The most important factor that will
determine the success that you have when
it comes to selling wholesale goods is
whether people want them or not.
If people love the wholesale goods
that you have you will be
90% on your way to making some
good sales. You will also have to
consider the price that you
are paying for your merchandise,
since the price you will be retailing it
for is also very important.
For now I would like to focus on
how to determine if you are picking
wholesale goods that people will
want to buy.
Tip #1
Visit the actual neighborhoods
where your prospective customers
live and work. You want to
personally see what are the
types of products that they
use, whether it's the dresses
that they wear, the electronics
that they use, or the recreational
activities that they participate in.
This is probably the most efficient
way to determine what type of
wholesale products are preferred
by the people that you will be selling to.
One important thing to keep in mind is
that you might be introducing a new product
that is not currently available to your
prospective customer base.
In that case, your prospective customers
will not have access to your product, so visiting the
neighborhoods where they live and
work won't help in this situation.
The same would apply if your wholesale product is
currently only available at a higher price than you
will be selling it for. For example, your customers
might love to be able to buy Calvin Klein dresses
but they cannot afford them. In that case
you won't see anyone wearing any Calvin Klein
dresses. But if you can retail the Calvin Klein
dresses at a price that they might be able
to afford then you should be able to sell them.
Tip #2
Interview prospective and current customers.
I know that most people associate interviews
with job interviews, but they are just
as important in the wholesale and retail
business.
If you have visited my warehouse
or have called me,
you know that I like to ask
my customers questions so that
I can determine the type of
wholesale merchandise that they
need.
By interviewing people you
will get factual information
that can help you order the
best possible wholesale goods
for your store, warehouse, or website.
Tip#3
Visit the online forums where your
customers are found. You
can find these forums by searching
on Google using the keywords
that describe your prospects
and the category that you are
considering purchasing wholesale
products in. For example I can
do a search for "Zambian bankers clothing forum".
Hopefully the search results will include forums
where Zambian bankers are discussing clothing.
This information can help me determine what
kind of clothing my Zambian customers that work
in banks are looking for.
Tip#4
Visit the Facebook profiles of
people that you are doing business with.
You should be able to tell from their
pictures what kind of products
they like. You can also send them
a friend request and ask them
to tell you what kind of wholesale
items they are in the market for.
This tip can be used whether
you sell wholesale or retail.
Tip#5
Visit trade shows that cater to your
industry. You can then see the
wholesale fashions that are being
introduced into the marketplace.
The assumption is that the vendors
have done their research and are
offering fashion, or other products,
that are of interest to people in the
marketplace. You still need to do your
own research to ascertain the demand
for those items.
I personally would put more trust in
established vendors such as international
brands like Tahari, Ralph Lauren,
and Anne Klein. Established international brands
have employees that are in charge of
researching and evaluating the marketplace.
The brands will then introduce products
based on their recommendations.
A fashion brand like Nine West is spending
a great deal of money evaluating and
responding to the fashion tastes of the
marketplace.
Keep in mind that even the biggest
fashion companies can make mistakes,
and even then smallest upstarts can
have a great grasp of the marketplace.
One of the reasons why there are
shelf pulls is because manufacturers
and retailers have miscalculated the
demand for their products. So
even the most experienced clothing
company can make mistakes.
And a small fashion start up might
be really well connected to fashion trendsetters
so its clothing will be based on the demand
in the marketplace.
From time to time a fashion executive
will leave a large company to start his
own fashion business, so while the
vendor might be new, it's actually being
headed by a very experienced fashion insider.
Tip#6
Test out the marketplace before
purchasing a large quantity of
wholesale goods. At the end of the
day you will only know for certain
if people want your products when
you try to sell them. If you
are unsure about the demand for
a certain style of brand then
buy a small quantity from your
wholesale supplier and try it out.
I would only recommend that
if you see a really good closeout
deal that you won't likely see again,
that you should consider taking a chance on
it if you feel that your customers will
love it.
I know that while
running my closeout warehouse
in Brooklyn I have had customers
purchase a small quantity of merchandise
and then return later on to purchase more.
But often I will have sold out the closeout merchandise
that they wanted and they will have missed out.
In those situations it would have clearly
been better for them to have purchased
a larger quantity, or maybe even the entire
closeout lot.
It all comes down to knowing your
customers. The more informed
you are about the preferences
of your customers the easier it
will be for you to take chances
on purchasing wholesale closeout
deals.
Tip#7
Look at the magazines and websites
that your customers look at. You can
then see articles and advertisements
covering the types of products
that they like. For example,
if you are catering to young male
professionals you might pick up a
copy of GQ
and see which products are being
featured in the magazine.
Tip#8
Visit the boutiques, department stores,
and websites, that are already
selling to your customers. You
should be able to quickly determine
which type of products
your customers are buying.
Please keep in mind that there
are various reasons why you might
not see the type of wholesale products
that you are considering purchasing.
Perhaps the retailers do not have access
to the same wholesale sources or
wholesale pricing that you do.
In other words, they might not
be selling certain wholesale items
simply because they do not
know where to buy them, or
cannot buy them at a low enough price.
If you do have access to merchandise
at a lower wholesale price than other sellers
do, you will instantly have a great competitive
edge over your customers.
That's essentially
why so many retailers from
all over the world shop by me,
because I give them access to
designer and brand name clothing
at below wholesale prices.