Here are some wisdom tips for veterans and newcomers about selling garments and what you should be offering your customers. There are three philosophies on offering various styles and brands to customers:
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One philosophy says that you should open your favorite wholesaler’s catalog or link it to your website and simply let your customer choose exactly what he wants without regard to brands or other limitations. Assuming the vendor stocks everything well, it sounds fair enough. Right? If the customer is a knowledgeable, experienced buyer, the system works. But only to a point, a matter that we’ll look at shortly.
A second philosophy says that you should open several of your favorite wholesalers’ catalogs or link all of them to your website, giving the customer maximum selection flexibility and without limitations. This way a customer gets the best of all possible worlds –as some might think. Sounds OK, assuming all the vendors carry deep inventories of everything they show. Right? If indeed the customer is a very knowledgeable, experienced buyer, this system works to everyone’s advantage, or at least some would argue.
A third philosophy is that the customer should be able to select only from those brands and styles the seller designates. There are several reasons why this system is recommended and not the others. First, with the exception of only the very most astute customers, most buyers haven’t a clue as to which brand is really better, how wide or deep your preferred wholesaler stocks everything offered, or how the garments print or embroider; nor do they care. The typical customer doesn’t understand the differences and nuances between similar-looking terms, such as “heavyweight,” “BeefyTM ,” or “megaweight,” much less more specialized terms such as “ringspun,” “open-end,” or “moisture management.” Most customers basically know just colors and fabric content (100% cotton or a cotton-polyester blend).
