Is Leather Bag Business Profitable?
According to the latest market report, the market share of apparel accessories is 20%. the demand for leather goods has been rising at a rate of 4% per year since 2015. Leather products have become increasingly popular globally in recent years. With the development of the Internet and changing lifestyles, consumer demand has shifted to creative designs and innovative leather products.
As more and more people carry laptops, office documents, notepads, and many other items in their daily office and business activities, the demand for corresponding leather products is also increasing.
The demand for different types of leather bags is high all over the world. The demand for leather goods includes wallets, handbags, belts, keychains, notebook covers, etc. The industry, therefore, continues to grow virtuously.
This shows that the potential of the leather bag market is huge. Due to the material, its price will be more expensive than other textile materials, but at the same time will give you more added value.
So let’s learn how to start your own leather bag business and whether it is the right fit for you.
Start a leather business by following these 10 steps:
The 10 steps
Step 1. Plan your Leather Bag Business
As a startup company, a clear plan is the key to success. It will help you outline the details of your business and identify some potential problems. This will save you a lot of money. Here are some important topics to consider:
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How do you get your leather products?
- What channels are you using to sell your product?
- What name will you give your company?
Step 2. Licenses and Taxes
Register your business and apply for a federal business tax ID for tax purposes. Whether you are buying domestically or importing from another country, it will benefit your tax efforts. If you buy leather bags on a wholesale basis, consider getting a resale permit so you can buy wholesale products tax-free and add sales tax on resale.
Step 3. Choose the right product
There are various types of purses, including leather handbags, leather wallets, leather makeup bags, leather briefcases, etc. Choose the products that you think have potential, and you can use tools like Google Trends to see what products are hot these days.
Step 4. Confirm the design
Once you have identified the leather products you want to sell, the next step is to start designing the style of your leather bag products, if you have design experience you can design a technical bag yourself, if you don’t have any design experience you can find the right designer on Fiverr, Upwork to get help. Usually, for startups, we recommend exploring the market for similar products that are selling well and then analyzing their strengths and weaknesses and improving them. This will save you a lot of money and increase your success rate.
Step 5. Find a great leather product manufacturer
Finding the right leather goods manufacturer is arguably the most critical step in determining the quality of your products and the first impression your customers will have of your brand.
So where can you find the right leather products suppliers?
- Google search, search for keywords like “leather goods suppliers” and you will get a lot of results, choose the top sites to check them out one by one.
- Through B2B platforms, you can find thousands of suppliers on B2B platforms like Alibaba or Made In China, but you need to spend a lot of time to identify them, because many of the above stores are behind some small workshops.
Step 6. Sample making and mass production
Once you have established initial communication with your leather goods supplier, the next step is to create a sample, which is the blueprint for mass production afterwards, so make sure it will satisfy you 100%, and a good supplier will patiently work with you to improve the sample.
If everything is fine, the next step is mass production, which usually takes about 25 days.
Step 7. Prepare product photos and videos
During this time of production, you can start preparing your product photos. Whether you are selling in physical store or on Amazon or Shopify, an attractive set of product images will greatly increase the purchase conversion rate. Again you can find the appropriate photographer on Fiverr or Upwork, and discussing the style of your product shots with them in advance is an important step.
With these photos and videos, you can warm up your subsequent sales on social media!
Step 8. Set Up an Online Store
For startups, we recommend establishing an online sales channel.
In our experience this is the most cost effective way to sell. Due to the new crown epidemic, more and more transactions are moving online, which is why Amazon and Shopify are getting hotter and hotter.
If you don’t know how to make your own website, consider using an e-commerce platform such as Shopify or Bigcommerce. you can also create accounts on sites such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy to become a third-party seller. These sites provide you with a well-established global customer base, ease of use and a supportive community of sellers.
With limited funds up front, we recommend investing in the Amazon platform because he has a lot of natural traffic and can get some exposure without advertising.
Step 9. Store Your Inventory
Store your purse products properly, as they are your source of income. This means storing them in a cool, dry and smoke free environment. Consider renting a warehouse or inventory insurance up front to protect your assets.
Step 10. Market Your Products Effectively
Use online marketing strategies to advertise your business. Pay-per-click advertising is a straightforward and effective case approach; you only need to pay for an ad when someone clicks on it. Whether it’s the Amazon platform or Shopify, we can use paid ads to drive traffic upfront.
In addition, social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram offer an easy, free way to promote your leather bag business. Post interesting and informative content with lots of pictures of your products.
Social media platforms allow you to talk directly to your customers and hear their opinions and suggestions through reviews, which also facilitates the development of new products later on.
Bottom line
Due to the increasing sophistication of online sales channels, conducting a leather product business becomes easier and easier for individuals or startups, the most important part of which is positioning your product and finding the right leather product supplier, as well as the final sales strategy.
If you can solve the above three points well, the leather bag business will go very smoothly!