New Bike Clothing Website Opening Have Your Say

[Guest]

Hi Guys & Girls,

Ive just stumbled across your website & had a quick look around (it looks good)

I know this is my first post & im already asking for your help

Im thinking of opening my own clothing & parts company (im currently in talks with different companies Alpine Stars. Richa etc.)

Im a biker with a lot of time on his hands right now after quite a bad off which got me thinking the only thing that saved my life was having the correct gear on.

So im looking for some feedback on what you guys look for when buying gear from the internet

Please if you could spare 2 minutes of your time to let me know i would be grateful.

Of course once its all set up ill be offering a discount to all members

Many Thanks In Adavance

[Guest philgale]

TBH i dont buy gear of internet, i like to know they fit so always go to a shop.

i will be getting a new 1 piece suit soon and that will be ixon because they give you free track days, so thats what i looked for

i would prob buy clothing offline if they were a lot cheaper than the shops, and i can exchange if wrong size.

never buy a lid without trying the one im buying on, not just the same make and model i wanna try the one im buying...

good luck and looking forward to some discount

[MtotheJ]

Like philgale has said, i want to know that my gear fits me. So youd need to have an easy returns policy and be clear that you are able to return and how. Then have the gear in sections, textiles, leathers then sections of one piece, two piece etc. etc.

If youre selling parts as well, what gets on my t*ts is when you cant just search for your bike and model and then it only come up with stuff thats available for your bike. I hate trawling through lists of accessories etc, finding what i want then realising its not available for my bike!

Edit: Oh and have a variety of budget gear and top end stuff. Like aplinestars, dainese, berik then cheaper stuff like RST, Frank Thomas and less known names. I like having the option of buying £200 gloves or £40 ones, stuff like that.

[Guest Mr Miller]

For me, t'internet is used as a big catalogue - I have a look at what's available - then go try 'em on in a shop!

What looks good in one manufacturer's brochure or website might not feel as good 'in the flesh!'

There's no-way a web-based 'shop' can beat that.....and my nearest bike gear shops are 20 miles North or 18 miles South!

But...................

It's always horses for courses, isn't it? There are those peeps that love the whols web shopping and can get decent gear and cracking bargains!

Good luck with your venture, though,

All the best!

Mr. M.

[mojobanana]

A decent ladies range!

with info on leg length..! My inside leg is 35" and I can not find trousers long enough. Using men's just isn't good enough as the waist is all wrong and is exacerbated when you're actually gripping the handlebars. HG only do tiny bird gear...

Anyway, info on delivery costs, option to collect/drop off, contact info for queries... can't think of anything else atm!

[boot]

To be fair, I think first post on a forum asking for help setting up a shop is less likely to get custom even with a discount, than a regular looking to do the same - under the current climate, people are factoring price and loyalty when making purchasing decisions. Nevertheless, you're making an effort, so here goes.

First things first, get your homepage sorted and look at the best ways to improve organic search (seo) on google. 90% of search is performed through google, and you won't appear overnight. I'm assuming you won't be looking at paid search? If you are, let me know, I can provide you with a little info, FOC.

Being remarkable is what will help you triumph your competition.

Lets say for instance, I lose one of the clips from my TCX Infinity boots, I haven't done, but what if I did? I don't know where I'd get a replacement, although I'd go back to the retailer I got them from and they'd probably order one, it'd take a few days and they'd probably charge me a few quid for it too, even though I parted with a serious amount of dosh with them in the first place. You can see where this is going.

Maybe you could look at unique, yet amazingly useful accessories available in the US, but not here in the UK, and then look for getting sole distribution rights in the UK. That way, you're providing to the community that you wish to deal with, without the stiff competition of retailing the same gear everyone else is. This way you'd probably have an ok margin, can budget on pre-orders if you can acquire guarantees on delivery etc. Many manufacturers and wholesalers require minimum quantity sales on new accounts and it could cost you a small fortune just to get set up, before you know it's going to work. Becoming a distributor might not be that exciting, but possibly would be much less risky.

Anyway, good luck, retail is a tough business to be in.

[Susieque]

Definitely go with Mojo - more choice for us girlies! It almost seems that in a lot of bike stores/sites, lady riders are a bit of an afterthought.

I would buy clothing on the internet if the price was good - including postage, but only after I'd been able to try on elsewhere.

Certainly wouldn't buy helmet on the internet - it's so important that they fit well and are comfortable, and I'm not sure that I'd trust it hadn't been knocked in delivery.

Maybe a good range of additional stuff - undergarments, back protectors etc too.

[Colin the Bear]

My inside leg is 35"

 

[Guest]

I agree with most of what's been said here - while getting new stuff for starting out riding at least, I don't buy clothes online without trying them out in the shops. Then you've got to wait for them to be delivered, so the only benefit gained from buying online is the price. Make it quite a bit lower than shops

Cheap luggage (for occasional use) I've also found a little tricky to come by - it's either used, off eBay, or quite pricey.

Girls stuff too! Being a midgety 5 feet nothing is going to cause me trouble when looking for trousers, I think...

Most importantly, keep your site clean and easy to use. There's nothing more annoying than a flashing red white and blue site with graphics of different quality all over the place, and little to no information about what you're buying. Make it accessible (able to increase font size, for example) for the oldies out there (they might be buying presents for a bike-enthusiastic young relative, even if they can't see to drive themselves!). Organic SEO is important too, as previously mentioned - get a couple of other sites to link to you, and link to them in return. Consider a Google Adwords account and get a paid link on Google searches. Make sure all your pages have the right meta information set up.

And for the love of christ, take Paypal as a payment option. People are much more confident with a branded payment option rather than a shifty-looking credit card form.

...phew. Longer than I expected

[mojobanana]

Girls stuff too! Being a midgety 5 feet nothing is going to cause me trouble when looking for trousers, I think...

Ah... the other side of the coin!

Agree with the paypal thing too.

[Gem]

As other people have said, definitely more girls gear than on other websites!!!

I don't know about the other women on here, but I'm not a tomboy so I don't want to look like a guy in leathers when I'm on a bike, I want people to recognize that I'm a woman, women bike too (even if it is just pillion like me at the moment)!!!

I got extremely frustrated when looking around for a leather jacket as everything looked so manly...even a lot of the women's clothing I saw looked like it was more unisex than specifically for women.

About the helmet thing, I haven't bought one online yet but if it was cheaper than in the shops (and I'd already tried it on in a shop too) then I'd buy one from a website.

Oh and I also agree with the paypal option!

P.s. mojobanana how tall are you? sorry!

[mojobanana]

P.s. mojobanana how tall are you? sorry!

I'm only 5'10" but my legs are quite long and I'm paranoid about wearing clothes that are too short because it just looks stupid. Getting clothes in general isn't as much of a problem these days, but there doesn't seem to be much info on leg lengths. The trousers I do have ride up to the top of my boots when I'm on the bike already!

[Guest]

have a good range of stuff people would buy without trying on, waterproof oversuits, one and 2 piece, along with accessories like bike covers and soft luggage, covering a broad price range..

things i would and have bought online, gloves, t-shirts, undergarments/winterwarmers, neck tubes, balaclavas, earplugs, paddockwear, fleeces, lanyards, helmet bags, thick socks..

[Guest]

Hay i get alot of my stuff of the internet especially if its cheaper then in the shops and i think thats the biggest thing of just making sure you prices are cheap for the products also products you dont see in the shops.

I sugest that you try looking at some of the ebay shops and other motorbike shops that are online and see how they work.

As i have been at uni doing web design i know bits about good web design and find that it would be one of the biggest parts that you would have to look at making sure things a easy access, clear but not boring (compleatly white pages things like that), useable pictures all sorts.

And a BIG thing for me as i am new to bikeing is user reviews and 5 start rating systems so that people can see what others think about the product etc

Hope this all helps

Gunmens

[Korben]

As has been mentioned getting things off the net can be a toughie as fiiting is a problem....

I would make sure you concentrate on the little things that people don't worry too much about the size... Ear Plugs, Balaclavas, a good selection of thermals and stuff like that.