When someone mentions eCommerce, for most people the first thought that would come to mind is B2C. This isn’t surprising as most online stores, especially those in the apparel industry, only work with customers and have a B2C business model.
But that’s not always the case. There are a lot of B2B apparel eCommerce businesses, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably the owner of such a business looking for success.
Look no further because we’ve collected tips that will help you achieve everything you want and more.
1. Nail your content marketing.
You wouldn’t be able to succeed without marketing, and this is something every business owner knows. But with so many different types of marketing, it’s hard to determine which one you should focus on. One thing you can’t go wrong with is content marketing.
Content marketing is the most popular strategy utilized by B2B firms for multiple reasons. The two most popular are that it provides a high ROI and a chance to demonstrate your company’s expertise.
But it’s also important to mention that B2B content marketing looks much different than it does for B2C businesses. After all, they serve two completely different types of audiences.
These are the differences:
- Longer sales cycle. While B2C content marketing focuses on helping people make quick decisions, B2B focuses on building trust. Since the B2B sales cycle is much longer and takes weeks or even months to finish, B2B content marketing aims to build trust throughout that long sales cycle.
- Providing business cases. One of the ways B2B businesses build that trust is by demonstrating to their potential clients how purchasing their products will benefit them. This is done through business cases, which you can make with an excellent content marketing strategy.
- Group decision-making. In B2B transactions, multiple departments are involved in the decision-making process. Due to this, B2B content marketing needs to be good enough to cater to all of these different people.
It’s easy to see that content marketing is one of the most important B2B marketing essentials. If you want to make a successful strategy, you need to educate yourself about it as much as possible.
2. Don’t forget inventory management.
If you’re running an apparel business, you know how big of a chore inventory management can be. Tracking, maintaining, and managing all of your inventory is an important job, but it’s also time-consuming and prone to human error.
Luckily, there are ways to leverage your business through technology, and this includes leveraging inventory management. With the right software, you can get rid of the headache which comes with old-fashioned inventory management and optimize this process to the fullest.
When you use inventory management software, you can:
- Avoid overstocks and stockouts.
- Improve your planning and forecasting.
- Track orders, deliveries, and the entire sales process.
- Create work orders and bills for your materials.
- Increase the supply chain accuracy.
- Organize all of your inventory data.
- Keep your transactions safe and secure.
However, this is just the beginning. If you want to know more, you need to read why you need a clothing inventory management guide and see all of the benefits it will bring.
3. Choose the right business model.
When it comes to apparel eCommerce businesses, there are three business models that are the most common. Each of them has different pros and cons, and the one you choose will be based on what you’re looking to achieve.
These business models are:
- Private label. If you want to make a lane for yourself with custom design, tags, and labels, the private label business model is for you. In this business model, company owners add their personal touch to blank fashion items. However, keep in mind that you will need sizable startup capital for this.
- Print on demand. This is the most cost-effective business model and doesn’t require you to have a stable supply. However, it doesn’t offer high-profit margins and it’s hard to make a name for yourself and build a brand.
- Custom cut-and-sew. If you have unique design ideas, want to make the clothes by yourself, and have a strong branding plan, this is the ideal business model for you. However, keep in mind that this business model requires the most commitment and the biggest investment.
4. Optimize your website for mobile devices.
As you already know, you can’t have an eCommerce business without a website. But while most people already know that a successful website needs to be optimized for search engines, have a responsive theme, and a simple layout, there’s one thing people usually forget.
That thing is mobile optimization, or in other words, making sure your website runs flawlessly on mobile devices. The days of just using a computer to go online are long gone and as much as 70% of web traffic comes from mobile phones. A lot of your potential clients will at least do research on their mobile devices, so make sure your website can handle that.
Final thoughts.
Forget about the impression that only B2C apparel businesses can have a successful eCommerce brand because that can also be a reality for B2B companies. As long as you remember everything you read about here, you will be on the right track to success and profitability.
