How to grow your payments app with milliners and hat makers
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
Milliners and hat makers make hats, fascinators and headpieces for weddings, race days and other special events, and some also hire out hats or sell ready-made pieces at fairs and online. Made-to-measure pieces usually start with a deposit, with the balance at the final fitting or before the hat is posted. Busy seasons bring many orders at once. A payments app that sends deposit links, takes payment at fittings and handles hire deposits can win these makers, and every customer who pays sees your app.
Talk to milliners
Ask local milliners and hat makers:
- How do customers pay you today, and how often do you chase payments?
- Do you take a deposit for made-to-measure pieces?
- Do you hire out hats, and how do you take a deposit for hire?
- Do you sell at fairs, events or online?
Send deposit links for made-to-measure pieces
A payment link for the deposit lets the milliner buy materials and start work, and a second link gets the balance paid at the final fitting or before posting.
Take payment at fittings and for hire
Card and phone payments at fittings, and deposits for hats on hire returned after the event, keep the money simple in busy seasons.
Grow through wedding and fashion trades
Milliners work alongside bridal shops, tailors and dressmakers. One milliner on your app can bring the trades around them.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
What about bridal and formalwear shops?
The bridal and formalwear shops guide covers deposits when a dress or suit is ordered and the rest months later, often split between family members.
Bridal and formalwear shops →What about tailors and dressmakers?
The tailors guide covers custom orders that need a deposit and a final payment weeks later.
Tailors →Can I call it a bank?
In most countries "bank" is a protected word you can only use with a banking licence. Call it an account, a wallet, an app or a platform. The accounts and payments behind a SendPay Business platform are powered by licensed partners.
Is there a step-by-step plan I can follow?
Yes. The free launch checklist takes you from picking your people and naming your app to setting fees, going live and winning your first ten customers.
Digital bank app launch checklist →How do I start?
Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you pay. Your platform can be live on your own domain within 24 hours of confirmation.
Build my platform →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.