Editorial Team
5 min read
When you think of personal styling, you probably imagine big retailers offering a luxury service for high-end customers. But personal fashion styling doesn’t have to be exclusive to major retailers or to elite shoppers. As a boutique owner operating in a saturated market, you can stand out from the competition simply by offering unique personalized shopping experiences to your clients at a scale that works for your business.
If you’re growing a business, having great products at a reasonable price is a strong start, but focusing on elevating customer experience can make all the difference to your sustainable growth. Consider experimenting with offering personal styling as an everyday luxury service to build your brand, nudge customers to make desired purchases, and amplify your reach.
What is a personal stylist?
A personal stylist is an expert at understanding customers’ image goals and helping them reach them by providing custom advice, designing outfits, and suggesting purchases. A great stylist carefully considers their clients’ unique preferences and needs to create a style plan. They’re attentive to everything from body type to lifestyle. Over time, they can help clients develop a sense of style, build and maintain a great wardrobe, and find new confidence in their clothing choices and look.
READ: ChoZen 4 U Boutique
Personal styling services to consider
Personal stylists can offer a range of personalized shopping services. At the most basic level, this might involve meeting with customers to understand their goals, and then spending time on personal shopping. Customers may be especially interested in personal styling services for special events, so you can consider offering this as a distinct service. Personal stylists can also provide body type analysis and help customers think through how to dress for their unique shape.
After-hours styling event
If you’re looking for more ways to integrate personal styling into your business, consider creating an after-hours styling event so that customers are drawn into your shop to learn more about the topic or jumpstart their own style goals.
Closet detox
Another possible styling service to offer is a closet detox. Personal stylists can visit customers’ homes, help clear out their closets, and create shopping lists and lookbooks that feature products from your boutique.
Remember, you can experiment with any of these ideas as a way to help elevate the customer experience–but you don’t have to tackle them all. Start by considering what ideas would work best for you and your boutique, and create a short menu of manageable options.
Why choose personal styling to elevate customer experience?
When it comes to elevating customer experience and growing your boutique business, personal styling has a ton to offer. Before you take the plunge, consider these benefits.
1. Building your brand
No matter how elegant your products, it can be hard to stand out among the crowded market of small boutiques. Offering personalized shopping experiences can set you apart from the competition by helping you hone in on a target market of loyal customers and demonstrating your commitment to helping them build great looks they’ll love.
2. Increasing business
A large and growing subset of shoppers are eager to spend–but they’re short on time. Offering personalized shopping services can draw these customers to your business, and help keep them there for the long haul. Meanwhile, offering personalized services is likely to spark interest from people looking for novelty in shopping–especially from a small boutique rather than a major retailer.
READ: 10 ways to maximize space in your small store design
3. Nudging customers to high-ticket purchases
Personalized shopping presents an incredible opportunity for upselling. As stylists work to understand customers tastes and preferences, they can consistently direct them to products that both match those needs and boost boutique sales. The feeling of luxury that comes with personal styling can also nudge customers in the direction of higher-ticket purchases.
4. Boosting your presence via social media
When customers have unique, personalized shopping experiences, they can come away from them highly satisfied and eager to share. Word-of-mouth and organic social media postings can create a powerful halo effect on the products and services your store offers. Personal styling can go a long way to generating excitement in social media–and enhancing customer loyalty.
READ: Useful apps for boutique owners
How to start
When you’re ready to try something new, it’s a good idea to begin with the basics. The first step is to make sure your business is equipped with all of the tools you need for a fashionably functional boutique. This includes a great POS system and the ability to accept all payment types–whether you’re primarily offering services in-store or venturing out into customers’ homes.
Next, consider reading about other businesses similar to yours to learn how they manage their boutiques and create standout shopping experiences.
Finally, when you’re ready to take the plunge into offering some form of personalized shopping experience for your customers, be sure to train any staff who’ll be working one-on-one with customers. Consider using an online program that offers comprehensive training in working with different body types, various style preferences, and accessorizing. Keep in mind that training sometimes counts as a tax deductible expense. Elevating customer experience at your boutique through personal styling services can be affordable as well as transformative for your business.
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