The best way to verify that the supplier you’ve chosen to collaborate with is reliable and sells genuine wholesale products is to find out as much information as possible regarding their experience and work history.
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Wholesalers who have secured a network of loyal clients and have been on the market for some time are certain to be more trustworthy and provide you with better wholesale service.
Of course, you can always do a full investigation by yourself by:
However, it’s even better to ask them directly as they may share details that haven’t been published online which could end up being decisive information.
Understanding the merchandise your wholesale supplier offers is crucial for aligning their inventory with your store’s needs.
When selecting a supplier, ask for a comprehensive list or catalog of the products available. This list should include detailed information like product categories, materials, sizes, and variations.
For instance, if your niche is high-end fashion, you’d want to know whether the supplier provides a consistent supply of luxury clothing, accessories, or footwear, and if they carry premium brands or focus on unbranded items.
Additionally, inquire about new product launches or seasonal collections to ensure your store can keep up with market trends.
Don’t forget to ask about quality control measures and how they ensure the merchandise is free of defects.
Understanding the supplier’s ordering process is vital to maintaining efficient operations and meeting customer expectations.
Begin by asking if there is a need to create an account on the supplier’s platform. If so, this may require you to provide some business details, such as your name, number, address, business name, business permit, or business registration number.
Once your account is verified, you’ll probably gain access to their wholesale catalog, where you can browse the full range of products available.
in most cases, you can put products you want to order in your shopping cart and finalize your order by paying with card.
Besides making sure the supplier has sufficient experience, store owners should prioritize finding vendors for your business that offer new clothing arrivals on a regular basis.
For every store out there, the main source of success comes from keeping customers content which is best done when providing them constantly with the latest products.
This recurrent update on items will continuously draw their attention, making them keep coming back to your shop and eventually turning them into a regular clientele.
It goes without saying that product diversity plays a crucial role in retaining customers and preventing them from checking out competitors’ stores.
That’s why in your search for the finest wholesaler you should never forget to ask potential suppliers about the variety of products they have at your disposal and estimate if that amount would satisfy your customers’ needs.
Therefore, don’t rush into choosing a supplier before confirming that they offer a wide-ranging portfolio of brands and products that’ll not only bring you happy and loyal customers but also assure you notable revenue growth.
If you are getting into the fashion industry, make certain your supplier of choice covers enough categories of winning products for both men and women to be able to meet shopping enthusiasts’ expectations.
The product catalog is every wholesaler’s most significant part of their website, giving prospective customers a sneak peek into their inventory, enough to make a general evaluation of the items they’re selling.
However, many business owners may stumble upon wholesalers that offer an extremely limited preview of their catalog, making the rest of the products available only after one decides to use their services.
So, try to avoid these suppliers and stick with those who give clients access to check out their merchandise by registering for free like BrandsGateway and their catalog of the latest trending clothing items.
The location where the supplier’s merchandise is produced can say a lot about the quality of the products.
Although many suppliers source their goods from authorized vendors and then sell them to retailers, outlet owners, or eCommerce stores, an even bigger number source them from unreliable manufacturers, some of which are known to have significant disadvantages such as the cons of Chinese suppliers.
Because of that, it’s highly recommended to check where your wholesale supplier sources their merchandise from prior to buying a poor-quality bulk of items.
The whereabouts of your potential wholesaler’s warehouses are another thing clients should take into consideration, especially because it can greatly affect the delivery time.
In addition to the price paid when purchasing the products, the buyer is also required to cover custom duties for exporting and importing merchandise from one country to another.
That being the case, try to opt for a wholesaler who has warehouses in several places around the world, such as BrandsGateway, which will not only reduce your expenses but also provide you with fast and convenient delivery services.
Another vital thing wholesale suppliers should inform you about is the approximate time it would take for them to deliver your orders.
You wouldn’t want to find yourself in a situation in which customers can’t make a purchase of a certain item because your store is out of stock.
Therefore, just like previously mentioned, when choosing a supplier, keep in mind both the location of the warehouses and the time it might take for orders to be handed over to you.
In order for you to be able to keep an eye on your packages, ask your wholesaler if they offer the possibility for you to track your delivery.
In that way, you can be kept posted on the status of your order at all times and be notified almost instantly in the case of any shipping delays.
Hence, make sure to pick out a supplier that would provide you with a tracking number, as BrandsGateway does with its clients, so you could constantly be kept updated on where your order stands.
Before trying to figure out delivery costs, order tracking, or shipping time, you need to find out if the potential suppliers you’ve been looking into ship globally or just locally.
If they don’t ship to your location, you’d only be wasting your time with them.
You shouldn’t be surprised if you ever come across wholesalers who limit their shipping abilities and offer delivery services only within the countries their warehouses are situated in and sometimes including neighboring states.
For that reason, always make sure that you work with a supplier that ships worldwide so that you can build an international eCommerce business.
Being aware of return and refund policies is crucial in the event of having to deal with damaged goods.
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Thus, it’s important to have a clear understanding of how your supplier manages situations when clients wish to return products or cancel orders.
Some might offer monetary reimbursement, some may provide store credit, while others might give out coupons or discounts.
In addition, be on the watch for any hidden fees or additional charges that could be imposed by the supplier.
In most cases, suppliers rarely offer freight-collect services concerning the return of products.
In other words, the buyers are the ones responsible for covering the shipping costs when sending items back to the wholesaler.
However, there are suppliers that do bear those costs in the event of merchandise that is faulty, has been damaged, or wrongly shipped.
In order to benefit from a full refund in cases like these, suppliers are likely to ask you to provide them with photos of the products concerned.
After they’ve accepted your request, they’ll be able to reimburse you for your loss.
Therefore, have a good look at the terms and conditions of your wholesaler and take careful notice of the returns and refunds sections.
One more key question to include in your list is regarding the payment methods of the wholesalers you have set your mind on working with.
Taking into account the pros and cons of various payment methods, depending on your preferences and possibilities, you might find some of them are less while others are more suitable for your business.
Thus, it’d be wise to opt for suppliers who present clients with the opportunity to choose among different types of payment.
In this manner, you’d have the freedom to determine which option would work best for you.
Keeping your store profitable can be a challenging thing to do, especially for newbies on the market.
In order to make sure you’ll be receiving a decent profit, don’t forget to discuss with your supplier the income you should expect for every item sold.
Select a supplier that offers great wholesale margins which will bring you an excellent financial standing and kick-start your store to stardom.
But before that, make sure you know what profit margins you aim for and understand the difference between margin and markup.
Last but not least, customer reviews and references exert an astounding influence on clients’ decisions.
In a survey conducted by PowerReviews, 98% of consumers said that reviews are an indispensable step when purchasing merchandise, thus, giving them a decision-making role in the purchase process both in the B2C and B2B marketplaces.
So, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to request from suppliers credible reviews. To illustrate, wholesaler BrandsGateway supplies interested retailers with such testimonials, furnishing them with evidence that BrandsGateway is legit.
As your store grows and expands, you’re likely to constantly come across new wholesale suppliers.
Some of them might emerge immediately as the perfect match, while others might not be up your alley.
To be 100% sure that they are someone your store would benefit from working with, we recommend putting these questions to use when business talks are in progress.
Thus, we advise you to have this list on hand so you can come back to it whenever you need to evaluate new partners and verify the reliability and authenticity of their services and company.
Every brand has a different marketing approach. In this ultimate guide to marketing your shoe line, we provide valuable insights on how to find your niche.
Marketing your shoe line will depend on the kind of shoes you sell and the niche market you are targeting. For example, if you’re a luxury women’s stiletto brand your marketing approach may be very different from a fashion sneaker brand.
To identify your niche, here are some questions to ask: What pain point am I solving? How am I different? What is my target audience? Who else is selling a similar product to me? What is their marketing strategy? How can I learn from that and differentiate my marketing strategy?
It is important to perform an analysis of popular shoe lines and to find gaps where you can differentiate your marketing strategy and approach.
Coming up with a catchy brand name for your shoe line will attract interest. It can be your own name or you can come up with something that will resonate with your target niche. Once you come up with the brand name, the first step is to check if the domain name and social handles are available. While, registering your business and getting a trademark is important, it is not necessary in the early prototyping and sampling stages. However, while we are working on your shoe sample prototype it is always a good idea to get started with the registration process.
Working with several fashion startups & established brands over the years, our advise is always to start marketing your brand as early as possible. Find your first true fans from your niche and target them specifically so your product spreads through word of mouth.
It is important to use various social channels to share pictures of the making process & to get valuable feedback from your early fans. Increasing your online presence on various social channels like instagram, facebook, twitter and search engines like Google is critical.
Choosing the right channel again depends on where your niche market is. For example, if you are targeting millennials interested in sustainable products with vegan leather shoes then Instagram marketing may be the right approach. Whereas, if you are targeting an innovative comfort shoe or an athletic sneaker, then you may want to advertise in sports magazines. Try to adapt this practice to your own shoe line in some capacity.
Pictures speak a thousand words. After your shoe samples are complete, invest in professional product photography to show off your product on your various marketing channels. As part of our Startup Package, we also provide photography for those that want to show the making shoe manufacturing process.
If you focus on direct to consumer selling then you will need an e-commerce website for your brand. You can register your domain on a platform like Godaddy or Namecheap and link it with an ecommerce platform like Shopify or Squarespace, which make it very easy to launch a store. You can also work with a freelance web developer if you want a professionally built custom website.
After you launch your website, you can increase your search presence by investing in SEO, Search Engine Optimization. You can hire an SEO expert or learn to optimize your website yourself. You can also setup a pre-order system before you place a production order.
During this stage, it is also important to start approaching Boutiques, Department Stores & placing your shoe collection at pop-up shops rather than fully relying on online sales. This will give your potential customers a chance to touch and feel the product.
It’s always a good idea to pre-produce your entire collection before launching your store. If you prefer wholesale, you first produce your sell-in samples and wait for your orders to come in.
Influencer Marketing is a great way to get your product in front of your potential niche. To get your story out there you will need to be active on social media, invest in beautiful content, product photography and videos. Blogging also helps connect your audience to the person behind the brand label.
If you want print magazines to write about your product you need to create a media pack or hire a PR agency or freelancer to pitch your story.
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