Do you want to make money online? Selling clothing might be the right choice. Everyone needs to dress, no matter how the economy is doing. If you price your inventory correctly, you’re guaranteed to make money.
If you’re thinking about opening up an online clothing store, here are a few ideas to help you get started.
1. Optimize Customer Experience
It doesn’t matter what you’re selling. You need to showcase it. With an online inventory, you can be smart with your ecommerce merchandising and highlight certain products over others. Maybe a customer has indicated that they’re looking for maternity clothes. When they’re viewing one of your dresses, they should see links to other maternity clothes, not to men’s basketball shorts.
That’s just one of many ways that you can optimize the customer experience.
2. Pick the Right Inventory
Shoppers can be fickle. Everyone needs clothes but we don’t all have the same tastes. When you decide to break into the clothing business, it’s very important that you choose the right looks for your brand. Are you trying to be luxurious and quirky? Timeless and well-crafted? Affordable and simple? Whatever look you’re trying to achieve, be consistent.
Because there are so many online clothing retailers, your best shot may be to specialize. Focus on your brand’s image.
3. Hire Instagram Models
When it comes to showcasing your clothing, no one will do it better than a model. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to hire a top-paid runway girl. You need to work with a model that suits your brand. Maybe you’re marketing to busy moms, so you want to find a girl next door. Or perhaps your ideal clients are middle-aged men. Anyone can be a model. The term just means that they’re being paid to wear your clothes and get pictures taken.
4. Experiment with Deals
Online shoppers are crazy for deals. 50% off, free shipping. These terms are like catnip to an online shopper. To figure out which deals are the most profitable for your company, run more than one. Pay close attention to the results. When you find a deal that works, advertise it on social media and encourage people to share the news.
5. Use a Drop Shipper
If you’re not ready to spend money building an inventory, you can work with a company that supplies everything. They handle all of the shipping and product sourcing. You advertise the products on your website and receive a cut whenever someone buys something. There are many different companies you can work with if you’re intrigued by this idea. You just need to find a company with an attractive inventory. You can do this until you have enough money to fund your own clothing inventory.
6. Get Reviews
Online reviews are everything. They can make or break your company. If your brand receives a lot of negative reviews, that will be a very big hurdle to overcome. Conversely, if you have a wealth of positive reviews that you can show to customers, your brand will be viewed as trustworthy. The more reviews that you have, the better it is for your brand. Add links to review sites on your website to make it easier for your customers.
7. Use Social Media
In addition to hiring Instagram models, your clothing brand needs to have active social media accounts. If you don’t, you might get swept away by the competition. People expect modern brands to be active online. If they have questions, they may turn to Twitter or Facebook to get the answers.
If you don’t have time to manage your social media accounts yourself, hire someone. Even a high school kid working part-time can do enough work to keep your brand relevant. Of course, as your business grows, you’ll want to hire someone more experienced.
8. Open Multiple Stores
Think about opening multiple online clothing stores, especially if you’re using a drop shipper. Certain domain names and brands will resonate with specific audiences. If you have multiple websites, you can meet a broader range of people. Each website should be maintained with the same care. It’s okay if your sister sites look related; it’s also okay if they appear totally different.
9. Use Email
Your email subscriber list is gold. You can use it to remind your customers that your brand exists. It’s a way to offer deals and promote certain products. You don’t want to email your subscribers too often or they will add you to the spam list.
