Sophie, she feels secure knowing she can always rely on Simtech and her dedicated relationship manager for assistance with her website or server issues. This is particularly valuable for someone, who lacks coding and hosting expertise. It allows concentrating on primary business activities. Additionally, transitioning to Simtech’s Cloud Hosting has simplified many aspects. Initially, she aimed for the most cost-effective solution and managed her own account, but soon realized the drawbacks. Not being knowledgeable about hosting and server management meant she often missed important notifications and even experienced a server hack. Since moving to Simtech Cloud Hosting, she feels completely secure and no longer worries about such issues.

Results

Over the past 7 years, Urbankissed has witnessed remarkable results. The strategic focus on niche, artisanal brands has led to a steady annual revenue growth, showcasing the sustained success of the brands supported. The vendor portfolio has significantly expanded, with an increasing number of small brands joining the platform, sharing the values and commitment to quality and craftsmanship. This expansion has bolstered the market presence of the brands, contributing to increased visibility and positively impacting the growth of small and conscious brands. The longevity of partnerships with small brands reflects their satisfaction and trust in Urbankissed's services, with many choosing to continue their collaboration over the years.