Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The market for apparels grew at a CAGR of 13.8% in FY18. Data also indicates that the shopper spends on garments in India has grown by almost three times over the last decade. Several reasons have led to this – such as higher disposable incomes, urbanisation and greater access to branded clothing in non-metro cities.
Speaking specifically about ladies garments, women clothing occupies a massive 38 per cent share of the total apparel market in India – making it an excellent business opportunity for those with an eye for fashion trends.
My Home Business in Women Clothing: How I Tasted Success
From a young age, I spent most of my time fashioning dresses out of my mother’s sarees and dupattas. Colours, fabrics, cuts – everything about a well put together piece of clothing fascinated me, and I knew I wanted a career in the fashion industry. Eventually, I did pursue a course in fashion designing and worked in the field for a few years before marrying my husband and starting a family soon after.
My career took a backseat after my marriage. I left my job to spend time with the family, but my passion for clothing did not subside. I started spending a reasonable amount of time in curating gorgeous outfits for myself and my daughter, by scanning several look books and sourcing clothes from affordable places so we never had to repeat our dresses.
My sense of fashion was appreciated by one and all, which is why my husband suggested that I start a fashion blog. Inspired, I started sharing my daily looks on social media, which became insanely popular and everyone started asking me where I got my clothes. And that’s when the idea struck me – could I start an online shop for ladies fashion?
It became my dream to start my own business – where I could sell stunning dresses across the country at affordable prices, boosting the confidence of all my customers without hurting their pocket.
The Initial Hurdles and How Selltm Helped Me
About six months back, when I decided to start my business, I was ecstatic. However, when I did the groundwork – it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
The first step was procuring good quality clothes at reasonable rates. Having spent my entire life in Delhi – this was easy for me. The second step, however, was a little more complicated.
Where would I store clothes? What if they didn’t sell? How about marketing? And, what about delivery and returns?
Undeterred, I decided to start small. I purchased a few crop tops, advertised them on my blog, and got my first few orders. To sort out deliveries, I tied up with a local courier service at a discounted rate. However, the exuberance of the first few orders faded away when I found my margin to be meagre.
I was losing money in deadstock, returns and delivery charges.
It was at this point when I was at the verge of giving up, that a close friend introduced me to Selltm App. She told me about her small business of artificial jewellery, which she operated via Selltm App.
I was surprised when she informed me that she had made zero investment in setting up her business. All she had to do was pick relevant products from the Selltm catalogue, share links in her multiple WhatsApp groups, and then place orders for her family and friends. The interesting part was that she could set her margins while placing the orders – which is vital for every entrepreneur.
After speaking to my friend, I knew I had found the answer to all my problems. I downloaded Selltm and set up my account quickly, and my online venture was ready to fly.
What I Love About Selltm
The best part about Selltm is that you don’t need any technical knowledge to start selling. I set up my account in a few clicks and found myself browsing through their impressive fashion catalogue, soon after.
With Selltm, I no longer have to purchase and stock material (no more dead stock and storage issues), pack products and liaise with delivery people (I can add the delivery costs to the price of the product), and bother about low margins.
All I had to do was curate looks, share links on my WhatsApp groups, and set my margin while ordering. That’s it. Besides, low wholesale rates and frequently updated catalogues mean more choice and purchase power for my clients.
Today, I process a minimum of 10 orders every day. I have customers in almost every part of the country, and my friends have been incredibly supportive in spreading the good word.
Things You Should Know Before Entering The Garment Retail Business
As a reseller of ladies apparel, I have learned quite a bit in my journey and have successfully set up a continuous income stream for myself. Here are three tips I would like to share with everyone who wants to venture into this field:
- Be in the know – This is the first rule of fashion. Keep yourself updated of the latest trends globally, and within India, in addition to personalising recommendations according to your customers’ tastes and preferences.
- Tap into the power of content – Ever since I started selling on WhatsApp groups with Selltm, I have started paying more attention to my blog to share styling tips and ideas related to the clothes I am selling. Even if you don’t blog, you can always share tips on your WhatsApp groups for engagement.
- Be organised – One crucial thing that has helped me in my growth is being meticulous in my work. I have different WhatsApp groups for various cities in India. It helps in personalisation and also streamlining the order process.
Conclusion
With several large e-commerce companies operating in the field of ready-made garments, I wanted to do something exclusively for women, by offering them curated styles for professional, casual and ethnic wear. However, being an entrepreneur requires not only vision but also the right tools to facilitate your business and scale it.
Selltm gave me the exact platform I needed to launch my business and make it grow. I am grateful to the company for helping me, and hundreds of people across the country to realise their dreams and make fruitful use of their free time.
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