How to Start an Online Clothing Store - Want to start a fashion business? Safe! Your choice is right! In the online market, fashion products are the best-selling products every year. This shows that the need for fashion products in United States is getting higher.
But don't get carried away. Although the chances of success in the fashion business seem brilliant, the possibility of this business failing can also happen. There are many factors that cause the fashion business to stall in the middle of the road.
Well, so that you can be successful in the fashion business, it is very important to make preparations and the right way. In this article we will help you to start a fashion business. Ready? Let's see the steps below.
Steps for How to Start an Online Clothing Store
Starting a fashion business should not be careless. It is very important to do the right things from the start. One-one, your business can stop in the middle of the road. You certainly do not want this to happen to your business, right?
In this chapter, you will find out how to start the right fashion business. So, make sure you listen to each point carefully, okay? Ready? Okay, let's get started.
1. Do Product Research
Product research is the first step in determining what product you are going to sell. This step is important. You can't just choose the product you want to sell. Also, you can't just choose a product based on personal assumptions.
You need data according to market conditions. That way the product you choose will be accepted by the market. Well, here are some ways you can do product research.
Observing Market Trends
It is very important to know what fashion trends are currently being hit. Don't worry, there are many ways to analyze fashion trends.
Check on Google Trends
Google Trends is a feature of Google that can quickly analyze the number of searches for certain keywords. You can also compare different types of products to see which ones are more sought after.
Check Trends on Social Media
Apart from observing trends on Google, you also need to look at trends on social media. There you can find various photos or videos of fashion products reviewed by several people or influencers.
Just type the keyword of the fashion product you want to search with the hashtag (#) in the search tab. In the Top tab you will see the most liked keyword products (like).
Survey to Consumers
In addition to observing on the internet, you can conduct surveys to find out which products are needed and liked by consumers. Make a simple online survey to make it easier to do. You can use several social media to spread this survey and get more respondents.
2. Know the Target Market
Knowing the target market when starting a business is very important. By knowing the target market, you can create a product that you like and need. The target market can also help you to create the right product marketing strategy.
However, do you know what the target market is? The target market is the people who are the target sales of your product. Usually the target market will have the same characteristics in terms of habits, demographics, and others.
Then, how to identify the target market of your business? Here's how you can find out your target market.
Through Your Assumptions
As the title suggests, you only need to assume who is the most strategic target market? For example, you sell products for women's formal shirts. Who do you think will buy your product? Office lady? Student? Teacher?
View from your Competitors
Take a look at your competitors' products. Then try to analyze who is the target buyer? You can also find loopholes and create products that are superior to your competitors.
Communication with Consumers
Identifying the target market can also be done by talking directly to potential customers. For that, try asking for advice about the fashion business from your closest friends or colleagues. What fashion products do they need and like? What is the fair price for the product? Are certain colors their choice?
Create Buyer Personas
A buyer persona is a description of the target market you are targeting. You can build this picture with the research and information you have gathered beforehand. With a buyer persona, you can develop the right product.
3. Look at Your Business Competitors
Maybe in your mind you are wondering, why are you so curious about competitors? In starting any business, including the fashion business, you need to study your competitors.
Starting from the advantages and disadvantages of its products, marketing methods, to distribution. From this information, you can create a strong competitive product.
To learn about your competitors, there are several steps you can take.
Grouping Competitors
There are lots of competitors out there. You can start by grouping them into several categories, namely main competitors, secondary competitors, and tertiary competitors.
- The main competitors are businesses that have the same target market as your business. For example, you and your competitors both create a Muslim fashion business for adult women.
- Secondary competitors are businesses that sell the same product, but have a different target market. For example, if you have a women's shoe business, your competitor is a men's shoe business.
- Tertiary competitors are businesses that do not directly compete with your target market. However, they produce products that are still directly related to yours.
Learn Competitor Products
After grouping your competitors, you can start to focus on a few competitors. Especially your main competitors.
Now, try to learn products from your competitors. Pay attention to what are the advantages and disadvantages of your competitors' products. Take advantage of competitors' product weaknesses to create superior products. Because by offering what competitors don't have, you can have a chance to win the market.
For example, after studying a competitor's product, you find out that a competitor's raw materials are not good. You can make products with better materials than your competitors.
Visiting Competitor Websites
Visiting competitors' websites is important. Try to pay attention to every detail of the website. Starting from the appearance of the website, the description of each product, to how fast the website loads. Then, is it responsive on mobile devices? Do they have a blog or special promotion page?.
From the results of your competitor's website analysis, you can create a website that is better than your competitor's online store website.
Visiting Competitor's Social Media
In addition to the official website, you also need to analyze your competitors' social media. Find out what competitors' posts look like. Are they responsive to customer comments? Do they promote through influencers? If so, who?
See Competitor Reviews
It's not enough to see the advantages and disadvantages of the website and social media, you also need to see how the customer reviews the competitors. From the product review, you will get information about the advantages and disadvantages of competitors.
You can imitate strategies that get positive reviews from customers and create strategies that are better than negative reviews. That way, you can get the upper hand.
Compare Competitor Prices
The price factor is still often considered by consumers when buying a product. So, it is very important that you compare the price of the product with all of your competitors. What is the price range for the same product in the market?
4. Business Plans
After determining your business product, identifying your target, and analyzing your competitors, now you need to make a more concrete business plan.
A business plan or business plan can be said as your business concept. This business plan will later be your guide in running a business. Therefore, you should not make it carelessly.
5. Prepare a Budget or Capital
In starting a fashion business, the role of capital is very important. However, a little or a lot of capital is not the only determinant of the success of your fashion business.
The most important thing is that you have to be good at managing and managing capital to start a fashion business. For that, you need to make a detailed budget exactly. You need to keep track of all your business expense plans.
6. Prepare Your Products
Your fashion products must In order for products to compete with competitors, as much as possible your products provide updates and advantages that competitors do not have.
So, it is very important that you present a quality original product. To get an original product, you certainly have to think about the design of the product, choose quality materials, and start looking for manufacturers to produce your product.
Well, let's discuss one by one the steps to create a quality product.
Product Design
Creating a quality product starts with a design. Armed with research and product knowledge, you can create a product that many people like and are interested in.
We have some tips for designing your fashion product.
Create a Signature Style
One of the things that distinguishes your product from competitors can come from the characteristics or distinctive style of your product. The distinctive style makes it easy for customers to remember and recognize your product.
Find Manufacturers
After designing the product and selecting the best materials, now is the time to assemble it into a quality product. If your fashion product is clothes, you don't need to sew it yourself. You can find a good tailor that you can rely on.
The point is, you don't need to have your own factory. You can also look for quality, unbranded fashion producers to collaborate with. You just have to label the product with your brand.
For example, for shoe products, you can try looking in the shoe manufacturing center area, Cibaduyut, Bandung. You just have to be smart in choosing products that fit your business concept.
This method has been used by many successful fashion entrepreneurs.
7. Create a Brand Logo Design.
Brand Logo Design cannot be taken lightly. Why? A brand logo can be called a reflection or image of your business concept.
Maybe you've heard of some companies redesigning their brand logos to convey their new vision and new image that customers want to see.
In other words, fashion brand logos should be made as good as possible. Based on research, 93% of the world's top brand logos are made with simple designs. This makes it easier for customers to remember and recognize them.
8. Take a Product Shot
Marketing products without accompanied by good product photos will not be noticed by consumers. That's why, you also need to prepare for your product shoot as well as possible. The results of this product photo shoot will later be displayed in online store website catalogs, advertisements, and social media posts.
Make it more professional. If necessary, hire the services of a special fashion photographer for your product photos. Well, to produce interesting fashion product photos, there are several things you need to prepare. Check out the following.
Select the Appropriate Model
Choosing a model for fashion products also has an important role. Just like making a photo concept, here, you have to determine a model that fits your product's target market.
For example, the target of your shoe fashion product is the male millennial group, then you have to look for models that fall into that millennial group.
Use a White Background
For product photos in your catalog, use a white background. The white color can make buyers focus more on your product. Not only that, a white background can also highlight the advantages of your product design.
Choose the Right Photo Angle
So that buyers can see your product as a whole, you must present photos from several angles.
Product Details Photos
You also need to show your product details. Details such as designs, materials, or textures can be the hallmark of your product. For that, take a photo from a distance close enough to make the details look clearer.
9. Create an Online Store Website
Did you know that there are many fashion businesses that have been successful without having a physical store? For example, Vanilla Hijab. With an online store website and online promotions, this Muslim fashion business is still growing and being hunted by buyers.
Is it true? Think about it, 96% of internet users have actually looked for a product or service to buy online. In addition, according to data, the most in-demand products purchased online are fashion products. So, your fashion business has a chance of success if it is sold online, right?
So for that, it is very important to have a website for your online business store. With an online store website, there are many uses for your fashion business. These are some of the uses of online store websites.
- Displays your product catalog,
- Sells your products,
- Displays the latest product launches,
- Displays your business profile information,
- Creates your business contact information.
10. Product Launching
This is the most awaited stage when starting a business, namely product launching. Once your online store's products and website are ready, your business is ready to launch.
However, before actually launching a product, you need to plan the right time for launching and its promotional strategy.
You can make some kind of pre-launch first. For example, the announcement of "coming soon" by displaying several products and their offers.
This pre-launching aims to attract buyers' attention to your product. So that when launching, many buyers visit your online store website and your product sales potential increases.
Well, in this pre-launch you can provide special purchase promo information when launching your product. This trick is considered powerful enough to attract the attention of customers. That's because everyone loves special promos.
Give Discounts or Special Prices
Everyone loves discounts. Moreover, discounts up to half the price. Now on the first day of product launch, you can give special discounts to get buyer engagement.
Buy 1 Get Free 1
Promotion in this way is commonly used. This method can be used to introduce your new product. Maybe not all products use this promo. You can give this promo to certain products.
Give Gifts
You can also apply a gift-giving strategy for the purchase of certain items or with a certain amount. For example, buy 2 t-shirts, get 1 free hat. This strategy can lead buyers to buy more products.
Free Shipping
Giving free shipping or free shipping means a lot to buyers. Buyers can save a lot more with this promotion. You can give this promo on a limited basis. For example the first 50 buyers only. That way the buyer will immediately checkout the shopping goods.
Give Vouchers
In contrast to giving gifts, these vouchers can be in the form of discounts for certain products right away or discounts for future product purchases.
Give a Giveaway
Some fashion businesses do giveaways to some lucky people. Usually this giveaway program is given with certain conditions. For example, you have to follow the brand's social media accounts, share posts, and invite others to join this giveaway too. So, your product can be widely known faster.
After determining what promotions are appropriate when launching a product, you can disseminate the information on your website. In addition to the website, you also need to spread it on social media, bazaar events, or collaboration with influencers.
11. Promote Ads Online
This step is the last step as well as a step that needs to be done regularly. What is the purpose? The main goal, of course, is to increase sales of your business products.
By advertising your products online, you can reach a wider range of customers. Moreover, using some popular marketing tools. Your ad can be reached directly by the right target market.
Here, we recommend that you use popular marketing tools to promote your business online.
Google Ads
Google Ads is a feature of Google that is used to display ads in Google search results. By using Google Ads, your fashion business ad can appear in search results with certain keywords.
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Let's Start Your Fashion Business!
You also have the opportunity to be successful like a fashion business that has been successful in the fashion world. The key is to see opportunities, create quality products, and take advantage of online platforms. If you can maximize all three in your business strategy, it is not impossible that your fashion business will be successful and last a long time.