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businessbaybee

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Hey everyone! Last night I FINALLY launched my online clothing store after working on it since early February 2017. I am super excited and relieved! It has been pretty challenging finding time to work on everything with my full time job.

Anyway, I do know that I have a great looking site and product, but I am just so nervous about the marketing aspect. I have no real idea on how to get sales, except maybe Facebook and instagram ads. So at the moment I have zero sales, but I haven't started Facebook ads yet.

I feel like this is the hardest part for me right now. Creating everything was really fun, but now I am scared that this won't go as well as I hope it will.

I think my next steps are building up all my social media, and just working on improving it everyday.

Wish me luck! Thanks for reading!
 
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ThirtyOne

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Hey everyone! Last night I FINALLY launched my online clothing store after working on it since early February 2017. I am super excited and relieved! It has been pretty challenging finding time to work on everything with my full time job.

Anyway, I do know that I have a great looking site and product, but I am just so nervous about the marketing aspect. I have no real idea on how to get sales, except maybe Facebook and instagram ads. So at the moment I have zero sales, but I haven't started Facebook ads yet.

I feel like this is the hardest part for me right now. Creating everything was really fun, but now I am scared that this won't go as well as I hope it will.

I think my next steps are building up all my social media, and just working on improving it everyday.

Wish me luck! Thanks for reading!
Congrats! What's your value add/usp?

Also, could you link the url?
 

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You have 100% just reached the hardest part. That first sale. Don't get disheartened.

Test, improve, repeat. You will get it.
 

businessbaybee

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Congrats! What's your value add/usp?


Also, could you link the url?

I design graphic tees, and other products that are colorful, funny, and geared towards young women. I see a lot of graphic tee companies, but I haven't seen one that was super feminine. Hopefully that is enough value for a sale.

Not sure if it's against the rules, but sure, it's www.pastelqueen.com don't be too hard on me :)
 
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ThirtyOne

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I design graphic tees, and other products that are colorful, funny, and geared towards young women. I see a lot of graphic tee companies, but I haven't seen one that was super feminine. Hopefully that is enough value for a sale.

Not sure if it's against the rules, but sure, it's www.pastelqueen.com don't be too hard on me :)

I landed on your page and immediately thought the brand was unique and visually appealling. Pastel Queen is a great name and I dig the logo. Very cool.

In fact, I think your greatest asset is your Trademark (brand); but it goes under used in your product. I'd tout "Pastel Queen" somewhere on all your merch.

In addition to what you have on your site, I'd offer some "Pastel Queen" only stuff. No fun phrases. Or if there is, let it take a backseat to the brand, instead of what you have now—brand taking backseat to phrase, or not even getting a ride at all.

Your iridescent stuff is the most unique, btw. You might consider using that frequently in your packaging/clothing/online stuff to try to own it via trade dress. This is similar to the way Netflix owns Red in the streaming space or how Coke owns that iconic glass bottle shape they have. They now have power to protect it. Full disclosure: I'm not a lawyer, so you'll have to verify specifics about trade dress with a qualified IP attorney.
 

businessbaybee

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I landed on your page and immediately thought the brand was unique and visually appealling. Pastel Queen is a great name and I dig the logo. Very cool.

In fact, I think your greatest asset is your Trademark (brand); but it goes under used in your product. I'd tout "Pastel Queen" somewhere on all your merch.

In addition to what you have on your site, I'd offer some "Pastel Queen" only stuff. No fun phrases. Or if there is, let it take a backseat to the brand, instead of what you have now—brand taking backseat to phrase, or not even getting a ride at all.

Your iridescent stuff is the most unique, btw. You might consider using that frequently in your packaging/clothing/online stuff to try to own it via trade dress. This is similar to the way Netflix owns Red in the streaming space or how Coke owns that iconic glass bottle shape they have. They now have power to protect it. Full disclosure: I'm not a lawyer, so you'll have to verify specifics about trade dress with a qualified IP attorney.

Thank you so much for your kind words, so glad you like it!

You have given me so much to think about that I have not yet considered. For instance, using my logo on a lot of the different products is a really cool idea. I wasn't sure if people would want it, since nobody knows who I am yet, but now that you say it, I will definitely create a collection on my site with all Pastel Queen branded stuff and see how that sells in addition to my funny slogan stuff.

It also didn't occur to me that my iridescent graphics were helping to create my brand, I think being known for that would be so cool. I will use a lot more of that, especially in my social media accounts. Thanks again for your assestment, super appreciated!
 
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Philip Marlowe

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Very nice website. I've definitely seen some questionable eCom sites and that one looks good - wouldn't feel concerned at all about buying a product/providing my information there.

Can I ask where you found the models for your pictures? I've heard Model Mayhem is good. I assume those are not generic photos from a supplier but rather a photo shoot you put together with your product?
 

businessbaybee

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Very nice website. I've definitely seen some questionable eCom sites and that one looks good - wouldn't feel concerned at all about buying a product/providing my information there.

Can I ask where you found the models for your pictures? I've heard Model Mayhem is good. I assume those are not generic photos from a supplier but rather a photo shoot you put together with your product?

Awesome, that's great news!

When you say models do you mean for the leggings, or the main photo? The main photo is a purchased commercial stock photo that I edited. And the other photos are mockups from my supplier that have my graphics on them. I don't have any models yet. But I definitely want to do that in the future when I have more money and time. Thanks for your input!
 
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businessbaybee

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Your branding is on point. As soon as I saw your horror themed merchandise I instantly thought of a girl I know that would be all over it. Perfect for Halloween being right around the corner.

Haha thanks so much! I love Halloween and horror everything, and now is definitely a good time for it. And be sure to let your friend know! :)
 

ThirtyOne

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Thank you so much for your kind words, so glad you like it!

You have given me so much to think about that I have not yet considered. For instance, using my logo on a lot of the different products is a really cool idea. I wasn't sure if people would want it, since nobody knows who I am yet, but now that you say it, I will definitely create a collection on my site with all Pastel Queen branded stuff and see how that sells in addition to my funny slogan stuff.

It also didn't occur to me that my iridescent graphics were helping to create my brand, I think being known for that would be so cool. I will use a lot more of that, especially in my social media accounts. Thanks again for your assestment, super appreciated!

I didn't originally go through the whole site, just the landing page tbh. Sorry for my premature assessment. I'm embarrassed.

After looking more deeply, I see your brand is going to be able to sell some popular trendy stuff, and then your own branded stuff...so maybe everything doesn't need your logo on it...just the Pastel Queen original stuff or whatever.

I'd be interested in a progress thread to see what sells more and how this goes! Good luck.
 

c_morris

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... using my logo on a lot of the different products is a really cool idea.

I think that would be a great step towards building the brand and separating yourself from the pack. I love the website and the gear, although I am a middle-aged man and not a teenage girl, so take it for what it's worth.
 

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Anyway, I do know that I have a great looking site and product, but I am just so nervous about the marketing aspect. I have no real idea on how to get sales, except maybe Facebook and instagram ads. So at the moment I have zero sales, but I haven't started Facebook ads yet.

I feel like this is the hardest part for me right now.

Sales is the hardest part period. Not just now, but always.

It's also the most important part.

Great Product + Poor Sales Strategy = Failure
Poor Product + Great Sales Strategy = Success

You have a Great Product. Now you have to figure out how to create a Great Sales Strategy. You're 5% of the way there. A lot of people think it's 50% product and 50% sales, but it's not. With a commoditized product like clothing, it's at least 95% sales. And I'm not saying this to discourage you, but to make you aware of how much work is ahead of you so that you don't get discouraged when you don't have instant success.

There are people on this forum that have successfully built clothing brands. @Vick comes to mind. He isn't clothing per se, but sunglasses. However, you can learn a lot from his progress thread (it might be on the inside). I'm sure there's other threads on here too.

At this point, you need to start testing different marketing/sales strategies and figure out which one you're best at and which one gets the most traction. Some strategies off the top of my head:
  • Influencer marketing
  • Social media organic growth
  • Trade shows
  • Creating a lookbook and going after wholesale
  • Facebook Ads
There's a ton more, but you just have to pick one and start.

You're in one of the most competitive spaces there is. No barrier to entry. Lots of glamour (hence lots of competition). And lots of money to be made (hence even more competition).

This doesn't mean it's a bad thing, just a lot harder than any other business.

You have an uphill battle. Luckily you have a great looking product so it'll be a bit easier. But still - an uphill battle. You need to prepare yourself, make a plan, and then put in the work to figure things out.

Best of luck.
 

OmarLopez

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Your page looks awesome!

I think your About Us page could have better copy, specially the title which I found repetitive.

It would help you build a brand to post a picture of you wearing your own merchandise in this part!

Also, you could give away some outfits from your most iconic (aka colorful) selections to your female friends and family in exchange of posting pictures of themselves modeling them on instagram and then linking them to your site.

Just keep learning from other stores that are getting sales. One I read before was this:

How to Start a Clothing Line & Turn it To a Multi-Million Dollar Company
 
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RogueInnovation

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Sales is like aircraft wings
You need low pressure and high pressure
Low pressure as in - outreach (knowing customer, meeting them, having a presence in environments where millenial women are *give a few instagram girls a discount and have them show the pastel queen logo on what you discounted*)
High pressure as in - the pitch (all those coming to you cuz they saw it wanna know why your brand is the one to get rather than just use your ideas and find a cheaper place to buy it... are you about choice, convenience, uniqueness, creativity?)

Try to get a bunch of millenial eyeballs on it
And maybe set up a few package deals or "feature" items to see if you can control and drive sales
Your price rance is flat footed, you have no way of knowing who you are cutting out of your sales segment, you need to have at least a little difference in some products in order to know which prices or packages sell best.
Also, maybe discount to some semi popular fashion bloggers; youtube, wordpress, etc
Promo codes could help you do this, and help you get bloggers to sell for you to their audience
 

businessbaybee

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I didn't originally go through the whole site, just the landing page tbh. Sorry for my premature assessment. I'm embarrassed.

After looking more deeply, I see your brand is going to be able to sell some popular trendy stuff, and then your own branded stuff...so maybe everything doesn't need your logo on it...just the Pastel Queen original stuff or whatever.

I'd be interested in a progress thread to see what sells more and how this goes! Good luck.

Great thank you!
 

businessbaybee

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Sales is the hardest part period. Not just now, but always.

It's also the most important part.

Great Product + Poor Sales Strategy = Failure
Poor Product + Great Sales Strategy = Success

You have a Great Product. Now you have to figure out how to create a Great Sales Strategy. You're 5% of the way there. A lot of people think it's 50% product and 50% sales, but it's not. With a commoditized product like clothing, it's at least 95% sales. And I'm not saying this to discourage you, but to make you aware of how much work is ahead of you so that you don't get discouraged when you don't have instant success.

There are people on this forum that have successfully built clothing brands. @Vick comes to mind. He isn't clothing per se, but sunglasses. However, you can learn a lot from his progress thread (it might be on the inside). I'm sure there's other threads on here too.

At this point, you need to start testing different marketing/sales strategies and figure out which one you're best at and which one gets the most traction. Some strategies off the top of my head:
  • Influencer marketing
  • Social media organic growth
  • Trade shows
  • Creating a lookbook and going after wholesale
  • Facebook Ads
There's a ton more, but you just have to pick one and start.

You're in one of the most competitive spaces there is. No barrier to entry. Lots of glamour (hence lots of competition). And lots of money to be made (hence even more competition).

This doesn't mean it's a bad thing, just a lot harder than any other business.

You have an uphill battle. Luckily you have a great looking product so it'll be a bit easier. But still - an uphill battle. You need to prepare yourself, make a plan, and then put in the work to figure things out.

Best of luck.

Thank you for all your tips, especially the wholesale lookbook idea is really great . You have given me a ton to think about. I am really determined to have a successful business.

I will continue to try literally every advertising avenue out there.

Also, I will take a look at Vick's progress thread. Thanks!!
 
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businessbaybee

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Sales is like aircraft wings
You need low pressure and high pressure
Low pressure as in - outreach (knowing customer, meeting them, having a presence in environments where millenial women are *give a few instagram girls a discount and have them show the pastel queen logo on what you discounted*)
High pressure as in - the pitch (all those coming to you cuz they saw it wanna know why your brand is the one to get rather than just use your ideas and find a cheaper place to buy it... are you about choice, convenience, uniqueness, creativity?)

Try to get a bunch of millenial eyeballs on it
And maybe set up a few package deals or "feature" items to see if you can control and drive sales
Your price rance is flat footed, you have no way of knowing who you are cutting out of your sales segment, you need to have at least a little difference in some products in order to know which prices or packages sell best.
Also, maybe discount to some semi popular fashion bloggers; youtube, wordpress, etc
Promo codes could help you do this, and help you get bloggers to sell for you to their audience

Ohhh the pitch idea is really cool. I need to come up with one, I'll probably do a lot of googling and reading about how to do that.

I actually just gave out my first discount to a girl on instagram, who saw my site and loved it so much she made a video blasting it to her followers. I didn't ask her to either, so she seems like she would be a great customer to have! Thanks again!
 

JAJT

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Your iridescent stuff is the most unique, btw.

I agree. It looks like the female version of oil-slick patterns you see all the time on knives and other "guy" products.

Super nice looking hero image when you first land on the site.

I'd personally like to see all products displayed on a model as either the primary or secondary "hover over" image though. Your leggings shots being a good example of that. Even better if you can get a "cute" action shot as well. Clearly a LOT of work to do this simple thing though - but I think it will pay back dividends in conversion.

Good job!!!
 

businessbaybee

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I agree. It looks like the female version of oil-slick patterns you see all the time on knives and other "guy" products.

Super nice looking hero image when you first land on the site.

I'd personally like to see all products displayed on a model as either the primary or secondary "hover over" image though. Your leggings shots being a good example of that. Even better if you can get a "cute" action shot as well. Clearly a LOT of work to do this simple thing though - but I think it will pay back dividends in conversion.

Good job!!!

Thanks! I would also LOVE to have models as well, definitely something for me to work on!

I'm hoping to get lots of people on instgram promoting my stuff, so that might be an easy way to get some more product shots.
 
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Laughingman21

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Thanks! I would also LOVE to have models as well, definitely something for me to work on!

I'm hoping to get lots of people on instgram promoting my stuff, so that might be an easy way to get some more product shots.

Could you get a wannabe model to model your stuff. They'd get to be the "face of Pastel Queen" and you get a model for your products. A win win stuation.

It'd be even better if you find someone with a large social media following so they can post the pictures when they're done.
 

JAJT

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Maybe I missed it but are these print on demand designs or do you own inventory?
 

businessbaybee

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Maybe I missed it but are these print on demand designs or do you own inventory?

Print on demand, honestly I was literally in awe that a service like this exists.

Currently I work full time as an apparel designer at a large sports company, so when I saw that I can do the same thing without inventory I jumped on it.

It's crazy to hear about how much of my designs sell for the company I work for, I was kind of like, ummm I'd rather have it for myself.
 
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You put it all together nicely. I think you might actually stand a chance which is something I can't say about a lot of the attempts that pop up on here. Don't get discouraged if you don't hit it big within the first few weeks. It takes time. That being said, it's time to start marketing. Good luck!

But consider:
- IMO your shop now button on the home screen seems a little out of place. It blends in with the background too much. Consider moving it to another spot. Maybe below her left wrist, above the text.

- Consider putting a count of your available quantity on your checkout page. It has been said to increase conversions. People act faster when they see "Only 2 remaining". Even if you have more than 2, you can make it up. There should be an add-on for it if you're using Shopify.

- Purchasing buying likes/other engagements on Fiverr for your social media accounts, at least until the engagements begin occurring organically.

Also consider adding one of the following:
Fomo - Social Proof Marketing – Ecommerce Plugins for Online Stores – Shopify App Store
Yo - Display Recent Sales in Real Time – Ecommerce Plugins for Online Stores – Shopify App Store
 
Last edited:

JAJT

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Currently I work full time as an apparel designer at a large sports company, so when I saw that I can do the same thing without inventory I jumped on it.

It's crazy to hear about how much of my designs sell for the company I work for, I was kind of like, ummm I'd rather have it for myself.

REP++

That's the Fastlane mentality in just 2 damn lines :)
 

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I actually just gave out my first discount to a girl on instagram, who saw my site and loved it so much she made a video blasting it to her followers. I didn't ask her to either, so she seems like she would be a great customer to have! Thanks again!
not just customer, she might be a great influencer to have. look at her followers and the market shes in. she could be a person worth building a relationship with on more than just a customer level.
 

samsig03

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Site looks damn good. Impressed! Yes sales are going to be an uphill climb and takes time (going through that right now). Keep at it consistently, also paid advertising helps, but do not get discouraged if you do not see the sales from it you wanted. Influencer marketing is another avenue i would go down as well.

Keep us updated. REP++
 

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