How to Manage an Online Apparel Store Effectively

Setting up an online apparel store is easy once you’ve pinned down what clothing you’re going to retail and how. Then, all that’s left is for you to do is establish your brand and manage the day-to-day operations. You may be wondering how to do that, and we’ve got you covered.

Whether you are on Day 1 or have been operating for quite some time, the following guide will help you manage the effectiveness of your online apparel store.

Use Engaging Customer Management Tricks

Feature-rich programming and modules of software systems typically come to mind when navigating and managing the customer experience and sales of the virtual world of eCommerce. Nevertheless, don’t forget some of the basics really count and figure into some tremendous sales growth. Here are a few to keep in mind that require very little investment:

Social media branding: Customers today expect more from their go-to brands, and social media branding is now considered a vital marketing channel. For one thing, social media creates a more personal experience for customers. For another, most customers on social media channels, particularly when it comes to fashion enthusiasts, prefer to buy from a professional – an expert who knows their niche and takes care of them more than some other faceless retail chain would.

Embrace personalization: Personalization is a critical aspect of online retail business, and if you want to do well online, embrace it. In fact, it’s an excellent way to show your valued customers some appreciation. Personal touches like relevant offers and adverts based on previous browsing behavior, thank you emails, and notes included with deliveries speak volumes. You can also combine personalization with social media campaigns by giving shout-outs on popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Keep Your Customer’s Interest Alive: Fashion and swag can often be seasonal, and tastes are ever-changing. A good rule of thumb to keep your brand from getting stale is to always ensure you keep the customer’s interest piqued. An excellent way to do this is through customer loyalty programs, and they can give you some astounding ROI and keep your inventory rolling. The correct initiative can turn first-time customers into loyal, repeat buyers while also keeping your brand at the top of their mind.

Select the Best POS for Online Sales

Selecting the right Point of Sale (POS) app for your boutique will go a long way toward managing your online apparel store and positioning you for success. For instance, some POS apps are best for boutiques with online sales and large inventories, while others work well if you want one that builds trust and sales conversions through helpdesk and live chat functions. Also, choose an inventory management system that makes sales easier and is powerful enough to integrate all the functions you need across different platforms, including point of sales. That way, you don’t have to continually search in multiple areas for the required information to make a sale. The next section builds on this plan of action.

Invest in an Inventory Management System

Running an online retail store of any size can get hairy at times, which can lead to disarray – and though association – dissatisfied customers. Therefore, your bottom line will thank you if you invest in the right inventory management system to organize the inventory of your boutique. Keeping your inventory organized and operations seamless is critical, and here are a few suggestions to help with your inventory management.

Sell Off Sluggish Stock: One aspect that plagues online and brick & mortar retail outlets alike is slow-moving stock. To get things moving, offer discounts on items or combine them with your fast moving merchandise. Getting less for a slow-moving product is better than getting zilch, and fashion merchandise clearances such as these can help better your gross margin.

You know what can help easily identify slow-moving stock among a gazillion products and SKUs in your enterprise possible? A scalable and customizable apparel Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, that’s what. Let’s read on to find out more about it.

Choose an Apparel ERP Solution: As mentioned previously, one powerful solution for managing your online apparel store effectively is an apparel ERP system. Explicitly designed for apparel operations, they are competitive in the retail industry. They’ve grown in popularity because they organize, streamline and optimize internal business processes. The right apparel ERP package synchronizes items, inventory, customers, and orders across your online enterprise.

Replace Your Sundown ERP System: Getting a powerful ERP system doesn’t mean you have to break the bank, especially if you replace your current obsolete system with our N41 apparel ERP package. We want to incentivize you to transfer over N41 ERP by offering a big 50% buy-back mid-November.

Why Choose N41 ERP?

The reasons for choosing N41 for your online apparel store are many, and we feature a myriad of innovative features and services. However, if we had to go with the main reasons to choose N41, they are as follows:

• All-in-one system with versatility and scalability
• Easy order processing
• An unprecedented 99% customer retention rate
• Designed with decades of apparel industry expertise
• Modular design with a single source code
• Superior support
• Ease of installation and rapid implementation
• Time-saving features such as Email Line Sheet & Order Approval Request Form

Like what you see? If you do, please sign up for a demo that shows you all the features of N41 that will make your daily operations effortless. Alternatively, you can call us at (213) 738‐1010 to find out more.