Launching an online fashion store can be one of the best decisions you make in your entrepreneurial career – if you’re prepared for the work involved in getting it off the ground and maintaining its success over time. It’s crucial to follow these 10 tips to start an online fashion store so that you get off on the right foot and establish your brand in the market from day one. If you use this as your guide, there’s no doubt that you’ll be able to accomplish everything you set out to do!
1) Research
Before you dive in and start selling, it’s a good idea to do some research into your niche and customers. Look at other websites and learn what they’re doing well (and where they could improve). What products are out there? If you decide to sell handbags, are there enough different bags that no two are exactly alike? Are their competitors only selling a small variety of styles or brands? How much competition do you have in terms of both number of sellers as well as number of available products? Learn about your competition so that you know how best to position yourself for success. Additionally, make sure that any products you want to sell aren’t prohibited from sale online by law—for example, can knives be sold online?
2) Create Your Own Shopify Theme
You can create your own online store from scratch or find a pre-made theme and customize it. You’ll need to decide what you want from your online shop, determine how much you have in resources (time, money, etc.) and then decide whether starting from scratch or customizing a theme is best for you. Many platforms make design easy for beginners, but take longer for more advanced designers (if that’s you). If so, one of our Shopify Themes may be just what you’re looking for. Read through these 10 Tips To Make Your Own eCommerce Website on Shopify!
3) Choose a Niche and Quality Products
Choosing a niche (or product) is crucial. You’ll want to choose something that resonates with you and that you’re passionate about. That’s because it will be your primary source of income. But more importantly, it needs to appeal to a community of people who are likely to buy from you. For example, if you love yoga, launching a brand new style of yoga pants might not work out so well if no one is interested in them. On the other hand, think about how well yoga accessories would do! If your products are good quality and fit into a growing industry or market segment, then you’re off to a great start!
4) Grow Your Social Media Followers
Social media is a powerful marketing tool for fashion brands. In fact, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from social media. If you want your business to gain traction, consider investing in strategies that will grow your social media following and get followers on board with your products. Here are a few ways you can do that
5) Remember Business, Not Just Pleasure
Many women dream of starting their own fashion brand. But business isn’t always fun and games; in fact, it can be a lot of hard work. From branding to logistics, you’ll face lots of hurdles along your journey. Remember: It’s not about enjoying yourself—it’s about building something sustainable and rewarding for yourself in the long run. Determine your values and stick with them when business gets tough. Just remember that you can have fun too! And don’t be afraid to ask for help along your way—we all need it sometimes.
6) Taxes – Don’t Forget!
One of the most important tips for starting a business is to set aside money for taxes. It’s also one of the most neglected. Many small businesses, especially new ones, overlook their tax responsibilities. It’s easy to forget that there are two sides to your income: what you take home in wages and what you take home in profits. If you don’t keep track of how much profit you make, by tax time you could be in for a nasty surprise when all those bills come due.
7) Shipping – Get Ready To Deal With Returns!
It’s a pain, but if you ship your own packages (especially clothes), you’ll have to figure out how to deal with returns. You don’t want a bad reputation for poor customer service, so make sure you always do what it takes to get your customers’ items back in good condition, as well as any documentation you need for a refund or exchange. When it comes to shipping and returns, it doesn’t pay to be lazy or short-sighted. The money saved from not paying someone else can quickly disappear if you aren’t careful.
8) Advertising – Try Different Platforms and Explore Ads
When you’re first starting out, you might not have a ton of money for marketing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with your promotional efforts. Instead of ads, focus on social media marketing—it can be a very inexpensive way to grow your following and find new customers. Offer incentives (like free shipping) to users who follow or like your page, share your posts, and/or subscribe to your email newsletter. Search Facebook and Twitter for posts related to brands in your niche and join conversations—that is, comment on other people’s posts while sharing links back to your own website where it makes sense. Search LinkedIn Groups for groups related to whatever type of brand you’re trying develop and again join in discussions there.
9) Work, Work, Work (But Have Fun Too!)
Starting a business is hard work. Many people compare it to working two full-time jobs: one at your current job and another running your startup. Even so, you can find time for things that you enjoy while still keeping your business moving forward. For example, if you’re passionate about both fashion and technology, start a fashion-focused tech company! Or, if being in front of a computer isn’t your thing, look into marketing positions or selling stocks at startups (many startups offer employee stock purchase plans). In fact, many people make money off of their own ideas by simply promoting products that others make–even starting e-commerce sites with other entrepreneurs’ products. When you work on what makes you happy AND get paid for it?
10) Learn From Mistakes And Move On Quickly!
When launching your fashion store, you want to find mistakes early on and learn from them before they cost you any money. You should be able to do everything yourself: designing and building a website, posting items for sale, managing customer service and so on. If you outsource certain aspects of your online business—even if that’s just basic SEO work—the learning curve can become steeper than expected. You’ll also want to avoid making those same mistakes over again by growing your business through trial and error. With every new experience comes a chance to learn something new; use these opportunities wisely and you’ll grow smarter as time goes on.
