Hints and Tips on Dealing with Stockists
Guest Blog by Maria McGreevy of Unique Boutique.
Background Information
After graduating with a Fashion degree from Salford University I worked in two fantastic boutiques and assisted with overseas buying. Alongside that I began selling my own label to small boutiques in Barcelona - to my astonishment quite successfully. Now I have my own boutique, set up because I have known so many fantastic designers through my career and because I made it my business to seek them out and bring them to a boutique city centre retail environment.
I hope this article benefits some fellow designers into succeeding in a hard paced competitive fashion environment - it really is all about having the confidence to show what you are about and to show off your product. Everyone must start somewhere and sometimes I find fantastic designers at markets, other stores, websites and through friends of friends.
Friendly Confidence is Key
I am approached regularly by designers that want to sell their collections to Unique Boutique and so below I have put together a list of the basics to selling your product. Remember though, friendly confidence is key!
- Make sure you visit the shop where possible, otherwise your product might not even sit well in the shop you are contacting. Obtain a business card or telephone number when you do. It’s always good to call first, acquire the name of the buyer and request an email, informing that you have been in, like the store and would like to send some images to the buyer.
- Prices are essential - wholesale (your price) and the RRP (recommended retail price). Although a buyer will be entitled to put the final price on the garment, after all it’s only a recommended price by the designer, and they do not know what type of overheads the product has.
- A follow up email and call is always good to ensure your email has reached the right place and you will probably find out then if the designs are suitable for the shop.
- Once a meeting is in place, bring the samples preferably on hangers, (remember you are selling your garments now), steamed or pressed and labelled with prices at the ready. Don’t forget fabric swatches of the available colours and optional fabrics, delivery time, size and availability.
- Washing instructions are required by law, so that the consumer will know how to care for their purchase.
- Always include a delivery note with the goods, then you know what you have packed and the buyer knows what has been received. The buyer will often be billed for the postage costs (if wholesale).
- Payment terms are for you to decide as a designer. There is wholesale, although for this I would expect colour choices, perfect manufacturing, good options of sizes and good prices and a great deal of styles to choose from. You can offer the buyer 30 days payments terms upon delivery or you can offer the goods at Sale Or Return (SOR). Again the terms will be up to you, so if you wish to protect yourself, have a contract ready which states that the goods must be paid within ‘a set stated time’ of them being sold.
Remember to state if you are VAT registered as this will affect the price and push it up by 17.5%.Or perhaps you could offer a season at SOR (sale or return) as a method of the buyer trying before they buy. You are a new designer and if thereafter your garments are successful you will be in a strong position to suggest that you sell your goods wholesale. This has happened several times with me.
- If you have extra packaging, you may wish to offer this to the buyer as a push of branding. However buyers will probably have their own branded packaging and may or may not wish to use it. It may conflict with their shop, especially if you have a website attached, then a customer may get the information to operate directly with the supplier for a cheaper price.
The Meeting
Wholesale or Sale or Return?
Good Luck, be confident when approaching and try not to take any criticism as personal, it’s all valuable.
Maria McGreevy
Unique Boutique
Manchester
Unique Boutique
Ground Floor Triangle shopping centre,
Exchange Square,
Manchester,
M4 3TR
Tel: 0161 8396651
