How To Start An Ecommerce Clothing Business (From Home)

1/25/2021 How To Start An eCommerce Clothing Business (From Home)
Bizain HOME ABOUT START HERE CONTACT
14 MARCH 2020
How To Start An
eCommerce Clothing
Business (From Home)
Before discussing how to start an eCommerce clothing
business, let’s look at the opportunities that lie in the
clothing industry.
Globally, clothing is a whopping 3,000 billion dollars industry!. And,

it accounts for almost 2% of the world’s GDP.
What makes the fashion industry click is the fact that it’s an
evergreen industry. So, there isn’t any seasonality or demand issue.
Also from the profitability point of view, clothing business is one of
the best out there.
But, everything that shines isn’t gold. In today’s world, clothing

merchants are fiercely competing against each other. In fact, in the
US alone there are more than 1,00,000 clothing retail stores.
So, what is the solution to this ever-increasing competition?.
Try going online!. Yes, differentiate yourself by starting an

eCommerce clothing store. There ain’t many retailers doing it.
https://www.bizain.com/how-to-start-an-ecommerce-clothing-business/ 1/30
But, how?
Let me explain the 6 simple steps required to start an eCommerce

clothing business.
6 STEPS TO START AN
ECOMMERCE CLOTHING
BUSINESS
Step #1: Get A Domain Name
At the outset, you need to get a virtual address (i.e domain name) for
your online clothing store.
Example: If your business name is XYZ then your domain name may
be:
XYZ.com
XYZclothingstore.com
XYZfashion.com
XYZonline.com etc.
I prefer buying domain names on NameCheap. Their simple

dashboard, easy setup & robust documentation are a few things that
I like.
Just make sure that you pick a domain name that’s:
Easy to remember & pronounce
Having a .com domain extension

SEO-friendly (So that your online store gets easily found on

search engines like Google)
Avoiding special characters like !, - ,#, & etc.
Available (You can't buy a domain name that's already bought

by someone else)
Unique & eye-catching

Buying a domain name hardly takes around a few minutes. No, you
don't require to submit any documents or papers. It's a simple
process where you select your preferred domain name & checkout by
entering your credit card details. That's it.
Step #2: Build An Online Clothing Store

Building an online store is not that difficult as you think.
How?
Enter Shopify. Period.
They make it extremely easy for anyone to build an eCommerce site

from scratch by simply dragging & dropping web elements. No
coding or programming skills required.
Here're a few benefits of using a drag-and-drop eCommerce builder

like Shopify:
Easy to get started
No technical or coding skills required
Customizable (You can install a theme to change the look &

structure of your store)
Ability to connect custom domain (More on this later)
24*7 customer support via phone, chat & email
Value-added features (You can extend the functionality of

your store by adding Shopify Apps)
Affordable (Click here to check the current pricing of Shopify)
Unlimited number of products & visitors supported
Free SSL (Keeps your customers' payment information

secured)
Free CDN (This helps your online store to load faster)
Robust security system (Ensures your store doesn't get

hacked)
No hosting required (Shopify already comes with hosting. So,

no need to mess with servers)
It won't be wrong to say that Shopify has revolutionized the

eCommerce world. Earlier one needed to pay thousands of dollars to
programmers to build a basic eCommerce store. But now, with
Shopify, you can create an online store within a matter of few
minutes. Yes, literally.
And, look at these Shopify stats:
As in 2020, more than 1 million eCommerce stores run on

Shopify!
In total, Shopify merchants have made $155 billion in sales!
Shopify merchants are spread around 175 countries

worldwide!
Here're are the steps you need to take to build an eCommerce

1/25/2021
p yHow To Start An eCommerce Clothing Business (From Home)
clothing store:
Create a Shopify account > Connect a domain name >

Install website theme (gives a look to your website) > Set
up payments > Add Products
That's it.
Let me explain the aforesaid steps in detail.
Create A Shopify Account

To get started, first you need to create a Shopify account. [Note: they
come with a 14 days free trial. You can cancel at any time before the
trial ends.]
Then, you need to enter the following details to help Shopify figure
out your requirements. It's optional though. You can skip this step if
you want to.
Now, you need to enter the following basic store details like Name,
address, country, phone number, etc. These details will be printed
on invoices sent to customers. Yes, you can edit these basic details
later.
After you click on "Enter my store", you'll be taken to your store

dashboard where the real action happens. Using the dashboard, you
can complete the initial set up.
The first set up that you need to do is – connect the custom domain
(that you bought at step#1) to your shopify store.
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Connecting a custom domain will give a unique identity to your

store. Example: https://www.yourclothingstore.com
Connect A Custom Domain
Alternatively, you can also skip the Step #1 & buy your domain name
directly from Shopify. However, that's not recommened. Why?.
Because buying a domain name from Shopify will somehow lock you
in the platform (What if you decide to leave Shopify & try another
platform in future). Therefore, I advise you not to buy your domain
name from Shopify.
Install A Website Theme

A website theme gives a look & structure to your online store.
Adding a website theme will help you differentiate your store from
others. Yes, you can also customize various elements of theme like
colors, menus, banners, etc. in Shopify. Makes sense?
Shopify comes bundled with FREE & premium themes. Free themes,
as the name suggest are FREE of cost. Whereas, premium themes

come with a price tag. I recommend you to try the Streamline Theme
(it's best suited for clothing businesses).
Click here to see a demo of the Streamline Theme
Set Up Payments
Now, you need to set up your payments. Setting up payments will
help you collect payments from customers.
Shopify supports the following popular payment gateways:
PayPal
Authorize.Net
Shopify Payments
Checkout.com
WorldPay
Authorize.net
First, you need to have an account with the aforesaid payment

gateways. Don't freak out. It's easy & takes a few minutes. Follow the
instructions on their websites.
Click here to go through the list of payment gateways supported by

Shopify.
Add Product Descriptions & Images

Once you have your site up & running, start feeding the product
images & descriptions into it.
Product images & descriptions play a vital role in conversions. So,

make sure you get them right.
With images, you would like them to be:

Professional
Attractive
High definition
Covering maximum angles
You may Google & find a good eCommerce photography firm. If

budget permits then get some product videos done as well.
With product descriptions, you would like them to be:
Simple
Readable
Telling a story
Focusing on benefits
Stating technical details
Answering product questions
Answering shipping & payment related queries
Clearly stating the return & refund policy
For inspiration, here're a few examples of awesome product

descriptions.
Last but not least, you can add value-added features by installing
Shopify Apps. Here'is a list of a few popular Shopify apps that you
can try out:
SEO Booster (Helps improve your online store SEO)
Smart Seach & Instant Search (Adds advanced seach

f ti lit t t
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functionality to your store)
Frequently Bought Together (Adds up-sell & cross-sell

products on product pages)
Privy -Popups (Abandoned cart recovery, exit intent popups

& email marketing)
Oberlo (Adds dropshipping feature to your online store)

Done. All set ups have been covered.
Following is the step by step video tutorial to help you set up a

Shopify account:
FAST SHOPIFY TUTORIAL 2021 🔥 HOW TO SET U…

U…
Click here to take a virtual tour of Shopify.
Step #3: Source The Products (Buy

Wholesale)
After creating an online clothing store, you should focus on sourcing
your target products
your target products.
Remember that pricing is one of the most crucial success factors in

online commerce. So, make sure that you buy & sell your inventory
at the best possible prices.
Related: 7 Ways To Get Inventory For Online Boutique
FAQs related to sourcing of clothing

products:
Is sourcing compulsory?. I don’t have enough
money.
Not at all. You can start an online clothing store without keeping a
single unit of stock. How?. Simply by drop-shipping.
But, please note that drop-shipping won’t help you to build your
name in the clothing industry. If your objective is simply to earn
some quick bucks then yeah you may try drop-shipping.
Where do I source products from?
You may source your products either domestically or internationally.
If you plan to source from within your country then you may find
manufacturers or suppliers on platforms like WorldWideBrands.
Alternatively, you may explore some wholesale or industrial markets
in your country.
Whereas for the import of products from outside your country,

Alibaba is a trusted platform.
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What factors do I look into while shortlisting

suppliers?
Make sure that you look into the following factors:
Quality certification (like TuV & SGS certifications)
The strength of R&D department
Private labeling capability
Production or supply capacity
Terms of payment
Sourcing platforms like Alibaba already come equipped with various

filters that can help you spot verified & vetted suppliers easily.
Do I need to hire a warehouse to keep stock?
Initially, you should not commit to any fixed cost like rent or salary.
Your first priority should be to get some initial sales & see how
things stack up.
Till then, you may keep stock in your house or garage itself.
What is an ideal order quantity for initial sourcing?
To avoid market risk, keep the initial order quantity to minimal.

Once you start to understand the audience taste, you can always
shoot up the order volume.
With sourcing, it’s all about learning while doing. Try out different
strategies & see what works the best for you.
I want to have my own clothing line. How to go
about?
This should be a long-term goal. At the outset, your primary goal

should be to get some actual paying customers. Once you have a
strong base of customers, you can always opt for your own design &
branding.
Also, please note that most manufacturers need large scale orders
before they can commit to working on your design.
How do I keep myself updated with the latest trends

or fashion?
You can do that by simply following some top clothing brands on

social media platforms like Instagram.
Step #4: Tie-Up With A Delivery Partner

You will need to find a courier partner who will pick up & deliver
orders for you.
FedEx, DHL & UPS are some of the top eCommerce delivery
companies. To make things easy for you, make sure you opt for “pick
up” services while creating an account with them.
Negotiation is the key to getting the best shipping rates. Make sure
that you convince them of the viability & future of your project.
Alternatively, you may opt for shipping aggregators like GoShippo.

They help you to generate shipping labels from top shipping
companies from one single dashboard. Best of all, they integrate
seamlessly with Shopify
seamlessly with Shopify.
Step #5: Get The Legal Thing Right

Now, you need to give a legal identity to your business.
Follow these steps (general for most countries):
Name your business
Register your trademark (optional)
Register with tax authorities (using your business name)
Open a business bank account
Get the import license (if you plan to source your products
from outside of your country)
Depending on your country, the aforesaid requirements may change.

Please consult a lawyer for professional advice.
Click here for detailed legal requirements applicable for the US.
Step #6: Market Your Online Clothing Store

With everything else done, now is the time to promote the heck out
of your new online store. Yes, this is the most important step out of
all. You need real people visiting your store, right?. And, buying as
well.
Look, the biggest strategic difference between an online & offline

store is the 'discoverability' factor. That means an offline retail shop
can easily be discovered by people passing by the store. Hence, all
you need as a retail store owner is to grab attention of those people
(like promoting with fancy banners, advertising on a local
newspaper or bill board) That's it However with an online store
newspaper or bill board). That s it. However, with an online store,
you first need to worry about making people aware about your store.
Next, comes
The good promotion.
news?
It isn't as difficult as it seems. You can promote your store through

various ways I'm gonna discuss here. Ready? Here we go:
Position Your Store As "Unique"

Why should people care about shopping on your online clothing
store rather than buying on Amazon? Yes, Amazon has some cool
fancy shipping & delivery promises. Can your store match those
features?
Think about it.
How can you compete with Amazon?. Don't freak out. It's easy-
peasy.
Make your products different. Way different than those listed on

Amazon. You can always differentiate your clothing store with a
focus on:
Product designs (Make your designs REALLY unique. The

ones that will make people say "WOWWW!")
Niche market focus (Example: A clothing store exclusively for

5 year olds)
Branding (Get a cool name, tag line & logo for your store)
Vision & mission (Tell people why you started this store,
preferably with a story - that's gonna add emotion)
It's a noisy world. Lots of online stores like yours are trying to grab
attention of the same people. Therefore, until & unless your store
stands out & differentiates itself, your target audience won't even
care to look at your catalogue (forget about buying).
And, as you may know, the secret of successful businesses is their
repeat customers. Right?. Now, you know the recipe of creating
these repeat customers - UNIQUENESS. The customers who would
buy from you again, again & again... Making your store unique helps
people remember & stick to your brand.
Enough of theory, let's back my advice with a success story.
Success Story of Black Milk Clothing:
The best example on uniqueness is an eCommerce store named

Black Milk Clothing(blackmilkclothing.com).
Back in 2009, James Lillies, based in Brisbane (Australia), started

an online clothing store from his kitchen. James's wife was also a
part of this venture.
The challenge for the couple was to position their store as unique as
possible. Or else, as I explained earlier, their store won't even stand a
chance to take off. After all, you can't compete with the world's
richest person, Jeff Bezos.
So, they started brain storming the ways to differentiate their store.
After hours & days of research, they finally found their mojo. They
decided to focus only on "Black Leggings for Women". And, the core
idea was to sell only break-through designs. Yes, that's how niche the
couple went to make their store UNIQUE.
The result?.
Black Milk Clothing is now a million dollar brand with more than
150 employees. They now serve customers globally.
Click here to read the complete success story of Black Milk Clothing.
So, this story teaches us a very important lesson: Work hard to

differentiate your brand & products.
I would like to end this story with the following quick

recommendations:
Think about making your store unique from both brand &
product perspectives
Hook people by telling your startup story
Build a tribe (Black Milk Clothing founders, since the start,

have been very active on Facebook - they operate more than
80 private facebook groups)
Scale your business by hiring more people
Think global
Don't try to target everyone. Pick a target profile & focus on it
Be Active On Social Websites & Forums

Talk about your new clothing store wherever you can. I mean on
social websites and forums like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Quora,
etc.
Related: Guide on how to use Twitter for eCommerce marketing
The idea is to hang out where your target audience likes to hang out.
Be with them, help them with your opinion & answers. In the
process, you can pitch your online store as a solution.
Here's an example from an answer from Quora:
Note, you shouldn't be spamming these websites with your store

product links. Or else you may risk getting banned by those social
platforms. Instead, write an awesome answer & add a link to your
store preferably at the end of the answer.
Similarly, you can answer questions as:
Answers to private posts on Facebook groups

Blog comments on fashion-related blogs
Replying to Twitter posts
Tagging fashion influencers on Instagram
Uploading new products as "stories" on YouTube or Facebook
The opportunities are limitless. The more time you spend on these
platforms answering questions or helping people, the more visits you
would get to your online store.
Run Pay-Per-Click(PPC) Ads

Want a quick way to get a lot of people visiting your new clothing
store? I bet you do. And, who doesn't?
That's where PPC ads come into picture. Using these ads, you can get
a lot of eyeballs of your store in matter of seconds. Let me explain
how this works.
You can place PPC ads on popular social or search websites like
Google, Facebook, Reddit or Quora in various formats.
Here's an example of running PPC ads on Google search engine (aka

Google Adwords):
Using Google adwords, you basically run ads for your target
keywords like "clothing store", "best store for t-shirts", "jeans
online", etc. So, as & when people search using these keywords, your
store will show up at the top of the search results.
Another popular PPC ads platform is Facebook. Using Facebook ads,

you can target & show ads to people who're interested in your
product categories (Facebook is really good at figuring this out).
The downside?
They'll cost you money. And, that's self-explanatory. Isn't it?. Either
you invest your time to build an organic following for your store OR
use the power of money to get things fast. Either way, you're
investing something.
And, do you know the best part of running PPC ads?. They're
scalable. If it works, then you can scale your ad campaigns as much
as you can. There isn't any limit.
Related: How To Get Export Orders For Your Garments Business
However, as I said earlier, you need to build a fan base or tribe for
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long-term success. You simply can't rely on PPC ads forever. They're
great for short-term success, though.
Coupons & Door To Door Campaigning

Every shopper loves discounts. Isn't it?. That's the reason brands
have been using this marketing technique since ages.
You too can use this discount marketing strategy to promote your
new clothing store. Here's how:
Print around 500 to 1000 discount coupons
Mention your startup story & your store URL address in the
coupon
Announce a massive discount of around 50% as "Launch

Discount"
Fix a deadline date. People have to buy before that day to

avail the "launch discount"
Distribute these coupons in your local neighbourhood. You

can even target high end shopping destinations like malls.
This is a very cost effective strategy & works like charm. Therefore, I
do recommend you to give this a try.
Print Ads
You must be aware of this. We see these ads everywhere starting
from newspapers to banners or hoardings.
To start with, you need to tie-up with local advertising agencies.

They can help you place print ads near important spots across the
city. Of course, print ads are costlier than PPC ads & therefore
shouldn't be used at the beginning phase of your store.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a new-age marketing technique that connects
affiliates(bloggers, YouTubers, social media influencers, etc) with
sellers or brands like yours. The idea is simple. Affiliates will help
promote sellers' products to their audience & in return will get an
affiliate commission on each sale generated.
There're numerous affiliate marketing marketplaces that connect

affiliates with sellers or brands like:
Share A Sale
Rakuten Marketing
Commission Junction
Impact Radius, etc.
To get started, all what you need to do is register your store as a

brand on the aforesaid marketplaces. Thereafter, the affiliates listed
on these marketplaces may decide to promote your products to their
audience if your offer is attractive enough.
Example: On one fine day, an online clothing store XYZ.com decides

to promote it's products through affiliate marketing. For that, it
quickly registers itself on an affiliate marketing marketplace &
announces 30% affiliate commission on each sale made. Next day,
they get $ 1000 worth of sales from affiliates. So, the affiliate
commission that the store needs to pay to affiliates for that day is $
300 ($1000 * 30%)
The beauty of affiliate marketing is that – you don't need an upfront

investment. You'll pay commission to affiliates only & when they

refer an actual sale.
Pro Tip: Go for an attractive commission structure or offer. That's a

great way to lure affiliates from your competitors.
Cold Emails
Doesn't your email inbox get flooded with eCommerce offers
everyday?. Yes, I know it's annoying. But, hey, they do work. That's
the reason why many eCommerce players (including Amazon)
regularly send these cold emails.
Cold emailing is a marketing technique that involves sending mass

ad campaigns to your target audience via email. It's an effective way
to reach out to millions of potential customers' inboxes within a
matter of seconds.
So, how do you get started with these cold emails?. For that, you
need to get in touch with a digital marketing agency that specializes
in cold email campaigns. They can give you access of hundreds &
thousands of email addresses of your target audience. Not only that,
they can also help you craft a winning email marketing campaign.
Warning: Make sure that the agency has taken requisite consent
from the email recipients. Or else, you'll risk violating privacy laws.
Word Of Mouth Marketing

Do you know the secret of 6-figures eCommerce stores?. That's their
customers. Their super-fans. Their tribe. Their brand ambassadors.
If your product & service are awesome, your existing customers will
not only buy again & again from you but also refer a lot of their
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How To Start An eCommerce Clothing Business (From Home)
friends to your store. All without expecting any benefits.
That's the power of customer satisfaction.
So, what's the recipe of customer satisfaction? Here're a few things

you can work on to delight your customers:
Focus on product quality
Be obsessed about improving delivery time & packaging

(Amazon is really good at this. Isn't it?)
Offer a strong guarantee (Example: No-question-asked return

& refund policy)
Ask for customer feedback & work on it
Offer unique designs
Regularly email your customers (Don't spam with offers. Tell

stories, hook them with what's happening in your business &
your upcoming plans)
Offer referral incentives
Offer loyalty discounts to regular customers
Word of mouth can change the game for your clothing business in
long run. Therefore, you need to work & keep improving on the
same.
Conclusion
Yes, that's the only 6 steps you need to take NOW to start your
eCommerce clothing business.
So, what're you waiting for?.
Get started with the first step & you'll be amazed with how other
steps fall in place.

After you implement each of aforesaid steps as suggested, you'll have
an eCommerce clothing shop with actual orders flowing. Your
dream will finally turn into a reality.
Dream. Hustle. Succeed.
What do you think of the aforesaid steps to start an eCommerce

clothing business?. Please comment below.
Vishal Gupta
Vishal is the founder of Bizain. He's obsessed about helping small business Read More
owners grow their businesses. When not writing on Bizain or running his
businesses, Vishal likes to travel & explore places.
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1/25/2021 How To Start An eCommerce Clothing Business (From Home)

Bizain HOME ABOUT START HERE CONTACT

Globally, clothing is a whopping 3,000 billion dollars industry!. And,

But, everything that shines isn’t gold. In today’s world, clothing

So, what is the solution to this ever-increasing competition?.

Try going online!. Yes, differentiate yourself by starting an

Let me explain the 6 simple steps required to start an eCommerce

I prefer buying domain names on NameCheap. Their simple

Just make sure that you pick a domain name that’s:

Easy to remember & pronounce

Having a .com domain extension

SEO-friendly (So that your online store gets easily found on

Avoiding special characters like !, - ,#, & etc.

Available (You can't buy a domain name that's already bought

Unique & eye-catching

Step #2: Build An Online Clothing Store

Enter Shopify. Period.

They make it extremely easy for anyone to build an eCommerce site

Here're a few benefits of using a drag-and-drop eCommerce builder

Easy to get started

No technical or coding skills required

Customizable (You can install a theme to change the look &

Ability to connect custom domain (More on this later)

24*7 customer support via phone, chat & email

Value-added features (You can extend the functionality of

Affordable (Click here to check the current pricing of Shopify)

Unlimited number of products & visitors supported

Free SSL (Keeps your customers' payment information

Free CDN (This helps your online store to load faster)

Robust security system (Ensures your store doesn't get

No hosting required (Shopify already comes with hosting. So,

It won't be wrong to say that Shopify has revolutionized the

And, look at these Shopify stats:

As in 2020, more than 1 million eCommerce stores run on

In total, Shopify merchants have made $155 billion in sales!

Shopify merchants are spread around 175 countries

Here're are the steps you need to take to build an eCommerce

Create a Shopify account > Connect a domain name >

Let me explain the aforesaid steps in detail.

Create A Shopify Account

After you click on "Enter my store", you'll be taken to your store

Connecting a custom domain will give a unique identity to your

Connect A Custom Domain

Install A Website Theme

as the name suggest are FREE of cost. Whereas, premium themes

Click here to see a demo of the Streamline Theme

Shopify supports the following popular payment gateways:

First, you need to have an account with the aforesaid payment

Click here to go through the list of payment gateways supported by

Add Product Descriptions & Images

Product images & descriptions play a vital role in conversions. So,

With images, you would like them to be:

Covering maximum angles

You may Google & find a good eCommerce photography firm. If

With product descriptions, you would like them to be:

Stating technical details

Answering product questions

Answering shipping & payment related queries

Clearly stating the return & refund policy

For inspiration, here're a few examples of awesome product

SEO Booster (Helps improve your online store SEO)

Smart Seach & Instant Search (Adds advanced seach

Frequently Bought Together (Adds up-sell & cross-sell