For starters, let’s understand why your customers shop by you. Are they looking to keep up with the latest fashion style like men’s casual office apparel, are they following the popularity of a certain brand like Polo Ralph Lauren, or are they strictly price conscious consumers looking to save money on clothing?
You want to know the reasons why customers shop by your men’s clothing store so that you can develop a strategy to maximize sales to them. For example, if your shop was near a college full of budget minded students who like the Ecko brand, but cannot afford the latest Ecko jeans, you should consider purchasing last season’s overstock Ecko clothing so that you can offer the students their favorite brand at prices which they can afford.
Once you have established the reason why men are shopping by you, or at least the reason why they are shopping for clothing in the first place, you can now start focusing on marketing.
Strategy #1
Compile a database of customers. This is the database of customers which you will be calling and emailing when you have a new shipment of Hugo Boss dress shirts which you know that they are looking for. So how do you collect the contact information of prospective and current customers?
You can collect their contact information at the point of purchase by letting them know that those on your list will be the first ones to be notified when you receive a new wholesale shipment. You can also have a welcome book in your store or an online form on your website, which asks for your visitors contact details in exchange for future discounts on your brand name deals.
Collecting email addresses is the best step since you can use an auto responder tool like Aweber’s to send out automated closeout offers to your shoppers.
You can also publish a free fashion guide geared towards men that you can offer in your store for free, or as a downloadable report online, in exchange for their contact information. If you are not a big fan of writing you can hire a college student to write the report for you or even hire a freelancer through a site like Freelancer.com
Strategy #2
Now address your customer’s needs through your marketing. If your customers love brand name designers like Tommy Hilfiger and Kenneth Cole, but simply cannot afford them at their local department store, show them how you carry the same brands at sharply reduced prices.
Often, especially in fashion conscious countries like Nigeria and Lebanon, affordability is not the issue. Availability is usually the bigger challenge. Picture an architect working for the oil industry in Port Harcourt who wants to wear a Calvin Klein buttoned down shirt, how easy will it be for him to buy it? If you a source from where you can order wholesale American brand name clothing, you will then be able to fulfill the fashion preference of this Nigerian professional.
Strategy #3
Offer your male shoppers a real advantage over the competition. If you are a man, or know men well, you know how little we enjoy shopping, but how important it is for us to dress well. So how can you help men with this issue, while giving your business a tremendous retail advantage? You can offer a free private shopping service where a man could come in, be fitted, and then presented with the best clothing choices for him.
Having strong advantages will enable your apparel business to capture more sales at the cash register, as it attracts more men who will be eager to make their purchases by your store.
Strategy #4
Use the power of “Free.” If you want to customers to look forward to visiting your shop you can use this strategy to attract them in the first place, and then to keep them coming back to your shop. You can have two levels of free bonuses, one which you simply give out to your customers when they walk into your shop, and a second one which you give with every purchase.
If you are concerned about the added expense this will create for your business, you can look for closeouts for inexpensive accessories, or ask your wholesale supplier if they have any bonuses which they can give you with your next order. You can also look for a cheap closeout item with a high perceived value such as small gifts, cufflinks, neckties, or a watch.
In any scenario, you can always increase your retail price to cover the extra expense of purchasing these bonuses for your store. And even if you can’t raise your price, which will mean that your net profit will be lowered, just think of all the extra volume that this strategy can bring you.
Strategy #5
Always ask for referrals. This is one of the easiest ways to increase your boutique sales, and it can work whether you have a mall based shop in Mexico or a market stall in Ghana. Always ask your customers to refer their friends and relatives to you, and offer an extra incentive such as a gift or discount when they make a purchase from you.
