According to Statista, fashion is the largest B2C eCommerce market segment, accounting for approximately $518.9 billion in global sales in 2018. If you’re a fashion enthusiast with an entrepreneurial spirit, starting your own online clothing store can serve as a lucrative source of income and an opportunity to fuel your passion.
With the help of dropshipping services and online marketing tools, prospective entrepreneurs can start an online clothing boutique with minimal resources. However, to succeed in the competitive eCommerce retail market, you’ll need to devote time, effort, and dedication to building a successful business. With that in mind, here’s a five-step guide to starting your own online clothing store.
Find Your Niche
The key to building a successful eCommerce business is identifying a target audience. By identifying a niche, eCommerce business owners can market to a highly engaged—and highly profitable—demographic. Catering to a niche demographic also makes it easier to raise brand awareness, drive organic traffic, and develop a loyal customer base.
If you’re not sure where to start, try identifying a solution to an issue within your life. Do you feel like a specific product is missing from the market, or can you improve an existing product? It’s important to remember that your product doesn’t need to solve a complicated issue—it can be as simple as creating high-quality, affordable professional attire.
Commit To Your Brand
Opening a business isn’t as easy as it looks on TV—it requires sacrifice, time, and dedication. Keep in mind that starting an online clothing store isn’t only a creative outlet, and it also involves hard work, risks, and rewards.
From deciding what products to sell to designing new pieces to connecting with customers, there will always be something you can do to improve your business. Consequently, make sure you know what you’re getting into before deciding whether you want to commit to building your own brand.
Create A Website
Opting to sell online allows business owners to avoid paying utility bills, rent, and staff, creating less of a risk and financial burden. If you’re planning to build an online store from scratch, you’ll need to buy a domain name and create your own website. On the other hand, using a free online website creation service, like Squarespace or Wix, makes it easier to list products, sell, and manage day-to-day business operations.
Design Products
After creating your website, it’s time to start designing products. If you have a great idea for a product, but you’re not sure how to execute it, consider seeking the advice of friends and family or browsing online retail stores.
For example, if you’re interested in designing professional attire, check out White House Black Market for inspiration. From women’s pencil skirts to jumpsuits, White House Black Market offers a variety of staples in every woman’s wardrobe and a curated range of high-quality, affordable pieces for every occasion. With elegant dynamic patterns and monochrome designs, you’re sure to find inspiration for your pieces. It’s literally as easy as going to Joanns and picking up some fabric and replicating designs.
Launching a successful online clothing store requires high-quality printing solutions, but with the help of Gelato which offers a wide range of customizable options, it makes it easier for you to create unique and eye-catching clothing items.
Grow Your Business
Creating a website and designing unique pieces won’t guarantee sales. To attract customers, you’ll need to build brand awareness by offering personalized, exceptional customer service.
If you’re not sure where to start, contact center software can give you an edge over the competition by encouraging potential customers to interact with your business. Bright Pattern’s cloud based contact center software provides eCommerce businesses with state-of-the-art communication management tools and doesn’t require any physical infrastructure. With the help of omnichannel communications, you’ll be able to offer seamless, meaningful, and personalized customer experiences across voice and digital channels, ultimately making it easier for your business to attract customers.
With eCommerce fashion sales at an all-time high, there’s no better time than now to follow your dream and launch your own clothing line.