Have you been thinking of opening a small business? Is there a product or service that you love, and that you’d like to share with the world? Small specialty shops, called boutiques, where specialty products are sold, are trending.
If this idea appeals to you, this guide for designing a boutique shop may help you open your shop. Before opening a business, you’ll need to determine what product you want to sell at your boutique. If you choose something you love, it will help you seem knowledgeable, when your customers arrive. Owners of boutiques should be knowledgeable about the objects they’re selling.
1. Find the Right Property
To open a boutique, you must find the best location for your new business. With your intended product in mind, do some market research. You’ll want a place that still needs to have a venue for that type of business. Analyze the population of any possible area; would your future clientele live in that area?
The size of the shop you choose should suit your chosen business type. Plan to sell something you love, like trendy clothes or homemade candies. You can imagine whether a potential location would be suitable for your business. It would be best if you also considered whether your boutique will require additional space (such as a separate room for freezers, storage space, or a darkroom.)
When you select the location of your business, you’ll have to decide whether to find commercial property for lease or to buy the property. A lease may be the better choice if you want to allow for fast business expansion. However, ownership of the space would allow you more control over any needed site renovations.
2. Choose the Right Decorations
Once your new boutique space has become yours, you can begin to make it yours. When you consider your product and the people who will soon buy it, what kind of decor will entice them? For example, if your shop will be selling clothing or fashion accessories, the walls of your boutique shouldn’t overshadow the merchandise. A neutral shade like gray or beige would be an excellent background for a clothing display.
For a wallpaper selection, the best choice may be to buy commercial wallpaper. These large sheets of wallpaper are made with vinyl and fabric. Many commercial designers believe commercial wallpaper to be the best retail shops wallpaper. They can be printed in several colors and designs.
Once you choose your background, you’ll then be able to add several decorative touches to make your boutique the talk of the town. Alternative types of mannequins are trending in clothing stores: metallic or neon-colored mannequins will show off your merchandise in style. Remember to add seasonal touches to the boutique no matter what kind of decor you choose. A wreath at Christmas, patriotic banners for the Fourth of July, or a bevy of hearts on Valentine’s Day will liven up your space while your customers clamor to buy your products.
3. Create the Right Ambiance
Your walls and decor are the backdrop for your boutique, but to create a full effect, you’ll need some extra touches. One essential element is music. If you’re selling clothing from a specific era, choose music from the same time period. If you’re selling crafts, try some New Age music. For a vintage store, play some Golden Oldies music.
If your space is large enough, you can reserve a corner of the store for special events. A dress store might invite a jewelry dealer to discuss accessorizing, and you and your guest speakers can profit. A craft store can bring in several of the best wax melters and allow their customers to make their own candles. When you do this, you’ll increase familiarity with your store and sell plenty of wax, candle fragrance, and candlesticks.
Take your store’s theme to the next level by asking your staff to dress according to your theme. You don’t have to have a uniform, although they’re sometimes a good idea. If you have a company color scheme, an apron or comfortable polo shirt will emphasize the boutique’s theme. If your merchandise evokes a specific time period, then Period Costumes make sense.
4. Add the Right Security Features
When you go home for the night, you’ll want to be sure all of your unsold merchandise stays in the store. You’ll also want to keep vandals from creating havoc by defacing the inside of your boutique. The lock (or locks) that you choose will provide security for your business. Choosing your security system should be on your checklist when planning how to design a boutique shop.
If your store will be located in a mall, the mall management may offer security gates for all the stores. If not, a local locksmith can recommend the right lock for your boutique. They’ll also let you know if a padlock is appropriate for your building. Some of today’s businesses are investing in keyless entry devices or touch screen entry programs.
You may be concerned about the efficiency of your lock system and want to take it to the next level. In that case, you should consider contacting an alarm system company. Today’s alarm systems don’t merely call the police. Trending alarm systems will feature cameras to film any potential intruders. Even if vandals or thieves escape before the police arrive, the camera will record their presence.
5. Design the Right Marketing Materials
Once your store is ready to open, you’ll want to invite many customers to see your wares. You can think about ways to promote your boutique while still in the early phases of deciding how to design a boutique shop. An ad in the local newspaper and a spot on the local radio station is a good start for inviting your neighbors to the store. Some towns or regions have their own Facebook page, which is a great place to advertise a new local business.
If you want to print posters or pass out flyers, contact a local commercial printing business. They’ll have many ideas about the best way to promote your business. While you’re there, ask them to print you some business cards. You can keep them at your cash register or hand them out at networking events.
To make a significant impact on opening day, consider a promotion event. You might ask a local band to play, or you can give out hundreds of inflated balloons with your business’ name. Your opening day might include some incentives like a promotional sale. A wise way to encourage future sales is to create and distribute
customer loyalty cards.
6. Find the Right Online Presence
Today’s tech-oriented world makes it almost compulsory for a business to have a well-crafted online presence. Most people today search for their new vendors online. Consumers will look online if they want information about a new local business. You may miss out on potential business if your business doesn’t have a website or a business listing.
Your website needs an inviting welcome page (sometimes called the “landing page” because it’s where an online searcher will “land” after they click on your name after a search.) A potential customer may use that page as an incentive to visit your store. You can also include a link for a customer to securely purchase your merchandise. A Facebook page for your business, and an Instagram account, are other ways to increase familiarity with your business.
If you’re not skilled in online marketing, you should contact a local company that is skilled in using SEO (search engine optimization.) An SEO marketing strategy will help your company’s listing to be more prominently featured in a Google search. The marketing company will style the content that’s on your landing page to include strategic keywords, which will push your website near the top of the listings. Locating a trustworthy marketing company should be on your mind as you think of how to design a boutique shop.
7. Keep the Space Looking Right
As the manager of your boutique, you’ll be responsible for all aspects of its appearance. Keeping your store clean should be a matter of pride. It’s also important to prevent germs that would result from a lack of cleanliness. The store will stay clean if you and your staff clean up after yourselves during the day.
But “relatively” isn’t good enough for a quality business. While planning to design a boutique shop, look around for a trustworthy commercial cleaning company. Find someone who already has a client in the area, so you can see the cleaning company’s work in person. Ask nearby shop owners who they use as their cleaning contractor.
Before signing a cleaning contract, review the parameters of the agreement with the contractor. You should know how often the company will come and what duties they will perform. You should also ask if they offer the option of extra visits for emergencies or other occasions. Keeping your boutique clean is important, so allowing for unforeseen situations will be in your best interest.
8. Install the Right New Flooring
The floor of your shop will be a host to thousands of feet as they line up to look at your merchandise. While planning how to design a boutique shop, you’ll need to think of a flooring style that will combine durability and style. Most design experts recommend that you coordinate your flooring color with the style of your walls. A darker color on your flooring will effectively highlight your neutral wall colors and show off your merchandise.
If your space currently has a concrete floor, and you want your floor to have a more attractive appearance, you might choose to use commercial epoxy floor coating. These epoxy coatings don’t require professional skills to apply. Once applied, these coatings protect your floors from water damage. They’re slip-resistant, so they will also provide safety for your customers.
You may prefer engineered hardwood flooring if you’d like a less glossy and more traditional floor appearance. These floors provide the look of natural wood while also providing durability. Engineered wood is also affordable. If your walls are beige, engineered wooden floors will match them perfectly.
9 Purchase the Right Awning
While planning how to design your boutique shop, you’ll eventually choose the appearance of the outside of your boutique. One of those selections for outside decoration could be the use of an awning. If you choose an awning, the awning should use a similar style to your interior decor. If your company has a logo, you should include the logo in the awning design.
If you can’t decide which awning to choose, contact one of your area’s local awning companies for ideas. It will be up to you whether your awning is retractable (able to be rolled back to the edge of the building) or a fixed awning. Fixed awnings will always stay in the same position.
Some awning styles will roll down to include a cover for the full front of the store. Using full coverings on the front windows will reduce cooling costs in the summer. If you remember to make the awning part of your boutique’s style statement, it will seamlessly blend with your quest to help your store succeed.
10. Provide the Right Customer Service
One of the most effective ways to encourage customers to return to your boutique is with good customer service. When your staff begins working, talk with them about providing customer service. Please encourage them to assist customers whenever possible and always be polite. After a while, customer service can become part of your boutique’s business standard.
If your store is a clothing store, you might ask your staff to provide advice to customers on which styles might suit them. If you are planning a craft store, the staff might help customers to create crafts. In a candy store, employees can offer snacks to entice customers to buy some of your sweet offerings.
Your boutique can be whatever you dream it to be. Reviewing the above guidelines, you may find the best strategies for designing a boutique shop. With the right plans and team, you’ll one day see your boutique succeed.
