With the current statistics, there is a higher growth in nuclear families and more so of working moms. And what is one thing that all working moms love? PRACTICALITY!
They have money, and they seek practicality with it. They seek comfort while being pregnant. This becomes a compact reason as to why and how maternity wear is a market space one should definitely dive into as a manufacturer, supplier, or even a wholesaler.
In this era of originality, nobody wants to be seen wearing the same outfit as somebody else. That’s why everyone opts to purchase specialized mass production garments. There are a number of roadblocks one might fall into if they continue with their generic productions.
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Limited sizes - When you are making clothes for a wide range of places and people. The clothing ends up having a very limited size range. Manufacturers and brands often do that to scale up their target audience. But there is nothing more satisfying than having a small target audience that is satisfied with what they are provided with.
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Outdated styles - When it is a big bunch of people you wish to satisfy, more often than not, you end up with the same cliche designs on your shelves.
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Poor fit - Again! With such a huge spectrum of customers, you ought to make clothes that don’t fit anyone but misfit everyone just enough for them to buy. NOT COOL!
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Shelf rotation - Catering to a large audience, it can become difficult to provide new designs all the time.
In this time and age, the tech-backed inventor management by the suppliers help a lot with the supply chain management transparency. On-demand production, Dropshipping and predictive analytics have also developed a lot with the help of technology which makes the manufacturers and suppliers job much easier.
There is a checklist of things that a retailer must check before finalizing a wholesale supplier for themselves. Here is a checklist:
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Fabric quality and certifications provided by the manufacturers
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Range diversity that they provide. You should check the portfolios of their previous clients for this.
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Pricing tiers and MOQ flexibility is a must. Your manufacturer must be wanting to develop garments as per your demand and not the other way round.
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Delivery speed and returns policy are extremly important factor. Do look into their policies and if they allign with your own.
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Design support and trend forecasting is important to see if they are hopefully not giving to old season’s discarded pieces.
According to me, the future looks bright for niche category retailers. Maternity wear is for sure going to be looking at a rise as it has become part of the core offerings in the apparel retail. There is also a lot of potential for growth in the D2C brands using wholesale backends.
In 2025, the retailers who choose smart, specialized suppliers will be the ones who grow with their customers—literally. And as said before, growing families represent a growth in the maternity wear niche retail market hence that is a space which one shoul look into.
