How to Sell to the Fashion eCommerce and Retail Industry

Dale Hicks

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How can startups can break in and sell to the competitive fashion sector?

Fashion eCommerce is a very fast pace, dynamic and highly competitive sector.

For companies selling into this industry, it can be a challenge. Understanding the unique needs of not only the market but also each individual business is essential.

Here at TFN we’ve worked with fashion e-commerce brands for over 10 years, supporting them with one-to-one consultancy and delivering them professional development events and conferences, so it’s fair to say we know this area.

So here are a few tips for anyone looking to target this potentially lucrative sector:

1) Understand the Industry’s Challenges

Fashion eCommerce businesses face challenges like supply chain inefficiencies, customer retention, customer acquisition, sustainability and inventory management to name but a few. Anyone looking to work with businesses in this sector must demonstrate a clear understanding of these pain points and position their product and services to meet these challenges. Tailor your messaging to highlight how you can either drive sales, improve efficiency, or elevate the customer experience in some way.

2) Showcase Tangible Benefits

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Most good fashion retail managers will be data-driven and results-oriented, so showing proof of success is crucial. Use case studies, testimonials, and metrics that demonstrate your impact. Highlight examples of how your product or services has helped similar brands increase revenue, reduce costs, or enhance customer satisfaction.

3) Speak Their Language Not Yours

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The fashion industry has its own jargon and priorities. Tailor your pitch to align with their terminology or simplify your terminology so they can understand. If you offer a technology solution, avoid too much technical jargon when explaining your product. It always good to frame it in terms of how it enhances their goals.

4) Focus on ROI and Value

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Fashion eCommerce brands are constantly evaluating their tech stack to ensure they’re getting value for money. Whether you are a tech provider, or some other type of industry supplier clearly articulate the return on investment (ROI) your product delivers. Break down how your solution will either save them money, improve efficiency, drive revenue or better still increase margin. Avoid being overly salesy—focus on demonstrating value. This industry is very margin aware!

5) Emphasize Your Knowledge and Expertise

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Position yourself as a trusted and knowledgeable partner, not just a vendor. Demonstrate thought leadership and ask questions. It’s important to learn about this industry and also share your knowledge. Here at TFN, we’ve made a business around facilitating a knowledge exchange. The fashion retail and e-commerce industry is a knowledge sector.

6) Build Relationships

The fashion industry thrives on relationships. Network at industry events, participate in relevant trade shows, and engage with key decision-makers on platforms like LinkedIn. Personalise any outreach and show a genuine interest in their brand/business.

Scaling tips in action

Here are some examples of where we’ve previously helped businesses, including those providing SaaS solutions, to help break into the fashion world. These examples provide learnings and takeaways for all parts of the fashion sector.

Be patient

We had one client who offered very specific financial services, it took almost 12months to get something across the line, a lot of that time was spent building trust, establishing a relationship, and adding value in other ways i.e. introductions, advice etc. Not all prospects are ready for your services right away, sometimes you have to play the waiting game and build relationships.

Don’t overcomplicate it with detail

We had another client who offered marketing services via a SaaS platform they built. It enabled greater ROAS on performance marketing spend. The way their solution worked was quite complex to understand, so to sell what they did, they basically used case studies with statistical evidence on what the tangible benefits of their solution was. Some brands didn’t even know that this sort of solution existed. On the adverse of this we have encountered other clients with SaaS solutions who have over explained and complicated their pitch, which can make it challenging to progress prospects.

Put your experts alongside your sales people

One thing we’ve seen across several if not all of our clients & sponsors is the ability to demonstrate knowledge and expertise. In B2B sales we’ve found that when prospects speak with experts rather than sales specific people, the engagement rate is much higher. This is particularly true when it comes to knowledge heavy services like law, financial services, marketing etc. Being able to convey this knowledge by way of events or thought leadership content is what we call ‘educational marketing’.