Starting An Online Clothing Store: What You Need to Know

9 min read

One of the best ways to make money online is to open an online store. But what are the best items to sell at your online store? There are a few different answers to that. Global revenue from ecommerce sales exceeded $1 trillion in 2022, which is the result of massive retail variety. Additionally, entrepreneurs can choose from any number of categories of items that are of interest to them. But one of the easiest and most profitable items to sell online is clothing.

There are several notable advantages of selling clothes online. First, it is lightweight and affordable, meaning there are low overhead costs for you. Second, clothing is something that everyone needs, so there is always a market for it. And third, the clothing market is incredibly diverse. With a tremendous range of items and styles, it is not too difficult to find a niche market for yourself.

Want to learn how to get started selling clothes online? Here is a simple, step-by-step guide on how to start an online clothing store.

How Much to Start an Online Clothing Store: Choosing a Business Model

The availability of resources can be a major obstacle to people looking to start a business. But, when selling clothes online, several different business models are available to help solve this problem. Here’s a look at some of the models you can choose from for your online clothing store.

Print-on-Demand

Print-on-demand is a popular business model for clothing stores in which generic clothing items are altered with custom logos or designs. And print-on-demand is a good business model for entrepreneurs with limited retail experience and budget. Some graphic design and printing skills are required, but the barrier to entry is fairly low. Because this model offers clothing customization, it can be highly profitable.

Dropshipping

If you’re wondering how to start an online clothing store with no money, dropshipping is a good option. As a dropshipping retailer, you do not need to worry about inventory or overhead costs. Your role is simply to facilitate transactions between a wholesaler or manufacturer and the consumer. When a customer purchases an item from your store, you order it from the dropshipping provider, who then ships it to the customer.

There are no overhead costs in a dropshipping business because you do not pay for inventory, storage, or shipping. You only pay a fee when a customer purchases items from you. So there is no direct cost to run a dropshipping business.

Private Label

Private label has some similarities with dropshipping. Private labeling is another good method for how to start an online clothing store without inventory. In a private label business model, the retailer reaches an agreement with a manufacturer to market and sell unique items under their own custom brand. This saves money on manufacturing and inventory while allowing for greater branding potential than dropshipping.

Custom Made Clothing

If you’re looking for how to start an online boutique clothing store, making custom, handmade clothing items is an option. This obviously requires more resources and a greater time investment than other business models. However, it has a very high potential for earnings and greater profit margins. Since there is no middleman (manufacturer), you can make more money per sale. With a platform like Etsy welcoming more than 40 million shoppers each year, there is a sizeable market for handmade goods online.

How to Start an Online Clothing Store: Getting Set Up

In addition to choosing the right business type for you, there are several other factors you need to consider. Even if you know what your business model will be, you still need to figure out what to sell. There is a bit of setup on the back end to get your online store up and running.

Choosing a Niche

No matter what kind of online store you’re making, finding a good niche is often the key to success. Luckily, clothing stores have plenty of niches to choose from. It’s often better to focus on a few types of items rather than trying to sell all types of clothing for everyone. For instance, you can choose to sell clothing items that cater to a specific style or hobby, like athletic clothing. Or, with a print-on-demand business, you can make good money by focusing on custom-design T-shirts and hoodies.

When selecting your niche, you should seek out a market with high demand but relatively low competition. It also helps if you also serve a niche that you are passionate about.

Choosing an Ecommerce Platform

Equally as important as your niche is your ecommerce platform. Setting up an online store may seem complicated to somebody with limited technical or business experience. But ecommerce platforms, like Ecwid, simplify this process by providing all of the resources an entrepreneur needs to get started.

When choosing your ecommerce platform, the most important things to consider are the cost and availability of tools. Most ecommerce platforms charge a fee to get started. However, Ecwid makes it easier for new business owners by offering a free plan that covers all the basics. In addition to costs, your ecommerce platform should be able to handle everything needed to manage your store successfully. This includes things like product listings, sales and financial management software, inventory management, and payment processing.

Setting Up Website

Once everything else is in place, the only thing left to do is set up your website. Fortunately, this is another area that many ecommerce platforms can help with. For instance, Ecwid users can enjoy a simple, user-friendly interface when designing their own custom online store.

Presentation is very important for a clothing store, whether online or in-person. So having an eye-catching website is essential for an online clothing store. Some areas to focus on include quality images and product listings, easy navigation, an efficient user interface, and customer checkout processes. Plus, good customer support can also be very beneficial for online clothing stores, especially for custom or boutique items.

Want to learn more about how to build a website for your online clothing store? Read Ecwid’s guide to creating a website to sell clothes for an in-depth guide.

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Jan 29, 2023

About the author

Anastasia Prokofieva is a content writer at Ecwid. She writes about online marketing and promotion to make entrepreneurs’ daily routine easier and more rewarding. She also has a soft spot for cats, chocolate, and making kombucha at home.