If you’ve been in the U.S garment industry a while you’ll remember the days when the product life cycle took a year at best.  We were trained to think it took that much time to design, manufacture, ship and prepare quality product.

Then we saw inexpensive and super speedy manufacturers like Zara, H and M and Forever 21burst onto the scene.  Their speed to market left traditional companies in the dust.  Consumers got excited…and their demands for fast fashion upped the ante for all manufacturers.

Retailers like our cheap and Chic friends mentioned above somehow managed to take that year long design to point of sale cycle and chop it down to 4-6 weeks.

Technology, Company Culture and a Trump Tight infrastructure all add to a company’s ability to sprint their product into stores.

When’s the last time you took a look at your capability to turn trends around?

Even if you are a small manufacturer I’m sure you’d be surprised at what advanced software or a little extra organizational planning could do for your turn around time.

Big and Small manufactures are picking up speed…. and consumers are expecting trends to arrive as often as US Weekly.

Think about what you need to do so you don’t get left behind.

The biggest struggle for a new fashion business owner is getting in the right boutique doors.  Many designers have beautiful product at competitive prices but buyers still resist.  Why?

Well, in addition to being uncertain that a new line or brand will take off…buyers are even more hesitant to invest a significant amount of dollars into something new…. that could be invested in a sure thing.

Some ways around this….

1.  Minimize Minimums–Most lines have minimums where buyers have to buy a certain amount that the manufacturer believes makes a good presentation.  As a new line you may want to initially be a little more flexible with ordering minimums.  Do what you can to get people in the door and if your product sells…minimum ordering won’t be a big concern.

2. Multi Level Pricing–Having a low, mid, high price structure allows buyers to buy your brand without having to invest in one across the board pricepoint– that could be more than the open dollars they have available.

3.  Entry Level Products–Again buyers only have so many open dollars to use. Think about what you can create that still represents your brand but at a lower price point.  For example if you have an expensive handbag line you may want to offer a less expensive wallet or clutch.

The right color can determine whether the products you’re producing or buying for next season fly off the racks or end up under a big red clearance sign.

But how are you to know whether the hot colors of this season will be trendy a year from now?

You don’t.  For that you have to ask the experts.

There are people that actually research color trends ahead of time, so you don’t have to spend days fretting about things like whether something may sell better if it’s in olive or emerald green.

The secret of major retailers and design houses is that they use color forecasting services like the Los Angeles based, Design Options to make sure the collections they’re producing are not only beautiful but merchandised to sell.

For a minimal cost Design Options will supply you with palettes of the hottest upcoming colors for women’s, kids, men’s, lifestyle and home furnishings up to a year in advance.

With over 20 years of color prediction services under their belt they have a strong track record of “getting it right.”  Taking advantage of services like theirs can help ensure you “get it right,” as well….

Inquire about the latest colors and Subscribe to Design Options free newsletter at www.Design-Options.com

What could possibly be wrong with having tons of great options within your collection?

You run the risk of having too many great options.

Over assortment can lead to paralyzing the customer’s choice overall. By being overwhelmed with multiple options that essentailly serve the same cosmetic and functional purposes the choice between them becomes a lot more difficult.

The buyer thought process may go a little like this…

Same cut…same price….same fabric….same collar…oh but look the sleeve it is a little different…

I could get both but each style has minimums…. I could get one or the other but which one is really best???

If this one was so great why do they have two that a so similar???

Oh gosh now I am confused. Maybe I’ll look at some other lines.

My point….Make your buyer’s choices clear. Would they want this or that…or both?

By properly merchandising your collection you make things easier on your customers and ultimately much easier on yourself.

Offering clear choices can help you reach your production minimums a lot more quickly…..and also make all of your production costs a lot less expensive.