Many who want to start their own activities are thinking about how to open a children's store or outlet with a different profile, which will bring a steady income. In any case, the fact remains: sales are one of the best ways to reach a fundamentally new financial level. But in order to successfully start and stabilize a business in the field of trade, several important factors must be taken into account.
How to open a store
The idea of earning money through the opening of a retail outlet has long been actively implemented in Russian business. At the same time, it still remains quite relevant and makes it possible to receive a stable income.
In order not to lose the invested money and turn the store into a source of resources, it is necessary to correctly organize the TPT launch process. And the first thing to pay attention to is a niche.
Trying to figure out how to open your store from scratch, you need to analyze the market and determine the most relevant product groups. From how competently such monitoring is carried out, store sales in the future directly depend.
It is also important to choose the location of the store. To do this, you will need to determine the remoteness of competitors with a similar profile and large markets with low prices. Also, of course, you will need to compile extremely accurate and comprehensive items of expenses and income that you will have to deal with since opening. We are talking about staff salaries, electricity bills, the possible balance of unsold goods and much more.
Price policy
Regardless of which store you have to open, you need to correctly mark up the goods. Products should be affordable, but at the same time bring the right income.
In order for everything to be in order with prices, you need to search for suppliers with great offers before opening a store and starting trading. In any region, there are many companies that can offer quite attractive prices. Moreover, in most cases they have a discount system that is tied to the volume, which is also worth considering.
Before you open a thrift store, grocery point or other type of TRT, you need to focus on planning not on extremely low prices, but on the current assortment and attractive promotions. The latter, by the way, must be carried out at first, and especially on the opening day. This will help attract the maximum number of potential buyers.
As practice shows, customers in various product segments respond extremely positively to various stocks. This approach can also be used if there are stocks of goods that are out of fashion or have expiration dates close to expiration. You can get rid of such a “ballast” with the help of a sale with attractive discounts and bonuses.
For competent pricing, you should also pay attention to the following tips:
- collect information about what level of margin is used when working with the most popular positions in the current segment;
- identify the optimal margin for the entire product group, taking into account current legislation (the price of some products may be limited by the state);
- collect competitors price lists and evaluate their approach to pricing.
How to open a clothing store from scratch
One of the best examples of popular retailers is TPT, which specializes in clothing. The format of the store may be different, but the essence is always the same: a quality product, good service and attractive prices.
At the same time, it is worthwhile to understand that, when engaged in clothing, you will have to choose among several main areas. We are talking about men's clothing, women's and children's. In addition, things can be both new and used, for example, goods from Europe.
If you analyze the market, it will be logical to make a choice in favor of female models, since the representatives of the weaker sex pay more attention to their appearance. But if the area and the supply of resources allow, it will not be a mistake to present two types of clothes in the store.
Moreover, the store itself can have various formats, which will be discussed below.
Boutique
Thinking about how to open a clothing store from scratch, you should initially determine your target audience and, starting from this choice, designate the format of the outlet.
An example is a boutique, which is actually a small store with an area of 15-25 m 2 . At such points, clothing is sold from brands that have an above average price tag. Accordingly, wealthy clients who are able to afford expensive things fall into Central Asia. This format of the store requires a lot of money, since the clothes that you have to buy are expensive, and you will have to look for a boutique in the city center or in developed areas of the metropolis.
In addition to the appropriate design of the trading floor, for successful trading, it is necessary to recruit qualified personnel and train him in work, which implies a competent individual approach to each client. Otherwise, it is better not to think about how to open a store selling expensive clothes.
Number of brands
If we talk about the sale of clothing, it is worth highlighting two key areas of such stores: mono-and multi-brand.
The prefix "mono" is relevant for boutiques and TPTs focused on the sale of one brand that is already known or, in the opinion of the owner, should become one. Here, in fact, the same standards apply as in the case of the boutique.
Thinking of how to open your store from scratch, it makes sense to take into account the idea of multi-brand TRT. In this case, buyers will receive a wider selection of clothes and favorite manufacturers, which will positively affect the level of attendance and subsequent sales.
It is important to understand that with a significant assortment, all goods must be laid out competently, so that the buyer can quickly determine where the category he needs is located. Also, do not forget about the atmosphere in the store - the client should feel comfortable. This will allow him to be comfortable in the room for a long time, carefully selecting the desired position.
Franchise
Those who are looking for the answer to the question: “How to open a store?” Should pay attention to the possibility of using the resources of a franchise in the field of clothing.
But before concluding an agreement, you need to carefully study the product and determine how relevant it will be for a particular city and even area.
The obvious advantages of the franchise are that you don’t have to rack your brains on how to open a store. A step-by-step instruction in such cases is issued by the marketing department of the company. You only need to responsibly approach all the requirements.
As disadvantages, the possible need for monthly deductions can be noted. Also, there is always the possibility that someone else in the city will take advantage of this offer and open the same store. Therefore, if you have the resources, you should initially run several points in the most evil places.
Second hand and stock
This is one of the most popular trends in the clothing segment. Those who are interested in the topic: "How to open a thrift store", you need to understand that offering low prices is not enough. Although stock implies affordable pricing, models should be relevant. In fact, we are talking about an inexpensive, but still a clothing store.
But as for the second-hand, here is a slightly different situation. At such points, items that were already in use are sold. Such stores allow you to set a margin of 200% and are popular with those buyers who are focused on saving.
Using the power of the Internet
Anyone who intends to observe stable sales growth and enjoy high income should consider how to open an online store. This idea has a number of tangible advantages compared to offline business:
- the customer base is expanding significantly, since customers from all over the country can order clothes (or other goods);
- the store is open around the clock, which also has a positive effect on income;
- there is no need to pay for the rental of premises, warehouses, make repairs and spend money on utility bills;
- for the effective operation of the online store will be enough for several employees;
- thanks to the subscription base, you can establish high-quality feedback with customers and send them information about promotions and updates by mail.
How to create an online store
When it becomes clear that the idea of selling clothes or other goods on the open spaces of the network is more than successful, the question arises regarding the technical side of the matter, namely, the launch of the trading platform itself.
In the framework of the topic "How to open an online store" step by step instructions, regardless of product group, has one scheme.
So, after a niche has been identified and the target audience has been identified, it is worth starting the launch of the site itself, on which the products will be presented. At the same time, everyone must decide for themselves whether to engage in this process on their own or entrust such a task to programmers. But it is advisable to put the website development process in the hands of professionals who can realize the customer’s vision quickly and efficiently. This is important because users are accustomed to convenient and practical interfaces (remember competitors!), So a cheap-looking online store with a confusing menu will clearly not help sales.
But if the amount of start-up capital forces a novice businessman to save, then you can independently create a selling website. To do this, you need to overcome several stages:
- First of all, it is important to find a good paid hosting that will ensure the smooth operation of the store. You can’t save on this. Which hosting to choose will help determine the forums.
- The next task is to choose a domain name. Often, those who provide hosting provide the opportunity to immediately register a domain. Moreover, the name of the site should be in tune with the name of the store and be easy to remember.
- The choice of a content management system is the next step that you should pay attention to, understanding how to open an online store. Step-by-step instructions inevitably include this item. In fact, how the site will work depends on this system. Under the selected system, you can find both paid and free store design templates. Their range is now quite large. If you have the appropriate skills, you can work with the design yourself, leaving the templates aside. If we analyze the rating of available platforms, we can distinguish the following relevant proposals: Cs-cart, Open Cart, Simpla, Prestashop, etc. Returning to the design topic, you need to pay attention to the fact that it is important to create a corporate logo that will increase the degree of recognition.
- When the selected online commerce system is installed on paid hosting, it is time to start filling out the site with information about the goods. It should be understood that such a resource should look like a store. To open a website with somehow described goods is not enough. It is necessary to take high-quality photographs, make clear and attractive characteristics of the products. It is also important to pay attention to the fact that the store menu should be extremely clear. It is important to provide comprehensive and clear information on methods of payment and delivery of goods. Subsequently, it will be necessary to constantly update the position of goods.
How to arrange delivery and payment
This question needs to be considered before opening an online store. A step-by-step reliable scheme for working with money and goods is very important. Customer loyalty and business performance in general depend on this.
First, pay attention to the issue of payment. It is worthwhile to understand that the chances of a purchase will increase significantly if the store accepts various methods of depositing funds (MasterCard, VISA and electronic systems). There are many services with which you can solve this problem. Also, do not forget about cash on delivery with an initial payment of, say, 10% of the value of the goods.
As for delivery, there are several ways that you should pay attention to:
- At the beginning of activity it is very important to show a high level of service. Therefore, thinking about how to open an online store, you need to plan courier delivery in the city, where the main warehouse is located.
- You can deliver goods to other settlements by mail. It is inexpensive, reliable and fast enough. At the same time, it is worth making sure that the client is informed about the stages of delivery of the ordered goods and the cost of transportation (SMS to help). This can significantly increase customer loyalty.
- Of course, you always need to provide the opportunity for self-delivery.
- If necessary (large loads), you can use the services of transport companies.
At the first stage of the formation of the store, virtually all functions can be performed independently. But in the end, all the same, it will be necessary to hire a staff of workers (2-3 people) who will be able to efficiently handle all customer requests and provide decent feedback.
Do not forget about advertising on the Internet. This expense item will pay off many times by attracting new customers.
Conclusion
If previously there was no experience of sales on the Internet, it is better that the basis of the activity was instruction verified by the practice of other people. “How to open an online store” is a fairly popular topic, so there are many forums where people share practical experience and successful trading algorithms. In other words, for a competent start, you need to use the experience of those who have already succeeded.