Fleece is an excellent material to wear in many settings, whether going for a hike outdoors or walking to the fridge at home during a much-needed day off. If you think the customers of your clothing shop would love fleece attire as much as you do, it makes sense that you’re trying to determine which options would be best. Although that answer is subjective, the following tips are for selecting the ideal fleece clothing pieces for your customers.
Understand the different fleece weights
Not all fleece fabric weights are the same. There are three primary ones that you should know about: microfleece (also referred to as lightweight), mid-weight, and heavyweight. As you can probably guess by the weight names, the microfleece/lightweight option is the lightest, least warm option of the three, while the heavyweight option is the heaviest and warmest; midweight falls between the two in terms of warmth. Learning more about each type can help you determine what you feel would most appeal to your customers and what they would be most comfortable wearing.
Think about a mix of fleece weights
Although you (and your customers) might have a preferred type of fleece weight, there are other options you need to stock in your clothing store. Everyone has different levels of comfort and temperature sensitivities, so while one person may prefer sticking with microfleece items, another might only buy mid-weight or heavyweight pieces. Decide what fleece weight your customers would most desire and need and consider making the majority of your order of those items. However, consider including fleece items in the other weights to appeal to customers with different needs and preferences.
Choose the features of the apparel
Every fleece clothing item has features, so you can decide what you like and what your customers desire. Let’s use fleece shirts as an example. Some have buttons down the front, while others have none. There are blank fleece shirts, others with a pattern, pullovers, hoodies, and ones with a zipper, like the Bella + Canvas unisex quarter zip pullover fleece, etc. There are a considerable number of design and style elements to consider when you’re thinking of buying fleece clothing items for your store.
If you want to start deciding what to order, consider what you tend to see your customers wearing or ordering. For example, do they usually wear hoodies or prefer zippers over buttons? Providing your customers with a new variety of fleece items can be a great idea, but make sure you’re leaving them with the fleece clothing pieces they already love getting from you.
Research the pros and cons of fleece garments
As with any material, there are pros and cons, and fleece is no different. For example, while it’s highly insulating, it also tends to easily attract pet hair, making it likely the wearer will want to keep a lint roller on hand. Of course, the pros and cons may mean more to your customers than to you as a business owner since they’re the ones who will be wearing the clothing, but they’re still essential to know about, so you can decide what you feel comfortable selling.
Determine the types of fleece you want to use
Fleece isn’t simply just fleece; there are many types you should know about before deciding what to order for your customers. For example, there’s sherpa fleece, french terry fleece, and polar fleece. So whether you’re planning on ordering fleece-lined clothing or the garments are entirely constructed of the fleece, research what each type is so you choose the one that’s your favorite (and that you feel would be an ideal choice for your customers).
Decide the style of fleece items you want to sell
There are many different fleece items you can choose from to sell in your clothing store. Of course, you’re already aware of pieces like shirts, jackets, and pants, but additional fleece clothing is available, including socks. If you’d like to boost your inventory with different fleece items, consider stocking only a few for now that you feel your customers would most want to buy rather than accumulating an entire range of fleece products.
Therefore, allowing you to get a good idea of what items are popular and selling well and what your customers aren’t going for, so you can continue to sell the items, give them a little longer to see if sales for them pick up in your store, or try selling a different fleece item. Make sure, however, that you’re selling the items at the right time of the year and marketing them in an ideal way so you can get a proper gauge.
Consider ordering depending on your location
Where your customers are can play a big part in what type of fleece clothing you want to order. For example, say you have a retail store in a location where it can get frigid, and winter is approaching. Consider heavyweight fleece more than lightweight fleece to cater to your customers’ needs.
You want to consider what the temperatures and environmental conditions are year-round and what season and temperatures are approaching. Hence, you have time to prepare your store with fleece clothing items your customers will likely be seeking.
If you’re finding it challenging to decide what fleece items to order, start by making a list of what you most want to stock in your clothing store for yourself and your customers. Once you start there, the rest of the ideas may easily flow to you and help you make even more decisions that are best for your clothing business. Another option is to poll your current customers, such as via social media, and ask them what would lead them to buy certain fleece items and which ones they typically look for so you have some initial ideas.