Hey Edwards,
What’s the Trend for 2017 Uniforms and Uniform Programs?
Q. What are the top trends in uniforms?
A. Edwards looks at a number of top trends from retail inspired styles, colors, and fits to working directly with our distributors and their customers to gain insight into what they require for their uniform program. They will provide us with ideas regarding their brand and collectively we’ll come up with solutions. Ultimately, the wearer of the uniform wants something that is fashionable and flattering for everybody no matter how you put it all together.
Q. Are there particular tech and performance features that are especially popular for uniforms?
A. Yes, there are a number of critical tech and performance features for popular uniform programs. Let’s just take a hospitality example. The uniform must not only fit well and look fashionable, but the fabric should have a soft hand and be easy to care for with home laundry. Fabrics that have wrinkle resistant and soil release finishes are critical and for those hot work environments, garments that wick moisture are a must.
Q. What are some of the nuances of selling between different types of uniforms—i.e.,culinary, medical, restaurant, safety, etc.?
A. A visual of what the uniform will look like in the end users setting is one of the best ways to show the product. Edwards sales reps will usually show a good, better, and best solution in order to gain insight into what the buyer requires. They also will want to know how many job functions will be included in the uniform program meaning is it just the front desk of the hotel property, or will it include housekeeping, maintenance, and the restaurant staff too.
Q. What are the best, or preferred, types of decoration to use on uniforms? Why?
A. Decoration preferences include embroidery of the property or business logo and a place for a badge with their name to go below that decoration. Over the years 90% of the embroidered decoration would go on the left chest. What is trending today is that decoration on collars, cuffs, back yoke and even the tail of the shirt are now popular logo placements.
Q. What is the biggest challenge for distributors when selling uniforms? How can they overcome it?
A. The biggest challenge for some distributors after they sell the uniform program is the logistics and next steps. What I mean by that is how do you collect all the measurements by employee, place the order, decorate the order and then drop ship it to multiple destinations. At Edwards, we work with the distributor to provide easy solutions to uniform program logistics.
Q. What are 1 to 3 of your best sales tips when it comes to uniforms?
A. The best sales tip is service to the account. Now that the purchaser has decided on the garments, then getting them ordered, decorated and shipped to their final destination is critical. The buyer wants to know that they are working with a reputable supplier and that the products will be ready when they need them. Quality garments is a must in today’s environment, so service to the customer is really what sets you apart from your competition.
Q. What is your advice to distributors looking to turn uniform orders into repeat orders, or looking to bundle the uniform order with another item?
A. Uniform orders will always be repeat orders as long as you service the customer. What I mean by this is that employee turnover occurs and how quickly you can get a new uniform to that client will determine your success for repeat orders. That is why Edwards works with our distributor partners to make sure that we carry deep inventories to accommodate this event. This really is where a uniform supplier differs from retail because once you put a style and color in the line it needs to have staying power. That distributor needs to know that for the duration of their program the garments will be available.
Q. What is one way that selling uniforms differs from selling other apparel?
A. Selling a uniform really opens up new markets for distributors and it does differ from selling items for a special event. Being successful means taking the time to understand the needs of the customer and then finding the right solution for them. This may mean developing story boards, providing a garment fit line, taking body measurements, discussing how to handle decoration and then fulfillment and follow-up. The rewards of selling a uniform program are tremendous, but there is a lot of coordination and communication to make sure it goes smoothly. I always recommend that a distributor new to selling uniform programs start small. What I mean by that is take one department at a time. If you are working with a hotel, start with housekeeping or the restaurant. You’ll learn quickly how to handle situations that arise, but it will be on a scale that is controllable.
Q Can you provide an example of a particularly successful promotion you’ve been part of? Why was it such a success?
A. A Decorator Distributor of Edwards wanted to present a new pant concept to their school system client. They had already sold woven shirts to them, but they wanted their staff to look more uniform from top to bottom. The challenge was the staff wearing these pants were all female team members working in a cafeteria and they wanted the pant to be stylish, comfortable, breathable, and easy to home launder. They were definitely looking for something different. What was proposed and selected by the program purchaser was an easy fit chino pant modified to capris length. The easy fit waistband provided the waistband adjustment and the fabric contains performance features that included soil release and moisture wicking finishes. The Edwards eCustom team was able to modify the pants into capris providing a sample for review prior to the order. Once the order was placed it took about two weeks to complete the pant modifications and ship them directly to the customer. The success of this program is the Decorator Distributor created a new market by selling a stylish and comfortable capris pant to their client. They also learned how better to understand the uniform needs of their customer and what they could improve upon when selling uniforms to other customers.