The clothing industry is largely contingent on seasons. Making sure that your store is ready for the summer months is vital to success. There are many different aspects of your store that you need to optimize for the warm weather. Ensuring that you get these things done in a timely and efficient fashion can make or break your season.
Inventory
When it comes to clothing stores, it’s all about your inventory. Keeping up to date with the latest fashions is imperative to stay competitive. Most people are going to be purchasing their summer clothes well in advance of the warm weather. You will want to make sure that you update your inventory a couple months ahead of time to catch people while they’re updating their wardrobe. Ensuring that you have a good mix of this seasons items as well as discounted items from previous seasons will help to expand your client base. Not everyone can afford the latest and greatest, so having less expensive brand name options can significantly impact your bottom line. When it comes to swimsuits, you will want to have a variety of options You want to avoid alienating those customers that may not have the stereotypical body type. Accessories geared towards the summer months are also a great way to supplement your clothing stores revenue. Sunglasses, visors and beach accoutrements are a great seller and can be an easy up sell to customers purchasing beach clothes.
Promotions
Summer sales are a great way to kick-start your season. Putting the previous year’s swimsuits on sale is a great way to maximize your retail display -bring in customers and get exposure to your new inventory as well. Giveaway promotions that offer lower ticket items for frees, such as sunglasses, can be enough to persuade customers in to buying more expensive items. Be sure that you look at the numbers closely so that your sale does not negatively impact your bottom line. It’s a good idea to start these promotions in the mid to late spring to make sure you catch your potential customers before they’ve tapped into their summer wardrobe budget. Passing out flyers that offer a discount on your summer items is also a great way to promote your store. Choose locations where your target audience frequents to hand them out. Offering discounts on bundled items such as swimsuits and flip flops together can drive up revenue and create more space for more, new inventory.
Climate Control
It may seem obvious, but don’t neglect your AC and other cooling equipment this will ensure that your patrons are comfortable while browsing in your store. Keeping areas like fitting rooms well circulated is also a must, so customers can feel comfortable while trying on your clothing. Before heading into the summer month we recommend having a maintenance check to ensure your equipment will be running cool all summer long.
Events
Summer is a time full of events, and you shouldn’t leave your clothing store out in the cold on this one. Having events that are outdoors are perfect in the summer months. You could host a barbeque with live music if the area you are in is equipped to support something like that. Your building would need enough outside space though. For an establishment that is closer to other businesses having indoor promotional events can be great as well. You can have outside vendors come in to rep their latest health merchandise or new technology is an awesome way to bring new customers in. This helps your business while also supporting other local businesses as well. It would be a good idea to have the vendors wearing your latest threads to promote your clothing line as well.
Funding your Summer
Increasing your inventory and promoting your newest seasonal items can be an expensive, but a necessary venture. Being up to date is the only way for a small clothing store to compete with the larger chains. Consider a merchant cash advance from Quikstone Capital Solutions to help your clothing store turn up the heat.
