Buying Wholesale Fashion & Selling Online – The complete guide

Whether you're new to the world of fashion retail or you're a seasoned professional with years of experience in buying and selling wholesale fashion, it's always good to have a reminder of the most important things to bear in mind when setting up your fashion business.  With our years of experience in the industry, City Goddess has put together some of our top tips to consider when sourcing wholesale apparel and how to make sure your customers love your selection just as much as you do.

Know Your Target Audience

If you've got a physical store already this step is easy – simply take note of the type of customer that tends to enter your store – their style, their age, their budget, their taste. But if you're planning to sell online or haven't yet opened your doors you need to do some prior research. Try to imagine your idea of your ideal customer. Give her a name! How old is she? What's her job? What's her family situation? What are her hobbies? 

It is quite different sourcing women's clothing for a 30 year old work-from-home mum of 2, to a 50 year old business woman taking early retirement. Not only in the price point of your product selection (although of course, this is a major point to consider!), but your clothing selection must also reflect their lifestyle choices. You want your ideal customer to feel like your fashion range was picked just for them.

If you regularly push stock that your target audience loves, you will have a loyal base that will return time and time again. It makes fashion sourcing a piece of cake and you're unlikely to end up with dead stock on your hands!

Define your Brand Identity

Your brand identity needs to be aligned with your target audience and vice versa. For example, if your brand identity is high-end fashion but your target audience can’t afford it, then your store is tipped to fail. When sourcing a new collection, you should also make sure that it’s in line with any pre-existing brand identity - if you’ve become known for comfy loungewear and suddenly launch a collection of sparkling mini dresses and platform heels, this may leave your customers confused, and they will end up shopping elsewhere. That’s not to say you can’t change it up sometimes, but you should remain mindful of both your brand and audience. 

Watch the Trends

When buying wholesale clothes you must be up-to-date with the latest fashion trends. More importantly, it pays to be one step ahead of your customer. The best fashion suppliers are always in the know, following the fashion weeks, the big designers and the must-have items that are sure to fly off the shelves each season. But sometimes it's difficult to plan months in advance, especially with TikTok, Instagram and social media influencing trends from one day to the next! If you're unsure you may want to consider buying short order wholesale fashion. As opposed to forward order stock which takes months to arrive, short order suppliers allow buyers to purchase smaller quantities of their chosen designs and ship them within a matter of days, allowing retailers to keep their offering fresh and inline with the latest trends. City Goddess offers short order women's fashion, also allows buyers to purchase single pieces with a low MOQ of just £150, and ships within a matter of days. 

Step four: Find wholesalers

When you’ve decided on a target audience, formed your brand identity and researched fashion trends, it’s time to start ordering items for your collection. You can source wholesale fashion suppliers at Trade Shows, B2B fashion marketplaces, through fashion agents, or of course online. At City Goddess we offer a dedicated account manager to all of our retail buyers to help them find the perfect collection for their store.

Step five: Customer feedback

Buying and selling wholesale fashion is an ongoing process. What works for one season won't always necessarily work the next! Remember to check in on customers' feedback to help influence your future purchases and identify trends for the coming season.

Whether you're just starting out, or are looking for some new wholesale fashion inspiration City Goddess is here to help. Buyer registration is free & we offer free shipping to selected locations. Sign up today to get access to a huge range of trending women's wholesale fashion.