Fashion, Apparel, Trends & Tips

We wrote recently how the name appeal of brand name women’s clothing can snag sales, and put you neatly into a luxury niche market, but then there comes the time to buy. Who do you go to? Who is trustworthy?

Recently, Ebay lost a lawsuit against the French fashion house of Hermes, and was found liable for the sale of counterfeit goods. With Tiffany & Co, and Louis Vuitton also up in arms about knockoffs, it’s a safe bet to assume that many other products available on the web are less than they appear. If fact, it’s estimated that a full 30% of all brand name goods sold online are, in fact, counterfeit.

While some may be tempted by the price to purchase items like these, beware. While most people won’t notice a difference, undoubtedly someone will, and your integrity as a retailer will be forever tarnished. Even if you unknowingly purchase counterfeit items, the responsibility will still lie with you. Why risk it, when a few small questions and a call to your wholesale distributor can provide all the assurance you need in order to verify the authenticity of your purchase.

Avoid mistakes like these by asking yourself a few simple questions. Is a clear photograph of the label available? Is that label consistent with other labels I’ve seen from that company? Are the same items available on the brand’s personal website?

If you still have no answers after asking these questions, just place a call. Any reputable company will be happy to speak with you in order to assure you that the items are genuine. In the end, if you work with people you trust, your chances of getting a great deal on brand name clothing are much higher.

As an owner of a retail women’s clothing store, it’s important to have something that sets you apart from the nearest discount chains. What can retailers do to keep customers shopping locally? These days people aren’t going as far from home for leisure activities, like shopping. This is an incredible asset to local retailers, but from there, the work is only half done. Once people begin shopping in their hometowns, how can we entice them to buy?

Every woman wants the latest brand name apparel, but it can be hard to provide quality goods on a slim profit margin. Luckily, luxury brand name items are becoming more and more accessible to wholesale clothing distributors.

Goods with high brand name recognition are a good start. For instance, any large mall will have a Bebe, or Steve Madden store. You can give your store that same air of retail authority by stocking a small selection of Bebe tops, or Steve Madden purses all in your store. If your customers know that you are the only place in town that they can get luxury goods, they’ll spread the word quickly.

Another benefit of stocking brand name goods comes in the fact that it can give you an edge in the niche market of brand name apparel. Bigger chains like Wal-Mart or Target won’t carry items like these, so you can set your store apart easily with just a few select pieces.

It’s worth it to look for brand name goods, but as a word of caution, be sure they’re authentic before buying. Any reputable distributor will give you information verifying the authenticity, or you can ask to see the designer’s brand label on the product itself. Usually knockoffs won’t have these.

Buyers of wholesale women’s clothing are already faced with countless business decisions to make each day. Some are no brainers, but some require serious thought. For example, whether to buy goods in bulk, or individually priced items. While both options are viable for anyone, your business model will determine which of the two is best for you.

When should I look for bulk quantities? When you are selling at very low prices, or when you are guaranteed to sell all or most of your stock quickly. If you are not generally in this category, you may find yourself stuck with large quantities of an item that is no longer trendy, or too many out of season goods.

When should I buy individually priced goods? When your customer base is small, or when you sell upscale women’s clothing. Customers buying women’s clothing locally want something they can’t get in a big department store. They also want something they won’t see on every other woman down the street. If you sell within a local area, your best bet is to offer a wide range of goods in small quantities.

Some things to consider: Buying in bulk can offer you a pricing advantage, but that advantage is gone if the merchandise doesn’t sell. In addition, if there are large quantities of the same item available, you run a much higher risk of competition with other companies selling the same merchandise.

If individual prices are simply too high for you to consider, you should always contact your distributor. Sometimes they can offer you a discount for purchasing small sets, or for buying their entire stock. Generally stores that sell by piece rather than in bulk will be flexible when it comes to clearing out inventory, and they rarely have unmanageable quantities on hand to begin with.

You already know the value of your customers or members, but how are you communicating with them?

Email marketing is one of the most effective and affordable ways for a small business or organization to reach their customers and members. Here are some tips to help you market efficiently with Email Marketing:

1. Use your company or brand name in the “from” line, which tells recipients who sent the email.
2. Write a brief (six words or less is ideal) subject line that accurately represents the message’s major content. Longer subject lines are OK, just make sure each word is critical and the most important are in the first 50 characters – those that follow will get cut off in many email clients. Include the email’s title, if it has one (such as a newsletter title). If you can’t, then include your company, division or brand name in the “from” line. List it first here.
3. Keep HTML-format messages as simple as possible. The more gizmos you pack into an HTML message — superfluous images, graphics, sound or video — the more likely something won’t work on your recipients’ computers. Store rich-media content on the Web; limit image size and use colors that reflect your logo.
4. In HTML messages, use alt tags and support text around images so that readers whose email clients block images by default will still get the gist of your message. Many email clients will also block alt tags, so good use of text is key.
5. If you offer a text version (read why here), make sure the content includes links to all of your core functions and tasks. Don’t force readers to click to the Web version of your newsletter to receive its benefits or manage their subscriptions.
6. Load up on relevant links. If your goal is to funnel readers to your Web site, give them many access points, such as two or three order buttons sprinkled around a promo message instead of just one, or links to related information on your site. You’ve probably got a wealth of info at your site; make it easy for your readers to find it.
7. Lose the generic action button. Instead of “click here,” use descriptive terms such as “Order now!” or “subscribe me!” or “Get white paper here.” Be explicit about the actions you want users to take.
8. Test each email message before you send it, in different browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, etc.), email clients (Outlook, Lotus Notes, Gmail, Yahoo!) and platforms (Macintosh and PC). Click each link; watch out for oddities and inconsistencies in the way images load (or don’t load) and in text fonts and widths.
9. Adhere to your users’ preferences for frequency, format and content. If you keep sending promo offers to people who signed up just for the newsletter, you’ll lose them.
10. However, you can promote your other publications in your messages, as long as those promos don’t get in the way of the main content. For example, add a brief product offer at the end or side of a newsletter or announcement message, or list headlines from relevant news stories in a promotional-offer message. This way, you can promote other products and services without committing readers to extra emails.

    Source: email labs

As people become more anxious over the political and economic mood in the US right now, marketing is more important than ever. Reports show that despite worries, customers are STILL spending money in retail stores. In fact, this month, there has been the largest increase in retail sales since November of 2007.

People are being more picky these days, though, and it’s no wonder. When things are tight, they still want the best items, but they may be less willing to spend indiscriminately. So how can you, as a retailer of womens clothing, capture their attention and customer loyalty?

We’ve discussed how a web presence, and strong customer service can help you, but what about marketing? Are you calling your best customers to tell them when you have a sale or promotion going on? It’s a good idea to keep in close contact with the people who keep your store going. Do you have a strong brand identity, so that word of mouth will effectively spread the popularity of your store? Do you have print ads that will easily win out over the old newspaper ads, and inserts mass produced by big department stores?

It’s important to keep in touch. Make a list of ten or twenty excellent customers, and call them personally when you have a sale or promotion. They’ll feel special and included, and there’s a good chance they’ll buy.

Make a strong name for yourself. Prominently display the name of your shop or boutique on the storefront. Make a name and stick to it. Follow up with a business card or flyer, and slip it into every bag you send out of the store.

Most importantly, pay attention to print marketing! Newspapers constantly run ads that people looking for a deal might find, and the bigger stores always fill the morning mail with small pamphlets advertising sales and new products. How can you compete with this? It’s simple, actually.These ads and brochures are not targeting anyone in particular, but you can. Take down the addresses of customers when they have time to give them, and then send out your own beautiful postcard. Or better yet, let us do it all for you, and save your time for more important things in your store!

Looking for some great summer dress stock, but don’t know all the jargon? Cuts, shapes, and color names can be so confusing. Well, here’s a handy guide to help you make sense of the words designers use to describe their products. Here are a few of the more common terms used when talking about dresses.

A-line Dress – A-line dresses are generally waistless. They start out with a narrow top, and flare out with straight sides to form an ‘A’ shape. A-line skirts follow the same pattern. This cut is great for people who want to hide a little something around the waist.

Bubble hem Dress - The bubble shape is one of the hottest new trends, and shows no signs of going away. The bubble shape features a gathered hem that is fixed to a shorter lining beneath. The effect is a round hemline with no visible edge. This shape is perfect for anyone who wants to hide their thighs without sacrificing their legs.

Crystal Pleat – This is a very fine, permanent pleat in fabric. Generally in sheer fabrics, but with its growing popularity, the style has expanded to include satins and polyesters.

Geometric Print – A geometric print is any print that features either angular, or abstract shapes in its design.

Mod Dress – A mod dress is any dress that is reminiscent of styles worn by the fashion icons of the 60’s. Mod dresses are generally, but not always A-line shapes, and often feature trapeze necks.

Trapeze Neck – This means something in between straps, and a halter neck. The back of the neck is usually high, while the front swings down. It’s a popular shape for people who want to show off their arms and shoulders, because it’s a bit classier than most sleeveless cuts.

Viscose – Viscose is a new fabric made of a form of Rayon. It’s benefits are that is it lightweight, silky, and it breathes much like a cotton weave. Many of our finer Cable and Gauge tops are made of Viscose.

There are a lot of reasons to drag your feet on the online issue as you build the brand and identity of your physical store. “ But all my customers are local…”, or “They’re just not online shopper types.” Not to mention the money involved in startup, and the hassle of inventory control and shopping carts. You might be surprised how much an online presence can really help your sales and community identity. These days,  women’s wholesale clothing stores are everywhere.

Online stores are open 24 hours. Your customers may like to come in, try on the goods, and speak to you personally, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get a sneak peek at the new clothing trends. Put your website on your business card, and let them know they can look at items any time. They’ll come in as soon as they see new things, rather than stopping in randomly and being upset when you’re sold out of their size.

Online stores can track your customer demographics. Using analytics, you can see what your customers are looking at, what items they like, and you can even do surveys in exchange for clothing discounts to get more information to better help you stock your store.

Some online store systems let you sell items that you don’t physically have in stock. Some online clothing websites are affiliates of bigger companies who will hold the inventory for you, so you never have to store it in house.

Online stores make an attractive placeholder for your contact information. If someone wants to know what your address is, or what your hours are, do you want them landing on a generic yellow pages page with little or no information? Of course not! Your online store should be as lovely as your real storefront, and it should prominently display important information on getting to the store. Even if your customers don’t want to shop online, they’ll see that you are a professional, established business.

A great plus to women’s clothing websites is - you can let someone else do all the work for you! Ask your Julie-Ann sales rep to tell you about our affiliate program, which will provide all web design, shopping cart, inventory control, and customer service for you.

Customer service is probably the second most important aspect of your retail women’s clothing business, after marketing. Customer service is what will give you an edge over your chain store competitors, and bring people back into local shopping. Great service will have them spending more, because they trust you as a retailer, and it is well worth the extra effort. There are some simple things you can do to better serve your customers, and yourself.

Love your products! If you don’t, how can anyone else? Always wear what you sell, and be a living model for your customers. Take the time to research the name brand items you sell. Know where everything is in your store, where it was made, what it’s made of, how it fits, etc. Try on everything in your size, so you can tell them if it fits big, small, or if it’s cut for wide hips or small busts. Be ready to suggest great items if they’re not sure what they’re looking for.

Answer your phone and e-mails! Some customers just like to check out what’s there before they head into the store. Always have a phone ready, and if you’re assisting a customer, have someone else there to help grab it. Check your email at least once a day, and answer every question, no matter how small. If you have a women’s clothing website (which we highly recommend), then make sure everything is updated and current at least once a week. It won’t take care of itself. As an extension of your brick and mortar business, your online clothing store should look as polished and professional as your storefront. Put out a little money on it if you can. If someone needs the address or phone number for your store, that’s likely where they’ll land, so you want it to look good.

Never run the store alone. You should never be the only person in the store. If you’re at the register, a customer who comes in isn’t being greeted, assisted, or smiled at. If you’re helping a customer, someone with money who wants to pay is being ignored. No matter how small your space, never work alone.

Get to know repeat customers. Anyone who walks in your store twice is a repeat customer. Know their names, what brands they like, how many children they have. Anything. It not only builds a rapport with the community, but it also helps you market properly to your demographic. Make sure they know you, too. Slip a business card in their bag as they leave, or offer a little discount to them in the form of a signed, handwritten coupon. If they think of you as a friend, as well as a business, they’re more likely to visit you, rather than the big chain with the blank faced cashier. Your store should be a place to hang out, shop, chat, meet friends – in other words, a destination, and not just a quick stop on the way home from work.

Work friendly hours. It’s important to make sure you’re not always closed when people want to shop. This doesn’t mean keeping the doors open past midnight, but if you’re open until seven, people have a chance to get home from work, walk the dog, eat a quick dinner, and get in before closing. You can open your doors at ten or later, as long as you can stay open after five on weekdays.

Sometimes, specialization is your key to success, especially in rough times. As promised, we’re here to deliver some helpful business ideas to keep you going in a tougher economic climate, and one of the best methods we’ve found for success is in cornering a niche market for women’s wholesale apparel.
A niche market doesn’t have to be anything exotic. Here are a few tips to help you corner the market in your local neighborhood.

+ Know your demographics  Marketing is a prime way to gather information to help you better serve your customers. By sending out mailers, e-mails, and by using word of mouth, you can not only lure people into your store, but you can find out what they need. Keep track of who visits your site, how old they are, what they buy, etc. You’ll be able to stock what they want more easily that way.

+ Specialize  Are you the only formal wear store in your town? In plus sizes? Do you offer custom tailoring? Or maybe you’re where all the trendy teens like to shop when they’re not up for a long drive to the nearest mega mall. Play up whatever makes your store special. Have a large selection of it. From Red Hat Society to Prom, be the best in your area.

+ Customer Service   This cannot be stressed enough. These days, when a trip to a huge chain is as easy as getting in the car, you have to make your store special not only through great pricing, but through impeccable customer service. Answer questions knowledgably, be extra courteous, and ensure that your staff can do the same when you’re not in. There’s no comparison to great personal service, especially when the alternative is a curt cashier in an enormous chain who doesn’t care about the product or the customer.

+ Unique items   When you buy stock, look for items that simply can’t be found in the larger stores in your area. Items with different cuts, or exciting prints. If your customers know that they will get interesting pieces at your store, they’ll bypass the larger one-style-fits-all chains.

Inflation, Recession, High Gas prices- This is all we hear! I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of hearing and reading about this.

All this focus on negativity, breeds more negativity. Look back over the last 30 years and you will see that we are always faced with adversity. Inflation or Recession, Stagflation, or a Stock Market Crash, High Interest Rates or a Natural Disaster that affects the economy – we’ve seen it all, and bounced right back.

The real question we are faced with now, as sellers of women’s apparel, is how we can not only survive, but how we can THRIVE in this economy. It’s far from impossible!

We have to face the fact that in tough times you have no choice but to be TOUGH, and fight harder, and smarter. Let the other guy cry over the Headlines. Let the other guy use the “Economy” as an excuse for failure. A business with a good plan and solid marketing strategy won’t need excuses, because even in the roughest times, a loyal customer base will keep them going.

We can’t do anything about high gas prices or commodity inflation in the short run, but we CAN adapt ourselves to the current economic climate.

In the coming weeks we are going to focus a section of our Wholesale Apparel Blog on Retail Tips, Marketing Ideas, and other tips on How to prosper in this Economy.Let’s make our own News, and Let it be Good News at that! By the way, did you see the previous post about Ann Taylor? The good news is rolling in already!