Ignite Your Boutique with Creative Sales Strategies
Creative sales strategies serve multiple purposes. Primarily, they help you STAND OUT. In a world where being a boutique owner has become popular, you need to up your game to have people remember you. Simply posting on your Facebook group will not get the stellar results you want. And a stunning website does not always result in shoppers. Being unique, keeping and capturing interest and finding your VIPs are all done through creative sales strategies.
Live Sales
We know that anyone can hop on camera, show off items and “sell them.” But what are you going to do to stand out? When you get in front of the camera, you are that group’s current entertainment, and capturing and keeping their interest is key so they don’t “walk” away. How do you do that? Consider giveaways, contests, and games during your live sale. Try items on and talk about the different ways to style it or show how it fits and feels. Treat your live sale as if it is the store front of your business and you are building customer's trust. Let them get to know you and give them a reason so shop at your boutique again.
Pop Up Events
Pop up events are in-person events, typically a market or show. These types of events are a FANTASTIC way to grow your brand and customer following. Many consumers can be hesitant to purchase items online because they have no idea how the piece fits and feels. But if they get to try your products on personally and get a sense of your product offerings, they will be more apt to come back and shop with you online. These events also give you an opportunity to meet new people that you would otherwise not have met.
Private Parties
No, we don't mean your average Tupperware party (no offense to Tupperware). Get crafty and creative, such as booking home parties with your top shoppers and VIPs. Give them an incentive for booking or an incentive for hosting. Use this as an opportunity to grow your brand amongst people you may not know. During your home parties, consider hosting them as a sip and shop, whether it be coffee or wine. Pamper them and share information and tips to make them feel important to you and your business. Treat them as you would customers.
Brand Reps
Brand reps are not typical influencers, although using influencers is a great creative sales strategy also! Brand reps are your loyal shoppers that love and already know and trust your products. Every three or four months, create a set of brand reps who will post about your products on social media, invite people to your page or group, and help build brand awareness. Make sure they have a good reason to promote you, such as earning a percentage of the orders they bring in or some other incentive for adding “newbies.” Also provide them with a brand rep code to give to potential customers. Band reps are walking advertisements for your boutique. Select people who love to talk to others about their latest purchase and where they got it from.
Other Ideas
A few other fun and creative sales strategies include offering mystery boxes or subscription boxes, text and email marketing or top customer awards and recognition. Consider collaborating with other boutique owners, holding flash sales, conducting email and text marketing, posting reels or your daily OOTD (outfit of the day) on TikTok. There are so many ways to get creative. Find what works for you, experiment, change it up and have fun with it!