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Originally Posted On: https://www.annmariejohn.com/how-to-grow-competitive-fashion-business
The fashion industry is growing fast. No matter if you are a designer brand or a fast-fashion company, the competition is fierce. To start and grow your business in fashion, you need to develop a detailed strategy.
Here are several factors to consider:
Detect Market Needs
Most companies fail due to a lack of market demand for their products. In the hyper-competitive fashion industry, it is essential to remain innovative. Identify the products that do not exist yet and that your customers would like to purchase. By finding the gaps in market demand, you will stand out from the crowd and attract new customers.
Identify your Target Customers
Getting to know your audience is essential for starting a profitable business. That is a group of customers who are most likely to purchase from your fashion audience.
For example, Gen Z customers are more receptive to innovative marketing and customer service channels. While they are easier to engage, younger audiences are cash-strapped. On the other hand, Boomers can afford a higher price point. However, they focus on more traditional shopping channels.
Now, you can identify your target customers in numerous ways. For starters, analyze the audiences who have already purchased from you. You can collect that customer information by distributing online and offline customer surveys. Social networks are also a treasure trove of customer data.
Next, invest in CRM software. The tool integrates with a wide range of sales and customer service tools. It pulls customer data from them, creates customer profiles, and stores information in a central location. It helps you learn more about your customers’ age, gender, geolocation, past purchases, product preferences, service inquiries, etc.
Develop a Clear Business Plan
Having a business plan is essential for any business, irrespective of its size and industry. That written document will guide your entrepreneurial journey in the fashion industry. That is why you should keep it detailed and realistic.
Consider what types of resources you’ll need and how many employees you’ll need to hire to help you reach your goals. It may help to have a recruiting strategy so you can bring the right people to your office abroad. Make sure that you also invest in ID badges once you have your team in place. This will help keep your office environment safe and secure.
An effective business plan should consist of the following segments:
- Executive summary
- Business description
- Market analysis and strategy
- Marketing and sales plan
- Competitive analysis
- Management and organization description
- Products and service descriptions
- Operating plan
These sections explain in detail how your fashion business will grow and stay competitive in the industry. It serves as a roadmap for your brand and includes all relevant business areas, from operations to marketing. Apart from keeping you on track, a business plan can also attract investors. It builds trust with them and proves that you have a strategic business management approach.
Develop a Marketing Plan
Choosing a name and logo for your business is not enough to put it in front of your target audience. You want to increase brand visibility and awareness. Most importantly, your goal is to build trust with customers and inspire their loyalty.
Apart from traditional fashion marketing channels, such as billboards, catalogs, or brochures, work on your online presence. Launch a gorgeous, on-brand e-commerce store where customers can browse through your products and make immediate purchases. Make sure your website is user-friendly and optimized for mobile devices.
Designers can also use popular fashion marketplaces to promote their business. All you have to do is choose a platform that is relevant to your niche and customers. For example, if you sell men’s designer clothes, pick a platform that markets to male customers interested in high fashion.
Building a brand presence on social networks is also immensely important. It allows fashion brands to communicate with customers more naturally and collect invaluable feedback. Most importantly, you can use these channels to engage audiences. For example, you can host contests, partner with influencers, or create engaging content.
Finding an influencer for your brand will be an easy job for you. For instance, if you want to find Instagram influencers, influencer marketing platforms will help you find them with a few clicks. These have many features that allow them to filter all influencers from all over the world and reach them without any hard work. Depending on your business type, your choice can vary from nanoinfluencers to macro ones. If you have a local business, working with macro-influencers will not give you the results you need. However, nanoinfluencers might give you unexpected results because of their super-niche audience.
Form Business Partnerships
Do not be scared to team up with other industry professionals to grow your business. Strategic business partnerships are essential in the fashion world. They help you expand your brand’s reach and attract new customer groups. That is why you should always team up with trustworthy professionals and brands. Make sure they share your brand’s values and visions.
There are many examples of fashion brand collaborations. Some of them are Versace and H&M (2011), Hermès x Apple Watch (2015), World Food Programme x Balenciaga (2018), etc.
In Conclusion
Every fashion brand has a unique history. Some of the most iconic fashion businesses started as small designer companies. To make a name for your business in the competitive fashion industry, you need to strategize its launch and growth.
