Why dropship kids fashion online

One of the most profitable markets in the global fashion industry, the children’s fashion market offers a great opportunity to new and seasoned dropshippers. The market has displayed explosive growth over the last few years with a projected growth rate of 8.1% and is poised for continued growth in the near future.

Although children’s apparel accounts for a relatively small portion of the overall apparel market - It’s remained one of the best performing sectors with top retailers in the industry increasing their assortment of children’s apparel by 14% in Q1 from 2016 to 2018, while the assortment of adult apparel shrunk by 6% during the same time period.

This growth is largely due to the continued growth of luxury products in the industry - which has resulted in an increase in perceived value amongst shoppers. On top of this - millennial parenting trends have made a significant impact. This generation is having children later in life and value children’s fashion products that are not only visually appealing, but align with their values as well - causing brands to adopt new childrenswear trends quicker than ever before.

Industry experts have identified changes in where adults are purchasing clothing and other products for their children - which has proven to be beneficial to small business owners. Platforms like Instagram help brands and influencers alike build loyalty with their target audience, effectively taking market share away from traditional brick & mortar retailers in favor of personalized online shopping experiences. This means the time is now to join in on this booming market. As it continues to grow-out, smaller brands have an opportunity to get their foot in the door of this market.

First, develop your brand

The identify of your children’s clothing brand will be pivotal when building your business. Think about what types of products you’d want to sell and what demographic you plan on targeting. Identifying your target audience earlier is important as branding can vary greatly depending on the age range you’re selling to. For younger children, clothing is often more fun with playful patterns and bright colors. In contrast, clothing for older children will begin to be similar to the fashion trends of adults. This is why you should determine your branding model before picking out products to sell.

The age demographic you choose to target will also affect how you advertise your products. If you’re selling to older children and teens - you’ll generally want to advertise to them directly. When selling to younger children - you will likely be advertising to their parents. Success dropshipping kids fashion online comes largely in part from your ability to effectively connect with the age demographic you’re selling to.

Dropshipping to sell children’s fashion

Dropshipping is a business model where a retailer (you) does not keep the products they sell in stock but rather outsource the management and fulfillment of products to third-party suppliers and wholesalers. For those new to this model - dropshipping is a great low-cost, low-risk model for beginners.

Dropshipping your products allows you to never worry about designing, manufacturing, or shipping products yourself. Your dropship supplier or wholesaler will handle that for you. Once a customer places an order on your online store, all relevant order data and shipping information are forwarded directly to your supplier who will ship it to your customer.

One of the greatest benefits of the dropship model is that you are able to offload a lot of the burden of running a business to a third-party supplier. As orders are shipped directly to your customer, you don’t ever have to worry about physically storing inventory, shipping items or being left with dead stock. With dropshipping, you can focus more of your efforts on building online awareness, branding, and a social media presence.

Buying products in bulk from a manufacturer may seem cheaper in the moment, but the low-risk dropship model will most likely be less expensive in the long run. If you’re looking for kids fashion products to dropship - you can do this with the Daily Mom app on Shopify.

Daily Mom offers a wide selection of children’s fashion products along with toys, electronics, and other related categories. Make sure your age demographic is determined before adding products to your Shopify store so you know what it is you’re looking for. Daily Mom offers clothing for baby boys and girls as well as clothing for older children. The wide selection of products if perfect for a small business since it will be easier for you to find a niche and determine your section of the market. The products listed in the app are sourced from US vendors who offer fast shipping - giving your customers a great shopping experience.

Marketing your kids fashion dropship business

Once you’ve selected products and determined your target audience, you’re ready to think about how you will target this audience online. Social media is the easiest way to do so. Channels like Instagram and Pinterest are visual mediums that work best for promotion your fashion brand. Just remember to consider the age group you’re targeting as your social media marketing strategy will heavily depend on it.

If you’re targeting older children and teens, Instagram is the best medium to start with due to its younger demographic. The older children you’re selling to are likely on Instagram, so use the platform to market directly to them.

Researching profiles and hashtags in your niche is the best way to find your audience on social media. Consider what hobbies and interests your audience has, like celebrities and personalities they might be following. Understanding your audience will help you determine what type of content they identify with and helps you build an engaged following. Be sure to interact with your audience by liking and commenting on their posts to gain exposure for your social media profile and brand.

Leveraging Instagram influencers is a great way to market to younger demographics. An influencer is a public figure with a large, engaged following. They are often hired by brands to promote products on their own Instagram profile. Influencers bring established credibility that is transferred to your brand when they promote your products - enticing customers to purchase from you. The size of an influencer’s audience will determine how much they charge to promote a brand’s products, but smaller, niche influencers can be less costly and just as effective.

Lifestyle images generally work better for social media posts and overall branding on your website. Take your own product photos or use photos provided by the supplier you work with. Asking customers to post pictures in the products they bought from you is a great way to create lifestyle imagery as well as gain word-of-mouth exposure.

Dropship business model

As mentioned earlier, the low-cost, low-risk model dropshipping offers is a great benefit. By only purchasing stock for sales you’ve made already - the cost of goods sold will always be lower than your revenue. The price of children’s clothing can vary depending on the type of product. For example, casual shirts go for $2 - $6 on the Daily Mom app. This means you could sell the same products at a price between $15 - $20 and still have plenty of room for discounts and other promotions.

Dropshipping Tips

If you decide to dropship through Daily Mom, here are a few tips to have the best chance at success.