The fashion industry is one of the leading industries nowadays and with the increasing population, there is no surprise that it will be reaching new heights for sure. Based on the statistics, it has been found that the online clothing stores have become an $80 billion a year industry, and it is by far one of the most well-known ecommerce niches. If you are a creative entrepreneur with a vision and if your passion lies in both business and clothes, then it will be really a rewarding experience to start a clothing line business.
But, starting a successful online clothing store is not just about placing an ad or buying a domain. It is dependent upon the branding that you create, the niche that you choose, the sourcing and production of your line and the quality of the clothing. If you are new to ecommerce and your interest lies in fashion and clothing line, then this post is exclusively for you. Here, you will find a complete guide on how to start your own clothing line from scratch in 2019 in Dubai, UAE.
How to start clothing line: An overview of the clothing line industry:
Clothes have now become a symbol of personality, as people wear them accordingly to represent themselves. Thus, it has opened a lot of opportunities for passionate people to start their own clothing business. If you want to start your business in the clothing line, you must possess some business skills along with creativity in this field. Though there are no certain standards for any clothing business, if you want to set your brand apart, then creativity is a must. According to Fashion United, the Global Apparel Industry accounts for 2% of the World’s GDP and is valued at 3 billion dollars. Thus, investing in any online apparel industry is a good decision as this business will eventually rise in future and there is no sign of going down. Apart from this, it is completely data-driven.
Market Research and Feasibility
When it comes to the apparel industry, its market is quite huge as there are a lot of choices available. Its genre ranges from infant wear to old age wear, which includes gym wear, party wear, nightwear, sportswear and many more varieties. Before you decide your clothing products, it’s more important to choose your clothing niche in which you want to sell it. Let’s consider some of the niches which you can choose for your clothing line:
- Â Â Â Children and Infant Wear
- Â Â Â Sports and Gym wear
- Â Â Â Uniform and corporate wear
- Â Â Â Cultural wear and wedding costumes
- Â Â Â Seasonal wear and nightwear
- Â Â Â Casual Wear
Whichever niches you are choosing, every genre is well and profit is guaranteed on almost everyone. But the one thing that is found common in each of them is its unique design and style. Uniqueness is one thing that is deeply attractive to the buyers and it is one such element which makes your brand specific to the users. Every brand has its specific customers and loyal audiences. If you want to get success in this apparel industry, then you must be unique with your dressing style as only then it will be appreciated by several customers.
Possible Challenges You Might Face When You Start Your Online Clothing Line
Whatever business you are dealing with, it has its own terms and challenges which the business entrepreneurs have to face. Similarly, when you are starting your clothing line online in 2019 in the competitive market space of Dubai, UAE, you have to face a lot of challenges. Let’s take a look at some of them:
1. Focus on new designs
The fashion world is continuously evolving with upcoming trends and designs. When it comes to fashion and new designs, Pairs, Milan, London, New York are the biggest hubs. They come up with new designs every time to set them apart from others and at the same time, attract the customers. Thus, if you are involved in this clothing line business, you have to continuously come up with new designs and styles with the changing trends. Then only, your customers will pay attention to your brand.
2. Increasing competition
While choosing a niche, you should be extra conscious. There is a possibility that the niche you have picked up, someone else is also interested in the same. Under such a situation, a huge competition arises, which can only be won through the uniqueness of the brand. If your brand’s products are unique, it will make a great name in the market.
3. Precise in terms of production
As the owner of the business, it is important that you should be precise. In terms of production. You must get an idea that which apparels are trending in the market depending upon seasonal and all other factors. Thus, you should maintain the average stock of that product. Furthermore, with more production in the clothing line, the cost of production will also increase day by day. Thus, it forces you to come up with an effective strategy that will cause no negative effect on your productivity despite the increase in the cost of production.
4. Proper distribution of the products
Distribution of the products is one of the biggest challenges often faced by the entrepreneurs. It is equally important that your product reaches the market and to your customer on time, after the production.
The overall  marketing plan of the Clothing line
When it comes to selling the clothes online, it is important that you should have an awesome eCommerce website, where the visitors can visit, make their choices as per their preference and complete the purchasing cycle without any harassment. But for eCommerce website development in Dubai, UAE, you can’t just trust any random person. You need skilled, talented and experienced web developers, who are completely aware of the marketing trends and scenarios. Thus, they will create websites that are more user-friendly and lead to better customer engagement.
Listed below are the common processes involved in eCommerce website development and marketing of a clothing line:
- First of all, the niche and requirements of the client need to be understood and based on that, the ecommerce themes are selected for the clients
- Then, create an online store and upload the products with some time of free customization
- After that, create a custom website design which will also include ecommerce add-ons based on the requirements of the clients.
Even the primary requirement for selling clothes online is a good website. In order to drive and engage more people to your website, it is important that you do marketing on various channels. For that, you need to hire a trustworthy Digital Marketing Agency in Dubai, UAE. These agents will help you in marketing your brand across various channels and mediums. Some of the social marketing services that help in creating brand awareness are as follows:
- Â Â Â Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Â Â Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Â Â Content Marketing
- Â Â Â Paid promotions or Pay per Click
- Â Â Â Social Media Marketing (SMM)
So, if you want to invest in the clothing line business and interested in getting the right traffic, then it’s important to rely on a good Digital Marketing Agency in Dubai, UAE.
Proper Analysis of Costs and Investments:
For every business owner, the prime concern is the costs. So, one must have a clear idea about the costs that will be involved in the clothing line business. A business entrepreneur must know what will be the major costs that it will take in starting an online clothing line.
- Costs involving business registration and legal charges
- Cost of developing a customized ecommerce website
- Cost of designing an attractive and effective logo and banners
- Advertising and marketing related costs
- Cost of acquiring a business license
- Costs involving Sales CRM, Payroll Software, Accounting Software
- Costs for creating designs and prototypes
- Costs of Inventory and Manpower
- Costs involving transportation and distribution
- Costs of insurance
These are some of the major areas where the majority of the investment of business is involved. Though you might find that the list of costs and investments is too long, yet most of them is a one-time investment and these will also include the future costs.
