How to Start Selling Boutique Clothing with Wholesale Suppliers

Opening an online boutique can be a lucrative business venture for both new and experienced clothing industry practitioners. According to Statista, the online apparel and accessories retail industry will generate more than $153 billion in revenue by 2024.

 

Changes in digital innovation, technology, and consumer spending have given online boutique owners an edge against the big boys. Corporate retailers will no longer be able to monopolize the market and can be online retailers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Do You Need to Know Before Selling Wholesale Clothing Again?

 

 

We all know that if you want to open a clothing boutique, or if you have some ideas for selling boutiques, all you need to do is to attract customers as well as buy out the clothes. You can choose to go to your local boutique clothing market to buy clothes, or you can buy China wholesale clothing through an online store.

 

 

Firstly, if you are opening a boutique for the first time, there are a few things you should know about boutique points.

 

 

 

How Is the Wholesale Boutique Clothing Market?

 

 

Before we started to answer how to sell wholesale clothing, you have to take a look at the market of wholesale clothing offline. To the statistics published on an authoritative website, U.S. e-commerce wholesale trade sales were worth 2.9 trillion U.S. dollars in 2019, roughly one-third of total wholesale shipments. Though the trend toward digital seems unstoppable, offline physical stores are still an indispensable part of our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The future development direction will also move towards a more intelligent, technological, and safer direction, and will be deeply integrated with online data. After all, the consumer doesn't care whether his consumption is online or offline. They only care about whether their shopping experience is pleasant and whether they are satisfied. The shopping experience of consumers can be affected by several important factors, which are also important references for judging the future development direction of offline physical stores.

 

 

 

Though wholesale clothing online is getting more and more popular, you can see the necessity of wholesale boutique clothing offline. For example, China wholesale clothing still accounts for seventy percent of the inventory of boutiques worldwide.

 

 

 

When shopping in offline physical stores, there are we can see and even touch the products: clothes can be tried on, and pots and pans can touch the texture. Although e-commerce platforms have used VR and AR technologies to improve the online shopping experience, at this stage they still can’t achieve our personal experience in physical stores.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, physical stores are also working hard to create a differentiated experience from online shopping, conveying a feeling of "you can enjoy a different experience when you go to the store" to users. Today we can see a dazzling array of products, you can buy them directly or even eat them on the spot, and you can also receive some free products. This enjoyable experience is not just shopping, but a new modern life.

 

 

 

Things to Consider Before Opening an Online Boutique

 

 

Advantage:

 

Most of the clothes in boutique clothing shops are obtained from stock through wholesale clothing. This is a low-cost way of making money without having to manufacture the goods yourself.

 

 

Features:

 

You need to be aware that the customer base of a boutique clothing shop is more demanding than that of a regular clothing shop. Customers of boutique clothing shops tend to want a wider selection of categories and more up-to-date styles of clothing in boutiques. Meeting these demands is the only way to better sell boutique clothing.

 

 

Difficulties:

 

There are many difficulties associated with opening a boutique. For example, you will need to spend a lot of time and money going to many places to select your boutique clothing. You will also need to develop careful marketing.
 

 

 

 

 

 

9 Steps to Selling Boutique Clothing

 

1. Get the Relevant Qualifications

 

When you start running a boutique selling clothes, you will first need to get the relevant licensing qualifications. Remember that you need to check local guidelines and restrictions to understand what you need to do and how much tax to pay for better legal help.

 

 

Let's say you want to start selling wholesale boutique clothing offline. Before you can start, it's important to get the relevant qualifications to ensure you're operating legally. Here are some steps you can take:

 

(1) Check local guidelines: Research the licensing requirements and guidelines for selling clothing in your local area. This will vary depending on where you live, so make sure you do your research to avoid any legal issues down the road.

 

(2) Obtain necessary licenses: Once you have an understanding of the local guidelines, obtain the necessary licenses and permits to operate your business legally. This may include a business license, tax ID number, and any other permits required in your area.

 

(3) Understand tax requirements: As a business owner, you'll be responsible for paying taxes on your income. Make sure you understand the relevant tax requirements and deadlines to avoid any penalties.

 

By taking the time to get the relevant qualifications, you can set your wholesale boutique clothing business up for success and avoid any legal or financial issues down the road. Remember to also be aware of the relevant export policies if you have multinational customers to avoid unnecessary losses.

 

2. Identify Niche Markets

 

 

Once you have obtained the relevant qualifications, you should start planning and thinking about your shop. Selecting the right niche is essential and you are encouraged to target sales in niche markets where you specialize or where there are currently gaps, as these are often the markets where you will achieve better sales results.

 

 

3. Confirm Your Budget

 

 

Once you have identified your customer base, you need to start calculating your budget to price your products. At this stage, you will need to do a lot of market research to identify a competitive mid-price. There are several pricing methods you can use to confirm the final price of your merchandise.

 

 

·Absorption pricing

·Bundled pricing

·Market-based pricing

·Value-based pricing

·Differentiated pricing

 

 

 

4. Confirm Your Shop Location 

 

Once all the above preparations have been completed, you need to confirm the location of your shop.
If you are opening a physical shop, you will need to choose a suitable location. This location should be in line with your niche market. If your niche is professional ladies aged 25-45, then it is not appropriate for your shop to be opened near a school.

 

 

If you are opening an online shop, then you need to consider whether you have enough money to buy a domain name or build a standalone site. You will also need to factor in the cost of subsequent website maintenance.

 

 

If you don't want to spend too much, you can also opt for a wholesaler-integrated website. For example, FondMart.

 

 

 

FondMart is an online wholesale platform from China, you can find the best boutique clothing suppliers here. Its main advantages are NO MOQs and you can buy single items at wholesale prices entirely and reorder them again if they fit. Secondly, it has a very fast update rate of 1000+ new items per day, thanks to the platform's 500+ suppliers, you can have a very wide selection. Finally, FondMart can provide buyers with the latest styles of clothing at an amazing speed of 10 days' arrival. This feature of super-fast fashion is also the most advantageous aspect of this platform. After all, you are running a boutique and the quality of the clothes is the guarantee to win the advantage.

 

 

5. Buy Stock

 

Buying stock is also an important part of selling your boutique clothing and it is important to choose a stockist that you can trust 100%. If you want to learn more about how-to-buy-boutique-clothing, here are some suggestions.

 

 

6. Create a Product List

 

Once you have confirmed that you have done your stock shopping, you can start to create your list of items. It's important to take some attractive photos of the items you need to show your customers. This is also something that will give your customers a first impression.

 

 

7. Create a Marketing Plan

 

It is very important to have a marketing plan and this will take up most of your time to think about.
You can refer to the following.

 

Self-media.
Run your IG or INS account and showcase your clothes on it, or contact KOLs who are within your price range to help you promote your items. This is by far the fastest way to gain attention and exposure.

 

Email Marketing.
Email marketing is a very traditional way of marketing, but it is often very effective. You can send your customers the latest products or special offers. You can also send birthday or holiday greetings to your customers to increase customer stickiness.

 

Search Engine Optimization.
Search engine optimization is an effective and cost-effective way, especially for boutique shop owners who have an online shop. SEO can help you improve your website page rank and bring you higher conversion rates.

 

Advertising.
If you have the budget, posting ads is often the most efficient. You don't need to worry about publicity, that's what advertising agencies need to do. However, note that advertisers tend to charge a lot.

 

Promotional Activities.
A few marketing campaigns within your profit margin can go a very long way to helping you sell boutique clothing. You could set up some full-sale events or points campaigns.

 

 

8. Start Selling

After you've set up your storefront and product listings, it's time to start selling. Depending on how you set up your storefront, you will need to close the deal by talking directly to the customer or by asking them to submit a form.

 

9. Confirm Your After-Sales Plan

 

 

After a transaction, it's important to stay in touch with customers to build a strong foundation and, ultimately, expand your wholesale clothing business.

 

 

After customers receive their orders, call them to confirm that everything was delivered as promised. Ask for their opinions so you may make adjustments to your procedure. A follow-up email or phone survey can be used to do this.

 

 

 

 

 

Skills and Characteristics of a Successful Online Boutique

 

 

We have outlined below a few key skills and characteristics that you should have before you start running an online boutique clothing shop.

 

 

1. Enthusiasm and Drive

 

Do you prefer visiting antique stores and trade exhibits on the weekends to hunt for unusual items? Are you preoccupied with matching your shoes to your clothes? Do you keep an eye out for some of the latest China wholesale clothing in real time? If so, your success will be aided by your love of fashion.

 

 

Being a small business owner is challenging. To persevere when you bury your head in purchase and tax papers, you need passion and drive. Therefore, make sure you are passionate about what you are doing and have the drive to succeed before you make any time or financial commitments.

 

 

2. Internet

 

Your network is one of your most valuable resources. Because even if you're a top fashion designer, you may not know how to form an LLC or create a credible logo.

 

 

You can identify people who are good at doing these things and draw on their knowledge by harnessing the power of networking.

 

 

 

3. Internet Marketing

 

As a business owner, you have several hats to wear. While you don't need to be an expert in every facet of clothes stores, having some experience with internet marketing is beneficial.

 

 

The good news is that learning digital marketing online is now simpler than ever. You can learn more about search engine optimization (SEO), paid advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, and other topics by using some excellent tools. You can also simply search for more wholesale clothing platforms and easily communicate with China wholesale clothing or local vendors.

 

 

4. Finance for Business

 

Similar to digital marketing, knowing your start-up expenses before starting an online store might be useful. The good news is that you can learn more about managing your finances and cash flow online by doing research and enrolling in courses.

 

 

5. Managing Your Time

 

Being your boss has several advantages, one of which is not having someone tell you what to do. However, this implies that you are in charge of completing everything. You can only go so far with passion and drive.

 

 

If you have trouble managing your time, fatigue will soon set in.

 

 

 

 

Make managing your time a top priority and practice this skill. There is a tonne of publications, software programs, and other resources for time management.

 

 

6. Self-Assurance

 

You must be self-assured to run a profitable online business. Don't let unfavorable thoughts stand in your way; have faith that you can accomplish this.

 

 

Even while you might not require that level of assurance, you can be motivated by his example and keep in mind that you can persevere even under trying circumstances. Learning "how to sell boutique clothing" may not be easy, but finding a positive example is simple.

 

 

 

6  Tips We Recommend

 

 

Confirm the Clothes You Sell

 

The understanding of the market is the understanding of the demand when selling boutique wholesale clothing. We have been talking about consumption upgrades in the past, and later we have proposed consumption stratification. Indeed, today your clothes are selling well in this place, but once they are placed in the traditional store next door, they can hardly be sold. The market we face is not a single market, but a diversified and layered market.

 

 

 

Behind each channel is a consumption ecology, and behind each city is also a consumption ecology. Consumption in big cities is completely different from that in small cities. We must not use our knowledge to understand the entire market. You have to make sure what boutique clothes you are selling and who are your target customers.

 

 

As a wholesaler, without an intermediary, you can understand your customer base in great detail. One of the main differences in wholesale is that you can deal directly with them. This means you can understand your customers and their habits, and your business can respond quickly to them.

 

 

 

Here, the reports in your business system are also very convenient through various customer, sales, and product reports, you can quickly understand which ones are the best sellers and which ones are without sellers. This allows you to order a large number of effective products and get rid of invalid products.

 

 

 

Determine a Good Place to Sell

 

 

 

 

The correct choice of shop location is the first to make money when opening a shop. If a store with a good business project chooses the wrong location, the small one will affect the business, and the large one may also lead to a broke-up. Determining a good place to sell is very important to solving the problem of how to sell wholesale boutique clothing.

 

 

Scientific site selection will give you the advantage of sales and business booming. A good location based on popularity is not absolute when selling boutique clothing, but it has many commonalities, such as high population mobility and convenient transportation.

 

 

The purchase must consider the following factors:

 

 

The flow of People:

 

 

Normal, holiday, day and night number of people and ratio

 

 

Traffic:

 

 

Current and possible means of transportation in the future; Road width and parking issues;

 

 

Traffic Flow :

 

 

The traffic of cars and motorcycles

 

 

Regional Characteristics:

 

 

competitive stores, complementary stores, financial institutions, cultural and educational, leisure facilities, etc.

 

 

Population Survey:

 

 

pop the location of the area, consumption habits, etc.

 

 

Wholesale means that you may sell your products in bulk to many different retailers and distributors. This means you need to ensure that you have enough warehouse storage space to promote these sales.

 

 

Although we are discussing this topic, it is also important to ensure that your warehouse processes are simplified and efficient to help minimize any packaging errors or wasted time locating goods in your warehouse. Handling large quantities can be tricky when selling wholesale boutique clothing, and everything must reach the end consumer in time. So consider the requirements and determine a suitable place to start your wholesale boutique clothing business offline.

 

 

Create Your Brand

 

 

 

 

Creating a label that will sell boutique clothing is a great way to start a business, which is also very good for you. To find brands of clothing that are appropriate for the type of clothing you intend to sell, you may need to contact wholesalers if necessary. You need to take full advantage of social media, maintain a fun and professional website, and target your specific customers to sell boutique clothes successfully. By providing excellent customer service to your customers, you can ensure a pleasant shopping experience for them.

 

 

Find Qualified Suppliers

 

 

To attract your customers, you have to make sure the quality of your clothes is good because only quality satisfies your customers can you earn money continuously. Thus, finding trustworthy suppliers and manufacturers is important at first to sell wholesale boutique clothing.

 

 

First of all, you can find some local suppliers. If we get goods from these suppliers, what we get is a first-hand source. For example, some local wholesale markets, or factories. You can ask some friends who work in the factory to let them connect with you. After all, if you have an acquaintance, you can avoid the high price that the factory will give you.

 

 

 

In addition, you can go to the wholesale platform online to buy goods like FondMart and the prices you get are quite low. And you don’t have to negotiate with suppliers and manufacturers because they are qualified and trustworthy.  

 

 

Wholesale boutique clothing is usually purchased from online wholesalers by boutique owners.

 

 

Advantages:

• Fast turnaround time
• Wide selection of products
• Competitive prices

 

 

Drawbacks:

• Risky (from the perspective of product quality & delivery)

 

 

Make a Promotion

 

 

 

 

As for selling boutique clothing, you still have a responsibility to market your products to consumers, so you have to try your best to attract your potential customers. Think that if you are a customer, the price is vital when you purchase the products.

 

 

In the process of operating a clothing store, the purchase of clothing in clothing store is a very critical part. The quality of the goods largely determines the performance of the store, and a good source of goods can bring good benefits to the clothing store.

 

 

First of all, the promotion model must be consistent with our store theme, focusing on the characteristics of the promotion activities, giving customers a refreshing feeling, and having a strong impact, so that customers can remember instantly at a glance, and are deeply impressed. Customers have desires and ideas.

 

 

Secondly, the specified plan needs to be very reasonable. The weekend big show is only for weekends. Holidays will be promoted according to specific festivals and must be comprehensive. Various problems and emergencies must be considered and communicated with the staff in advance.

 

 

 

 

Then, it is about the form of promotion. You must be creative. When you engage in promotion, you must give away, discounts, points, rewards, and other forms. After all, the rules are rules. Everyone is tired of the rhythm of life, and having fun appropriately will attract more people's attention when selling boutique clothing.

 

 

Finally, it is necessary to deal with different situations in diverse ways. According to different festivals, crowd situations, consumer psychology, market changes, and realistic characteristics, different methods must be adopted. New products, keep up with holiday spots and market demand, quickly seize hot spots, and pay attention to product quality.

 

 

Calculate the Budget

 

 

 

 

To sell wholesale clothing offline, you need to rent a warehouse or a physical store, so you may need to pay more compared to selling wholesale clothing online. Besides, during the business, it will lead to additional costs, such as rent, maintenance, staff costs, etc. Thus, you have to carefully calculate the budget and make sure that you’ve gotten enough money to open your business.

 

 

 

 

Besides, if you don't own enough money, you have to abandon some extra expenses, such as the decoration of the store and the excess discount on the clothes, which is the way to attract your target customers. You have to make it clear that during the process, work should be done in order of importance and urgency. For more details, you can read "How to Calculate Wholesale and Retail Price for Clothing" and Where Can I Buy Boutique Clothing Wholesale?

 

After reading, we hope you have got some inspiration on how to sell boutique clothing. However, having a good approach alone does not guarantee that you will be able to buy wholesale clothing easily.

 

No matter you start to sell wholesale clothing online or offline, you can always choose FondMart as your best selection. Remember, we can not only provide you with sincere suggestions but ut also satisfactory service. Come and take a look!