Tops, bottoms, shirts, skirts, pants, cuffs; you probably own one or more of these fashion items. Indeed, fashion never goes out of fashion as billions all over the world spend billions to look dapper.
According to reports, the fashion industry is expected to generate a whopping US$524, 872m revenue in 2018, up by 16.5% year-on-year with apparel contributing US$339, 740.
Last year, leading fashion e-tailer ASOS announced revenue of over £1.8b with profits of over £80m.
In this post I’ll be sharing tips on how to position your online fashion store for better sales considering holiday shopping season is by the corner just like these top Shopify stores, a third of which sell fashion items. You can also create something like PnyTail Hair Buns and Extensions if you are running a hair business.
Use Human Models
Most online fashion shops simply display product images without a model sampling the designs or at best they use a mannequin. You should rather use real human models wearing your clothing items, this gives your products a human face plus increases the human connection.
If it looks this good on her, it might as well look just as good if not better on me, they’d consider.
For plus size single-size items, for instance, this can automatically catch the attention of fellow plus size buyers plus increase your chances of closing the sale.
Use Size Guides of Different Standards/Metrics
Ever bought a nice dress that didn’t quite fit, paid for return shipping and waited two weeks for an incomplete refund? The sheer frustration, time and cost of returning fashion items in most cases can wear shoppers out.
According to ChargeBack.Com, size issues is the number one of top ten reasons for product returns. Hence, smart e-tailers provide size guides for good measure.
By providing different size conversions and conventions for shoes, dresses, kids, US, UK, Europe, in cm, inches, etc., you’re increasing buyer confidence and spend and reducing avoidable returns.
Use Influencers
Following from tip number 2 above, it is even more powerful if your model is someone of considerable influence and near-cult following. This will automatically draw their numerous fans and their accompanying funds to your franchise or merchandise.
Think of movie or music stars, celebrities, social media influencers, politicians, preachers, athletes, writers, doctors, lawyers, etc.
Depending on your size and budget this could cost some top dollar, but there’s something for everyone, and if well planned and executed can bring good ROI.
Use Multiple Photos Showing Different Angles
Displaying mono-angle product images robs online shoppers of the opportunity to take a holistic view of the product they intend to purchase, which is critical to a final purchase decision.
In brick and mortar stores, shoppers can feel, smell, touch and try whatever they want to buy, but not so online. To compensate for this gap, smart e-tailers provide detailed product images from all angles. ASOS has a feature that allows you to flip fashion products 360° to get an all-around view of products.
Show Close up Photos of (clothing) Materials
Most online fashion shoppers are big on product details like texture, etc. They want to know if it’s cotton and what type of cotton it is.cYou should mention such details in your product descriptions, but experience has shown that most online stores simply copy and paste product descriptions and, as a result, may unwittingly misinform buyers.
Using zoomable product images, online shoppers can have a closer look at clothing materials which may help the visual shopper decide faster and better.
Write Stellar Product Description
In addition to the foregoing, a well-written product description can help facilitate a sale. A good product description shouldn’t be just about length, detail is even more important, all of it.
You never know which particular detail will trigger a shopper’s buy now button. It could be the one(s) you left out.
Use the right keywords, terminology or lingo to describe your products as best you can. You can even link to posts on your blog that explain the similarities and differences between or among different clothing materials.
As I like to say, a well-written product description is like a well trained and efficient retail associate.
Donate to Causes People Care About
Another smart way to drive traffic to your online fashion store and increase sales is to donate a percentage of profits to causes you or others care about.
When shoppers or customers feel they’re supporting a worthy cause by buying from you, they’re not only likely to purchase but to purchase even more and perform repeat purchases thus increasing their lifetime value.
They could also more easily canvass for you, spread the word to like-minded friends, Shoppers or colleagues and thereby get you tons of referrals.
Build Your List
They say the money is in the list. It’s time to build a subscribers list if you haven’t done so yet. It is easier to sell to existing customers than to market to new customers.
Statistics state that the cost of customer acquisition (CAC) is five times higher than customer retention. And what better way to boost customer retention than by building a list!
You can announce product arrivals, sales, discounts, promos, vouchers, etc. to your subscriber’s list. You can also better retarget shoppers who have abandoned cart or suspended purchase.
Overall, you can better communicate with your customers when you have them in a database or list. You can also publish regular blog posts and send to your mailing list subscribers increasing engagement via multiple touch points.
Start a Blog
Speaking of a blog, starting one might yield positive short term and long term benefits for your online fashion store and brand in general.
Your fashion blog could focus on any of many areas that revolve around the fashion industry, news, trends, gossip, or even the products you sell, anything fashion.
Over time this could yield SEO benefits like ranking in search engine results pages. This means people can come across your blog content while searching Google for instance. If their questions are answered they might stick around, subscribe to your newsletter for more content, shop around, make purchases, etc.