Is Your Store Attracting Your Ideal Target Market?
The appearance of your boutique can determine the type of customer you attract through the doors. Have you got the balance right?
If you’re starting up in the world of luxury retail, it’s time to invest in your premises to make sure you’re attracting your precise target market through the door. From your window displays to fitting rooms and clothing rails, if there’s a mismatch between the prices you’re charging and the environment you’re presenting, then this could mean the difference between the success and failure of your new boutique! Here are some points to consider when furnishing the interior of your store!
Window Displays
Getting customers in through the front door of your boutique can be achieved by creating an eye-catching window display. You should look to change these often, at least every season to keep passers-by interested.
Try to create your display around the idea of a story or theme, but keep the elements used as bold and simple as possible so as not to overcomplicate the scene.
Clothing Rails
Have a firm understanding of who you’re trying to attract. If you’re offering affordable clothing, then you can stack your store high with a multitude of garments in a wide range of sizes. However, if you’d like to appeal to a more luxury demographic, then think about the layout of high-end boutiques; these are usually incredibly spacious and make it effortless for shoppers to find the perfect outfit by including only a few high-priced garments on display. ‘Less is more’ tends to be the motto in such boutiques. To accommodate your selection of stock, your clothing rails should be easy for shoppers to operate, with stainless steel tube connectors providing a solid base to hold hangers from. You might also make use of shelving units to neatly store sweaters, trousers or handbags on.
Lounge Area
The most luxurious boutiques include an informal lounge environment for accompanying shoppers to relax and unwind in whilst their fellow shopper is perusing the floor or trying clothes on. This area might include comfortable sofas, a chaise longue and plenty of thick textiles such as a shaggy rug for the ultimate luxury shopping experience. You may choose to offer anything from coffee, refreshments or even champagne depending on the clientele you’re expecting to attract and your available budget.
Hiring an interior decorator can be a savvy move to help you create exactly the right vibe in your boutique. You may not quite know if you’d prefer to kit your store out with a neutral, rustic vibe or vibrant, glamourous tones, but a professional will provide you with plenty of ideas to complement the mission of your boutique!
Fitting Rooms
Choosing the right lighting and mirror arrangement in your fitting rooms is critical as shoppers want to be flattered when trying on new clothing. Make sure the mirrors are full length, that there’s plenty of room in each cubicle and try to create a private environment for each person to change in so that they don’t feel self-conscious when another shopper is neighbouring them.
It’s much easier to make any design changes to your boutique before you launch the opening of your new store! But if you’re already trading, then try to schedule any largescale renovation changes to occur either on your ‘closed’ days, or in a quieter month of the year such as January to cause as little disruption to your regular customers as possible. They’ll be sure to love your new look when you do open again!