1) Because boutique owners are extremely involved in every aspect of the business, they become personally involved. After all, your boutique is your creation. It says something about you as a person, and you want it to reflect your personality and taste. So, every business decision that you make is also a personal one. It can be hard to remain objective. Hiring a professional management consultant can be valuable if you need an outside opinion. Retail consultants with experience can give you valuable advice, help you to avoid mistakes, and give you that external view that you just don’t have.

2) Many people turn to professional consultants to learn more about the industry. It can be helpful to learn about the “best practices” of the boutique world. There may be no need to test your theories of how to best solve a problem if hundreds of other companies have already figured out the best way to do it. This is where professional advice can come in handy. However, boutiques are very specialized and the best practices of the industry may not be the best thing for you. Don’t be too afraid to trust your own instincts on certain things.

3) Certain types of software, policy standards, and industry organizations can help you to create a solid foundation for doing business. Keeping track of money, inventory, payroll, and taxes automatically and electronically can help you to avoid mistakes. Investing in the best for your business can help to eliminate the need to hire a professional, even if you don’t have a lot of experience.

4) One of the main reasons that retail boutiques hire professional consultants is to try to make more sales. Nothing can drive you to invest in some professional advice like a slump in sales. Professionals can advise you on marketing strategies, merchandising, and even closing sales. The way that your store looks can be almost as important as any strategy or computer system that you have. Create a statement about your store and center the theme around it. Make every display and garment rack an impressive advertisement as to what you stand for. Your garment racks and other retail displays should not be crowded, boring, or under-stocked. Showing your customers exactly what you want them to see can have a big impact and eliminate your need for hiring outside consultants.

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.

1) Use a gridwall or slatwall system for your displays. These systems are sturdy, inexpensive, and last a long time. They could be one of your greatest investments. Display systems such as these allow you to hang your merchandise on the wall as far up as the ceiling. With just a few inexpensive accessories, you can display your merchandise, jewelry, handbags, and other products without using any floor space. Additional benefits include being able to keep an eye on shoppers, controlling what goes into the fitting rooms, and customers can see what all you have to offer without having to dig around.

2) Utilize sneaky ways to store your inventory. If you use furniture to decorate, choose chairs, couches and chests that open up to reveal storage. You can use tall tables with a table cloth to cover the stored items underneath. Use your imagination and create storage in places that you may not have originally considered.

3) Don’t forget about the ceiling. If you have a storage room or office, you may be able to install a ceiling rack. These normally come as a wire grate that hangs from the ceiling. This is a really good way to create storage for your mannequins, hangers, bags, inventory, or anything else that you don’t need right away.

4) Shelving systems are great for storing items up to the ceiling in your office or storage room. Using adjustable shelves will let you maximize the little bit of space that you have. You may even consider using shelves on casters so that you can roll them. If you have a few in a back room, you can push them together for storage, then simply slide them apart when you need to get to something.

5) Use rolling garment racks or clothing racks for inventory that needs to be hung. A rolling garment rack is great for storage. It keeps your clothing from getting wrinkled and damaged. You can steam out wrinkles from garments directly on the clothing rack right out of the box. Then, when you’re ready to put them out, simply roll the rack out to the sales floor.

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.

Consumers have changed their behaviors. There is a more frugal mindset, meaning that people are not spending as much money, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t shop at boutiques. Shoppers are not just looking for low prices, but value. People are trending more towards buying in bulk. They are also buying just as much name brand and private label product as before the recession. This has come as a surprise to market analysts.

Usually during a recession, customers will trend towards buying more generic products or cutting down on spending any extra money at all. However, today’s consumers are much savvier, they have more resources, and they’re ultimately more educated than they have been in the past. Customers aren’t just looking to save a few bucks. They’re being selective about where their money goes. They are shopping online to find the best price for the highest quality product. They want to spend their money where it counts on things that will mean more to them or serve them for a longer period of time. Generics and lower quality items are, in the customer’s mind, moving from “a good deal” to “a waste of money”.

This is good for boutiques. If you can hit it at the right angle, then you can bring in customers that are looking for those higher quality products. They may not be in your store spending wildly, but they will appreciate the high end clothing and product lines that you carry. You need to make them comfortable with the quality and value of your product. You should also concentrate heavily on making the customer comfortable with you.

Coming across as a dependable, trustworthy, advocate of small or local businesses can go a long way with your customers. Be active in the community. Not just to get your name out there, but to portray your boutique as one that cares about the local economy and small businesses in your town. Instead of advertising trends, advertise quality.

You may need to change up the look of your store to get the right message across. From the moment people enter the store they should feel like you offer high quality goods that will add value to their lives. Your garment racks should be kept neat and stocked at all times. A messy or under-stocked garment rack gives the impression that you don’t care anymore or that you’re going out of business. Don’t give your customers something to worry or wonder about in these trying times. Treat everyone with the utmost respect and you’ll start to see your business emerge from the grips of the recession.

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.

1) First you should determine the goal of the promotion. If it is to boost sales, then you can reduce prices. If you want to get new customers into your store, then you should use catchy signage outside of the store or in the storefront window. You might contact current customers via e-mail and send them a coupon for a discount if they bring in a friend. If you want to create loyal customers, then you should promote items that need to be replaced so that the customers you draw will have to come back again when they want more.

2) Make sure that the appearance of your store communicates your mission, your style, and your intention. Your window displays should be interesting and eye catching. Use multiple products in the windows to help boost the sales of accessories. People that see accessorized outfits on mannequins are more likely to buy multiple pieces of the outfit, not just the shirt or jeans that you have on sale.

3) Use appropriate signage and displays. If you are having a major clearance sale, then it is absolutely appropriate to bring a garment rack packed with clothes outside of the door. This is a great way to grab customers as they pass by and communicate to them that you’re selling deeply discounted clothing. Bright and bold signs are appropriate for this kind of sale as well. For more refined or conservative sales and promotions, you should use only small tasteful signs. The message should be understated. Garment racks should not be stuffed full and display tables shouldn’t be stacked high.

4) Train your staff on how you want the customers treated. If you’re promoting higher end clothing and accessories, your employees should dress the part. No one wants to buy a $1000 dress from a kid in a t-shirt and jeans who waves at them from the register and continues with their cell phone conversation. People shopping for more unique or sophisticated clothing want to be taken care of, or even pampered. Make sure that your employees are attentive and aware of the tone that you want them to use with your customers.

5) Keep it clean. As people come in and check out your promotional items, they will most likely be unfolding, feeling, and investigating your products. People don’t want to spend all day refolding the clothes that they were looking through. It is expected that an employee of the store will take care of it. Have your employees be proactive, folding clothing or straightening a garment rack as they patrol the floor. If they see someone trying to refold something, they should go take it and say, “Let me get that for you so you can relax while you shop.” Little gestures like these will help you to sell more, create good impressions, and keep customers coming back for more.

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.

It may be surprising to find out that smaller retail stores and boutiques actually have a tougher time doing inventory than big department stores. This is generally because boutiques try to inventory everything at once with only one or two employees working on it. Department stores categorize everything, creating smaller and smaller categories, and then put one person in charge of a tiny section of the store. The employees are not overwhelmed and generally give an accurate count of the section that they are responsible for.

Boutiques and smaller retail stores should take the big department stores’ advice to heart. Delegate the responsibility by dividing your store into different categories and subcategories. Hire an inventory specialist team if you don’t have the employees or the time to do it right.

If you are having your employees take responsibility for each section, offer a reward for accuracy. If you have managers and supervisors, you may want to have them go in behind the lower level employee and double check. If you warn the first person that their count will be checked, they are less likely to make mistakes.

Consider doing your inventory counts outside of your regular business hours so that there aren’t customers there to distract the counters. This will also keep your boutique or retail store looking nice and neat when you’re making that all-important first impression on your customers. You may need to motivate the employees to show up when it is normally their time off. Many companies make inventory count participation mandatory.

You can make it mandatory, but you may risk losing employees that have other obligations, other jobs, college classes, or trips that were planned in advance. Instead, consider offering rewards, like bonus money for participating. Play music, order pizza, and make it fun. You could give people with accurate counts longer breaks or lunches during business hours, or even a deeper discount on their next purchase.

Make sure that everyone has equal responsibilities. People that finish first should help you get the store back in order. Have them straighten the clothing racks so that the store is ready for opening time. A messy clothing rack or window display can make a bad impression and negatively impact the effort that was put forth to accomplish this task outside of your business hours.

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.

If you’re considering starting up a boutique, there are a few things to consider. Think about how you will compete with big retailers. There is actually a lot that you can do to take advantage of the shortcomings of big retail stores. Customer interviews over the years have revealed that customers are a lot savvier than they used to be. They have the internet at their fingertips to do research and really know what they’re looking for.

Retail stores may be able to offer more products at lower prices, but think about what customers want that they can’t get in a big department store. They crave knowledgeable employees. Retail stores often hire employees for very little pay and give them very little training. Their job may consist of straightening or stocking shelves and little else.

Customers love to shop at boutiques because of the atmosphere. Not just the decorations and eclectic appeal, but the attitude and knowledge level of the employees there. Successful boutiques educate their employees about the details of the products that they sell. Boutique owners don’t have the luxury of carrying every brand of a particular item. They have to be picky and choose the ones that have a higher quality or more unique details than the mainstream clothing lines. Then, they make sure that their employees know how to communicate these special features to their customers, helping to make sales.

Customers love to feel like they are special, not just another face in the crowd. When they shop at a boutique, they can get personal service, honest advice, good information about the products, and the employees might even know their names when they come in. This personal type of experience is an important part of what you should offer your customers when you run a boutique.

Make sure that you respect each and every customer, whether or not they are buying anything. Make sure that they can see everything you have to offer in a unique and efficient manner. Don’t cram everything on to a shelf or one tiny rack. A garment rack should not be overstuffed. Spread items out so that they can be seen and admired. This also helps to promote the idea that the garments are unique, or maybe even one of a kind. Consider using specialty garment racks designed especially for boutiques. These may have varying levels of hanging bars, or mix bars and shelving, giving your store a more textured look.

When you start your boutique, remember these tips. Treat the customer like a valued individual. Be honest, give good advice, and offer information about your products that no one else can. Keep the store tidy and easy to shop through. With these things in mind, you’ll be able to take advantage of the things that make boutiques unique.

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.

1) Boutique owners can experience exactly what their customers are experiencing. You live in the same town, experience the same events, and really have a feel for what day to day life might be like for your clients. Big corporations can’t do that. Make sure that you are talking with your customers and making them feel like you are on their side.

2) Boutiques generally have to narrow their focus to operate. You can’t necessarily afford to offer everything. You need to hone in on certain products and brands. This naturally narrows your target audience. By becoming a very specific type of retailer, you target a very specific group of people. This type of focus allows you to become an expert. People love to find the “expert in the field” when shopping for certain things. This gives you the advantage over bigger businesses whose focus is lacking.

3) As a boutique owner, you have the flexibility to offer what larger corporations may not even be aware of. If you know, for example, that all the kids are going crazy over one specific brand of pants, jewelry, or accessories, you have the flexibility to get it in there this season and make your customer base aware that you are the one to come to for this item. Bigger companies may have no idea that the fad has launched until it’s over. They end up ordering late and having to clearance out yesterday’s news.

4) Boutique owners should focus on providing personal level service. People crave to be educated about certain products. They want to know the pros and cons of an item before they buy it. Boutiques are where they come for honest advice. If a customer asks about a certain brand of shoe, you may be able to give them some very specific information. For example you could say, “When I wore mine in the water, I liked it because the rocks didn’t get inside of my shoes.” This type of personal touch is what will keep customers coming back.

5) Respect! Respect! Respect! Who wants to shop somewhere where they are not respected? Customers of boutiques expect to be respected because they know they’re not just another customer. Each customer feels that they are important to the success of your business, and they’re right. Be respectful, helpful, and keep everything where customers can easily touch, feel, and experience your products. Keeping organized clothing racks is one way to make this happen. An orderly clothing rack tells the customer that you respect their time and don’t want them to have to rummage through crowded racks.

Keep all of these things in mind as you run your day to day business and you’ll be taking advantage of the many benefits of running a boutique!

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.

Some promotions and displays should be rotated regularly into your schedule, rather it be seasonally or annually. Promotions that come around regularly are called cyclical promotions. When a season or holiday is approaching, you can prepare by figuring out the best way to promote your products. Get visual ideas or inspiration from other stores, art, or online displays. If you can make your store’s display unique, it is sure to attract attention and help people to remember you when the promotion is over.

You will need to adequately inform your customers of your promotions when they come around. Try to collect e-mail addresses or physical addresses throughout the year. Send out newsletters and special offers periodically so that your customers will be aware and look forward to your events. Use signs and your staff to communicate promotions to your in-store customers or people passing by.

There can be many opportunities year round to have a promotion. Local sporting events or other celebrations can be used to draw attention to supporting your local organization. You can donate money to different local causes and gain attention for yourself as a valuable local business. Offer discounts or early bird specials to local college students, or people that donate to your charity. Feature local artists’ work in your store and bring community awareness to your door. You can collaborate with other businesses in your district or area to offer block parties, sidewalk sales, and other promotions that get attention.

Lowering your prices isn’t always the best idea. Find ways to make people see the value in the items that you offer, rather than making them think that something must be wrong with the merchandise for it to be so cheap. You might make some money in the short term, but you’ll make people want to wait for your big sales to shop at your store. Or worse, you’ll make them think that you are normally overcharging, and lower their impression of your entire business.

Keep things changing by rearranging your clothing racks and displays on a regular basis. Choose an interesting garment rack that people don’t see in every store. Breaking up the monotony of shopping is the easiest way to start making your store unique. Most stores use garment racks with function in mind, but if you choose ones that are functional as well as unique, you will stand out from the competition.

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.

As a business owner, you should be aware that online shoppers are savvier than ever. You can’t just set up a cute site with pictures and prices expecting people to be “wooed” by graphics. Customers want to see that you are divulging as much information as possible. Having clear and concise product descriptions will help you to gain the confidence of your shoppers.

Turning browsers into customers is your main focus when setting up your online shop. Consider everything that a customer may want to ask about a product and provide that information up front. Furthermore, determine what the customer might notice if they were physically touching the product and divulge that information as well. Sizing guides, fabric content, product care information, measurements, weight and feel are all important aspects.

However, you should be careful not to make descriptions too wordy. Be clear and concise. Links or balloons that pop-up additional information can be helpful. Customer reviews and product ratings are weighed heavily by consumers. Commonly asked questions are good to include on your product page. Anything that increases the customer’s confidence will help you turn a browser into a customer. Things like advertising your “no hassle return policy”, live chat customer service, or special deals for customers that leave reviews will help you to get the customers involved and comfortable with your business.

Try to give the shopper an in-store experience through your web site. Use decorations in your store to inspire your web designs to keep the same look and feel that they get while shopping in-store. Use pictures that actually communicate the uniqueness of the garment to the customer. 360 degree views, extreme zooms, and virtual store shopping experiences are a plus. A really great idea would be if a shopper could virtually look around the store, click on the clothing racks they were interested in and shop that clothing rack. In boutiques, surprises should lurk around every corner, clothing racks should be filled with interesting items and displays, and shoppers should experience a feeling that they don’t get in any department store. Capture this with your web shop and you’ll be golden.

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.

Selecting the appropriate merchandise is essential. This part of the job is usually considered the most fun by boutique owners. However, it can also be the most painstaking and time consuming part of the job, too. The right merchandise will jump out at you, scream, “I’m unique”, and excite you to put it in your store.

Before you decide to carry something, there are a few questions to ask yourself. Ask yourself the following questions.

1) Does this item fit in with the rest of the merchandise?
2) Does this item fit in with my vision and goals for the store?
3) Would my customer base be excited to see this item?
4) Would my customers actually want to purchase this item?
5) Would I make enough profit off of this item to warrant carrying it?

Once you’ve decided to invest in an item or brand, remember that displaying it is as important as carrying it. If you don’t show it in the right light and in an interesting way, then it will go unnoticed and you have probably just wasted a lot of time, energy, and money getting it into the store.

Promoting new brands or lines of clothing can be a very effective tool. If you have a mailing list or an e-mail notification list, a social networking page, or any other way of communicating directly with your current customers, then do it. Let them know that you are now carrying the brand, or use the item as a focal point of the e-mail or mailer. Customers that like your style will likely see what you see in the item and be inclined to come in and shop. This is especially true if you offer a coupon or other incentive for coming in. Many people won’t shop unless they have a coupon or there is a promotion going on.

Once you get them into the store, think about how you position the items that you want to focus on. Position your garment racks to draw attention to certain items. A boutique garment rack is more interesting than a standard rack. It is usually more ornate, holds fewer items, and utilizes shelves, bars, pegs, and hooks to keep the display looking rich and interesting. Using garment racks like this can help you to draw attention to the areas that you want to focus on.

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.