Six Reasons to Get Started with On-Demand Apparel Manufacturing

In today’s retail market, it’s increasingly crucial to be able to react to fluctuations in demand with speed, accuracy, and quality service. Whether you’re a niche brand or a large company, on-demand manufacturing (ODM) gives your business the agility it needs to thrive in today’s fast-paced, fragmented markets.

Below, find out how on-demand apparel manufacturing can help you take your brand from retailing cookie-cutter products to producing high-quality, highly personalized apparel while reducing risk and increasing speed of innovation.

1. Skip the warehouse…

ODM takes the weight of warehousing off your shoulders. That means lower costs for you, and no inventory risk, from loss to damage to theft. For small and new brands, this can be the difference between getting your business off the ground and getting bogged down or even road blocked by warehousing costs.

But even large and established enterprises benefit from the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of offloading inventory storage. If you’ve already got a warehousing system, ODM allows you to leave that avenue free for existing goods while you experiment with new or limited product lines, without further burdening your resources, staff, or margins.

2. …and the inventory risk.

Because ODM is designed to provide only the goods you need, exactly when you need them, you don’t have to worry about over-stocking. Whether you warehouse your own stock or let your manufacturer handle it, you never want your company’s assets to be frozen in a bloated inventory.

Not only does over-stocking tie up cash and resources that could be better spent elsewhere, but it can also lead to markdowns and brand dilution down the line.

3. React more nimbly to market demands.

The traditional manufacturing model relies on high minimum order quantities (MOQs) to offset production costs, and tends to have higher lead times than ODM. This means higher upfront costs for you and longer wait times for your customers – a lose-lose in a consumer climate that thrives on speed, flexibility, and specificity.

With ODM, low or no MOQs and shorter lead times let you get your personalized apparel into customers’ hands more quickly, and respond to demand fluctuations with speed and transparency.

4. Test the market with small, high-quality batches.

Whether you’re a new business just getting started or a seasoned company with a loyal customer base, the ability to test markets always offers a competitive advantage. With lower upfront costs and shorter turnaround times, you can order quality goods fast with less risk than ever before, and test their viability in real time, with real customers.

You’ve got little to lose and everything to gain from that kind of manufacturing agility.

5. Take advantage of design expertise – and affordability.

Traditional manufacturing doesn’t necessarily allow for seamless prototype design, often charging extra for sampling, if they offer it at all. The Studio’s expert design team will work with you on prototypes until you’ve got exactly what you want, at no extra cost.

6. Get up and running now.

ODM lowers the barrier to entry for new entrepreneurs and opens doors to limited and niche markets for larger, established businesses. By sharing the load of warehousing, setting lower MOQs or eliminating them altogether, and prioritizing reactivity over-forecasting, ODM saves you upfront costs and gives you greater control over your margins, making manufacturing more accessible across the board.

Traditional manufacturing can weigh down your supply chain with high upfront costs, long turnaround times, and inventory burdens, holding big companies back and barring new companies from entry to the retail world altogether. With high-quality, cut & sew ODM services including free design, The/Studio lets you start the personalized apparel line of your dreams – today.