BOUTIQUE MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Are you wondering how you will get your retail store through the holidays? The economy is picking up and sales this year so far have been pretty good. If you haven’t been seeing enough of that money, then it is time to change some things. Make sure that you’re doing all that you can to help your boutique thrive through the busy season.

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.