Communicate with your customers exactly what will be on sale, or do a general “20% off of everything” advertisement. People that normally find your merchandise overpriced will jump at the opportunity to get those special things that they like at a discounted price. Keep track of any new customer information by collecting e-mail addresses and home addresses at the register. This way, you can send out communications to the people who only shop in your boutique around the holidays every year.

Think about what motivates people to shop at boutiques for the holidays and make sure that you’re giving them what they expect. They may be looking for a few higher priced items, but they may also be looking for stocking stuffers, unique gifts that are lower priced, and even a little something for themselves. Feature a wide range of products in your displays and make sure that you have plenty of smaller items for stocking stuffing around the register.

Another thing to consider is that people may be looking to get in and get out. If they have other shopping to do on Black Friday, they may be anxious to get their shopping done fast. Make sure that you have plenty of well-marked displays throughout the store showing them what deals you have going on. You can creatively lure customers into spending more time at your displays with candles for them to smell, lotions for them to try, coffee, hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, or other items that will make them want to slow down and shop.

The last thing that you want is for your customers to feel anxious and ready to leave. Make sure that your music is not too loud, lights are not too bright, and that your clothing racks are not too close together. You also don’t want your customers to have to dig through an overly full clothing rack to find what they need. Keep displays fairly simple and easy to navigate and your customers will have a good experience in your boutique this holiday season.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of clothing racks including garment racks. Find a high quality clothing rack or garment rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

The first thing to do is to check your displays and get the interior of your store ready. Does everything look like it normally does? Are there exciting finds around every corner? Make sure that things are kept interesting. If people who have seen your store come in to shop for the holidays, they will probably be put off if everything looks like it always had. It gives the impression that you don’t have anything new, that you can’t sell what you have, or that you don’t have any good holiday deals, because everything looks the same as before. A negative shopping experience like that can keep a customer from ever coming back.

So what does make customers turn into repeat customers? Well, a lot of things, but one in particular is excitement. Do customers get excited and curious when they see your store? They should always be interested in seeing what is new. We’re not just talking about merchandise here. The displays can be as much of a draw as what you sell. If they are always changing and showing your merchandise in a new light, then customers will notice things that they didn’t notice before. This technique allows you to show the same merchandise over and over without customers having a clue. They will think that you always have new inventory even if you’re trying to clearance out old items.

For example, take that display table of solid long sleeved t-shirts. They look great all stacked neatly under the spotlight, colors popping, and textures beckoning, but after a while the display looks stale. Someone that has come in before will not be interested in seeing the same old thing again. So, you have to move things around. Take those shirts and move them to a garment rack and put them on some interesting hangers. Wooden hangers with your logo imprinted make even simple clothing like solid t-shirts look more unique and alluring.

Another option is to move the shirts to mannequin displays. clothing racks are very useful, but they don’t make an item pop like a mannequin does. Using mannequins is very effective because customers can see what clothing looks like when worn. Besides that, you can make it seem interesting by layering it or pairing items that normally wouldn’t go together.

Using a mannequin or a garment rack to make clothing displays look fresh is a great way to keep your store ready to win over customers this holiday season. Use your imagination and your store will look great!

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of clothing racks including garment racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

1. You are going to need some extra help. If you can manage to keep a big crowd happy, then you will turn a lot of curious first time shoppers into long-term customers. You should probably hire some seasonal help.

2. Stock enough inventory to get through the busy season. If you’re having trouble securing credit to get what you need, consider having online sales and pass out rain tickets to customers looking for something that you ran out of.

3. Keep your clothing racks stocked. Don’t let things run too low without consolidating them. It gives the impression that you are not restocking for some reason, like you’re not going to carry that product anymore because you weren’t happy with it. Have employees restock the shelves and garment racks about every hour or as you notice them running low.

4. Keep the store tidy. No one wants to dig through a pile of clothes or sift through giant stacks looking for their size. Keep stacks folded nice and stacked in order from the biggest size on the bottom to the largest size on the top.

5. Clearly display what you have for sale. Using mannequins is a great idea. It shows customers what you have to offer and they can see it from far away. They can see what the garments look like when worn and also which accessories you recommend wearing with the garments. This is especially helpful in a boutique where the clothing is often custom made and people shopping may not realize what it would look like on. If they couldn’t figure it out, they would have to try it on. If the store is crowded or if they’re tired of shopping, they’re not going to bother. Mannequins also help to keep people from unfolding piles of clothes to check out certain garments.

6. Avoid shoplifting problems this holiday season by positioning your clothing racks so that your employees can easily keep an eye on them. Don’t pack them so full that you can’t see through to the other side. Keep circular racks near the register and don’t put a garment rack too near a wall or other fixture. Use spotlighting and consistent customer service to keep shoplifters from getting comfortable.

7. Get into the holiday spirit and keep a happy attitude. Customers will feed off of your mood, so be careful about showing how busy you are on the outside. Be patient, helpful and available to customers. Use these tips and your boutique Christmas could be your best yet.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.