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And just like that, it’s almost summer and people are preparing for their beach trips and whatnot! Have you ever thought about starting a swimwear shop? Chances are you’re aware that it’s extremely competitive. There are hundreds, even thousands of people out there who want to do the exact same thing. This is because the swimwear market is huge. The entire fashion industry is constantly bombarding us with beautiful clothes, innovative designs and new technologies that aim for perfection. This means that we have high standards when it comes to the things we wear, eat and use.

If you love sporty swimwear and fashionable bikinis, you may even consider turning this passion into a business. Swimwear is a massive industry that will likely enjoy a considerable boost as travel sets back into motion- so now’s the time to transform your dreams into a reality.

Why should you start a Swimwear brand?

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From a business standpoint, swimwear’s a noteworthy industry. The global market value for swimwear has steadily increased and is predicted to hit 29.1 billion US dollars by 2025. And, during the pandemic, swim and activewear became increasingly popular — likely due to so many people realizing the importance of exercise as well as the great outdoors.

Swimwear is a fun and exciting niche to enter into; there’s something to be found for everyone and plenty of opportunities to get innovative. Swimwear also isn’t just great for athletes, it’s a chance to celebrate those sunny summers and warm days spent together with friends and family.

Finding a Niche

Finding a niche in the swimwear industry is no easy feat, but there are a few ways you can go about it.

First, you’ll want to consider your target audience. For example, are you planning to sell to fashionistas or moms and moms-to-be? Then, consider current swimwear trends. Are bikinis out and one-pieces in? Are patterns more popular than solid colors this season? Keeping up with the latest trends will help you decide on which styles to offer your customers and how to market them.

Finally, think about what niche you want to focus on — whether that’s active swimwear, modest swimwear, body-positive swimwear or sustainability. This will help you narrow down which designs and styles are right for your brand.

If you’re having trouble finding your niche, don’t worry — that’s normal. There are endless options when it comes to selling swimwear online. Just remember that if you want people to pay attention to your brand and buy from your shop, you have to have something unique and worthwhile to offer them.

Luckily, the swimwear industry has quite a few niches that could be perfect for your brand.

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Active swimwear: Active swimwear is designed to be worn while performing functional movements in and around water. This segment of the industry caters to athletes, swimmers and those who enjoy going on outdoor adventures, like hiking or mountain biking. These types of clothes are typically made from quick-drying fabrics with UV protection and UPF ratings. Examples of active swimwear include rash guards, bathing suits for surfing, triathlon wear and athletic swimwear.

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Body-Positive Swimwear: Athletic swimwear is becoming more popular as women seek out stylish options that also flatter their figures. Body-positive marketing campaigns have done a lot to encourage women to wear what makes them feel confident, even if it’s not super revealing. As a result, many companies are now including body-positive messages in their promotional materials. You can also find lots of plus-size options in this niche because they want to cater to the growing number of women over a size 12.

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Modest swimwear: This is a very specific niche but one that can be targeted towards those who have the same beliefs and values. This type of swimwear includes longer cuts, cover-up clothes, and even clothing that may be worn in the bath without feeling uncomfortable.

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Sustainable: With today's market making company beliefs and culture one of the major reason for purchasing and supporting, an increasing number of brands are attempting to make products that benefit the world. One of the latest advancements in swimwear fabric is the use of all-recycled materials. Today, there are textiles available that dry more quickly and can endure exposure to the sun, chlorinated water, and seawater. They won't decompose as rapidly as they used to, which helps to keep swimwear out of the trash. This can be a good area to look into if you're concerned about the environment.

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Niche sizing: Many women have difficulty finding clothes that fits them precisely, and this can be a problem with swimwear as well. Most collections' ready-to-wear sizes don't always suit everyone. In fact, a lot of people buy different sizes for their tops and their bottoms. This is because bodies come in different shapes and sizes. The ability to give customers bespoke size or fitted swimwear can be game-changing.

Working to stay ahead of the game will also help. It's true that these govern what sells well to the masses, but keep in mind that most competitors will have the same notion.

Where to Sell Your Swimwear

There are thousands of ecommerce platforms where you can start selling your swimwear online. But Shopify remains to be the best platform for most startup businesses. It’s because it lets you create your online storefront quickly with a very user-friendly interface and friendly packages.

You can manage your inventory with Shopify, link your ecommerce business with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, coordinate your shipment, and more. You may get started for as little as $29 per month and expand with your business without having to switch platforms.

Shopify’s scale is also great news for swimwear brands. For most start-ups, Shopify fits neatly into their technology roadmap, but as your business grows and you start to take on more complex operations — like juggling multiple warehouses or selling products in different currencies — you can upgrade your Shopify plan to suit your needs.

There are plenty of Shopify apps that can help you achieve other important business goals. You can also use these apps to create a customized shopping experience with features like customer reviews and abandoned cart recovery.

Whether you’re looking to run a small side business or a large-scale ecommerce operation, Shopify has the scale and flexibility you need.

Starting a Swimwear Brand

Dropshipping

Many entrepreneurs are interested in starting a swimwear line, but may hesitate because of the startup costs associated with manufacturing and inventory. If you don't want to manufacture your own swimsuits, dropshipping is the fastest and easiest option.

Dropshipping is a retail business model that doesn't require any investment up front in inventory or warehousing. Instead of storing and managing your inventory, you work with a supplier who dropships directly to your customer when they place an order.

Tailoring your dropshipping website to your target audience is crucial. If you sell swimsuits, for example, you will probably want to include photos of models wearing the suits. You can also use photos of beach scenes and other images that appeal to your target demographic. A well-conceived e-commerce site can make all the difference between a profitable dropshipping venture and one that goes belly up.

It’s also worth mentioning that it’s challenging to provide customers consistent sizing if you’re dropshipping items from different vendors. The ready-made designs could end up smaller than planned, especially from Asian suppliers.

Sourcing from wholesale brands

One way to go about this sort of business is to engage with a manufacturer directly and come up with your own unique designs for swimwear. The other option is to discover a wholesale brand that supplies white-label products.

White label products

This is usually the preferable option, since it may be considerably cheaper and more likely to provide you a bigger profit margin — you only have to buy in modest quantities, with the added bonus of your goods being on the shelf ready-to-go. Wholesale swimwear businesses would normally be pleased to offer you with everything you need such as swimsuits, bags and hangers.

These days, any credible manufacturer should have a website where you may order wholesale products or contact the company directly so make sure to check that out first. Visit the website of a manufacturer that offers swimwear and/or other products to learn about their wholesaler requirements.

Working with a manufacturer

Working very closely with a manufacturer is more demanding as more work needs to be done, but it allows you considerably more control over what you’re selling. It can also get expensive and require a bigger capital but it does have it’s benefits.

You can tailor your product line as much or as little as you wish, and you can pick which things to offer based on what matches best with your target demographic. You'll also be able to use social media and influencer outreach to advertise each product on your own.

You'll have to do a lot of homework, talk to a lot of suppliers, and be ready to put money into your business. To make the relationship worthwhile for both parties, many manufacturers impose a minimum order amount.

If you're a creative person with distinctive ideas and a market to sell to or a lump money to put in a business, this is a great option for you. Because of this, your products will be one-of-a-kind, which may help you stand out from the competition and get recognition in your industry.

NOTE: Before contacting any manufacturer, make sure you understand their minimum order quantity, product selection, and payment options. Before sending out any enquiries, you should double-check that your own business complies with all of these specifications.

Pros and Cons of Starting a Swimwear Brand

When opting to establish a business, you have to consider all the pros and cons for yourself. Below are a few pros and cons of launching a swimsuit company to help you come to a decision.

Pros Swimwear is in highly popular, and the industry is only anticipated to increase in the next several years Swimwear has a high profit margin when executed right. Storage and shipping is easier and cheaper due to the tiny and light nature of swimwear. Innovations in textile are always developing, making it very exciting. Swimwear is easily sourced from dropshippers and wholesalers.

Cons Swimwear is one of the most attractive businesses for start-ups and entrepreneurs because of its high demand. This means you'll be up against strong competitors. Seasonal variations will have an impact on the sale of swimwear. For obvious reasons, swimwear is incredibly popular during the summer and not so during winter. However, all hope is not lost as a lot of people still travel to warmer countries for beach vacations during this time.

 

Create Your Business Plan

You’ve taken the first step towards your dream of selling swimwear online. Now it’s time to flesh out all the details of your business plan and make sure that you include all the important aspects. In addition to your product, pricing, and marketing strategies, be sure to add in plans for financials, a website or app development schedule, along with operational processes. Your swimwear business may be just around the corner, but there’s still a lot of work to do before you open for business!

To start with, you'll need to decide whether you want to focus on women's swimwear or men's swimwear. If you plan on selling both, then you'll need to focus on one or the other first. When your business is established, then you can expand your product offerings.

Your business plan should include everything from what you plan to sell to how you plan to promote your brand. If you want to compete with major clothing retailers, you will want to put in some market research and product development. Besides making sure that your products are unique and eye-catching, it’s important for you to accurately determine your target customers and where they shop online. Once you know this, it’s easier for you to create strategies for reaching them.

Develop your brand

The reason why branding is important is because it establishes a relationship between your customers and your company. If a customer has a positive experience with your business, they are more likely to return to purchase more products and recommend you to their friends.

Tailor your brand identity to the specific needs of your industry and target market, while appealing to potential customers.

Start by researching existing companies in your field and determine what their brand identities are and how they differentiate themselves from other companies in their industry. This will help you develop a brand identity that is unique, memorable, and helps identify you as an expert in the field.

In order for a brand identity to be successful, it must be consistent across all your communication channels. This means that if you have multiple social media profiles or websites, they all must reflect the same brand identity. Consistency also means that all of your marketing materials should have a unified message and use similar colors and fonts. The purpose of branding is not only to create awareness of the company but also to develop trust within the minds of consumers about what it offers for customers.

Build Your Website

According to a survey conducted by Web.com, it was found that about 55% of store owners who started an online store through Shopify were able to make more than $10,000 in their first year of business.

Shopify is an ecommerce platform that allows you to create and manage your own online store. It's a one-stop solution for everything ecommerce related such as payment processing, shipping, marketing etc. You can easily build your online store using the drag and drop functionality and from then on, it's all about the promotion.

The other advantage of Shopify is the wide range of templates that it offers. This allows you to create a website that has a customized look and feel, and will also be able to set your brand apart from the rest.

A good web design is one of the key elements for having an online success story. Therefore, it would be wise if you invest in a professional web design service so as to create an attractive and easily navigable website for your customers. This will allow you to seamlessly reach out to more clients and sell more products than ever before.

Another reason why so many people prefer Shopify is that it comes with a number of apps which provide users with extra features such as SEO optimization, social media integration, etc. These apps can be installed on your site within minutes and they provide you with a lot of ways to improve user experience and increase conversions.

Choose Development Partner

A successful online business would not be complete without an eye-catching website design. Therefore, it would be advisable if you engage in a professional web design service to build a beautiful and readily navigable website for your consumers.

Your online swimwear shop may be customized in two different ways:

1. Freelancers
2. Agency

As the owner of an agency (Webinopoly), we propose hiring a full development team because of the advantages it offers. When you opt to go with a development partner, you don't have to worry about the details and can focus more on your business. They have the skills necessary and years of experience in designing retail websites for startups.

The second benefit of picking a professional development partner is that they have more experience and this information always helps. When it comes to setting up an online business, they know what works and what doesn't.

Finally, freelancers have a propensity to fail or run behind schedule, but with an experienced development team you don't have to worry about this because they know what they're doing and how long it will take them to perform their jobs. When you hire a professional development team, they normally assign one person per customer so that they can work on the project better and accomplish the assignment within the timeframe stipulated in the contract.

Webinopoly is a one-stop solution for anything you would need to launch your business online. You can count on the expertise of our group of business analysts, designers, developers, and marketers at every stage of your organization's growth. Our pre-built website solution saves you time and effort by eliminating the need to start from scratch. We make constructing a personalized website hassle-free so you can focus on your business.

Conclusion

Overall, success with swimwear depends on the shop owner’s determination and commitment to success. With patience and persistence, even a novice can start a swimwear store and grow it into a thriving business.

By using Shopify, you can get a professional website up and running with features like search engine optimization and social media marketing. Whether you want to sell apparel or accessories, there is an option to suit your needs. We hope this article has provided some useful information regarding the steps needed to set up an online shop, but if you're feeling overwhelmed or would simply like assistance in developing your store, there are plenty of experts ready to help.

Connect with us

If you need a Shopify website built, a Shopify app developed, or eCommerce solutions developed, please contact us at 713-805-5888, email us at [email protected], or leave us a message here.

Learn more about Webinopoly

If you’d like to learn more about what we can do or view our portfolio, please click on the links below:

• Explore our services
• See our previous work here