Where to get inventory for clothing store

Using personas, retailers can slice and dice their audience by age, race, style, income, interests, and any other criteria. Then, having established personas, retailers should ensure that all of their merchandise appeals to that segment of shoppers. All product lines should mix, match, and appeal to the same customer segment.

For example, merchants that sell plus sizes should choose junior or missy and contemporary or edge. From that decision, merchants can pick the rest of the collection, including handbags and accessories. Leave generic products — items that shoppers can easily find elsewhere — to larger retailers with substantial marketing budgets and other resources.

In my experience, finding trusted suppliers requires evaluating multiple options until you decide who is right for you. Merchants who prefer touching and feeling during the buying process should consider trade shows or approaching the manufacturers directly.

Wholesale, online marketplaces are a good way of finding merchandise. You can shop dozens of vendors at the same time without leaving your office. You can take advantage of this and buy wholesale clothing on liquidation websites such as closeoutcentral. Another great place to look is local fashion schools as they tend to already have great contacts with wholesale clothing manufactures.

If you want to be able to see and talk to a lot of manufacturers in a short period of time go to trade shows such as dg expo or Kingpins Show. Lastly, if you are going to be selling used or vintage clothing, shop at estate auctions or garage sales. Once you have found your manufacturing supplier. Make sure to visit them before you start production as it will allow you to check the quality of your future inventory. Even though you may have talked with them on the phone or sent hundreds of emails back and forth, it is always best to talk face to face with the people who are making your products.

An important aspect of getting inventory for a clothing store is knowing how to store it once you have it. Click here to check out the latest fashion offerings on AliExpress. Many fashion industry bodies regularly publish trade catalogs or directories. There are also numerous manufacturers who provide their own product catalog.

Alternatively, a few of them may have their product catalog listed on their websites. This purchase option is recommended only for experienced boutique owners. If interested, you can buy on the spot itself. Of course, they do charge a cut for their professional services.

LinkedIn is actually a platform to connect employers with job seekers. But, it is also used to develop a professional network or relationship. Once a discussion starts, you can ask for various stuff like contact number, catalog, factory address etc. Each country has a specified market that is popular for a certain category of wholesale products.

In line with that thought, you need to find out the wholesale market for fashion products in your country. Even if you decide on some other sourcing method, its advisable to visit nearby clothing wholesale market.

You probably already know about Facebook groups. And, chances are high that you are a member of a Facebook group of your interest. Yes, literally! After joining, post on those groups detailing your stock requirements. Ideally, for a beginner, I would highly recommend the online wholesaler method. With a few months of purchase experience, you can explore the wholesale markets.