When starting any business, you want to ensure you set yourself up for success when launching a baby clothing store.
The baby clothing market is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of more than 4%. By 2027, this market is expected to surpass $82.5 billion, according to Fortune Business Insights.
However, the baby clothing market is mainly under-tapped compared to the total clothing market. As a result, it gives small and large businesses a significant opportunity to profit by starting their brand selling clothes for little ones.
As you gear up to launch your business, there are many factors to consider — from the clothes you’ll sell to the colors of your company branding. So how do you set yourself up for success? Here are a few tips to ensure your baby clothing business is well on its way to being profitable in 2024.
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Define What Sets You Apart From Other Baby Clothing Businesses
Baby clothing sees some trends from season to season — but nothing quite like adult clothing styles that feature a wide range of fits, fabrics, and styles from week to week. Thus, many baby clothing shapes, styles, and colors are the same across brands.
This definition means you have to be specific in what sets your baby clothing business apart from others.
- Do you sell clothes in a particular color palette?
- Do you appeal to minimalist parents whose primary goal when clothes shopping for their little ones is sustainability?
- Do you sell blank wholesale clothing with fun embroidered characters?
Find out what makes your baby’s clothing unique, and make that a focus in your marketing to appeal to your target market.
Focus on Quality Goods Parents Will Be Happy To Buy
Because babies may only wear a particular size for a few months — or even a few weeks — parents often struggle to find well-made clothing.
Many brands want to make their clothing as cheap as possible to appeal to parents who need to buy clothes frequently because their little ones are constantly growing. However, as brands cut corners, these parents become frustrated with cheap clothing that doesn’t hold up beyond one or two wears — forcing them to buy even more clothing.
Focus on selling quality baby clothing in your store.
If you sell cheap clothing, you’ll only frustrate parents who constantly need to buy different sizes for their growing kids. Instead, choose quality clothing that parents will be excited to buy, and you’ll build brand loyalty.
After all, loyal customers will spend up to 57% more on brands they feel committed to.
Consider the Cost of an Online vs. In-Person Store
When launching your baby clothing business, you want to consider the pros and cons of running an online vs. in-person store. On the other hand, you may want to offer both options to consumers! Either way, there are many considerations — and what you decide will depend on who your target market is and how they prefer to shop.
Online clothing store considerations:
- Relatively low start-up cost (domain, any subscriptions, etc.)
- Ability to drop-ship clothing
- Shoppers have to wait to receive goods
- More potential for exchanges/returns if the sizing isn’t correct (and increased cost in this area)
In-person clothing store considerations:
- Rent, electricity, and other expenses
- Cost to pay staff or run the store yourself
- Need for physical inventory in store
- Accessibility for parents, caregivers, and other shoppers to purchase and take home baby clothes on the day
- Ability to gain a foothold in an under-tapped local market
Regardless of what you decide, ensure that you choose an option — or options — that will be sustainable over time to help your business succeed.
Leverage Styles That Don’t Go Out of Fashion
Regarding baby clothes, there’s one significant benefit you don’t see with adults’ clothing: The same styles are in fashion, year in and year out. Because the primary focus of baby clothing is functionality, onesies, cozy pants, and easy slip-on tops are the top choices for little ones.
While parents may constantly need to buy new sizes as their children grow out of them, they’ll want the same functional, comfortable pieces of clothing they can reach daily.
Use this to your advantage, and select timeless yet cute styles that parents, caregivers, and family will reach for time and time again. Therefore, helping you eliminate dead stock from designs or quickly fit that cycle in and out of fashion.
You can even buy bulk blank wholesale clothing and customize it with embroidery or print designs. Therefore, it helps ensure you can keep a constant stock of the same styles and customize them from season to season and year to year to keep styles fresh.
Work With a Quality Wholesale Supplier
Buying clothes in bulk can mean significant savings for your brand. When you buy a larger quantity, brands give you the same quality goods at a lower cost.
However, you want to be careful that the goods you’re buying aren’t low cost simply because the supplier cuts corners on quality or provides their employees with fair wages and benefits.
You want to find a wholesale supplier like Bella + Canvas that values:
- Quality: Search for wholesale companies that use premium materials, like ring-spun and combed cotton — not C.O.E. The material will withstand the wear and tear of little ones who crawl around on their daily adventures and won’t irritate their sensitive skin.
- Eco-Friendly Practices: Younger generations are increasingly more aware of how the things they buy affect the planet. Choose a wholesale supplier that focuses on the environment and uses planet-friendly practices in production.
- Fashionable Styles: While baby styles remain the same overall from season to season, they mimic the same trends in adult clothing. Find a supplier on the pulse with the styles and colors parents want to buy for their children.
- Ethical Production: Just as consumers are conscious about how their goods affect the environment, parents also want to ensure that the people who made the clothes they’re dressing their children in are paid fair wages and given good benefits. Look for certifications like Platinum W.R.A.P. that show brands are ensuring reasonable labor practices.
Establish an Online Presence That’s Eye-Catching and Conveys Your Brand
Regardless if your business is online or in-person — or a mix of both — you want consumers to be able to find your business and know its purpose. Establishing an online presence with cohesive branding is one of the best ways to do that.
Ensure your social media profiles are filled out and posted consistently — whether daily, a few times a week, or once weekly. This schedule is the best way to keep your customers up-to-date and excited about your products.
While you can invest in paid posts, social media is one of the best forms of free advertising. Find hashtags and keywords your target audience is already searching for, and watch your sales grow.
You should have an online site, even if you’re not selling products online, where customers will find answers to general questions about your business, including what kinds of baby clothes you sell and where they can buy them.
Remain Consistent and Watch Your Business Profits Grow
As with any business endeavor, developing a baby clothing business can seem like a big task because there’s so much to consider, from your branding to the products you sell.
The key to building your profits is consistently appealing to your target audience and gaining a foothold in the market. Make changes as you find what sells best, and adapt as you go.
With consistency, you’ll see your profits grow in no time!
