Customer Visual Impression

Impressing your customers is important. Not only do they make assumptions about your boutique or the quality of your merchandise, but they are also actively sizing you up against your competition. Your image is of major importance. People use their visual cues to formulate their opinions about you. Savvy shoppers can make a quick decision about your store with only a glance. You have to grab their attention and visually stand out among the competition.

To do this, there are several areas in which you need to concentrate. We'll take it from the top. Imagine that you are a customer discovering your boutique for the first time. Do you look at your sign, your storefront window, your décor, your website, or a flyer? All of these things are as important as the merchandise that you sell.

Keep your store image in mind and make sure that your image is helping you to reach your target market in the way that they need to be reached. For instance, you don't want a lot of sale signs and cheap looking displays if your prices are considered high. You don't need a lot of extravagant, expensive displays to attract people to a sidewalk sale. Doing so will make people think that you are trying to get rid of your merchandise for some reason, or that you normally charge too much and they should always wait for a sale to visit your store.

You, as a boutique owner, have most likely figured out your niche market or specialty products. Larger department stores can't really feature one type of product because they're customers are looking for a large variety. If they want quality products and actual competent customer service, they will shop at specialty stores that know a lot about what they are looking to purchase. Avoid keeping your boutique broad and try to narrow it down to some specialty products or brands. You are in the position to become an expert on certain things, making you the one that people will go to when they need that one thing.

Make sure that your store front and window displays focus on your specialties. You can spotlight items, use signs, or create a slogan that lets people know that this is what you are passionate about and good at. Try to center a lot of your displays around this idea that you are the expert. Make sure that your employees are knowledgeable and up to date on all of the details that surround your special brands and products.

Using slatwall and slatwall panels to display your items on the walls not only saves space, but also helps to show passing customers what all you have. Everything is easy to see, and if properly done, will help you to communicate the message that you want to get across. Simply use the slatwall accessories to help you create slatwall displays that draw the eye to what you are trying to promote.

Keeping things visually "honest" will help you target the right customers and establish yourself as the leader among your competition.