What you need to know before selling clothes online

Featured Sponsor

Store	Link	Sample Product
UK Artful Impressions	Premiere Etsy Store

This is the best time to start selling clothes online. With so much potential on the horizon, entering the world of ecommerce stores now can help you capitalize on trends instead of missing out. But before you start selling clothing online, you need a foundation that will get you started on the right track. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide of things you need to know before selling clothes online…

Related post: Be prepared for these 5 unexpected expenses if you’re starting an online business

Choose a niche

Instead of trying to sell clothes to everyone in every group, focus on something a little more special that fits your business goals and personal interests. Keep these four things in mind as you think about your options:

• Be unique
• Choose a style that really interests you
• Ask yourself if you can add value and make yourself look like an expert
• Make sure there is money to be made in the area.

Make a plan for your business

When you’re selling clothes online, you need a well thought out plan, and a good business plan goes way beyond “sell stuff, make money.” Instead, it contains details about how your business will be run, such as:

• An analysis that examines market-specific data and figures, such as average sales, number of other sellers, and projected growth rates.
• A competitive analysis that looks at competitors in the same place clearly.
• A marketing plan with information on how to sell and market online and offline.
• Both short-term and long-term financial projections are examined.

Choosing a business model is another important part of creating a plan for your online shopping business. There are four popular ways to sell clothes online: “print on demand”, “custom cut and sew”, “private label clothing” and “dropshipping”.

Read also: Different Painting Mediums: Which is Best for Beginners?

Print on demand

A “print-on-demand” company prints or changes clothes, such as T-shirts or sweatshirts, based on what customers want.

Cut and sew to measure

As the name suggests, custom cutting and sewing companies make and sell their own products. Some specialty cut and sew shops make all of their clothing in-house, while others send their work to factories in other countries.

Private label

As a private label clothing company, you can partner with established manufacturers to order unique products that will be sold under your brand name. Instead of being designed in-house, some products are designed, manufactured and branded by third parties for individual sale.

Drop shipping

Dropshipping might be the best way to run an online business. Dropshippers are basically intermediaries. When a customer buys something, the drop shipper orders it from a wholesaler and sends it directly to the customer. The startup costs for a dropshipping business are low because you don’t need to keep goods on hand or pay for orders before customers place them.

Register your business

Depending on the company’s business plans or the number of products sold, registering an e-commerce platform is another way to launch an online store. It is a more advanced way to run an ecommerce business because it includes some things like:

• the catalog of available goods, which includes an image of the product and information about its characteristics
• an online showcase that allows customers to browse the catalogue, choose specific items and place them in their cart
• the payment gateway.

If you want to claim VAT for your business, you should know how to charge VAT. Depending on what you’re selling and who you’re selling it to, there are different rules to follow. Hence, you should always speak to a professional before registering for the VAT.

Product descriptions

Product descriptions might sound like nothing special, but good writing can make a big difference. On ecommerce sites, product descriptions are an important part of marketing, and they also tell customers what you have to offer and why they should buy from you. Use high-quality, vivid wording that helps customers understand what you mean. Since shoppers can’t touch your products in person, product details are the next best thing.

Read also: How can SEO reporting tools help you improve your search engine rankings?

Shipping

Shipping is a big part of any successful retail business, and selling clothes online is no different. The online clothing business is all about meeting deadlines. If a deadline is missed due to an error in shipping, no matter how large the items are, then it’s important to work with a reliable courier. Whether you ship direct to consumers or in bulk, it’s important to know the recipient’s shipping and contact information and how to package the goods. It’s also important to work with reputable companies that can get your goods from A to B without any problems.

Customs regulations (cross-border policies)

You need an EORI number to move goods across European countries and beyond. To deal with customs matters, you need this number. Anyone in the EU, including people in Ireland, can ask for the number. EORI numbers are part of the European Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) system. The numbers should be used to clearly identify everyone who moves goods across borders, whether they are importing, exporting or moving goods within the same country. The number can be used throughout the EU and can be applied to any EU country, including Ireland. But in the European Union, every company and every transport company needs only one number. An EORI number is needed by all businessmen who regularly fill in customs forms, such as:

• Private
• Merchants
• Companies
• Vectors

But once you have gone through this process there is no need to repeat it. Once you receive a European EORI number, you are covered for all European countries. For example, an Irish EORI number can be used to bring goods into Germany.

So, there you have it, all the things you need to know before selling clothes online and how to start a great online clothing business. Having people ready to buy is the key to running a great apparel ecommerce business. It’s not enough to know who your fashion audience is and what they would buy and how much they would pay. You need to stand out from your closest competitors, so back it up with great apparel, one-of-a-kind designs, fast delivery, and great customer service.