Buying wholesale clothing is a tough job for business owners starting out in the
Tips for Buying Wholesale Clothing
retail clothing business. It is full of trends and constantly changes from one season to the next. These are tried and true tips for buying wholesale clothing for women, juniors and plus sizes.
Know what your client wants. – Depending on where you’re located or what the demographic is for your store, you may sell more of one thing than another. This is common for every clothing store, but most common for women’s stores. Knowing what your client wants allows you to become comfortable with what you need to stock regularly. If you’re an online boutique, you can do an email blast surveying what clients look for most from an online store. You can also keep track of similarities of styles and shapes that are selling regularly, season after season. Knowing what your client wants also helps you gauge new trends. Once you know what sells well to your customers you’ll be able to look through trends and immediately know which are the styles your client is likely to latch on to.
Always stock the basics. – Nearly every store does well when it comes to selling basics. This is especially true for sites and stores that cater to working women. Working women are always looking for simple pieces that can be implement into weekend and work week wardrobes. Solid neutral colors and classic styles are popular because they flatter many women, no matter what their shape, size or skin tone. Classic styles to keep in stock are trench coats, tailored jackets, button-up shirts, feminine blouses and simple dresses. Denim and tailored slacks are also big sellers.
Choose statement pieces. – Statement pieces like a jacket with an oversized collar or jeans with embellishment are best sellers because they are one garment that update an entire look. This is what many women look for when shopping. This allows a woman to buy one piece that updates many of the basic items in her wardrobe. Most women invest in basic pieces and buy a couple of trendier pieces each season. For the woman who isn’t spending a lot, offering these trendy garments allows her to buy one or two things for a new look without breaking the bank.
It is important to watch trends within your store and on the runways when buying wholesale clothing. You want merchandise that’s going to move quickly and grabs clients’ attention when they see it.
