If you go to a typical shopping mall, you will note that the number of stores that stock men’s clothes are fewer than those of women. Men are known to cling to the same clothes longer than women. Does this mean that starting a men’s fashion line is not profitable?

That is not the case because they will definitely leave you smiling on your way to the bank when they decide to shop. Starting a men’s clothing line is not just a passing thought if you want it to be successful. It takes careful planning, marketing, and execution. The following are some of the simple steps to start a men’s clothing line:

Create a business plan

Having a business idea is not enough. You have to go a step further and put in writing before you can turn your dream into reality. It will act as a road map to show how you to reach your goals in the next few months and years. However, the business plan should be flexible enough to allow you to make changes when it is needed. You may have to add a few items or drop some in your business journey.

The constant changes in the fashion industry can be both a blessing and a curse. Keeping up with some of these changes may mean tweaking the original plan to suit the arising needs. Thus, you must have a strong foundation for your business plan to make it easy to navigate some of these changes.

Choose your niche

You may think that narrowing down to men’s fashion is enough? However, you will realize that there are hundreds of items that fall under this category. Thus, it might be hard for you to cover everything under the men’s category. You can narrow it down to something like men’s designer suits. You will also find that there are still tens of subcategories in this niche. Do your market survey and research what you need to make it in your selected niche.

You can combine a few men’s fashion products or decide to have a single item. A good example of a single product that can work well is men’s watches. On the other hand, most people look for complimentary products that give shoppers a one-stop shopping experience. For instance, you can stock men’s trousers and shirts as they go hand in hand.

Understand your market

All markets are not created the same. Some products may thrive in some markets and fail to do so in others. For instance, there are several countries when men wear ‘skirts’. Some of the most common ones include Scotland, where it is called a kilt. In Fiji, the culture is somehow new, and the attire is known as sulu. However, you may find it hard selling or marketing your men’s skirts in other countries that have preserved women’s attire.

Understanding your market also means learning their buying habits. Which season do your target customers make the most purchases? It would help if you also did competitor research to highlight some of the opportunities in this market. You can also bank on the available market data to understand your target market.

Market your brand

Having some of the best products in the market will not guarantee you customers. You need to know how to promote your brand and make it easily identifiable in the market. The marketing approach that you will take will determine your success levels. The first thing to get is a hanging tag that will show off your brand. A good hang tag should be precise but show all the important information. Exhibitions have proven to be very effective for fashion wear—research on the expos in your area and book your spot.

You can also create social media pages for your men’s cloth line and interact with potential customers. The beauty of social media is that it serves as a promotional and conversational tool. You can also get several influencers that you can partner with to take your brand out there. Getting custom tags can also help you market your brand irrespective of the route you choose, as Dutch Label Shop highlights.

 Invest in customer service

The way you treat your potential customers will determine if they will buy from you or switch to a competitor. It should not take ages for potential customers to receive feedback from you. Potential leads should get a welcoming email or message once they subscribe to your mailing list. Create sales funnels that take the leads through a process until they make a purchase decision.

The cost of acquiring a customer is always higher than retaining one. Work on making sure that the customers you get have a reason to keep coming back. Send a follow-up email or even request the past customers to review the products they purchase from you. Take advantage of the various digital communication channels such as emails and social media platforms to get in touch with your leads and past customers. Technology makes it easy to study the browsing patterns and thus send such customers customized offers.

Continue learning

We already highlighted that the business world is ever-changing. Some of the products that were fashionable five years ago may seem obsolete today. Your potential and existing customers can highlight the areas you need to change to ensure that you are on the right path. Sending that follow up message to a customer that left your sales funnel can help you learn about the areas you need to grow.

You can also have a session where you interact with customers to highlight the areas you need to improve on. You can hold a podcast or even go live on Facebook or YouTube to have an interactive session. Attend workshops as they will highlight some of the latest trends in the fashion industry. The market leaders are also an essential part if you want to be always in the know. Make every day a learning experience and ensure that your followers identify you as an authority in the men’s fashion world.