If you decide to retail your own clothing then there is a very high chance that you will want to sell your clothing online. Of course you can sell your clothing on Ebay, and there a many small clothing lines that may do this to create awareness. However, in order to promote a certain quality and credibility in your brand, it is likely that you will want something more professional.
Using shopping cart software allows the most customization and allows you to take the most control over your store, however, a high degree of technical knowledge will be required or the budget available to pay a web technician. It works by installing the software onto your own server which you will then configure to your needs and use to add your products too. This method can also be the most cost effective for a long term strategy as it is usually cheaper to run once you have purchased the software. I have put together a list of web hosting providers and shopping cart software for you to use.
There are a number of online services available on the internet which host and maintain your online shop for you. With a monthly fee, services such as Big Cartel allow you to obtain your own online store with very limited technical knowledge required. The downside, however, is the customization limitations and also the limitations of how many products you sell in your store.
Online shopping malls such as District Lines are similar products being sold from the same website. Although similar to an online store service, and each brand sometimes having it’s own storefront, each is not completely individual and contained within the main website which allows for shoppers to discover other brands within the ‘mall’.
