Customer service is ultra important in a boutique for many reasons. Customers shop at boutiques for personalized customer service. Boutiques have made a name for themselves in the retail world by offering their guests superior service over chain department stores.
When customers were interviewed and asked about their reasons for avoiding department stores and shopping in boutiques, the biggest complaint across the board was the lack of customer service and product knowledge by the employees of the retail chains.
Boutiques offer an honest opinion to shoppers and are more interested in making the customer happy than just making a sale. Boutique owners know that customer loyalty goes a long way. Even if a customer doesn’t buy anything, their word of mouth advertising is invaluable.
Today’s shoppers are savvy and want to know details about the items that they are considering for purchase. Make sure that your employees are trained in product knowledge. You should probably make it a weekly trend to give your employees more and more information about your products.
Take it beyond giving them information provided by the manufacturer. Let your employees try your products so that they can give first-hand accounts to your customers. Boutique customers are looking for honest opinions and will often purchase something based on the quality of the information that they receive. This means, don’t leave out the cons when you’re giving a detailed account of a product. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to sell it, but it simply means that your honesty will be rewarded.
For example, if a customer is looking at a sheer button down shirt. Your employee could go over and say something like, “That is a beautiful shirt. I have one like it and I love the fit. The fabric is really soft and I get a lot of compliments when I wear it. The only thing that I don’t like about it is that it needs to be hand washed or it wrinkles up. But, I love it enough to put forth the extra effort.” Customers want to be trusted to decide for themselves whether or not they should buy. Giving them all of the information that they need to do so will satisfy any doubts that they had and let them know that they can ask you questions and get honest answers.
Another thing that is special about boutiques is their attention to detail. Customers appreciate the joy that they get from their shopping experience. Unlike giant department stores, boutiques are generally set up so that there are little surprises around every corner. The clothing racks are not crowded or overfilled. The walking trip from garment rack to garment rack is filled with interesting items to keep their attention. Boutique garment racks are generally smaller and only hold a few items. This helps the customer to easily see what you have to offer while they enjoy the charm of the boutique.
Keeping your customers happy can be as easy as making your store a pleasant place to visit, being honest with your recommendations, and always providing superior customer service, whether a customer is spending money or not.
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.