It is of no doubt that there are so many business opportunities in Nigeria. Every location in the country is known for some businesses that thrives well there. It is left for you to carry out a survey and know the one that you can handle. Aside from selling in your location, online marketing has also made it possible for you to market products even those that are not trending in your location and still make good sales. Clothing business is profitable in this country because Nigerians are indeed fashionable people.
Here, we will be looking at how to start a vintage shirt business in Nigeria. Vintage styles refers to clothing that imitates the style of previous era. Don’t think because it is previous era, people are not patronizing it. Vintage t-shirts are really trending for Nigerian guys. The fabrics used in making these shirts imitates the design of the previous era. In most cases, you will see vintage shirts for men with floral designs, bold stripe design and other olden days designs. I have attended various parties where I saw many Nigerian men rocking this shirt style and that’s what prompted me to research more into this amazing fashion style.
Vintage shirts can be worn with plain trousers, jeans, shorts of various types etc. It sells faster in this country because it is affordable. Although there are still expensive vintage shirts for men in Nigeria.
How to start a vintage shirt business in Nigeria
1. Develop your Business Plan
Before you start any business, it is good you have a good business plan for your business. Carry out a good survey of the business that you intend to go into. Check out on both the online and physical stores to know its level of patronage. You can contact those who are sincere doing the business already to give you a clue on the things that you want to know about the business. With a good business plan, you can get loan from financial institutions otherwise get from friends, relatives or start with your savings.
2. Choose a target audience
Which group do you have in mind to sell your clothes to? There are many age groups out there, but you need to research to know the people who are actually patronizing this type of shirt. When you have a target audience and stick to that, you will equally have a good customer retention.
3. Make Your Budget
I know with N70,000-N100,000 you can start a vintage shirt business in Nigeria. This will be possible if you are going into online selling. Knowing fully that when you want to rent a shop for your business, then, you will need a greater amount of capital to start this business. You equally need to know that there are many grades of vintage shirt which can be classified in terms of quality. There are some vintage shirts that costs upto N7,000 or more. So, if you are not starting with much capital, you can look for good and affordable vintage shirts and start with it. One thing that will make you to have a good customer retention is when your products are good.
4. Choose a good Supplier
If you want to start a vintage shirt business in Nigeria, it is good to look for a trusted supplier. Vintage can be obtained in some bales of some Clothes imported from abroad into the country. Search for people importing it, you can make inquiries through other sellers and establish contact with them. You can equally contact other high quality brands that sells vintage shirts and purchase in wholesale from them. Know the amount of each purchase and calculate the profit that you will make from it before commencing your sell.
5. Create Your Own Brand
One of the things that will make you stand out from other people selling vintage shirts is having your own unique brand. If you don’t have the available resources needed to start your own brand, you can stick with no. 4 and gradually expand your business from there. If you want to start your own brand, there are equally Vintage fabrics that you can get in some stores and from some importers. Give your brand a unique and easy to remember name.
Just know the pattern and design that people are patronizing and go for it. You can have your own unique design and pattern but first check if it is marketable. You can open up your own fashion design house for producing these shirts or collaborate with other fashion designers.
6. Choose your preferred Marketplace
Just like I said earlier, you can be selling offline or online or even combine the both. If you choose to sell offline, look for a strategic position to rent a shop. If you are living close to higher institutions, you can situate your shop there. Otherwise, look for other busy areas. Package your products very well, sell quality and affordable vintage shirts to make more sales.
If you want to sell online, you can register with popular marketplaces in the country such as Jumia, Konga and others. Create your store, display your products and prices and start making your sales. It is also good to have your own personal website where you can direct people to go and see more of your products, make orders and purchases. E-commerce websites is recommended for this.
If you want to make use of social media, create a page for your business on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others. You can equally start marketing your products with your profile account. Facebook also have an online marketplace that you can sell your products. Join groups and other forums selling the same product with you. Comment and market your products there. For you to have a thriving business on social media, you must engage actively with your followers. Create contents with your products and give them quick replies.
6. Advertise your business
Letting a lot of people know about your business is a strategy that will make you to have a successful business. Don’t underrate anybody or process when advertising your business. Tell your family members and friends about your business. Add it up on your various profile information. Run sponsored and paid ads on social media. Print your business card and give it out to people.
Conclusion;
To have a successful business, you must be patient and consistent. When you didn’t make great profit as you should, analyze and know why you didn’t. Keep a proper record of your income and expenses. How to start a vintage shirt business in Nigeria will act as a guide.
Also Read; Reasons Why Selling of Clothes is Profitable in Nigeria