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Selected Niche Early, Need Help! Clothing with a Cause (pics)

Shreyas Nampalli

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Hi fastlaners,

About 6-7 months ago a friend and I decided to try our hand in clothing dropshipping as well as doing it for a good cause. Truthfully I want this to be for more than just the money because I do care about spreading awareness. I went into it thinking it would be a great idea since many people are becoming more aware of the state of our planet and would want to support with style.

Our clothing designs are all original designs by myself and are meant to inspire action, power and a sense of reverence to the natural world we live in.

Saints X Saviors

I have tried FB marketing but have not yet made a sale other than to a few friends.

I have received feedback from forums on reddit as well as everywhere else I asked for input saying the designs and site are awesome but I am still having trouble making a sale.

It would be greatly appreciated if you guys could lead me in the right direction. It is a bit discouraging but I won't give up on this

Here are a few examples of the clothing
eagle_250x250@2x.jpg Gorilla_250x250@2x.jpg Lion_250x250@2x.jpg TigerFront_250x250@2x.jpg
 
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Niptuck MD

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Very unique and intricate designs.
 
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jon.M

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I like your designs and the fact that you're donating money to protect big cats. If I were you I'd make that crystal clear for everyone as soon as they hit your homepage - that's what makes you different, right?

Compile everything about you into a really simple and easy to understand message. Show that to your visitors.

When I clicked your link, this is what I saw first:

FireShot Capture 2 - Saints X Saviors - https___www.saintsxsaviors.com_.png

To be honest, it doesn't spotlight the awesome parts of your brand that well. Make it super clear that you donate money to Panthera. Make it super clear how much your visitors would help by buying (so they can feel good about themselves). Make it super clear what's on the line.

In your product descriptions I wouldn't send people to the "Altruism" page to learn more. Mention it right in the description so you don't send people away from the place where they can buy your products.
 
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Shreyas Nampalli

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@Cavallie Thank You for your advice. I just read about adding the little blurb as soon as people hit the home page in "Don't Make me Think" by Steve Krug. great read btw. I will change those descriptions as well.
 

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I’m a female so my point may not be as valid since your current product line targets male.


My first thought is “why do I need or want to buy this”


As I looked more into the website, I think the design is really great and unique, but the design by itself doesn’t give me a reason to buy it, as there’re so many other beautifully design clothing in the market.

Your company also does this for a good cause since you donate a portion of your sales to preserve the lives of the big cats. As a consumer, my thought process is that I could easily donate directly to Panthera. The charity part really is the bonus, meaning I should be compelled to buy your product without the good cause. Upon knowing the good cause, I would feel even better about my purchase, but I would still make the purchase even if you don’t donate to the big cats.


At the end of the day, my questions for you are

  • Who’re your target audience and what do they value?

  • How is your clothing line different from others that also have beautiful design? In other words, what’s your UVP? I’ve seen many companies saying that they donate profits to charity, but they still don’t motivate me to purchase the products because I don't need or want the products. Like I mentioned before, people should be compelled to buy your products without the charity part.

  • Why should they buy your clothing? In other words, what’s in for them? (logical appeal? Emotional appeal?)

A logical appeal would be I need this shirt because it meets my [requirement]

Example:
I need a cheap tank top, your price point of $4.99 match my requirement, sold.


An emotional appeal is how does wearing your clothing brand elevate your target audience?
(based on your price point, I believe emotional appeal is what you’re targeting)


Example 1: Chanel.

People don’t buy Chanel only for the aesthetic aspect.
They buy it so that they feel like they ARE Coco Chanel.
People use the brand to elevate their status/image.


Example 2: GymShark. Gymshark | Be a visionary. | Gym, Fitness and Active Wear.
Go through their website thoroughly.
Now tell me how would you feel about yourself wearing a gymshark product.


How does your customer feel when they wear your product?
Does your brand make your customers feel good about their identities? (Imagine wearing Chanel or Gymshark clothes)
At this stage, I don’t have too much emotion about your brand

just my 2 cents
 

racyred09

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I’m a female so my point may not be as valid since your current product line targets male.


My first thought is “why do I need or want to buy this”


As I looked more into the website, I think the design is really great and unique, but the design by itself doesn’t give me a reason to buy it, as there’re so many other beautifully design clothing in the market.

Your company also does this for a good cause since you donate a portion of your sales to preserve the lives of the big cats. As a consumer, my thought process is that I could easily donate directly to Panthera. The charity part really is the bonus, meaning I should be compelled to buy your product without the good cause. Upon knowing the good cause, I would feel even better about my purchase, but I would still make the purchase even if you don’t donate to the big cats.


At the end of the day, my questions for you are

  • Who’re your target audience and what do they value?

  • How is your clothing line different from others that also have beautiful design? In other words, what’s your UVP? I’ve seen many companies saying that they donate profits to charity, but they still don’t motivate me to purchase the products because I don't need or want the products. Like I mentioned before, people should be compelled to buy your products without the charity part.

  • Why should they buy your clothing? In other words, what’s in for them? (logical appeal? Emotional appeal?)

A logical appeal would be I need this shirt because it meets my [requirement]

Example:
I need a cheap tank top, your price point of $4.99 match my requirement, sold.


An emotional appeal is how does wearing your clothing brand elevate your target audience?
(based on your price point, I believe emotional appeal is what you’re targeting)


Example 1: Chanel.

People don’t buy Chanel only for the aesthetic aspect.
They buy it so that they feel like they ARE Coco Chanel.
People use the brand to elevate their status/image.


Example 2: GymShark. Gymshark | Be a visionary. | Gym, Fitness and Active Wear.
Go through their website thoroughly.
Now tell me how would you feel about yourself wearing a gymshark product.


How does your customer feel when they wear your product?
Does your brand make your customers feel good about their identities? (Imagine wearing Chanel or Gymshark clothes)
At this stage, I don’t have too much emotion about your brand

just my 2 cents

I could not have said it better myself! I agree with everything she said about the emotional appeal of the line. Also, my initial thought when I go to the website was, "this is a website about tigers!". Also, something about the page called "Altruism" rubs me the wrong way. I think I would rather see it called "Mission".

The clothing designs are great! I like the large prints. I think if you branch out toward women, the large graphics on tank tops and t-shirts would work for them as well (as long as the cut is flattering).

My biggest takeaway from the website is that it doesn't strike me as a store first and foremost. I think that you could start with making the clothing or people wearing the clothing the very first thing you see, then maybe highlight the tab with the shop, and also try to find a way that your product makes people feel the way you want them to feel in your clothing (with the big cat theme, maybe powerful? And in that case maybe you could have someone doing exercise in the clothes? Just for example) and emphasize that on the front page.
 
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Xeon

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Racyred and Gwen made some really good points, so just to add mine.

When I enter the website, I'm actually quite confused by the brand and overall purpose of the site. The first thing I see is the logo with a tree in it, so I assume it's something to do with nature. Then I scroll and explore the rest of the site, and I see horses, gorillas, tigers, eagles and other animals.

So I thought maybe it's wildlife-related. Then I visit the About Us and Altruism pages and it talks about being champions of the natural world and preserving the natural balance, so I guess maybe it's a environment conservation movement that sells products to fund the preservation of wildlife and nature.

Then I read further and realize it's about Pantheras aka Big Cats.

So now the feel I get is that the website is like a fusion of all things wildlife and nature and saving the environment and big cats especially tigers :happy:

In other words, the plot behind the website is kind of ambiguous. If I were you, I would niche it down further and just target saving big cats, then offer a range of products with big cats on it, change the logo to give it a more primal (manly) feel, modify the website slightly to give it a more panthera feel lol, then target the products to men who love big cats and these are the more likely people to donate for this sort of cause. You can also find a few big cat lovers on Instagram (influencers) and send them your products, then use the photos on both your IG and website as well for social proof.

The designs are ok, I like the very loud reddish-orange one that covers 80% of the front of the t-shirt, but I don't like the ones that are framed by squares though (the gorilla one). The eagle one seems too close to the collar of the t-shirt.

I assume these are dropshipped from China? Would be good if you have actually tried out and worn the products yourself. I've bought many clothes from AliExpress (and many got their goods from Alibaba), and the cutting of these china t-shirts and apparel are always weird (t-shirt length way too short relative to the whole t-shirt, sleeves too tight for the size, their XL is like a S lol!).....

On the website itself, it doesn't have to be serious. You could get people wearing your apparel then posing in cat poses. Just throwing some ideas.

Also if you can afford it, you should consider getting the goods shipped to yourself and taking photography shots yourselves. The photos posted are probably given by the supplier and dropshipper, and they look dark and mouldy. One thing I've learnt is that for fashion and apparel products, the look is everything. Just like you enter a real retail store and you see the lighting is dark and dusty, and the clothes are scattered all over the place.

I like what you're doing and if executed properly, I can actually see this blooming into something.
 
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Shreyas Nampalli

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Racyred and Gwen made some really good points, so just to add mine.

When I enter the website, I'm actually quite confused by the brand and overall purpose of the site. The first thing I see is the logo with a tree in it, so I assume it's something to do with nature. Then I scroll and explore the rest of the site, and I see horses, gorillas, tigers, eagles and other animals.

So I thought maybe it's wildlife-related. Then I visit the About Us and Altruism pages and it talks about being champions of the natural world and preserving the natural balance, so I guess maybe it's a environment conservation movement that sells products to fund the preservation of wildlife and nature.

Then I read further and realize it's about Pantheras aka Big Cats.

So now the feel I get is that the website is like a fusion of all things wildlife and nature and saving the environment and big cats especially tigers :happy:

In other words, the plot behind the website is kind of ambiguous. If I were you, I would niche it down further and just target saving big cats, then offer a range of products with big cats on it, change the logo to give it a more primal (manly) feel, modify the website slightly to give it a more panthera feel lol, then target the products to men who love big cats and these are the more likely people to donate for this sort of cause. You can also find a few big cat lovers on Instagram (influencers) and send them your products, then use the photos on both your IG and website as well for social proof.

The designs are ok, I like the very loud reddish-orange one that covers 80% of the front of the t-shirt, but I don't like the ones that are framed by squares though (the gorilla one). The eagle one seems too close to the collar of the t-shirt.

I assume these are dropshipped from China? Would be good if you have actually tried out and worn the products yourself. I've bought many clothes from AliExpress (and many got their goods from Alibaba), and the cutting of these china t-shirts and apparel are always weird (t-shirt length way too short relative to the whole t-shirt, sleeves too tight for the size, their XL is like a S lol!).....

On the website itself, it doesn't have to be serious. You could get people wearing your apparel then posing in cat poses. Just throwing some ideas.

Also if you can afford it, you should consider getting the goods shipped to yourself and taking photography shots yourselves. The photos posted are probably given by the supplier and dropshipper, and they look dark and mouldy. One thing I've learnt is that for fashion and apparel products, the look is everything. Just like you enter a real retail store and you see the lighting is dark and dusty, and the clothes are scattered all over the place.

I like what you're doing and if executed properly, I can actually see this blooming into something.

Thanks a lot for the input I will definitely take your advice on making it less ambiguous and switching some of the elements around. I actually did purchase all the shirts and took the pics myself. I do have a decent camera but no studio so I tried my best with what I had on the pictures. The shirts are actually sourced from US, not all US made but printed in California and South Carolina Thank you for the motivation as well very much appreciated.

@racyred09 Thank You for the advice, I guess that's my 1st move since many have said the same, that it isnt clear exactly what the site is at 1st, not at the level for people to know just by clicking. I will have to move some things around.
@Gwenqou Thank you the shirt quality is pretty good, I have purchased and wear most of them , but nothing spectacular like athletic wear , so I will have to find ways to get people to feel good wearing the clothes even if the whole element of the charity is taken out.

All of these are giving me a lot of ideas! Thank you!
 

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A designer at the Macy's store in NY was tasked with creating the perfect shoes. She knew this was impossible, and with her reputation on the line, she couldn't take any risks. So out of that, more than a dozen pairs were put on display outside of rush hour.

Over time, customers walked up to each one, but some more than others. Some pairs were picked up for 1-2 minutes, while others for less than 5 seconds.

At the board meeting she firmly said, "these 3." While placing the shoes on the large company desk.

"That's it?" said the executives. "Our previous top hits are nothing like what you bring us."

After more corporate banter, they allowed a short test run, and they instantly took off. Breaking all previous records by orders of magnitude.

I forgot where I read that story, but are you running your campaign to your homepage or to individual items? What if you had a story behind each design in relation to the cause?
 
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Shreyas Nampalli

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A designer at the Macy's store in NY was tasked with creating the perfect shoes. She knew this was impossible, and with her reputation on the line, she couldn't take any risks. So out of that, more than a dozen pairs were put on display outside of rush hour.

Over time, customers walked up to each one, but some more than others. Some pairs were picked up for 1-2 minutes, while others for less than 5 seconds.

At the board meeting she firmly said, "these 3." While placing the shoes on the large company desk.

"That's it?" said the executives. "Our previous top hits are nothing like what you bring us."

After more corporate banter, they allowed a short test run, and they instantly took off. Breaking all previous records by orders of magnitude.

I forgot where I read that story, but are you running your campaign to your homepage or to individual items? What if you had a story behind each design in relation to the cause?

I am running off the home page, but if you click on each of the items, there is somewhat of a story/description that goes along with the store's theme. Thanks for the good example too
 

JasonR

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Your mission/USP is not clear at ALL.

Something like "Every t-shirt purchase helps rescue one Tiger/Panther/Dinosaur/whatever)" would be clearer and cleaner.

Where is your traffic coming from? How much traffic? What are your numbers (visitors, checkouts, etc.)?

Your photos are HORRIBLE. They are are poorly lit, poorly posed, and overly-saturated. Get pro photos done.
 

Shreyas Nampalli

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Your mission/USP is not clear at ALL.

Something like "Every t-shirt purchase helps rescue one Tiger/Panther/Dinosaur/whatever)" would be clearer and cleaner.

Where is your traffic coming from? How much traffic? What are your numbers (visitors, checkouts, etc.)?

Your photos are HORRIBLE. They are are poorly lit, poorly posed, and overly-saturated. Get pro photos done.
Traffic has been coming from fb ads but I am not hitting the correct target yet. Yes the photos need to be changed , I was working with what I had at the time, why are they poorly posed?

Have not made any sales except to friends/family. Thank you for the help.
 
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Shreyas Nampalli

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My first thought is “why do I need or want to buy this”

@Gwenqou
What would make you buy it? The shirt material is just cotton and comfortable fit so nothing athletic. What do you think is a good way of giving that answer to people?
 

AndrewNC

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I have tried FB marketing but have not yet made a sale other than to a few friends.
I'd say really narrow down what your targeting is.

As you may have read about me on the forum, I spend time with a lot of animal rights activist vegans. Whenever a vegan shirt appears on their facebook news feed (paid ad), they buy it because of the existing emotional desires that they already have.

The are super compassionate and would do anything that promotes a cause to save animals.

Building on what Jason said, if the advertisement says "Every shirt you buy saves the life of one tiger" (or whatever the real number and animal is - be honest), and you have pictures of the animals and the shirt....By selling the 'we are on a MISSION to save animals' and will not stop at anything to do it, we need to work together and we need your support.

The main thing here that I learned about this market is to take your focus 100% away from making sales, and really hammer down your burning desire to save animals, and channel those emotions into the ads.

Facebook ads is not my specialty, but by targeting specific animal rights organizations (not just vegans...but vegans who are Activists) taps into a crowd with a stronger emotional drive behind them.

I'd try that out.
 

Shreyas Nampalli

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I'd say really narrow down what your targeting is.

As you may have read about me on the forum, I spend time with a lot of animal rights activist vegans. Whenever a vegan shirt appears on their facebook news feed (paid ad), they buy it because of the existing emotional desires that they already have.

The are super compassionate and would do anything that promotes a cause to save animals.

Building on what Jason said, if the advertisement says "Every shirt you buy saves the life of one tiger" (or whatever the real number and animal is - be honest), and you have pictures of the animals and the shirt....By selling the 'we are on a MISSION to save animals' and will not stop at anything to do it, we need to work together and we need your support.

The main thing here that I learned about this market is to take your focus 100% away from making sales, and really hammer down your burning desire to save animals, and channel those emotions into the ads.

Facebook ads is not my specialty, but by targeting specific animal rights organizations (not just vegans...but vegans who are Activists) taps into a crowd with a stronger emotional drive behind them.

I'd try that out.
Really Appreciate the advice and I agree. I was going for something I thought would be cool because I'd wear it and I care about the cause but need to focus more on the cause and build my designs off specific animals as well. I think all this advice is really setting me in the right direction!
 
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Shreyas Nampalli

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When I searched "Best Graphic T Brands" on google I came across a site that listed this site
Broke And Stoked

What do you think of their images? They are obviously the same pic overlayed with a different design. Eventually I would like to take more professional pics but for a graphic t line would it be okay to focus more on the graphic and the mission of the company?
 

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@Shreyas Nampalli Congrats on making moves and making clothing for a cause! The website you linked Broke and Stoked one, thing is their designs are custom drawn from scratch, they don't use photos or photo collages like yours do, and all looks cohesive in their visual style, their logo is also custom lettering. Regarding product shots in this case t-shirts, I recommend you making a lookbook of friends wearing your tees, for example somewhere in woods or nature as that seems fitting imo, just a suggestion keep rocking!
 

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What would make you buy it? The shirt material is just cotton and comfortable fit so nothing athletic. What do you think is a good way of giving that answer to people?

I wouldn't market this as athletic clothing due to the material.

I'm in my early 20s. If I'm your target audience, read on..

I don't have a need nor want to spend $30 on a T-shirt, unless..
1) The brand or the design resonates with my core value, or
2) This is popular. Everyone is wearing this, or
3) I look damn good in it (apply to B&M store)

Switching from the Consumer mindset to the Producer mindset as well as leaning towards a minimalist lifestyle (focus on the important things in life), I don't really buy clothes unless I NEED it or the clothes match my identity.

Good News is: Maybe there're other factors that would motivate me to purchase a t-shirt that I'm not yet aware of. Sometimes consumers don't know what they want.

Currently, there're so many clothing brands out there, they are all the same thing to me.

Parting Words: Intense competition is the perfect opportunity to explore the blue ocean ( If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's from the book Blue Ocean Strategy)

Feel free to reach out if you have more questions
 
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I agree on the photos. They don't really make your clothes pop out well. Also, some type of flashy banner needs to be at the top. Like someone said, have it reflect your mission statement. My overall opinion of your website is that it looks kind of cheap and the clothes don't stand out as anything unique. Just being honest. Make your site more visually appealing.
 

Shreyas Nampalli

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@fracturize Thank You for the advice! Surely will have to make a lookbook, I have some photos ready.
@Gwenqou Thanks Again, will have to check out that book . The "core value" is most likely the best I have to work with since my clothes are not some special heat-tech or alpine cashmere.

@NewManRising Thank You, it does look a bit sparse. Working on that!
 

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Just curious, do you have a written contract with panthera?

A lot of states have tons of laws around cause marketing, and charities names may not be used without permission.

You also have to specificy exactly what portion of each sale is donated, etc...
 
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Shreyas Nampalli

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Just curious, do you have a written contract with panthera?

A lot of states have tons of laws around cause marketing, and charities names may not be used without permission.

You also have to specificy exactly what portion of each sale is donated, etc...
@ProblemOd I spoke to Panthera on the phone as well as through email communication and they said it is okay as long as I do not specify an exact amount or what portion but rather say that "a portion of every sale is donated" or that we support the Panthera organization.
 

Shreyas Nampalli

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I have updated the site, not fully but have made progress. Made everything more uniform and stated out mission right away at the top.
www.saintsxsaviors.com

Would love to gain more insight on how to make this better.
Thank you!
 

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