Wholesale purchasing, bulk buying, and dropshipping have all become revolutionary ways for boutique store owners to elevate their businesses and ensure customers get the most exciting items on offer. But the flip side is that there are SO many wholesalers out there, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. In this article, we’ll take a look at some common mistakes in the wholesale clothing market – and how you can avoid them for your own business.
Diving into the wholesale women’s clothing market can feel thrilling. There is so much on offer, with so many good deals and lots of opportunities for excellent growth.
But a few easily preventable mistakes can cause issues, leaving you frustrated, affecting your margins, and leading to you losing your competitive edge.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how you can build/order clothing collections that sell, while also creating a firm customer base and establishing trust with your wholesale supplier.
Here’s how to avoid common mistakes:
Wholesale Buying: Don’t Just Follow Trends
Buying the latest fashion trends is good, don’t get us wrong, but in today’s world, there’s too much emphasis on chasing what’s hot, rather than what your customers actually want.
When it comes to buying wholesale women’s clothing, look over your boutique store’s sales history, customer feedback, and other reference points to determine what wholesale items will actually sell in your store, not just what’s “in” at the given moment. With the right wholesaler, you can be firmly in control and use sales tactics like ordering small, measuring sell-through results, and rapidly re-ordering items that did well for you.
Quality is Non-Negotiable
You shouldn’t just be chasing the best prices; you should also be chasing the best quality.
Before you commit to a big buy in wholesale women’s clothing, request samples and test them in the exact way your customers will use them (eg, put them through the wash to test for shape retention, piling, or color-loss). In today’s world, great wholesalers often have great quality products – it’s just about finding the wholesaler that works for you!
Curate With Intention
Boutique store owners have one-up on wholesalers, in that they’re a physical store, meaning they can do a lot with color, balancing, and curating their products to suggest a statement. When you’re looking for wholesale women’s clothing, try to think collectively about how items might look in your store or on a window display. You’ll be surprised at the results you can achieve.
Finally, Nurture Relationships
As a boutique store owner, the best way to avoid common wholesaling mistakes is to nurture a good relationship with your trusted wholesaler. Often, this will result in them supplying you with unique data, offering constructive feedback, or even offering you exclusives or early access. Think of your wholesaler as a partner in your business, and it’ll make all the difference.
