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An A-Z Guide on How to Create an Online Clothing Store

An A-Z Guide on How to Create an Online Clothing Store

There is hardly anything more fickle than fashion. The trends in this industry keep changing like the wind!

For instance, sustainability in clothing is a big hit now, customers are buying directly from social media, subscriptions, and recommerce is slowly growing.

In an age of changing trends, entrepreneurs like you have to create savvy strategies for building a clothing store to succeed in the future landscape.

To help you successfully create a strategy, we have this detailed guide on how to create an online store.

An outline of topics on how to create an online clothing store:

Step 1: Start by Choosing the Right Product

One of the biggest errors that happen when entrepreneurs make online clothing stores is appealing to different kinds of audiences at the same time.

They want to sell tees for teens, kidswear, scarves for women, socks, and hats – all at once. And it is a very natural thing to do.

But when you try to appeal to everyone, you can hardly please anyone. So, how will you avoid this error?

Find a Niche That is Profitable

If you want to create clothing store online and be successful, narrow down your focus on a niche.

In a market where different customers have different preferences, a niche will help you focus on a relatively small group who are actually looking for what you offer.

You can understand your target audience well, create products they want, and shape your brand in that direction.

Profitable clothing products sell

(Statistics from Statista, GrandViewResearch)

Suppose you have already decided to make online clothing store to sell t-shirts; dig deeper to be more specific.

What kind of tees do you want to sell, and who is your target market? Do you want to sell organic t-shirts? Or tees with superhero designs? Or plus-size t-shirts, etc.

Such a targeted approach will help you build a more focused business, and differentiate you from the general market.

Look for What’s Trending

When brainstorming for products to sell, consider current market trends. Think of products that have been trending in recent years.

For example, currently, what’s trending in apparel is customizable clothing, sustainable clothing, athleisure, and so on.

You can create a sustainable fashion brand to gain traction. With the ethical fashion market growing at a CAGR of 9%, this is the right time to tap into this niche.

Idea in action: Fair Indigo is one such organic clothing brand that is committed to creating clothes that will last upwards of 5 years. Its forever organic tees category is popular among shoppers.

Women Organic Cotton Fair Indigo

In this process of choosing products to make online clothing store, you have to ensure that your products have earning potential. One of the best ways to accelerate sales is by offering more value to your customers with customization using a Product Designer Tool.

Make Your Clothing Store Remarkable with a Product Designer Tool

Let customers use their creativity to customize clothing items as per their unique preferences. Having a customization tool accelerates your business by engaging shoppers, and improving sales.

Hop on to the trend of custom clothing and make money online.

Clothing Store Remarkable

Launch a clothing store integrated with a Product Designer Tool to offer picture-perfect customization. Click the link below to know more.

 

Pay Attention to Clothing Design

Customers are extremely particular about the designs they want. When you create clothing store online, focusing on the designs of the clothes is crucial.

Now that you already know who your target audience is, the process of creating designs that resonate with them becomes easy.

There are two ways you can make designs/graphics. One is you take a DIY route where you download graphics and fonts and create a design from scratch. The second is hiring freelance professionals.

Sell Dynamic Designs That Are Tailored For Every Customer

No matter what designs you offer, every customer has unique preferences. Some would be fine with the ready designs you offer, while others might want to customize further to add a personal touch.

A Product Designer tool will help you cater to each customer segment. The in-built artwork management feature of the tool lets you offer print-ready artwork to end-users.

You create amazing artwork using clipart, text, quotes, etc., and import it to the tool. Further, users can customize the designs by adding text, uploading a custom image, changing the background color, etc.

The tool comes with a dynamic pricing system that allows you to set pricing for every customization a user carries out. Once you configure the price, a user will get a real-time pricing update during customization.

 

Create clothing store online with an integrated designer tool. Let shoppers print designs on an array of printable products. Click to know more about what products can be personalized.

 

Step 2: Decide on an eCommerce Fulfilment Model

Starting a clothing store online is a lot more complex than you think. Deciding on the products is just the first step. There is a lot you need to take care of in your journey. For instance,

  • Where do you source products from?
  • How will you find suppliers?
  • Do you have a warehouse to manage inventory or do you want to dropship products?
  • How will you ship your products?
  • What will the packaging look like?
  • How will you handle returns, and the list of questions is endless.

You will find all the answers to these questions when you decide on your business model. You would want to choose a model that helps you get started quickly, and helps you grow your business.

The rest of the section covers three ways you can carry out eCommerce fulfilment. There is no right or wrong option. It all depends on your business requirements and goals.

In-house Fulfilment

In-house or self-fulfillment is more like you are on your own! You have to take care of all the aspects of selling online including stocking products, managing a warehouse, packaging, shipping, etc.

Yes, this model is time-consuming and costly, but one of the biggest advantages of it is that it gives you absolute control over all the processes.

In case you opt for this option, start the planning process by sourcing products for your store. If you are not going to manufacture products yourself, you have to partner with a wholesaler or manufacturer. Once you find a supplier, it’s always a good thing to order samples to be double sure of the quality.

In case you sell printable products like custom tees, hoodies, etc., you will also need to set up a printing infrastructure. You can either set up a printing studio with all the necessary equipment or partner with a printer.

You will also have to develop an eCommerce shipping strategy where you decide on crucial aspects like shipping fees, carriers, eCommerce packaging, and more.

Partner with a Dropshipper

“I have hundreds of items in stock but none of them is liked by my customers.”

That’s one of the biggest nightmares a business owner faces. If you are wondering how to set up an online clothing business and not get intimidated by heaps of inventory, dropshipping is the answer.

Dropshipping has become a popular model that allows you to sell products without having to stock them. As far as clothing is concerned, the dropshipping model can be a major hit.

Statistics reveal that the fashion segment is likely to witness positive growth from 2019 to 2025. You can start a dropshipping business with little investment and grow your clothing business.

Partner with Dropshipper

(Statistics’ Source)

In dropshipping, you buy products from merchants, and instead of warehousing products, you ship them directly to your customers.

When a customer places an order in your store, you send that order to a dropshipping supplier. They will prepare the order and ship it.

Probably, one of the biggest advantages of dropshipping is low start-up cost as you do not hold any inventory. This also means you can try and test different products to see what’s working and what’s not.

Print On Demand

Just like dropshipping, Print on Demand is a low-risk way to sell clothes online.

In this model, you work with a supplier to customize white-label products and sell them on a per-order basis. This means you need not hold inventory or pay a single penny till you sell a product.

Once you have your eCommerce store ready, you need to integrate your store with POD service providers like Printful, Printify, LuluXpress, etc.

After you receive an order, print-on-demand services will take care of everything from printing to order fulfillment.

 

Related Read: How to Start Print on Demand Business

 

Step 3: Choose an eCommerce Platform

To be able to list products, and accept payments, you need to build your own store. And for that, the first thing is to choose an eCommerce platform.

There are a lot of beginner-friendly options available like Wix. They do not require you to have technical expertise. They are simple to use and set up.

However, any business owner who is futuristic and aims to grow their business needs to invest in a platform that gives them the flexibility to scale.

Considering this, popular options among business owners include Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce, 3DCart, Prestashop.

All these platforms have their own pros and cons and require an in-depth analysis. Following are some important factors to consider when choosing the best platform to make an online clothing store.

  • A robust catalog that fulfills the requirement of your business
  • Enables you to offer website personalization
  • A platform that allows integration with fulfilment companies
  • Built-in customer review system for ratings and reviews
  • Have multiple payment options and eCommerce analytics
  • Integration with Facebook to sync your products with Facebook, Instagram

Another important thing to look for is the platform’s ability to enable product customization. If you are considering selling custom products, you would want an easily integrable customization software that is compatible with all eCommerce platforms.

Designer Tool by PrintXpand work seamlessly with major eCommerce products like Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, Prestashop, PHP, Opencart, and so on. Take a product tour to understand how the tool works in-depth, and know its features.

 

Step 4: Prepare Your Online Store

Once you have the foundation of your store ready, you will have to work on making it appealing. This section covers everything you need to know to create your company’s visual identity as well as how you can offer a seamless shopping experience.

Focus on Brand Identity

To be successful online, you have to establish a connection between what you are selling and who you are trying to sell to. And that’s where creating a brand identity helps.

Your brand is how people perceive it at every touchpoint. It includes everything from a recognizable name and logo to the message you are communicating.

Begin by choosing a name for your brand. Based on the kind of business you want to start, choose a good business name that is simple, and easy to remember.

Logo and brand color and fonts are other important things to take care of when building a website.

When creating a visual identity, it is good to ensure consistency across all platforms where your brand will have a presence.

Do Not Underestimate Shopping Experience

Having a well-performing website is as important as having a visually appealing website. Enhancing user experience leads to better ranking, more leads, and increased revenue.

Start with creating navigation that guides users through your website. Categorize your store effectively for better navigation.

For example, a business offering uniform offers users the choice between safety, work tshirts, scrubs, etc. Further, these categories fall into subcategories like long sleeve, sleeveless, meshed, etc.

Also read: How To Start Uniform Business Online

eCommerce Features For Extraordinary Shopping Experiences

  • High-quality Images and VideosDisplaying pictures is a must-have in your eCommerce store. However, if you want to take a step further, consider having videos too. Videos are like a virtual salesperson. They help in showcasing every aspect of your products. For instance, you can create a video and use that to show how good the fabric is, how shoppers can style a clothing item, behind the scenes of how apparel is made, etc.

High-quality Images and Videos

(Trend of Shoppable Videos – Source)

  • Suggested Products Based on Buyer’s PreferencesTo deliver a more personalized experience on your store, consider including a ‘Related Items’ feature. Phrases like ‘you might like this,’ ‘related items you have viewed’, etc. help shoppers to make better purchase decisions.
  • Implement product visualization in your storeProduct visualization has the potential to increase sales, and reduce returns. There is an array of visual content options like augmented reality, virtual reality, and 3D renderings. One of the growing trends in eCommerce is the usage of interactive configurators. It enables shoppers to configure products in real-time. Get more information about configurators here.

Custom and Stock Team Caps

Turn Your Online Store Into a Design Studio

The eCommerce industry is full of competition. There are hundreds of websites selling apparel online.

Even the smallest price drop on your competitors’ website or an offer has the potential to take away your potential shopper.

Therefore, you have to explain to your customers why your company and product are better or different from the rest. That’s when having a solid USP helps you overcome the competition.

A Product Designer Tool helps you offer unique benefits to your customers by giving them the power to customize products.

Go beyond listing products and offer a place to design products

Instead of just listing products on your website, you can provide shoppers with another option of a design studio.

For instance, CustomInk is a US-based retail company. They have a design lab with a collection of artworks, fonts, etc., that shoppers can access to design clothes they love.

Custom T-shirts - Design T-shirts

This extraordinary experience of creating dynamic products is what leads to more satisfied and loyal customers.

Like popular brands, you too can offer such an incredible shopping experience even though you are just starting out.

 

Check how you can deliver a personalized experience on your online store.

 

Step 5: Launch and Promote Your Online Store

Now that you have everything ready, it’s time to bring customers on board. Drive traffic to your online store by organic presence. This will require you to optimize your website for Search Engine Optimization.

Familiarize yourself with keyword research to make the most of your SEO efforts. Pay close attention to on-page content that refers to product titles, descriptions, images, etc.

Also, ensure that you have other ranking factors, including mobile experience, website speed, etc.

Second, do not forget social media. You can think beyond just social media posting and include selling on social media in your marketing strategy.

You can set up an account on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and shoppers can purchase directly from the social media app.

For example, you can sell your products on Instagram using Instagram Shopping. It is a set of features that allows you to make your products easy to shop.

Instagram launches Shopping

(Image Source)

You can create and share shoppable content on your Instagram feed and stories. Moreover, the posts you mark as Shop will appear on the explore page. In addition, consider incorporating TikTok into your marketing strategy. This emerging platform has proven to be effective in boosting sales for businesses. With TikTok’s popularity, you can easily reach a younger audience and showcase your products through engaging videos. Luckily, there are numerous video editors for TikTok available to help you create captivating content quickly and efficiently. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to tap into this growing market and increase your sales.

When selling clothing items, offers and discounts work like magic. Shoppers hardly want to miss any opportunity on 50% off or free shipping.

You can use tactics like special prices, final chances, etc., to instill FOMO and grab your audiences’ attention.

Turn an Ordinary Store into a Design Hub to Mint More Money

Building a brand that customers keep talking about takes time. With PrintXpand, you can successfully launch a clothing store and make money out of it with a USP of product customization.

Using a Product Designer Tool, you can offer customers a design lab where they can unleash their creativity to create stunning designs. Compatible with major eCommerce platforms, the tool works with an array of products.

Irrespective of the user’s technical expertise, they can use the tool without any hassle. The tool’s intuitive interface ensures a user can complete customization in less time.

The tool offers you all the freedom you need to scale your business in the time to come. You can quickly get started with functionalities that you think can support your business requirements. And gradually as your store expands, you can set and change the layout of the tool.

Businesses across the globe have built and grown their business with our designer tool. Not just that, we have everything you need to take care of your end-to-end business operations using print ERP software.

We can’t wait to assist you in your entrepreneurial journey! Let us take care of the technical part of running a business online while you focus on building your brand. Share your project details with us, and we will get back to you.

All product and company names are trademarks™, registered® or copyright© trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

Yesha Bhatt

Yesha Bhatt

Yesha Bhatt is a literature major who strongly believes in the mighty power of words. She recently made the jump from being a student to a professional by joining Biztech as a Content Writer. Her aim is to make tech easier for our readers to understand while she herself takes a journey into this mystic would of bits. Apart from writing and binge-reading, she is passionate about women's issues and history and mostly hangs around on Twitter making sensible points about women's issues and Indian politics.

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