In this age of mobile business and its rising demand, the fashion truck business can be your money-spinner. If you are a trained fashion designer or have acumen in fashion design, this business is suitable for you. However, before venturing into the business you have to consider many factors and plan meticulously to become successful.
Here are the 16 Steps to Start a Fashion Truck Business
1. Study your Business Area
Do exhaustive market research on the area where you want to start your fashion truck business. Study the socio-economic conditions of the people living in that area. This will give you a fair idea of their purchasing capacity.
Along with that, you have to study the demographic profile that includes the age of the majority population, occupation, lifestyle, etc. This information will lead you to the fashion trends of that area. You have to study the trends carefully to decide on your course in the fashion truck industry as a whole.
2. Decide your Niche
There are different varieties of clothes and accessories meant for men and women of different age groups. Some are formal, some casual, while some are classical. There are also special attires and accessories for marriage, parties, etc.
You have to decide on one or two interrelated niches. Your socio-economic and demographic studies will help you in deciding the niche. Don’t go for the niche you prefer. Rather decide on the niche that people are fond of or purchase more.
3. Create a Business Plan
Making a business plan is a very important aspect of any business. That is why your fashion truck business also requires a well-thought and intelligently drafted business plan. The business plan should include the mission and vision of your business, the form of business organization, capital required sources of funds, fixed cost, variable cost, and recurring as well as incidental expenses.
Apart from that, your fashion truck business plan should also have the projected profit margin for the next five years, return on investment, growth percentage of the business each year, and different ways to promote the business.
Keep in mind that the business plan is the blueprint of your fashion truck company. If you need you can take the assistance of experienced legal and business experts.
4. Stand Apart ( Define USPs of Your Fashion Truck Company)
Take note of your competitors in the market and adopt certain features that will make your fashion truck ahead of others. These features include a changing room in the truck, fashion assistance, alteration, taking customized orders, keeping a good stock of matching accessories with every dress, selling handmade or ethnic jewelry, etc.
5. Find a Catchy Name
Find a suitable name for your fashion truck. Furthermore, the name should be appealing, unique as well as easy to remember. After finalizing the name book a domain in the name of your business. Remember, if the domain is not available you have to change or alter the name. That is why keep a shortlist of names.
Suggested Read: How to Name Your Business
6. Source High-Quality Merchandise
It is most important to curate a collection of high-quality fashion merchandise. You need to partner with local designers, fashion brands, and wholesalers to source unique and trendy items for your fashion truck. Furthermore, always stay updated with the latest fashion trends and make sure your inventory caters to the preferences of your target market.
7. Set Up Your Fashion Truck
The next step is to find the right truck and convert it into a stylish and functional fashion boutique. You must rent or purchase a vehicle with enough space. It is needed to display your merchandise attractively and accommodate customers comfortably. Furthermore, plan carefully and design the interior to create a welcoming and visually appealing environment. You can use wall-mounted racks, shelves, and fitting rooms to maximize space.
8. Plan Your Route and Schedule
One of the most crucial factors in the success of a fashion truck business is determining the route map and schedule. You need to do extensive research on local events and festivals and locate high-traffic areas in your target locations. Furthermore, create a schedule so that your fashion truck is present at locations during peak times. Additionally, collaborate with local businesses or participate in fashion shows to expand your reach and gain more exposure.
9. Arrange Funds
You will need a reasonable amount of money to start and run a food truck business. If you are short in budget, You can organize funds from various sources like:
- Personal savings and investments
- Bank Loan
- Soft Loan from family members or friends
- Peer-to-peer loan
- Crowdfunding
10. Register Your Business
Register your fashion truck business as a business entity with the appropriate legal authority. For example, in a country like the United States, there are different forms of business like Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, LLC, etc. In your type of business LLC is the most suitable one that will protect your personal finance.
11. Procure Licenses and Permits
Get the necessary license and permits required to start and conduct your fashion truck business activities. It will be very difficult and sometimes impossible for you to run the business without these licenses and permits.
12. Open a Business Bank Account
Open a bank account in the name of your fashion truck company. This is very important for the financial management of the business. Also, try to get a business credit card for limited-period credit facilities.
13. Buy Insurance
It is essential to buy appropriate business insurance to insure your fashion truck company against any incidents of accident or damage. Apart from that, you will need general insurance, health insurance, worker’s compensation insurance, etc.
14. Hiring Employees
Apart from your effort and expertise, you have to hire employees to run your fashion truck business efficiently and smoothly. Try to hire persons with experience in the fashion industry. A pleasing personality is also a desired characteristic of frontline workers.
15. Give Importance to Personal Relations
Try to build personal relationships with as many clients as possible. This will make your fashion truck more known and acceptable to your clients.
16. Have a Marketing Plan
To be successful in your fashion truck business you have to follow a well-planned marketing strategy. Hire marketing experts for this strategic area of business. The useful and effective marketing techniques are:
a) Design a Logo
Design a logo for your fashion truck company. Take the help of a professional artist in designing the logo as this logo will be displayed on your fashion truck, ads, banners, letterheads, cards, or packets. So it has to be eye-catching.
b) Create a Website
Your website is a great medium of marketing and publicity for your fashion truck. Make an attractive and user-friendly website containing good photographs of your collection and a declaration of various offers.
c) Publish Ads
Both print and audio-visual aids will be immensely helpful in the growth of your business.
d) Posters, Banners, etc
Publicity through posters, banners, hoardings, and glow signs is very effective in getting the name of your fashion truck business noticed in different areas.
e) Personal Visits
Personal visits to prospective clients are very important in creating a direct relationship and creating an impact on your clients.
f) Social Media Publicity
Create social media pages and accounts in the name of your fashion truck business and update them regularly with photographs and write-ups.
g) Sponsorships
Sponsoring popular events like fashion shows or local festivals and fairs is very helpful in spreading the name of your fashion truck business.
h) Offer Discounts
Consider offering exclusive promotions, discounts, or loyalty programs to incentivize customers to visit your fashion truck.
Following these steps, you will surely achieve success in your fashion truck business. However, do remember before putting your first step towards the fashion truck business, you must have good knowledge about the fashion industry. This includes the evolution, trends, different areas of the fashion industry, the big names, their success stories, etc. Without this knowledge, it will be extremely difficult to succeed in the fashion truck business.
What is a Fashion Truck Business?
A fashion truck is simply a mobile boutique or a boutique in a truck. It moves from one place to another for selling its stuff.
The fashion truck business is a very prospective business idea as many people prefer to buy their favorite dresses at their doorstep from the fashion truck.
The success of the business depends largely on your understanding of the contemporary style statement along with innovative and creative ideas.
Also, investment-wise, a fashion truck business will require less investment than a brick-and-mortar shop. Hence it is also a cost-effective business idea.
Is Fashion Truck Business Profitable?
The fashion industry is growing after recovering from the pandemic in 2021. As per this report, the revenue generated from the global fashion industry will have an annual growth rate of more than 13% in the period between 2021 and 2025.
Industry experts predict the total sales in the fashion industry in the USA will be more than $ 472 billion, which means a growth of more than 8%. 2023 will have further growth of more than 4%.
Some of the reasons why business pundits are bullish about the future of the fashion truck business are listed below;
- A fashion truck business will require less investment than a brick-and-mortar shop. Hence it is a cost-effective and profitable business idea.
- Prices of clothes in the fashion truck are lesser than those in a boutique because it does not have higher establishment and maintenance costs like the boutiques.
- Fashion trucks attract more customers as it reaches them and they don’t need to go to the shop to buy dresses.
- Selling for longer hours is another reason for the profitability of the fashion truck business. The mobile boutique is up for business for many long hours than ordinary shops or boutiques. Hence customers can avail the opportunity of buying at their convenient time.
- Fashion trucks are not always limited to a single brand. Hence the customers have a greater opportunity of choosing clothes from different brands. This increases the sales and therefore the profit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cost to Start a Fashion Truck Business?
To start your fashion truck company you will need an approximate investment of $ 70,000 to $80,000. This includes your truck, raw materials, dressmaking charges, salaries and wages of tailors, designers, an assistant, accountants, legal expenses, insurance premiums, and running costs like marketing and publicity, fuel, parking, etc.
What is the Profit Margin in Fashion Tuck Business?
The expected profit margin from your fashion truck business may range between 15-25%. However, it depends on the marketing skill and quality of your products.
Can I operate a fashion truck without a physical store?
Yes, you can run a fashion truck without a physical store. In fact, this is one of the main advantages of a fashion truck business. Moreover, since you your business is mobile, it allows to reach different customer segments and explore new markets by attending various events and selling your merchandise in different locations.
Editorial Team at 99BusinessIdeas is a team of experts led by Rupak Chakrabarty with over 25 years of experience in starting and running small businesses. Started in 2010, 99BusinessIdeas is now one of the largest free small business resources in the industry.
