ON DISPLAY

Your shop front is probably the most important thing to get right when trying to establish your business brand and visibility. Helena Cotter suggests ways to get the message right, outside and in On Display

Kerb appeal. Can your customers see your shop front? Is it immediately in view when they arrive? Customers who don’t live in your town, and sometimes those who do, may call you prior to their appointment to ask your where abouts. Banners, signage, a fantastic (regularly changed) window display can all help shout about where you are and who you are. Metal signage on a bracket where possible gives customers an immediate cue as to where you are when they walk down the road.

THE RIGHT AMBIENCE

The mood, character, and atmosphere of your business is what helps creates ambience. The temperature, the building itself, the interior décor, colour schemes, lighting, wallpaper, tidiness, what you and your team wear etc all form your customers’ first impressions when they walk through the door.

The way your business looks, sounds and smells tells a story to the customer, and it’s also the story of who they are because they are choosing to shop with you.

Customers not only care a great deal about what you offer, they also care about how your boutique makes them feel. Most people want to feel like they belong.

Do you think online shopping has a great ambience? Personally, I don’t. Not being able to touch and see items in the flesh, so to speak, takes away the specialness of shopping.

This is where you have the advantage. We all lead busy lives and whilst shopping can be a drag when buying day to day items, when we think about something as special as buying a wedding gown, the instore experience cannot be matched.

Customers are looking for a seamless, stress-free, soothing, enticing and bride-focused caring environment. That all import human

touch and built-in human interaction simply cannot be compared with online shopping.

You must make sure your service matches the message you are trying to deliver when creating all of the above; this goes a long way to instiling brand loyalty in your business.

THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS

Scent is the number one human sense. It’s the one that creates the most emotion. By having a lovely smelling boutique, customers will remember you. They’ll feel confident and comfortable when in your premises.

After they have left, they’ll always associate the scent with you, creating and bringing back happy memories whenever and wherever they smell that fragrance again. Flowers, diffusers, candles and even a beautifully fragranced soap or liquid soap in your loo can leave a lasting impact. A vanilla scent, in research, has been shown to uplift sales figures!

Tip

Customer flow is hugely important so avoid any log jams during your customer appointments. Make buying from you easy for them. Move away any unnecessary pieces of furniture, displays chairs etc. Ideally, there should be strategic points in your boutique which enable the customer (and your team) to understand where they are on their appointment journey. a limited period of time) that your customers can take advantage of only if they come through the door.

And remember that social media posts go hand in hand with creating the best environment for your brides.

I personally love a goody bag. Filled with not too expensive treats. This can be seen as a reward for shopping with you. Remember the last two minutes of any appointment will create that all important lingering last impression on your customers.

Over 80% of your business will come from recommendation. It makes sense to try and get it right every single time.

According to consumer behaviour, customer service is one of the top factors most important to customers. 63% of consumers feel very loyal to small businesses over the last two years of uncertainty. That is very reassuring, isn’t it.

IN TUNE

Surveys show that paying close attention to which music you may wish to play can influence and affect customer spending habits. For instance, customers listening to classical music will subconsciously purchase more expensive items because they are experiencing mental clarity and creativity, while contemporary music will help boost mood levels of younger customers (who may be your target market), leading them to form favourable opinions of you and your business. Faster music equals faster shopping and the reverse is true of slower music. Find the right balance for your team and your customers. won’t be going, endeavour to keep everything clean, neat and tidy. Creating a culture of neatness in a business helps keep a business clean.

A reception area which is cluttered and dusty probably won’t inspire confidence in the customer, or their guests. That all important first impression needs to be 100% as perfect as possible.

STATS

For 88% of customers if there’s one thing they love more than shopping, it’s saving money. Given that so many of us shop online now, it’s vital to be able to offer something tempting for your brides to encourage them through the door.

Try holding special in-store events with other wedding-related local businesses, or offer discounts (for THE CLEANER THE BETTER

Irrespective of how wonderful your gowns and other items are, if customers see that neatness and cleanliness are not a priority, they’ll give themselves reasons to not commit and will instead seek out your potential competition. When you tell customers your service and care is the best, try not to disappoint them.

Whether it’s customer facing, or behind the scenes where customers

Any area your customers will be looking at or sitting in, should be kept clutter free. And for you team and yourself, a clean, clutter-free environment keeps the mind clutter free too!

Ceiling lights with working bulbs. Clean paintwork on the ceilings and walls, polish mirrors – removing tiny handprints! Ensure your furniture – chairs, sofas and tables– are scufffree and dust-free.

Keeping the front of your boutique spotlessly clean includes external windows, sweeping the front pavements, window sills, signage etc. There are always cigarette butts, drinks cans/bottles and general food waste dumped all over the place these days in this throw away world.

Tip

I use a fantastic app called FixMyStreet which is absolutely brilliant. You type in your town, it goes to a map where you plot the problem, add a photograph if you have one, report the rubbish/fly tipping or any other issues, and the message comes through to your email where you confirm your report and it is sent straight to your local council. It takes less than 5 minutes. THE FUTURE OF BRIDAL RETAIL BRICKS AND MORTAR BOUTIQUES

Recently, I had coffee with a friend who works at our council. He told me that the powers that be had been in the highest level talks with a very well-known mid-to-high-end department store about opening a superstore with a supermarket on a piece of land which is up for development around the corner from where I live. I was astounded. What a coup for the town. Just what we need for regeneration.

The council apparently took another view – the short-sighted one – that retail is on its way out and the much-needed redevelopment isn’t going to happen; instead we are going to be looking at three distribution centres. I felt crest fallen.

Our high streets do need a lot of luck if they are to keep going. One thing I know for sure, bridal retailers can teach other retailers a thing or two when it comes to making it work.

I’ve never known such hard working, determined people who not only want to run a successful business, but want to make it the best for their customers too.

Never underestimate how brilliant you are and what a fantastic job you are doing of keeping the high streets and retail flourishing.

Keep up the amazing work. You can see the full list of in-house, online and live chat courses available to you here: E: info@helenacotter.co.uk W: helenacotter.co.uk Insta: hccoaching Twitter: @HCSalesTrainer Linkedin: Helena Cotter Tel: +44 (0)1582 451238 +44 (0)7896 944759

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