A guide for start-up fashion businesses in the UK - Nesta
A guide for start-up fashion businesses in the UK - Nesta
A guide for start-up fashion businesses in the UK - Nesta
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How to access buyers<br />
Be<strong>for</strong>e you try to contact any buyer,<br />
you need to do your homework.<br />
Really understand your product, who<br />
your competitors are and what types<br />
of store your competitors sell to.<br />
IDENTIFYING<br />
THE BUYERS<br />
01<br />
Look<strong>in</strong>g at your competitors’ websites is a useful way<br />
of identify<strong>in</strong>g stores you could be contact<strong>in</strong>g. Don’t <strong>for</strong>get<br />
<strong>the</strong> importance of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet <strong>for</strong> search<strong>in</strong>g <strong>for</strong> contact<br />
names of Buyers; search <strong>for</strong> conferences, events related<br />
to <strong>fashion</strong> as <strong>the</strong>y often confirm <strong>the</strong>se details. Also check<br />
through trade journals and magaz<strong>in</strong>es such as Drapers,<br />
which often give names of buyers <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir news items.<br />
It is important to secure <strong>UK</strong> stockists first, particularly <strong>in</strong><br />
London, because <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r buyers will be regularly do<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir own market research and will hopefully come across<br />
your product when <strong>the</strong>y are do<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir competitor analysis.<br />
Th<strong>in</strong>k on-l<strong>in</strong>e stockists as well as well as bricks and<br />
mortar stores.<br />
Also th<strong>in</strong>k ‘outside of <strong>the</strong> box’. Are <strong>the</strong>re stores that<br />
don’t carry your particular type of product l<strong>in</strong>e, that may<br />
be <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> diversify<strong>in</strong>g a little? Stores are always<br />
look<strong>in</strong>g <strong>for</strong> someth<strong>in</strong>g new.<br />
Contact some of <strong>the</strong> organisations listed <strong>in</strong> our ‘Gett<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Advice’ factsheet. Many of <strong>the</strong>m will have Meet The<br />
Buyer Events, which can be great <strong>for</strong> network<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
Because of <strong>the</strong> data protection act, <strong>the</strong>re are few store<br />
databases around that can be shared. So <strong>start</strong> your own.<br />
List all your wish-list stores you would like to sell to <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>UK</strong>, <strong>the</strong>n fur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>ternationally. Then <strong>start</strong> call<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m<br />
to get buyers’ names and contact details. It’s a thankless<br />
task, but you have to persevere.<br />
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