Making the Most of Fabrics
Increase fabrics sales with a variety of styles and effective merchandising to promote them
If you sell textiles, you’ve got a built-in clientele of home crafters or manufacturers who use the fabrics to upholster or create their own merchandise. By making the most of fabrics, however, you’ll not only maintain these consistent sales, but also attract the business of a wider customer base.Discover ways to diversify your product offerings and market the fabric textiles more proactively to boost sales. When making the most of fabrics in your store, consider the following suggestions:
1. Find additional wholesale fabric sources to provide textiles that appeal to new customers.
2. Discover online trade publications, blogs or message boards on the websites of fabric suppliers where you can learn new marketing trends or get customer and retailer feedback on your ideas.
3. Stock additional items from fabric wholesalers such as tools, notions and patterns that will not only increase sales, but also ensure your customers will return to buy additional fabric.
Expand your customer base with new fabrics from wholesale textile providers
Consider expanding your product line if you notice clients consistently asking for fabrics that you don't carry. If you typically sell cotton fabric, quilt fabric or linen fabrics, for example, test the market by purchasing bolts of decorator fabrics or upholstery fabric to cater to manufacturer and other retail clients.
Try: Check out the online catalog for fabric wholesaler Berenstein Textiles. This source specializes in formal wear fabrics like taffeta, suede, silk and velvet with minimums of 15 to 50 yards, depending on the type of fabric. The company also offers home decorating fabrics, faux fur and decorative trim. Wholesale source Carr Textile offers a variety of fabric textiles like polyester blends, cotton twills, denims, wool blends, micro fibers and knits. Fill out the form to receive sample cards of fabrics that you’re not familiar with to check out their thickness and texture.
Discuss new marketing ideas for fabric material with customers or retailers through online resources
Discover sales tips, fabrics information and first-hand testimonials on successful merchandising campaigns through magazine forums or blogs written by owners of fabric stores. Their ideas can help you brainstorm ways to use older displays or move clearance merchandise, for example, and help with making the most of fabrics in your store easier.
Try: Check out the online issues of Textile World, from Billian Publishing, a publication for manufacturers, retailers and others interested in the fabric industry. Use the articles to discover marketing ideas and new textile resources. Find fabric-related topics like marketing, brands and product news in online issues of Home Textiles Today.
Extend your niche in the fabric marketplace by selling additional items to encourage future sales
Consider branching out to sell additional companion items for your fabrics like patterns, technique books, notions and tools. Offering reusable merchandise like scissors and sewing machines, for example, will also generate additional fabric sales since customers will be eager to try new techniques and create projects with the higher-priced merchandise.
Try: Rubenstein & Ziff’s The Quiltworks Online Store is a wholesale distributor of fabric and additional supplies like sewing and quilting books, patterns and notions. A tax ID is required to become a customer and view wholesale pricing. Wildly Wonderful Wearables offers a variety of sewing patterns, tools, paints, buttons and more. Visit the techniques section to discover new ways to use fabrics with other items like beading and paints that you can also market to customers and potentially make more sales.
- Consider browsing the bookstore or craft websites for publications that feature innovative uses for sewing fabric and other textiles that you can use to boost sales. For example, teaching an in-store class on scrapbooking, rubber stamping or beading with fabrics can introduce a lively crossover market to your shop.
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