5 tips for selling clothes to international retailers

Are you a fashion brand dreaming of taking the world by storm? Once you’ve established a profitable business in your home market, it’s only natural to think about selling overseas.

At first glance, international ecommerce may seem like an intimidating challenge. There’s no denying that it requires hard work and dedication. However, selling internationally is now much more accessible for fashion brands thanks to technologies and partners that can streamline the process.

Here are our 5 top tips for selling your fashion brand to the world.

1- Choose how and where you’ll sell

Before selling your collections internationally, you’ll need to decide how you’re going to sell them. Your two options are through your own ecommerce website, or with a global online platform such as BLANC.

If you use your own website, you’ll be in charge of the visual appearance and the customer experience. But you’ll need to work hard to get your brand’s name out there in the foreign market through adverts, social media and other marketing strategies.

On the other hand, digital platforms and marketplaces give you access to an existing global audience of buyers. Another benefit of using these platforms to sell internationally is that you can start selling much quicker than if you were to create your own website. With BLANC, for example, all you need to do is register your brand, upload your collections, enter your pricing and you’re ready to start selling with us!

2- Translate and localise your content

Make sure that you are prepared and able to communicate with buyers in their language. This could include hiring a professional translator to translate your website, product listings and marketing materials. You may also want to hire someone who can provide customer service in the local language.

Bear in mind that even if two countries speak the same language, there may be differences in word choice and spellings. For example, the item of clothing referred to as pants in the US are called trousers in the UK (pants in the UK are a different item of clothing altogether!)

3- Decide your shipping and returns policy

Shipping and returns can become complicated when you are selling internationally. Make sure the logistics company you are using offers an option for returns. Have the NMC codes ready for each of your products so your shipping partner can calculate any tariffs.

You should also update your shipping and returns policy to clearly outline the prices and delivery times for international shipping.

4– Invest in local customer service

Consider investing in local customer service support. Having someone your customers can easily communicate with will make them feel important and cared for. If they can receive quick answers to their queries in their native language, they are more likely to become loyal customers of your brand.

5– Select a fulfillment centre

Fulfillment centres hold your stock in your target market. When a customer places an order, the fulfillment centre will handle the packing and shipping. Using fulfillment centres is a great way to reduce costs and your stress levels, whilst also speeding up the delivery time.

BLANC’s fulfillment centre in the US offers a specialised warehouse ready to handle every stage of the packing and delivery process, saving you time, money and energy!

Trusted by hundreds of brands and retailers worldwide, BLANC will provide you with the cutting-edge tools to sell your collections to global buyers. Retailers from all over the world use the platform to find brands, view line sheets, and place orders. Our customer service solutions, fulfillment options, and database of global retailers will ensure success throughout your international selling journey. Contact our team today for a demo.