Boutique Blog – by Anna M
How to Create A Successful Southern Boutique Wholesale Clothing Business
It’s a dream for many to start their own boutique business. But very few ever succeed in establishing a thriving boutique business. It takes immense dedication, superb decision making, and reliable wholesale vendors to make your business successful in this cut-throat competitive era.
If you’re planning to open a boutique shop of your own or you’ve been running a small boutique, the below factors can make all the difference in your success. As per southern boutique wholesale clothing, if you want to create a boutique business, then you must be aware of a few tricks :)
5 Steps To Create a Successful Southern Boutique
1. Find Great Clothing Wholesaler's
A reliable wholesale partner can lead your business to success. After all, we are selling clothing, and finding the right southern boutique wholesale clothing suppliers that ensure a quality product and on time delivery will set the foundation for your successful boutique. The wholesalers on my wholesale clothing distributor list will check off your supplier needs from quality backed clothes in bulk at discounts, latest trends, USA products, drop shipping and more.
Establishing good relationships with distributors will ensure you receive decent discounts in return for purchase of your bulk items. You can find the most affordable clothes at the cheapest rate from these wholesalers and most importantly high quality items. There can’t be any doubts about the quality of the clothes, this precaution will undoubtedly lead your boutique business to success.
2. Build a strong Online Following
Building a following is the most important thing but also the hardest objective to accomplish. If you're gregarious, charismatic and have 5,000 facebook friends to start then you're probably going to have an easy time at this but what if you're just normal :) Firstly you have to ask yourself why others would follow anyone at all? As far as I can tell audiences gravitate towards individuals that come off as leaders or experts.
You can be an expert by working extremely hard to be an amazing fashionista and picking up on the latest trends and translating that to your audience. You can translate to your audience via live shows on Facebook, a vehicle that can connect you with new audience members as those members share your page or live sale. Check out our page to learn how to start a live sale. (Tip: Make your live shows on the same weekly days, get in a routine that your audience can remember.)
You can further attract your audience by offering amazing deals. Everyone loves cheap stuff and if you can garner some low cost items people will be sure to keep an eye on you for those lucrative deals. Be sure to check out our distributor list, many of those sites were hand picked because they offer discount deals that give you a boutique owner edge.
Be the First to share a trend. Every season offers a new chance to explore new trends. Wether its Cactus prints, bullheads, boho, halter tops, plaid vests, be the first to expose these trends to your audience.
People follow confidence and professionalism. Everyone doesn't have time to be an expert on everything, thus we scope out the experts in the fields or markets that we like and we follow the leaders of those markets. There are no short cuts to becoming an expert in the field, if you want people to follow you because your an expert, then you better become one.
3. Try Different Marketing Strategies
Without marketing, no one will know about your boutique shop. In fact you can host every imaginable clothing item at a cost of one dollar and it wouldn't mean a thing if you can't get anyone to visit your store.
There is no reason to run a boutique shop that nobody knows about. Therefore, marketing strategies play a crucial role, especially at the initial level. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to creating a marketing strategy for your business as it differs from business to business. It also depends on your target customer group and their preferences. So, the ideal way is to try different marketing strategies at the initial level to find out what actually works the best for you.
Three marketing tips to try include local partnerships, events, and displays.
Local partnerships, this means teaming up with already established southern businesses that you can offer services in exchange for exposure. IE. donating proceeds to charities or local schools or sponsoring a cheer leading squad, football team, etc. Do a good deed and get your southern brand attached to a local organization.
Have an event! BBQ cook out, 4th of July party, fashion runway show, there are a million creative ways of getting your southern community excited about partaking in a fun event. These events that you host offer an amazing opportunity to flash your southern boutique and showcase some beautiful wholesale clothing.
In the land of hospitality a boutique needs some friendly welcoming displays and signs. Be sure to invest in posters and signs, don't go cheap on these displays as your customers can pick up on how professional you are based on your displays.
4. Learn About Your Industry
Anybody can make a fool out of you if you lack knowledge about the clothing industry. If you want to meet the demands of your customers and stock your boutique shop with trendy clothes, then it’s important to have intimate knowledge of your industry. This includes the latest fashion upgrades, market trends, and a sense of fashion. This will help you to satisfy your customer with what they want and ensure you remain profitable.
If you have yet to make your southern boutique and you're thinking of launching a physical store make sure you check out your competition. Interestingly you might have thought to avoid setting up near other boutiques but in fact that can be beneficial. A successful market usually has more than one boutique. Be sure to do your research about marketing strategies and expenses, you can read more here.
5. Fix A Budget
You may not have an unlimited budget at the initial stage. But it doesn’t mean this will stop you from growing towards becoming a sizable southern boutique shop. You should fix your budget prior to taking any step because any wrong step can cause you a huge loss. When you have a fixed budget, you’ll be more cautious while taking each step to make your boutique shop successful.
I have a detailed breakdown of the costs associated in creating a storefront boutique. Take a look at that page and begin your budget planner sooner than later.
Wether you're creating a southern boutique store or a donut shop, financial planning and management is the most crucial element in sustaining a successful business. Just take a look at Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso, she created a 50 million dollar operation and lost it all within a year or two because of the difficulties managing success. No matter the level of success you will always need financial management skills.
