Would you like to start your own business, but don’t know which type of activity to give preference to, besides, there are so many obstacles and pitfalls on the way to starting your own business, how to overcome them? Let's look at the idea of creating a showroom, what do you think?
Today, one of the relatively simple and relevant activities can be your own showroom. What is this? If we interpret the English word literally - a room for display. But in a general sense, this is a small, cozy store where you can profitably attract people who are interested in what you will offer them.
How clothing showrooms work: diagram
The work of showrooms is possible according to several schemes:
- The focus is on your warehouse. Simply put, having studied the demand, you purchase products for your warehouse, making purchases from your suppliers, constantly maintaining the estimated quantity of goods that may be needed at any time. This type of scheme is one of the most common, since the buyer knows what he is looking for in stores, and you are ready to offer him the necessary product. The main condition for success is to study the demand at the very beginning.
- Among the advantages of this scheme: minimal delivery time, and, accordingly, faster commodity and capital turnover. In this way, you attract customers who do not like to wait a long time for the product they like, and you can act both as a retail store and provide pick-up services, if space allows.
Determining demand
The disadvantage is the need for large areas for warehouses and a fairly large start-up capital, the risk of fluctuations in demand and for seasonal goods. In addition, as a starting scheme, this scheme is quite risky until the demand has been studied.
- The second scheme is delivery by order. In this case, there is no need for warehouse space and there are no significant inventory balances. An application to the supplier is generated when an order is received. In this case, shipment of goods is possible either through the online store or directly to the customer.
- This scheme is good because you do not need substantial initial capital , warehouses, and cooperation with more than one supplier helps to expand the range.
Among the disadvantages is the risk that the supplier does not have goods already paid for by the buyer, as well as an increase in order fulfillment time. Thus, such a scheme is most convenient for a beginning online store.
- The third scheme combines the work of a warehouse with a certain amount of demanded goods and work on an order. This way, a customer can order an item that is already in stock, and then you simply pack and ship it. If the product is out of stock, you contact the suppliers. And the third option: ordering several products at once, some of which are in stock and others not. Then he either waits to receive the entire order (part of which you need to order and wait for receipt), or receives it in parts: first what is in stock, then what comes from the supplier.
Scheme
- This scheme does not require large areas for warehouses; you can quickly deliver popular goods to the customer, and there is the possibility of selling goods that remain in the warehouse.
The disadvantage of the scheme is that sometimes order fulfillment takes a long time, you are partially dependent on the supplier and you don’t always know what exactly they have in stock. However, it is the third scheme that is the most effective in terms of sales and starting a showroom.
What does a business plan for opening a showroom look like?
An approximate calculation of the costs that anyone who wants to open their own clothing showroom will face consists of several points:
- to legalize trade you will need 5 thousand rubles, of which the state duty will be 800 rubles;
- the starting purchase is approximately 100 thousand;
- renting a room for one month is about 40 thousand rubles (by the way, this is an important point that is often forgotten);
- repair work (if necessary) will amount to 100 thousand, this amount may be less, its size will depend on the condition of the rented area;
- purchasing furniture costs about 50 thousand rubles.
In the case where the purchase of goods will be carried out independently, the costs must include the cost of travel, as well as hotel accommodation - this is 50 thousand rubles.
Thus, to launch your studio, you need initial capital. This is about 400 thousand rubles.
If you plan to sell branded items, this amount will increase by 30%. If you have never drawn up a business plan yourself, the article can teach you how to do this: “How to write a business plan yourself: a sample of writing this document! 20 steps and the plan is ready!”
How to draw up a business plan for a clothing showroom with calculations?
- First you need to decide how exactly you are going to work: either as an online store, or as a regular store. In the second case, it is also important whether you will work in the premises of a large shopping center (in this case, advertising costs will be reduced), or as a separate structure (accordingly, you will need to declare yourself in order to attract customers).
Plan
- Now let's calculate approximate costs . Let's start with rent: for an area of up to 90 m² it will cost about 90 thousand rubles. It will be necessary to hang a sign , which will cost about 40 thousand rubles. , equip display cases and shelving (another 45 thousand rubles). Several mirrors and hangers will cost 75 thousand rubles. You can’t do without a computer (30 thousand rubles) and a cash register (up to 9 thousand rubles).
- The security system will cost 40 thousand rubles, the purchase of shelves will cost 15 thousand rubles. , sofas - 35 thousand rubles. , several mannequins – that’s another 60 thousand rubles. Let's also add lighting fixtures and move on to employee salaries - this is up to 110 thousand rubles.
- Now you can estimate an approximate financial plan for the enterprise. With an income of more than a million rubles per month, subtracting the initial costs, we get about 300 thousand rubles. The tax under the simplified taxation system will be over 44 thousand rubles. In total, we have a net profit of over 250 thousand rubles. With this option, the store will pay for itself within 8 months.
Statistics
Rules
If you plan to open an online store or showroom at home yourself, you save on rent and salary.
Design features
A clothing showroom does not belong to the category of stores. If you plan to engage in retail trade, it will be enough to open an individual entrepreneur. If you plan to supply wholesale products, then it is better to choose LLC.
Next, you need to submit an application for registration of the enterprise to the tax service department by territoriality and indicate OKVED codes (depending on the selected assortment).
In addition, you also need to decide on the taxation system. In the simplest version, it is a single tax of 6% of revenue or 15% of profit. After registering an entrepreneur, the territorial department of the tax service must issue a trade permit.
How much money do you need to open your own clothing showroom?
- The answer to this question depends on what room you have chosen. As practice shows, less than 100 thousand rubles. you're unlikely to make it, even if it's your own apartment and you don't have to pay rent.
- After all, in any case, you will have to purchase equipment, goods, register business activities, etc.
- In addition, one should not forget about showroom advertising, without which it is unlikely to achieve success.
What is necessary
Record keeping
The entrepreneur will have to purchase a cash register. Its cost starts from 10,000 rubles. When purchasing a device, a service agreement must be concluded.
The cash register needs registration . To complete the procedure, the entrepreneur will need to provide documents :
- Statement;
- Technical passport of the cash register;
- Cash register service agreement;
- Applicant's passport;
- TIN;
- Documents confirming the purchase of a cash register;
- Lease agreement or documents confirming that the premises in which the cash register will be located are owned by the applicant;
- Cashier's journal;
- A copy of the financial statements for the latest period.
When opening a showroom, an entrepreneur often refuses to register any form of ownership, arguing that no one will know about the activities of a small home store.
Neglect of the law is fraught with high fines . It's better not to put yourself at unnecessary risk.
Where do showrooms purchase and order clothes from?
- Like any purchase, clothing is supplied in wholesale and retail quantities. For a small business, such as a showroom, small deliveries are preferable, since this gives the opportunity to choose exactly what is needed and in the right quantity.
There are also stock products - these are not second-hand, as we are used to thinking, these are completely new things that were not sold out at the time. You can purchase them from dealers working with well-known brands, in large chain stores or directly from clothing factories.
- In addition, purchases from online stores are possible, and as income increases, you can enter into an agreement with an atelier (by the way, many ateliers have their own showrooms).
Showroom concepts
For a novice businessman, a show room is a great option to try your hand. The niche has been poorly developed, and competition is still insignificant. The show room format can be used in several options:
- Home show room. Set up right in the apartment. Products that were purchased in online stores or abroad are displayed. There is a small markup on each item, but this is a small price to pay for the opportunity to try on or feel, and not buy “blindly” on the Internet.
- Show room at the studio. Where they sew, there they demonstrate. For the exhibition hall, a room is allocated in which samples of clothing manufactured here are presented. The show room at the atelier has a nice bonus: here you can personally communicate with a seamstress who will take into account the individual preferences of the buyer.
- Show room with factory-made items. An exhibition hall will be organized at the factory. Such show rooms are designed for wholesale buyers.
- Show room of designer clothes. As a rule, several designers unite in order to “promote” clothes to the masses and finally find long-awaited recognition.
Choose one of the concepts and start creating your own business.
How to name a clothing showroom: ideas
- The main requirements for a showroom name are memorability and positivity. A person should only have good associations with the name of your showroom, then he will subconsciously strive to enter it.
Experts say that a name that contains letters extending beyond the line is best visually perceived: for example, “d” or “v.” But a few letters “and” give the impression of a certain insignificance.
- When choosing a name, they often use abbreviations or a combination of the first syllables of the owners' surnames or first and last names. The addition at the end of the word “off” is very popular. Other techniques used include geographical indications, puns, and even the creation of neologisms (the main thing is that they are easy to remember).
Options
Methodology
Continuation
- What you shouldn’t do is call the showroom after people dear to you, give abstruse names whose meaning is incomprehensible to most ordinary people, imitate the names of a well-known brand, or resort to “hackneyed” foreign phrases and words.
- In addition, when naming your store, take into account the age category of your customers and their social status.
Undesirable
Women's clothing
There are many young talents in our country whose heads are filled with creative ideas.
Many of them create their own showrooms for women's clothing in Moscow. For example, you can highlight XARIZMAS. This is a Russian brand that is distinguished by the high quality of its clothing. It’s hard to find something fancy here, but it won’t be difficult to find classic office-style clothing. This attracts numerous clients. Candy-store is another showroom where metropolitan fashionistas can buy new clothes. Items sold here are not only domestically made, but also those made abroad. For example, dresses from Korean and Greek designers.
There are also very unusual showrooms for women's clothing in Moscow. For example, BLESS MY DRESS. Here a girl has the opportunity to completely transform herself, and not just buy a new blouse and shoes. Each client will be offered the services of a stylist, makeup artist and hairdresser to ensure her look is completely updated.
What equipment is needed for a clothing showroom?
Since we are actually talking about a store, we will need:
- A cash register and a box for storing money.
- Computer technology.
- A terminal for working with plastic cards, which customers increasingly use to pay.
- Fitting booths.
- Several mannequins.
- Racks and hangers for placing clothes.
- Mirrors.
Mannequins are required.
Seating areas (sofa, armchair) are also desirable. Well, and all sorts of office supplies, of course: pens, paper, etc. In addition, you will need the Internet to work.
How to open a home clothing showroom in an apartment?
- There is a certain perception of a showroom as an opportunity to do business without paying taxes. But this is a rather risky business, and sooner or later you will still come to the attention of the tax authorities. Therefore, as in any business, it’s worth starting with registering your business. This will not take much time, but will give you certain guarantees when working with suppliers (usually from illegal businesses they have higher income due to higher prices).
- Not to mention your own nerves, which you will in any case waste, fearing possible checks.
All initial expenses, as calculations show, can be contained in 100 thousand rubles, while achieving an average monthly profit of about 70 thousand rubles.
- When choosing product suppliers, you can start with outlets , where branded products are sold at discounts, and you can buy them in any quantity you need. You can also work with clothing factories, both buying ready-made clothes and ordering original collections.
- And, of course, wholesale warehouses, if the size of your capital allows you to purchase a fairly large batch.
Selection of premises and equipment
Having decided on a supplier, the entrepreneur must think about choosing a suitable premises. It should be a bright, spacious room, made in the same style.
The size of the room depends on the turnover of the room. An area of 100-150 square meters is considered optimal. m. The showroom can be located in a studio apartment, in a separate building or be opened on the basis of a shopping center.
Having decided on the premises, it is necessary to carry out repairs on it. A memorable design is especially important if the specialization is narrow, for example, when opening a showroom for wedding dresses or children's clothing. Recommendations for design can be found on thematic forums.
The showroom should make a positive impression on customers:
- The atmosphere plays a special role.
- The establishment must be kept clean.
- The room should smell nice.
- While working, you need to turn on calm music.
- Mannequins should be placed in the room demonstrating the best examples of clothing.
Read how to calculate the amount of investment in a business plan for a fishing store. In the next article we will tell you where you can get statistics codes for individual entrepreneurs.
Follow the link to find an overview of the most promising business ideas for providing services to the public.
A separate room should be allocated for storing clothes . If it is not there, then you should purchase a sufficient number of shelves and hangers. They should be placed along the walls.
If you plan to demonstrate clothes to potential buyers, you will need to purchase a number of comfortable chairs.
How to create the right atmosphere to increase the efficiency of the showroom, watch the video:
If you plan to sell goods at retail, then you should think about the presence of fitting rooms and mirrors. It is necessary to organize at least 2 places where clients can try on the clothes they like.
How to open a clothing showroom on Instagram?
- Opening a showroom on Instagram is much simpler than creating an online store. Moreover, the popularity of this business is now highest on Instagram. Start by studying the market: find potential competitors, see what their popularity is and take note of their most successful moves.
- Next, start offering the product. If you have the clothes you sell in stock, take your own photos and videos. If the clothes are from suppliers, you will have to take photos from there. To make them look original, work on them. And after the first sales, agree with buyers that they will send you photos of the purchased new clothes.
Ask for a photo review
- And now about what not to do. Don’t post too many posts: 1-2 per day is enough. Don’t get carried away with hashtags: they should be strictly thematic (and try to add them in the comments so that they don’t hurt your eyes).
- Do not overuse product photos: at first you should not post more than one photo per day. You can replenish the page by publishing personal posts, inviting your readers and subscribers to dialogue, and giving them various useful information.
It’s a colossal mistake to increase likes or the number of subscribers; you won’t add buyers, but you will look ridiculous, receiving a dozen or two real likes per post when the number of subscribers you’ve gained is several thousand. In addition, bots reduce the ability of real buyers to see your posts.
What is needed for a showroom?
To open a showroom store, you only need three key points: extensive connections, start-up capital, excellent premises with a good location.
Well, let’s say everything is simpler with the premises - you can set up a showroom right in your home. To begin with, just to begin with, as soon as the money appears, you can think about renting a showroom .
As for the starting capital to fill the exhibition store, you can take one of several roads: bring things from abroad yourself, participate in various shopping tours, or you can negotiate with a couple of business travelers who will bring you desired product.
There is another option - to negotiate directly with manufacturers about the supply of things and any other goods that you plan to sell.
After all, showrooms today offer not only clothes or shoes, they offer furniture, accessories, decorative elements, finishing materials, jewelry; there is also a children's showroom , where you can find everything: from diapers to construction sets.
To open any business you always need connections. Connections are everything to us. The more girlfriends, acquaintances, relatives, subscribers on social networks, the better.
Even better are connections in party circles, with the elite and bohemians. For these people, not buying something new and exclusive once a day means wasting their day.
Recently, online showrooms - this is a separate point. The main thing here is to figure out a few things for yourself: - identifying a profitable niche.
You need to figure out your buyer, determine your competitors, their number, find out what will really sell. Selling everything in a row will not work - this is a losing option at the start; - the minimum amount to start a business.
Think about how many people will help you. At first, one person will be enough, but with the development of the online store showroom , assistants will be needed, so include this in the start-up capital.
In addition, you need to understand the volume of goods sold, its quality, cost and possible markup; - Understand the legal aspects.
Find out what documents are needed to register a small entrepreneur; - take care of advertising. For an online showroom this is more than important. Just as important as the starting amount.
Clothing showroom design
- Let's start from the threshold in the literal sense of the word, because this is where the client first gets acquainted with your store and gives it an assessment. Therefore, it is better not to place the product immediately at the entrance, but to make sure that the buyer can see the entire store. Let him take a few steps before he starts getting acquainted with the stands, this will give him time to adapt to your store. And with contrasting light, texture, and material, you will help the client separate from the outside world and enter yours.
- Without realizing this, a person, upon entering, for some reason immediately goes to the right. Therefore, it is on the right that you place everything you want to attract special attention to: new arrivals, promotional items, etc.
- To prevent the buyer from passing by anything, hang signs on his way, place displays with seasonal clothing - in short, anything that will force him to slow down his walking pace and carefully consider everything you want to show him.
- Make aisles wide enough so that customers do not touch each other and do not feel crowded. Put up an information display where you can also advertise your products. If funds allow, take advantage of the interactive 3D showroom , where the client can virtually select models, colors, etc.
- Think over the lighting of the showroom and create the light that matches the purpose and style of the store.
Just
Gently
Stylish
Showroom
Restrained
Strictly
Franchise work
An entrepreneur can organize a franchise business.
In this case, the company chosen for cooperation will assist the businessman with opening a showroom and will supply goods at a significant discount. However, the business owner will have to give part of the profit to the company with which he cooperates.
Opening a franchise business will allow you to save significantly at the stage of organizing a business. However, in the future, the businessman will have to give the company a significant part of his earnings, which can be very unprofitable.
How to promote a clothing showroom?
- How to promote a clothing showroom? First of all, think about your “trick”, the difference from others, so as not to get lost in the crowd of competitors. Study the market of suppliers and offer cooperation to those who are able to offer the most favorable conditions for you and the possibility of variations when ordering (for example, order not all sizes, but a few selected ones, or supply a model in a certain color, etc.).
- Be sure to develop not only a pricing policy, but also a return and guarantee mechanism - this will play into your good reputation. Run promotions, introduce a system of discounts, stimulating buyers.
Create a page for your store on social networks - this is a very effective advertisement.
Baby clothes
Unlike exhibition venues for adults, special rooms are rarely opened for little fashionistas.
It is often easier to dress children in a regular store. After all, it is unknown how the child will behave at a party, whether he will be capricious, or maybe, on the contrary, he will be shy. But there are still children's showrooms. A clothing store of this type specializes in wholesale sales. Famous stores purchase goods here, as well as stores that specialize in selling exclusive items. You can find a showroom for school-age children, but children, as a rule, do not like spending time in such a place. They do not enjoy beautiful things, much less appreciate the exclusivity of their outfit. Therefore, children's clothing showrooms are popular only with wholesalers and mothers who have too much free time.
Advertising for a clothing showroom
- In addition to those first steps of promotion, which are outlined in the previous section and are also advertising, it is necessary to constantly attract buyers. And the main incentive is always an affordable price, which allows you to purchase the thing you like. Communicate your prices in every possible way.
- The most cost-effective and yet effective method is the Internet. Having created your own page, you can not limit yourself to this, but also place your advertisements on sites relevant to the topic. Your potential clients are probably interested in such sites, so advertising will be clearly aimed at the target audience.
- Word-of-mouth advertising is very effective Having interested even a few people in your products, you can count on them telling their acquaintances and friends about your showroom, arousing their interest. And, of course, advertising in the media never hurts, the monthly costs of which can fluctuate in the range of 10-30 thousand rubles.
How to open a clothing showroom from China?
- The first question in this case: organizing the delivery of clothes. Oddly enough, it is cheaper to take things from a factory in China than to buy them in Russia. How to achieve this?
- You should start, as in other cases, with the registration of individual entrepreneurship and the steps discussed above. The “Chinese” component begins with determining the places of purchase. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the location of factories and study their range.
- When negotiating, you should remember that you cannot ask for a price list, since the Chinese are afraid of industrial espionage and will never indicate real prices, so as not to inform possible competitors.
- Indicate the desired purchase volumes and the models that suit you for your showroom. Do not make a decision right away, the Chinese themselves will call you back and ask about your plans. This is the right moment to dictate terms. Remember that Chinese manufacturers are interested in large quantities of sales, so you need significant capital for purchases.
What are the volumes of purchases?
- Having concluded a contract, take care of an intermediary who will deliver it across the border. These could be cargo companies or directly Chinese ones. The latter are somewhat more expensive, but preferable in terms of reliability and guarantees.
How to open a clothing showroom without investment?
Of course, the concept of “no investment” is relative. We are talking about minimal costs, and this can be achieved by opening an online store. As the practice of successful projects shows, the initial investment amount may be limited to 10-15 thousand rubles.
- Don’t aim for a large volume right away, start with a modest platform of one page . It’s better to register your business officially in order to operate legally – it’s quite simple.
Decide on the product you will offer, purchasing schemes (they are described above), draw up a business plan and start advertising your store.
- By the way, without initial funds, think about organizing a franchise by concluding an agreement that provides for the deduction of certain amounts from the sale to the supplier.
- Query search engines will help you navigate the assortment they show the exact number of requests per month for a particular product. Everything is clear here - the more there are, the more in demand the product is. Create a website for your online showroom, presenting the product in all categories, with photos and videos, delivery costs and contact numbers.
Start small
- And don’t forget that you need to improve by allocating part of your income to this. Then a business created with virtually no investment will bring you success.
Costs and profits (profitability)
Let's summarize the first costs. Organizational project (in rubles):
Individual entrepreneur registration | 800 rubles |
Interior items, furniture | 120,000 rubles |
Equipment | 200,000 rubles |
Software | 35,000 rubles |
35,000 rubles | |
Creation of a personal show room website | 35,000 rubles |
Purchase of goods | 500,000 rubles |
The amount of initial costs is equal to: 890,800 rubles.
The financial project will be based on personal employment in all aspects of activities at home:
20,000 rubles | |
Product cost | 300,000 rubles |
Other expenses | 30,000 rubles |
These totals can be reduced by saving wisely. It all depends on the size of your organization.
Every month you will spend 350,000. Of these funds: products - 300,000, advertising - 20,000, other needs - 30,000.
Profit before tax: 600000-350000=250000.
Tax calculation (according to the simplified tax system, 15 percent of the difference between income and expenses): 37,500 thousand.
Net profit: 250000-35700=212500 thousand.
Profitability: 212500/890800*100%=23.85%.
Payback period: 890800/212500=4.2. This means that the store can pay for itself in 4-5 months.
Anticipate possible risks, don’t waste money, invest in business.
Calculate your showroom business plan based on your total indicators. You can start a business by investing 500,000 rubles.
Showroom where to start: tips
- Tip one: evaluate the prospects. It is clear that from the very first day you will not become a popular showroom - it takes time to become known and appreciated. Therefore, think about ways to potentially develop and promote your business and realistically assess your capabilities in this.
- Tip two: focus on a specific buyer and his solvency, consider whether there are enough such clients to work for a long time.
- Tip three: calculate all planned initial costs and study the market to understand how they can be minimized.
- Tip four: think over the options for supplying goods, decide which one is most profitable for you, taking into account all possible risks.
- Tip five: you must be well versed in fashion trends; without this, you are unlikely to be able to create a successful showroom.
If you have not yet decided on the type of activity, we advise you to also consider the following topics:
- How to open a pig farm from scratch?
- How to open a pet store?
- How to open your own business?
- Breeding purebred dogs as a business
- How to make money growing flowers?
- Business in a garage without investment
- Breeding broiler chickens
How to open your showroom from scratch: algorithm of actions
When deciding how to open a clothing showroom, an entrepreneur must first choose its concept. This could be an atelier, studio or home boutique. In any case, the work is based on the principle: maximum attention to the client. The salon owner must create the most comfortable conditions possible, offering a choice of exclusive models that cannot be found in regular stores.
The organization of the showroom should be carried out taking into account the wishes and preferences of regular customers. Depending on this, the model you like can be purchased immediately or received by pre-order.
The algorithm of actions when opening a showroom consists of the following stages:
- selection of premises;
- interior design;
- purchase of commercial equipment;
- developing an idea for the name of the showroom;
- selection of suppliers and employees;
- creating an advertising strategy.
Payback and profitability of a clothing showroom
In order for the profitability of the showroom to be high, you need to study the market well and attract generous customers. You can evaluate the efficiency of a store using indicators such as the number of customers over a certain period of time, the size of the average check, the cost of a unit of clothing, and turnover per square meter of area. By changing the indicators, you can adjust the pricing policy and assortment.
Statistics show that a showroom can bring in from 200 to 800 thousand rubles monthly. Of course, most of this money will have to be spent on buying new clothing collections, but personal income will also be quite high. Thanks to this income, the business pays for itself in about 8-10 months of work. The most profitable showroom will be in cities with a population of over 700 thousand people.
Drawing up a business plan for opening a showroom
A well-drafted business plan for a clothing showroom with calculations will provide a solid foundation at the start and protect you from unpleasant mistakes. First of all, you need to decide on the assortment, conduct a thorough analysis of potential competitors, and find suppliers.
A standard business plan for opening a clothing showroom looks like this:
- resume of the establishment;
- marketing project;
- production, organizational and financial plans;
- analysis of possible risks.
In the first paragraph, it is necessary to briefly outline the essence of the future project, indicating the amount of investment. The second describes the establishment’s field of activity, conditions for selling products, advertising strategy, etc. The production plan must indicate the location of the showroom, the cost of purchasing equipment, materials, staff salaries and other expenses. The organizational part describes the competitive environment, the category of future buyers, and the scheme for attracting them. The financial section contains information about the budget, taxes, preliminary calculations of profit and payback.
Selection of premises and equipment for the showroom
For a showroom, a room with an area of 50-150 square meters is usually chosen. meters. It must have electric lighting, heating, water supply and air conditioning systems. The best option is to rent premises in a shopping center. This is due, first of all, to high traffic, which can contribute to random purchases, and then to the development of a permanent customer base.
When choosing a showroom location, you should consider:
- traffic, the nature of movement of potential customers;
- income level, age and categories of people living in the selected area;
- availability of similar retail outlets;
- prospects for the development of the area, the possibility of large residential development.
After choosing a room, you can proceed to its arrangement. You will need beautiful and comfortable furniture (sofas, armchairs, coffee tables), display cases, hangers, fitting rooms with mirrors. Trade equipment for a clothing showroom can be purchased or ordered according to your own design.
List of required equipment:
Equipment | Cost, rub. |
Reception desk | 40 000 |
Rack for things | 3 000 |
Dressing room | 6 000 |
Mirror | 3 000 |
Shelves | 6 000 |
Hangers | 50 |
Mannequins | 5 000 |
Sofa | 10 000 |
Coffee table | 3 000 |
Cash machine | 10 000 |
Safe | 10 000 |
Steamer | 5 000 |
How to design a showroom: choosing a design
The design of the showroom should be stylish and original. You can create an exclusive interior using a variety of lighting, mirrors, draperies, paintings, beautiful flowers in original vases. Walls, floors, curtains and other accessories should match well in color. It should be taken into account that we are setting up a showroom for people who are not poor and have excellent taste. If they don’t like the design, they are unlikely to become regular customers.
A good impression of the studio is created by: calm music, a pleasant smell, cleanliness and order in the room.
What, how and where to sell: choosing a direction
It is important to provide potential buyers with a wide range of truly designer and fashionable items. Such dresses and blouses can make a business successful. The buyer should be able to look, touch and try on any item from the store’s assortment. Therefore, the option of trading with advance payment is not optimal.
Where to buy products and how to find suppliers
Before opening a showroom, find out how to find a supplier of the required product. To order items for the showroom, you must first decide what kind of clothing will be of interest to customers.
When choosing a supplier you should pay attention to:
- delivery conditions (which courier services the supplier cooperates with for the showroom or whether pick-up is offered);
- cost of small and large wholesale;
- Are discounts available for certain models for regular customers?
- Is it possible to return an unsold item?
- Is it possible to take things that are not of the entire size range;
- the ability to use advertising photographs of the manufacturer;
- Payment Methods;
- Availability of quality certificates for purchased items.
Some entrepreneurs prefer to independently purchase goods for the showroom. Those who are well versed in business and brands head to the “world fashion capitals” to order the latest collections. True, such a purchase of clothes is not always possible, since well-known brands do not want to take risks.
Most owners take items for showrooms from the following places:
- Wholesale online stores. Here showrooms order clothes made in China, Thailand, and India.
- Outlets. Typically, last year's collections are offered with large discounts (up to 70%).
- Factories. Here they order clothes for sale in showrooms at cost, which is much cheaper than in outlets and is a more profitable option for businessmen.
- Atelier of little-known designers. You can buy very original and high-quality items from them, which are several times cheaper than similar models created by venerable fashion designers.
Variety of assortment
To ensure that customers do not lose interest in the showroom, the range of products must be updated regularly. When purchasing things, you should focus on fashion trends, since no one wants to wear outdated models. If a store owner does not have a good understanding of what is fashionable, and it is difficult for him to select the assortment on his own, he can find a partner who has studied the nuances of selling clothes. Often the designer himself is invited to this role, especially if he is not yet very famous.
How to display goods correctly
The simplest and most inconspicuous wardrobe items can attract the client’s attention if they are clean, ironed and hanging on hangers in a visible place. The buyer must have good access to any product in order to examine it in detail. Proper display improves sales efficiency and attracts more buyers.
There are certain tricks for arranging goods that make customers want to make a purchase:
- Effective presentation. Shelves, display cases, and mannequins are used. The client must understand how the clothes will look on him, and the three-dimensional representation is very beneficial.
- Displaying a minimum amount of clothing. 2-3 types are enough, if more, the buyer’s attention is scattered.
- A combination of things based on contrasts. This may be the color scheme or models alternate with unpopular products to attract attention.
- Creation of image images. Using mannequins or photos, you can demonstrate a combination of wardrobe elements, complementing them with stylish accessories.
- Discounts. Information about promotions should be placed in a visible place, for example, at the entrance.
Recruitment of personnel for the showroom
The owner of the showroom can work alone, but if there are many clients, then he will have to hire several workers. As a rule, these are 1-2 sellers and an administrator, whose responsibilities include resolving possible controversial issues with buyers, as well as general control over the work of the showroom. Sometimes you also need the help of an accountant.
The sales consultant must know everything about the brands of clothing presented in the showroom, and understand fashion trends, styles, know the rules for combining fabrics and colors, and be able to quickly create an effective image for the client, taking into account the characteristics of his figure.
When choosing personnel, you need to pay attention to such qualities as:
- presentable appearance;
- ability to find a common language with visitors;
- work for efficiency.
How to open your own clothing showroom on Instagram
Opening a clothing showroom on Instagram is quite simple. To do this, you need to link your profile to Facebook, and then come up with an account name, upload a description and photos of the product.
To switch to a business profile, open Instagram, go to settings and click “Switch to business account.” Then, through Facebook, you need to log in to the application and from there synchronize the page with your Instagram account. You should also enter contact information to quickly connect the audience with the store owner.
You can promote your business account on Instagram using paid advertising. At the moment, the cost of the service is relatively low: for just five conventional units you can attract 5 thousand people.
Is it worth it and is it profitable to open a clothing showroom: reviews
- Alina, Moscow: I live in a big city, but I also had to work for residents of small towns. I noticed differences in the popularity of the product: completely different models are in demand. Therefore, I came to a conclusion for myself: first of all, you need to study the buyer you are going to target, his tastes. Then you can open a showroom and it will be quite profitable.
- Irina, Tver: I would advise beginning businessmen to choose a good place for their showroom, where there are a lot of people. You also need to target a large audience, offering fashionable but inexpensive things (by the way, 10-20% of things can be expensive - this will attract another category of buyers). A successful decision would be to complement outfits with accessories. And don’t be afraid if at first your business is not profitable - for about six months a new business going to zero is a very good indicator.
- Natalya, Kaliningrad: I opened a showroom a year and a half ago, registering as an individual entrepreneur. At first (about six months) I invested my own funds with virtually no profit. But gradually more and more people learned about us, there were more buyers, and by communicating with them (this is a very important point - finding an approach to the client), I understood what people were interested in. So I began to update the assortment and work to order. Now there are no losses, I am working with a profit. The main thing is to be able to work with people and understand what you are doing.
To summarize: what are the subtleties and features of the show room?
The key problem with showrooms is the misunderstanding of this business.
Some believe that a show room is an exhibition of things for the purpose of wholesale purchases, others associate it with the work of fashion designers, and others believe that a show room is a store in a shopping center or somewhere in a house on a crowded street. By the way, if you want to open a regular clothing store, read the useful material in this article: “Small business idea: how to open a clothing store”
The second and quite common problem of this business is the quality and manufacturer of the goods. Thus, it is not uncommon for Chinese copies to be passed off as branded originals. Wealthy people who understand quality quickly detect deception, and low-income buyers do not spend a large sum on expanding their wardrobe. Therefore, in this situation, the showroom owner risks losing his business.
Hence the conclusion: things intended for wealthy buyers must meet their needs.
If the business is going well, the number of showroom clients is gradually increasing, then you should not limit yourself to what you have achieved. The owners of the studio have every chance to create a large store.
Considering this type of business, it becomes clear: a show room is an activity that is guaranteed to bring profit. But the income that a fashion show room will bring will be good only if the business is run by a person who has a sense of fashion and has an “entrepreneurial spirit.” Risk is not always a noble cause, so before investing money you need to “measure seven times and then cut.”
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