Accessories can be the perfect touch to complete your outfit, but ever thought of selling your own? Gone are the days, where selling at markets was your only option. With websites such as Etsy and Ebay making the process so much easier, it’s important to consider how you want to sell your accessories. For more business ideas, be sure to check out our comprehensive online list.
Be Legitimate
First thing’s first, to have a business, it must be registered with an ABN and have a unique business name to avoid copyright issues. That is unless you decide to name your company after your own name. Once you have your ABN, you can then register for GST and PAYG. If the legalities confuse you, we recommend consulting a business lawyer.
What Do You Want to Be Known For?
If you resonate with this, you’d agree that accessories are a statement piece. A range of fashion and styles exist, and you don’t have to walk down the streets of Harajuku or Newtown to notice this. Therefore, it’s important to consider whether you want to provide a niche range of accessories, or a broad range of styles to cater for everyone.
Consider the success of Lovisa, which targets fashion-conscious females. Since opening their first store in Chermside, Queensland in 2010, they now have 320 stores internationally. They provide accessories for all events whether casual, dress-up or elegant and most importantly, at a low, affordable price. However, this may not always be the way to go…
Let’s Get Ethical
With ethical consumers on the rise, the source of products is seen equally as important as its price. Sustainability and ethics are at the forefront of the younger generation’s minds, and it’s important to consider this when self-branding. Small business, locally sourced and eco-friendly are now key buzz-words for consumers.
Therefore, products that are ethical and have a personal touch have been on the rise. Take Kaboodle Designs as an example. They offer handmade, vintage-inspired jewellery, handbag and accessories that have been created by recycling vintage pieces. Since starting in 2002, they are growing nationally, and are supplied in specialty stores across Australia.
Ultimately, the option of whether you want to target a niche or large group is yours. However, be sure you are transparent with how your products are sourced so that customers are aware of what they are paying for.
Get Social!
Once you have an idea of the products you’ll provide, use social media as free advertising. Instagram is especially important, so work those camera angles, and give your brand exposure by tagging relevant companies; this could lead to a partnership and potential supplier! Also, be sure to have plenty of hashtags, to help attract the appropriate consumers.
If you have a small budget to work with, you can even seek out influencers to promote your product. This has worked extremely successfully with HiSmile and CarbonCoCo, both teeth whitening companies that offer a small range of specific products. Also, cafes often use social media competitions or invite popular foodies to increase their exposure, and to promote their cafe. Applying this to an accessories store, consider seeking fashion enthusiasts and influencers to wear your products. They can give your company a special mention in the captions and tag your account.
Other platforms to consider using are Facebook and YouTube. Facebook allows you to measure engagement and promote to a specific target audience. Whereas, YouTube is similar to Instagram with their influencers. Vloggers film “haul videos”, where they record themselves wearing or using products they’ve ordered online and critique them. They often get thousands and sometimes millions of views, which can help to increase exposure and promote your brand.
Secure yourself
Finally, if you decide to have your individual website, rather than using an online platform such as Etsy, be sure you are protected. To ensure the security of your site is not questioned, remember to protect your site and customers by employing a Website Terms and Conditions and a Privacy Policy, so you are deemed a trustworthy source.
Unsure where to start? Contact a LawPath consultant on 1800LAWPATH to learn more about customising legal documents, obtaining a fixed-fee quote from our network of 600+ expert lawyers or to get answers to your legal questions.
