How To Start An Online Clothing Store

It's important to start small when you're in the early stages of running an online clothing store. Start by stocking a limited number of items and then gradually add more products as you get a better sense of what your customers want. That way, you can test the waters and determine what products sell and which don't before making a larger investment in inventory.

If you pre-order a wide array of products when starting out, you may have trouble moving inventory. Therefore, gradually adding stock is the key—by testing small batches of orders, you'll be able to budget accordingly as your online clothing business expands.

You need to have a long-term plan when choosing inventory for your online clothing business. Fashion trends are constantly evolving, so don't only stock your store with products that may go out of style soon. You don't want to be stuck with unsellable products, so your success will depend on your ability to plan ahead. You’ll need to adapt to new fads and trends without deviating too far from your brand identity.

Try to select items that will remain popular for several seasons and are historically reliable with sales, like basics and neutral-colored products. While you can experiment with your inventory as you go, having a solid stock of reliable products means you won't have to constantly update your inventory and can focus on other aspects of running your business.

When it comes to choosing products, you also need to think about your store's long-term goals. As I mentioned in the section about niches, having a specialty will help you attract a specific customer base and make it easier to market your business.

Think about where you see your online clothing brand expanding in the future and your goals for sales. Do you want to start with apparel and gradually add accessories and shoes? Or do you hope to incorporate a wider variety of brands in the future? The better your idea of how you want your business to grow, the easier it will be to implement the necessary steps to reach your goals. 

Don't be afraid to dream big, but also be realistic about the costs and effort it will take to grow your business. In the next section, I'll detail choosing a suitable business model for your vision.

Print-on-demand (POD) is a business model where orders are manufactured only when placed, eliminating the need for high up-front inventory costs. This type of store is perfect for new entrepreneurs who want to get their business off the ground without investing a lot of money upfront.

POD businesses will usually handle fulfillment and shipping for you, making this one of the easiest and cheapest methods for selling apparel. You can use popular sites like Printful or RedBubble to get started. 

However, the print-on-demand business model offers little opportunity for branding and customization since most of these companies can only print a limited number of designs. All the products are wholesale so the quality may be lower. The lack of creativity with this model can be a downside if you're looking to build a strong brand identity or invest in unique pieces. 

The print-on-demand business model typically yields lower sales margins since you have to pay these companies to manufacture, package, and ship your orders. While the POD model is a quick and easy way to start an online clothing store, it may prove difficult to expand the variety of your products. 

Custom cut-and-sew (CCS) is a business model where you will be in charge of the entire production process, including making sketches, finding fabrics, and sourcing manufacturers to create your products. This option is best for those who want to design a clothing line from scratch, which allows for more freedom regarding customization and branding. 

This type of store typically has higher sales margins but requires a more significant up-front investment and a longer timeline to launch. To run a CCS store, you'll need to invest in manufacturers to make your designs a physical product. The good news is that, with this model, you'll have complete control of branding, and your product will be unique to your store.

However, this model can be a big undertaking, so make sure you have the skills to design your own clothing before starting down this path. In addition, having sufficient funds to pay manufacturers is vital.

Private label is a business model where you source products through private labels suppliers to then resell on your store. Think of it as the in-between of print-on-demand and custom cut-and-sew models since you'll buy wholesale clothing and accessories to sell under your fashion brand. 

This option may be more cost-effective than CCS, as you'll be able to purchase the garments at a lower price point and won't have to design the merchandise yourself. You'll also have more control over the quality and branding of the products than with a POD model since you can customize tags and shipping products with your brand name with a private label.

However, since you're purchasing products upfront, you'll need to have sufficient funds and do research when deciding what company to work with. Usually, these companies require minimum order quantities (MOQs), which means you'll have to purchase a set amount of a product. 

Therefore, the private label business model is best for entrepreneurs who don't want to deal with the hassle of designing their products but still want more freedom with the creative process and branding.

Dropshipping is a business model where you partner with a third-party supplier who will fulfill your orders when a customer buys something from your online clothing store. These suppliers will then package and ship the products for you. This option is excellent for entrepreneurs who don't want to deal with the fulfillment process.

In addition, dropshipping allows you to test out different products without investing a lot of money upfront since you'll only pay the suppliers when a customer makes a purchase. You can also start your store quickly and efficiently since you don't need to wait for products to be manufactured. 

However, dropshipping does have some downsides. You'll have less control over the quality of the products and the shipping times since you're relying on a third-party supplier. You'll also have fewer chances to build a brand identity since your business will depend on the supplier you choose. 

If you want more information about this process, make sure to check out my article on what dropshipping means. 

Before your store goes live, you'll want to ensure that you have social media accounts set up and ready to go. You should create profiles for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and any other social media platforms you plan on using. Being active on these accounts will help you promote your store and drive traffic to your site. 

Make sure to populate your social media accounts with fresh content regularly and use hashtags to reach a wider audience. You'll be able to use these accounts for posts about new products, show off your inventory in photos and videos, advertise new deals and promotions, and develop your brand identity.

Being active on social media will help you stay in touch with loyal customers and promote your store to a broader audience. If you need additional help running your social presence, you can hire a social media team of photographers, marketing experts, and copywriters.

Partnering with social media influencers is another fantastic way to drive traffic to your page. You can reach out to brands and influencers whose values may align with your brand and offer them free products or even monetary compensation to make social media posts about your products.

You can also crowdsource user-generated content and repost your customers wearing your clothing on your social media sites. This tactic will motivate them to tag you in their posts, leading to more followers and a loyal customer base.

Email marketing is a significant part of online retail, and you'll want to have a plan in place before your store launches. By setting up automated emails, you can ensure that your customers are regularly updated on new products, deals, and promotions. 

A strong email marketing plan will help you boost sales and keep your customers informed about your store and their orders. In the first few months, you can gather customer email addresses and build your contacts list. You should also create a welcome email series for new subscribers and other automated emails like abandoned cart emails, order confirmation emails, and shipping update emails.

Each of these marketing channels has its benefits, and using a variety of them will help you reach a wider audience. You should also make sure that your strategies are constantly evolving, as your customers' needs will change over time. By planning ahead and using the right tools, you can ensure the success of your online clothing store.

The first step is to make sure your website is set up for search engine optimization or SEO. This process includes making sure your website's design and content effectively draw in organic traffic from Google and other search engines. 

There are numerous things you can do to optimize your website for SEO:

If this all seems a bit technical, don’t worry. Many online store builders have built-in SEO and can facilitate the process for you. If you want to learn more about optimizing your store using SEO, you can also refer to my guide on SEO for websites.

Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is a form of online advertising where you pay for each click on your ad. This method is a great way to reach people who are already interested in what you’re selling. 

Google Analytics is a tool that you can use to track the performance of your website. It’s important to have this set up before your store launches so that you can monitor your progress and see what’s working well and what needs improvement on your site. 

Google Analytics allows you to track incoming traffic to your website and related metrics, like how long a user stays on your site, what device/browser they used, what pages they viewed, and if they added anything to their cart. All of this data is extremely useful to see if you’re reaching your target market, how they got to your page, and if they are making purchases on your site.

Knowing these conversion rates can help you improve your website’s design and implement new marketing strategies. You can then track the efficiency of new advertising campaigns and see if your changes are working to boost sales. As your business grows, you can use Google Analytics to track your progress and make necessary changes to your business.