Now is the time to capitalize on what will be a post-pandemic wardrobe revolution.
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It goes without saying that the 2020 quarantine made for a seismic shift in consumer behavior. The market has quickly morphed to an online-first mentality. This has created a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs across the globe to create digitally native product brands.
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“The number one question I get asked when helping my clients start their own apparel brand is ‘what kind of clothes should I make?'” said John Brown, head of the ecommerce operations company Be Fulfilled. “This is a complex question that has many potential answers.”
John has helped clients create multi-million dollar apparel brands and actually responded via four additional questions that only YOU can answer…
What problem are you trying to solve and why?
Are you creating sustainable clothing? The most flattering denim? High quality children’s clothing? These queries encompass author and inspirational speaker, Simon Sinek’s maxim, “people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it”. As the online apparel market gets more crowded you need to easily articulate your why and place.
Related: How the Beauty Industry Has Pivoted Since the Pandemic
What are your brand value points?
Starting your online apparel brand will present many options when it comes to where and how to manufacture your clothing. It is important that the value you create for the consumer is in alignment with the values you hold.
In manufacturing there are four main decision points that will determine the experience of your consumer, your profitability and your growth potential of your brand: quality, speed, price and quality.
You can’t have it all in the start-up stages. You will need to make the hard decisions on what you are willing to compromise during this process. Do you want the best fabric and you are willing to pay for it? If so, then you have just chosen quality as your number one priority. Do you then want to order 1,200 units and invest up front in inventory or are you gun-shy and want to order the minimum to test the market? John usually recommends the latter. Think big, test small. Road map the market first, pay a little more, then refine and go deeper on your next run. The lowest price doesn’t do you any good if you have 80% of it sitting in your basement.
Determine what you value and make your inventory decisions from there.
Where to manufacture?
John claims this question has become more
Source: Entrepreneur.com
Continued here:
How to Launch an Online Clothing Brand in 2021
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