The third stage in the textile buying cycle or a B2B buyer’s journey is ‘evaluation,’ where buyers identify a need and conduct an extensive search to determine the textile companies in India that can potentially fulfill their demands.
But as you may be aware, buyers trying to establish a long-term partnership with knitted and woven fabric manufacturers like you might conduct thorough research on you. They may visit your manufacturing unit, review your profile on TEXchange and your records with DMI, speak with your customers and check your website. This gets you a chance of reaching their shortlist – you are on priority but still haven’t locked a sales deal.
So, how do you make it on your industrial buyer’s shortlist? What must you do to ensure that buyers see you are worthy of their time and keep you under consideration?
This blog will explore ideas and tips for top textile companies in India.
Let us start with an example:
Think about the last time you went on a vacation. You identified the need and listed the general parameters – I want to go for a week-long vacation. I want to visit a low-budget hill station.
From that, you determined ways to spend the week – maybe visit a few places in east India, such as Shillong, Darjeeling, Shimla, and Gangtok, with an X budget, stay in 3-star hotels that face a lake, and probably attempt a few sports activities like bungee jumping.
With this kind of information, you can typically narrow down your choices.
But what if you had a travel company that offered everything you wanted and arranged it? – package cost, sights to see, flight rates, local transportation suggestions, food and
accommodation options with prices, and sports activities in your budget. Meanwhile, another company gave you limited information with limited choices. Would you choose the latter? Probably not.
The same theory applies when you sell cotton fabric online in India. If you are not providing enough about your company to your prospective buyers, it probably means you are taking yourself out of the running for their shortlist, even before you have a chance. And even if you are one of the best-woven fabric manufacturers around.
Textile B2B Buyers Look at the Following Things in Manufacturers
Today, buyers prefer to evaluate textile companies in India anonymously, create a shortlist of potential suppliers, and then contact them.
The following aspects build the foundation of all your growth efforts. How you strengthen them, where you display them, and how you market these aspects play an essential role in your buyer’s evaluation process.
Certifications and Accredits
Most B2B buyers demand that the cotton and woven fabric manufacturers maintain certain certifications and follow a stringent quality control procedure. Displaying your certifications and accreditations, such as company registration, quality certifications, and trade association memberships will help you legitimize your company and show your customers that you are here for serious business.
Product Details (Quality, Specifications, and Price)
Today buyers know what they want. And they will often assess and research the product before contacting you. For instance, when you buy a smartphone, you identify the key
hardware and software specifications you need in your phone. And you would choose a brand that provides all this information on its product page.
Having a website with an updated product page is crucial for your business. In fact, 40% of our B2B buyers say that a supplier’s online presence, probably a website or business details in a marketplace, matters a lot.
So, make sure you have all the information updated on your website, including specifications, size and dimension, performance and unique features, pricing, inventory level, variations available, customization options, and services.
Buyers want to see how your textile products can fit into their requirements. Make sure you include a downloadable online catalog or brochure for your buyer’s reference.
Equipment List
While the product is important, how you manufacture it is equally important, particularly to customers looking for eco-friendly products. When consumers are first shortlisting you, one of the fundamental things they want to know is whether or not you can produce the level of capacity they are expecting.
So, be as precise as you can when describing the machinery or the process you use in manufacturing the products, including brand, number of machinery, and their tolerance level. Such information will go a long way in building your company’s reputation in assisting buyers in knowing precisely what they can expect from you. This also sets the right tone for your competitors.
Order Management Performance
On-time delivery and a cost-effective supply chain are generally the top KPIs when evaluating top textile companies in India. Many buyers will prefer contacting your current
customers to check this.
But if you are confident in your delivery and order management performance, highlight it up and front on your website or brochure. Zero refunds, 100% online order processing, real-time order tracking, and on-time delivery appeal to buyers very well.
You may also share case studies and testimonials on your website and contact your previous buyers in case your potential customers ask for references.
Manufacturing Unit Information
Buyers who are genuinely interested in establishing long-term partnerships will want to visit your factory or manufacturing facility to evaluate your work. However, giving them a glimpse of your facility through images and videos (on your website or social media profile) will help them assess you even better during the evaluation phase.
Store videos, process videos and pictures, BIS stories, and virtual tours will help you stand out in the shortlisting process.
Production Capacity
Buyers will frequently want to know your production capacity – how much of the specific textile fabric you can manufacture in a stipulated period. What is your full capacity? What about quality control and maintenance? What are your minimum and maximum orders, and how does this affect the cost?
Top textile companies in India might also see previously worked projects before placing orders for cotton fabric online in India. Providing this information early in the evaluation process will save you and the buyers time.
Wrapping Up
Getting on the buyer’s shortlist is difficult in today’s challenging textile trading market. In fact, you will most likely not know you are on their shortlist until they contact you for the first time. Speed, efficiency, quality, customization, and information readily available online are the key.
No matter how large or small the buyer’s company is, they all use a set of parameters to shortlist their suppliers. Price is not the only factor that buyers consider when making a decision. It is also not the most important factor.
As a cotton woven fabric manufacturer, you must communicate your business value beyond price, such as your product specifications, online trading options, production capacity, product quality, inventory and order management, and post-sales customer service.
