If you’re in the market to buy apparel, it seems you have a sea of suppliers vying for your business. How do you find the apparel supplier that best fits your needs, is easy to work with, and provides the customer service level you require? It is important to set guidelines to ensure you find the supplier that meets all the demands of your business.

Guidelines for Choosing an Apparel Supplier

1. Look for a supplier who specializes in the promotional products industry. Retail companies provide a recognized name and often a perception of quality or style, but may not be prepared to handle your type of business.

2. Look for a supplier that mimics the latest styles in the retail market.

3. Look for coordination between men’s and ladies’ styles.

4. Look for color coordination between products.

5. Look for a supplier that treats you as a partner, rather than just a buyer.

Spreading the Business Around
Once you’ve narrowed the field, feel free to spread your business around. One supplier may not be able to meet all of your apparel needs. However, you should reward suppliers that provide the best service.

Embroidery Choices: Local Decorators vs. Apparel Suppliers
Most likely, you have used a trusted local decorator. However, it is often appropriate to use the embroidery service offered by a supplier. Not all suppliers have decoration capability. Provided that the quality is good, there are some advantages to using a supplier for decoration.

Your supplier becomes a one-stop shop and is responsible for the product from start to finish. This makes your job easier. You are dealing with only one vendor.

The supplier is familiar with the placement of the embroidery as well as logistical issues associated with decorating the garment. This means fewer decorating mistakes.

Having the decorated garment shipped directly from the supplier cuts freight costs. That’s a cost savings to both you and your customer.

If your customer has a tight turnaround time, use a supplier for embroidery to make the most of every moment. You’ll be saving money on overnight freight charges too.

If you haven’t used a supplier’s embroidery service before, do some homework now to compare prices and services. Understand what they offer; and learn how those services can help your business.

Asking the right questions ahead of time will save you (and ultimately your customers) time and money, and result in the growth of your apparel business.