Are you interested in expanding the base of products that you offer, but you’re worried about space? Space can come at a premium. People running boutiques often sacrifice space for location. However, there are ways to manage a small space without giving up offering items that you want to offer.

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.

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.

1) People love to shop at boutiques because they carry unique merchandise. Make sure that people can immediately tell what types of clothing and accessories that your boutique carries. Use signs and mannequins in your store front windows. Let people know which unique brands you carry. Use mannequins to help display multiple types of items at once. If your boutique has an outdoor sign, change it up frequently to help communicate your store’s vision and image. Keeping people interested is the first thing that you should be concerned about.

2) When people actually come into the store, make sure that they can easily see what all you have to offer. There should be plenty of interesting displays to look at as soon as they walk in. You don’t want to have all of your best displays at the front of the store, however. It’s a better idea to spread the displays out so that people are drawn to them from afar. Again, mannequins have been proven to be the most effective displays in retail history. People love to see what things look like when they’re worn, because it’s so much easier than trying to imagine it for every outfit that they pass.

3) Once your feature spots are completed, use specialized garment racks to display your other items. Too many circular garment racks can be difficult to shop from. Use lots of straight bar clothing racks to neatly display individual items in a variety of sizes all at once. Make it easy for people to get around and see what you have without them feeling like they need to stop and sift through every garment rack. Keeping the store easy to manage like this will ensure that people have a pleasant shopping experience and can actually see what you have to offer, every time they come into your boutique.

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.

The first part of your plan should be to make room for the customer to get around. If you have shopping carts, make sure that you have wide enough spaces between your clothing racks for carts to be pushed. Floors should be smooth in areas where you want customers to move freely from one department to the next. Carpet can be used to slow the customer down. Place your most interesting displays and promotions in these areas so that customers are enticed to slow down and shop.

If you have a large store, make sure that you have the occasional area to sit down and rest. If people get tired legs, their mood is affected. By simply providing a bench or even just a chair outside of the fitting room, people can rest their legs for a moment and continue to shop. If there is nowhere to sit, they are likely to leave with a negative attitude about your store.

Some stores have been very successful in gaining customer appreciation by supplying a place for children to play while their parents shop. This can be especially effective in stores that sell children’s clothing, shoes or toys. If parents are given some relief from making sure that their toddlers stay in line, they will be more relaxed, be given more time to think about whether or not to buy, and are more likely to make a purchase and return to your store in the future.

Make your clothing racks accessible from all sides. If possible, display your inventory on mannequins or torso forms to draw customers away from the “fast track” and on to the carpet. They will be more inclined to explore a garment rack that has the clothing displayed facing outward. A circular clothing rack with no interesting display will not draw much attention.

Your goal is to let customers move around easily, rest when they need to, and see what you have to offer on those sections of clothing racks that may otherwise go unnoticed. Customers will slow down and explore areas that are surrounded by impulse buys, interesting displays, or promotions.

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.