How to Create Your Financial Plan Part 4: Do Your Sales Forecasting

When it comes to your fashion business financial plan, something that shouldn’t be ignored is sales forecasting.

Now, I’d like to say something important here. When you are launching your business, you have zero historical data to use to create sales projections. So you have to rely on industry trends and basic market research . Which means that yes, there is a certain amount of guessing that takes place here.

Basically, you collect as much research as is possible and then you make an informed guess, with the understanding that you will pay attention and make adjustments once you launch.

That said, this is not an invitation to ignore sales projections in your fashion business. Accurate sales projections can help you to make informed decisions and allocate resources effectively.

So let’s talk about this more.

The Importance of Sales Forecasting in the Fashion Business

1. Efficient Inventory Management: By understanding which products are likely to sell better, you can optimize your inventory management. Avoiding overstocking and sellouts helps in reducing storage costs and lost sales opportunities, increasing your profitability. Win!
2. Resource Allocation and Budgeting: Fashion businesses require strategic allocation of resources and budgeting to survive and grow. Sales forecasting enables you to plan marketing campaigns and production schedules in alignment with projected sales.
3. Financial Planning and Risk Mitigation: Accurate sales projections assist in financial planning by estimating revenue and profit figures for the upcoming periods. Also, they help identify potential risks and challenges, allowing businesses to implement risk mitigation strategies in advance.
4. Identifying Growth Opportunities: Sales forecasting not only provides an overview of the current performance but also helps identify potential growth opportunities. Understanding emerging trends and consumer preferences allows fashion businesses to capitalize on new markets and product niches.

Methods for Projecting Sales in the Fashion Business

I know that it can be really overwhelming to try to figure out how  you can project sales. While I do think independent fashion business owners can put too much pressure on themselves to have all the right answers, there are things that can help you make reasonable sales projections.

1. Market Research: Thorough market research is the foundation of accurate sales forecasting. You need to gather data on competitors, customer preferences, and market trends. This information provides valuable insights into demand patterns and pricing strategies. What do you competitors charge for similar products? What colors or silhouettes are sold out on their websites? What colors or styles are they introducing? What are people saying in the reviews on their product pages? etc.
2. Industry Trends Analysis: The fashion industry is highly influenced by trends, seasons, and consumer behavior. Analyzing industry reports and expert insights helps fashion businesses identify trends and forecast future demand for specific styles, colors, and products. So have a subscription to Women’s Wear Daily and read it.
3. Customer Demographics and Behavior: Understanding your target audience is essential for sales forecasting. Analyzing customer demographics, purchasing behavior, and preferences helps predict sales trends. This data can be obtained through surveys and social media analytics.
4. Historical Sales Data: (for brands who already launch and have sales history to review). Past sales data is a valuable resource for forecasting. By analyzing historical sales figures, you can identify seasonal patterns, sales peaks, and troughs, helping you plan for similar patterns in the future.
5. Promotional Activities and Marketing Efforts: Marketing campaigns and promotional activities can significantly impact sales. By assessing the effectiveness of past marketing efforts, businesses can estimate the potential impact of future campaigns on sales.

Tips for Making the Process Easier

1. Break Down Goals into Achievable Steps: Instead of setting an annual sales goal, break it down into quarterly or monthly targets. This approach allows you to monitor progress more effectively and make adjustments if needed throughout the year.
2. Factor in External Influences: Be mindful of external factors that could impact sales, such as holidays, seasonality, societal happenings, and pop culture.  Adjust your targets accordingly to accommodate these influences.
3. Align Goals with Marketing Strategies: Make sure that your sales goals align with the marketing strategies and promotional activities planned for the year. A well-coordinated approach will increase the chances of achieving your targets.
4. Set Stretch Goals: While setting achievable targets is crucial, introducing stretch goals can be exciting and help you to reach higher levels of performance. Stretch goals are challenging but attainable objectives that inspire you to push your marketing to new heights.
5. Regularly Review and Adjust Goals: The fashion industry is dynamic, and circumstances can change rapidly. Regularly review your sales goals and targets, and be prepared to adjust them as needed based on actual performance and market conditions.
6. Track Progress and Celebrate Success: Monitor progress towards your goals regularly and celebrate milestones and achievements along the way. Recognizing your accomplishments helps you to keep going.

Setting realistic sales goals and targets is a vital aspect of your fashion business’s success. Regularly reviewing and adjusting goals based on actual performance and market dynamics will keep the business on track for growth and profitability.

Remember to celebrate successes!