Selling Your Fashion Designs Online

Every year, more and more people involved in the business of fashion try to sell clothing online. In such a crowded marketplace, how can you make your own business a success? The women who make up the bulk of this marketplace are continually bombarded with advertising, but the fact is that even when they visit heavily promoted websites they don't always make purchases there. To improve your sales, you need to put yourself in their position and think about what they want out of a clothing site.

The business of selling online is still controversial in fashion circles. Some designers feel that it cheapens their work, reducing the sense of exclusivity attached to their products. Such people often prefer to use online promotional pages featuring contact details or the names of retail outlets rather than selling directly. If you're working in high end fashion, this is an option you should consider. For most designers,however, online sales now make up an invaluable portion of revenue.

Make it Easy

If you do decide to operate a direct sales website, the number one rule is that you should make it easy to use. Women are often less confident about their computer skills than men, so it's particularly important not to put them off with an overly complicated interface. Think about the things you would want from a clothing site if you were inexperienced in shopping on the web. There are several factors you should prioritise:-

• Clear categorisation-Make it easy for visitors to your site to find the particular items they're looking for. This doesn't mean that you can't tempt them with impulse buys at the same time. You can, for instance, suggest similarly styled or complementary items on the sales page for a particular piece of clothing.
• Illustrations-These should not only be flattering, they should be informative. Make sure you show not just the front but the back of the garment. Think about what you would want to know about it before buying. You only need one image on your catalogue page, but the item page should have more.
• Further Information- What would you normally be able to find out in a shop, by touching and moving clothing, that you can't find out from an image? Describe the fabric (being mysterious will put off people with allergies and skin sensitivities). Note details like the number of pockets a garment has and how it fastens.
• One-click shopping-Once people have decided to buy, they don't want to have to mess about. Your shopping system should enable them to purchase the garment with as little effort as possible. Requiring registration means delays and will put some customers off, but it's worth offering a more streamlined process to registered customers so that they don't have to enter their details every time.
• Security- Make sure that your payment system is a secure as possible, and that it looks secure. Customers will be uncomfortable about handing over their credit card details otherwise. Provide guarantees and, if possible, a return policy, so that customers can be confident that their purchases will arrive promptly and in good condition.

Keep 'Em Coming Back for More

If a customer has been willing to buy from you once, the chances are that they'll be willing to buy from you again. With so many online clothing sites out there, however, there's a risk that they'll forget where yours is - or even that it exists at all!

To keep customers coming back, it's a good idea to encourage them to register with you and, ideally, to sign up for a mailing list. You can make this list worth their while by offering discounts and access to an exclusive fashion blog. Emphasise that it's free to join and use it to keep them updated about new additions to your site.

The business of fashion is always competitive, but good service is a great way to win loyal customers. There are still a lot of women out there who find shopping online intimidating, so it's your job to show them that it can be a positive experience, no more risky or difficult than shopping on the high street. Give them what they want, and they'll give you great online sales.