Have you ever thought of trading or bartering as a way to advertise and promote your business? Trading services, inventory or time for something that you need is a great way to get ahead as a small business without investing a lot of money. Most small business owners, like boutique owners, do not have a lot of capital to work with. However, they often have things to donate or services to provide that other businesses need.
MANAGING RETAIL INVENTORY
There’s a reason that larger retail stores hire inventory management companies to come in and do their inventories for them. It can be a really huge undertaking that takes too much time away from your employees or causes you to have to shut down the store during business hours. If you have a smaller store or a boutique and neither of these things is an option for you, then you may end up doing it yourself. Use these tips to help the process run more smoothly. Being prepared can make the process go a lot faster, you can get more accurate results, and you can save some money too. Also there are tips for daily management of inventory that will help you to reduce theft year round and stay on top of things before they get bad.
EFFECTIVELY STOCKING DISPLAYS
There’s more to the strategy of stocking your garment racks than filling them up. There is actually a lot to think about and consider. Your customers’ can be affected by how much you have out, either positively or negatively. Consider how each display might make a customer feel and react. Use these tips to help you decipher what your customers might be thinking and what might encourage them to make a purchase.
SILENT ENCOURAGEMENT TO BUY
Learning what motivates your customers to buy could change your mind about everything from what you carry to how you arrange it on the sales floor. It can be nearly impossible to determine what someone is thinking and what might motivate them just by watching their body language. People can give signals, but you just don’t know what is going on in there.
TRACKING AND IMPLEMENTING CUSTOMER SERVICE
Many will say that there is an art to customer service. There isn’t a magic set of instructions that you can follow to make every customer happy. However, there are ways that you can guide yourself and your employees towards being better customer service providers. In fact, there is actually a lot of software out there that can help you to train yourself and your staff.
A THEME FOR YOUR BOUTIQUE
Deciding on a theme for your boutique is an exciting part of the creative process. But, before you make any final decisions, there are some things to consider. One, is your brand image. Brand image is nothing to be taken lightly. It takes a lot of time and research to make sure that you include all of the elements that will help your business to succeed.
RETAIL POWER IMAGING
First impressions are everything, especially in retail. You only have about six seconds to accomplish a big goal. This goal can be summed up by saying “communicate as much as possible to the customer”. What do you want your customer to know about you when they take that first glare? Make a list of the most valuable things that you can tell your customers. Prioritize them into the order that you feel is most important. Then, turn your store into a giant imagery catalyst to accomplish everything that you set out to do.
BUDGET FRIENDLY ADVERTISING FOR BOUTIQUES
Boutique owners are always looking for effective advertising that doesn’t cost them an arm and a leg. Owning your own business generally means that you don’t have the money for a lot of print ads, television ads, or radio spots. Here we’ve compiled a few ways that you can effectively advertise on the cheap.