Few industries are as competitive as apparel retail. And we know that standing out from the crowd and growing a successful business comes with a laundry list of challenges. To distinguish your clothing, shoes, or accessories brand with consistently memorable and frictionless customer experiences—online and across multiple locations—it’s essential to have the right tools and technology.
Shopify POS, a point-of-sale platform that’s a great fit for apparel merchants, offers a comprehensive suite of features to help you easily manage inventory, fulfill orders with confidence, empower your sales staff, and delight your customers with personalized interactions. With its native omnichannel capabilities, Shopify POS is more than just a checkout solution—it’s a robust operating system that equips retail brands with the tools and features they need to overcome industry challenges and deliver exceptional shopping experiences at scale. And with its user-friendly interface, even your newest trainee staff members will be POS pros in no time.
Here are five ways Shopify POS can help apparel merchants grow their businesses.
1. Create exceptional in-store experiences
In the intensely competitive apparel industry, the ability to create a memorable and engaging in-store experience is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. While online shopping offers convenience, nothing can compare to the sensory experience of discovering new styles, trying on garments, and receiving personalized service from a showroom staff.
Shopify POS empowers apparel merchants with a range of tools and features to enhance in-store experiences for their customers. They include:
- Customer profiles: Create detailed customer profiles to track purchase history, preferences, and contact information. Implement loyalty programs and offer gift cards that encourage repeat purchases and build customer loyalty.
- Checkout anywhere: Let customers check out anywhere they want with best-in-class mobile and countertop hardware solutions.
- Returns: Provide customers with the flexibility they need to make effortless returns from any online or retail location.
By tapping into the powerful features of Shopify POS, apparel merchants can build stronger customer relationships, drive repeat purchases, and maximize customer lifetime value. From personalized marketing campaigns to flexible payment options and effortless returns, Shopify POS offers everything you need to create a seamless and rewarding customer experience that keeps them coming back for more.
2. Control your inventory management
Effective inventory management is crucial for any apparel business. This is especially true when dealing with factors like seasonal fluctuations in demand, color and size variations, and supply chain disruptions. Empty shelves lead to lost sales and overstocking is simply wasted money.
Shopify POS comes with out-of-the-box inventory management features that allow retailers to optimize inventory levels, avoid stockouts, and reduce excess inventory costs. It’s a truly omnichannel experience where online and in-store experiences are synced seamlessly for your customers—when they see something is in stock online, they know it’ll be in stock when they visit your store.
Upgrade to Shopify POS Pro to use advanced inventory features to manage their stock levels and optimize inventory profitability:
- Low stock reports (POS Pro feature): Stock levels can change due to shrinkage, loss, returns, exchanges, or damaged products. Receive warnings of low stock based on current rate of sales and lead time for each vendor.
- Detailed inventory reports (POS Pro feature): Stock levels can change due to shrinkage, loss, returns, exchanges, and damaged products. Accurately monitor inventory levels and use inventory reports to plan for the future. Stock adjustments allow retailers to modify the inventory levels recorded following a stock take to reflect changes or discrepancies in the actual stock on hand, keeping inventory records accurate and helping you confidently plan for the future.
- Inventory analysis (POS Pro feature): Decide which products are worth reordering and which are taking up valuable storage and cash based with the stock performance grading system.
Big brands often rely on a dedicated system for managing their omnichannel sales. Shopify POS seamlessly connects, allowing for a smooth data exchange. This real-time visibility into inventory levels helps prevent stockouts and overstocks, reducing losses and improving customer satisfaction. Customers who have switched to Shopify POS reported 40% less time spent reconciling inventory.
3. Smarten up your order fulfillment
In today's fast-paced retail environment, seamless and efficient order fulfillment is crucial for apparel merchants to stay competitive. Customers look for flexibility in how they make their purchases, and they often spend time shopping both online and in store.
That’s where Shopify POS comes in, equipping apparel merchants with a powerful solution to take control of their order fulfillment process. By combining features like intelligent demand forecasting and in-store pickup pro, Shopify POS provides everything you need to deliver exceptional customer experiences and maximize your sales potential.
Here's how Shopify POS helps apparel merchants optimize their order fulfillment:
- Demand forecasting (POS Pro feature): Receive purchase order recommendations based on current trends, considering both past product performance and upcoming seasonal fluctuations to optimize your inventory and sales.
- In-store pickup (POS Pro feature): Simplify your in-store pickup operations and streamline customer experiences by managing and fulfilling orders directly from your user-friendly Shopify POS.
- Buy in store, ship to customer (POS Pro feature): Customers can buy in store and ship to their homes with the order routed to the appropriate store for the retailers’ tracking. This reduces unnecessary shipping costs and product delays.
By leveraging Shopify POS's intelligent features and seamless integration with various channels, apparel merchants can confidently navigate today's complex retail landscape, optimize their order fulfillment process, and achieve sustainable growth.
4. Unlock growth with data-driven insights and reporting
Shopify POS goes beyond basic transactions, providing comprehensive reporting that equips apparel merchants with valuable insights into their business performance. These insights can help you identify sales trends, customer preferences, and inventory movement patterns, giving you the ability to make informed decisions about inventory management, marketing strategies, product assortment, and staffing levels.
Shopify POS has incredible reporting and analytics features to generate data like:
- Product reports: Get insights to understand product-level performance.
- Discount reports: Track the performance of your promotions so you can evolve your approach over time.
- Cash flow reports: Understand how much you’ll be paid and when you’ll receive your money from in-person and online sales.
With Shopify POS, data-driven decision-making becomes the new standard. By unlocking the power of comprehensive reporting and insightful analytics, you'll gain unparalleled visibility into your business performance so you can optimize operations and maximize profitability.
5. Use our marketing tools to scale your business
In a retail landscape where customers are spoiled for choice, effective marketing strategies are essential for apparel merchants to attract new customers, drive sales, and build brand loyalty. However, managing and implementing targeted marketing campaigns can be complex, especially for businesses with limited resources and time.
Shopify POS seamlessly integrates powerful marketing tools designed to help apparel merchants of all sizes reach their target audience, personalize customer experiences, and maximize their marketing ROI. Here are some of the key marketing features that empower Shopify POS users to fuel their growth:
- Product reviews: Encourage customers to leave product reviews that can be used in your online store and Google search results to encourage sales.
- Social media integration: Create campaigns to connect with your local customers that drive store visits and sales
- Email marketing: Capture customer emails at checkout and stay in touch with marketing emails and promotions.
In today's competitive retail landscape, the success of an apparel business hinges on its ability to connect with customers and drive meaningful engagement. By fostering strong customer relationships and driving targeted campaigns, you can unlock new opportunities and propel your apparel business to new levels.
Grow your apparel business with Shopify POS
Shopify POS is an indispensable tool that empowers apparel merchants of all sizes to grow and scale with ease. By providing a streamlined platform for inventory management, enhanced customer experiences, unified omnichannel selling, data-driven insights, and seamless marketing tools, Shopify POS puts the power in your hands. Say goodbye to checkout chaos and confidently navigate the ever-changing retail landscape with a smoother and more memorable selling experience.
