With the rise of social media, online shopping and the gradual decline of the high-street, more new online clothing brands are popping up all the time. There’s no need to shell out for shop rental costs, and thanks to the wealth of easy-to-use digital tools it’s easier to get set up than ever before.
As with any business however, there’s still several crucial steps to go take if you’re going to be a success. Here’s four things you’ll want to factor in to find your way into people’s wardrobes.
Spot Your Niche
With so many clothing brands already out there, how are you going to cut through the crowd? You’re probably going to be investing a lot of time into your brand, so it’s worth making sure you’re fully committed, you know who your audience are, and you know what you can offer them.
It’s difficult to be completely original these days, so look at what your competitors are doing to see what you can take inspiration from and what you can do better. People buy into brands, especially when it comes to what they wear, so think about your values and how you can wear them on your homemade sleeve.
Set Up Your Store
You no longer need to be a tech wizard to set up a website. There’s lots of sites and tools out there that you can use to build low-cost, good-looking and functional websites with relative ease. People judge a website within seconds, so try to make sure yours reflects your brand, loads quickly and works well on mobile.
If you still don’t feel comfortable setting up a website, you could set up on Facebook, Instagram or online marketplace sites such as Etsy. Better yet, why not set up on all of them?
Invest in Marketing
So, you’ve identified your niche and your online is store is set up – now what? Unfortunately, you can’t sit back and let the cash roll in. You’ll need to spend some money on putting your brand out there to raise awareness, engage potential customers and ultimately drive some sales.
Thankfully, social media advertising tools are low-cost, highly targeted and easy to get to grips with. Once you’ve got your social media game down to a tee, you could try your hand at search engine advertising through Google AdWords to get in front of people actively searching for topics related to your brand. Additionally, it’s in your best interest to incorporate business text messaging into your marketing mix. Currently, SMS texting is the smartest way to communicate with thousands of clients at a time. With over 90% open rates within 3 minutes of sending a text, SMS messaging is without a doubt the most effective communication tool.
Think About Logistics
A key thing to remember to factor in is your capacity to deliver on what you’re selling. People have become used to next-day delivery and low-cost international shipping, and if they have a bad experience with a brand, they’re unlikely to return.
Try to find a courier you can rely on to fulfil your orders. TNT can be integrated in to your online store and used to ship your orders quickly and cheaply across the globe.