4 Surprising Facts About Fashion Mannequins

In the world of retail fashion and apparel, mannequins are the single most effective marketing tool available. Their primary purpose is to convey how a garment or outlook will look on the human form rather than a clothes hangers. It's oftentimes hard, if not impossible, to judge how certain clothes will look once they are worn. Thankfully, mannequins are designed to tackle this problem thanks to their human-form construction. Here, we're going to reveal 4 surprising facts about fashion mannequins.

#1 - Invented In The 1800s

You might be surprised to learn that fashion mannequins were originally invented and used in Paris back in the 1800s. Shop owners would use mannequins made of paper-mache to display garments to customers. Although they certainly weren't as durable or versatile or the models seen today, they still offered an effective way for stores to display their garments. Paper-mache mannequins stuck around for quite some time before being replaced by higher-quality models made of various materials including Styrofoam and plastic.

#2 - Garments on Mannequins Sell 40% Faster

It's no secret that garments sell faster on mannequins, but most store owners underestimate just how fast they sell. According to a recent study, garments sold 40% faster when they were placed on a mannequin rather than a rack or shelf. This is a surprisingly high number that's hard for store owners to ignore. By displaying your garments on mannequins, you could essentially boost your sales and profits by a significant amount.

If there's a particular garment in your store that's simply not selling as fast as the rest, perhaps you should place it on a display mannequin to help push it. Even if it's out of season, garments will naturally sell faster when they are on a human form.

#3 - Not Limited To Women's Apparel

Some store owners are stuck in the mindset of only using mannequins to display women's apparel. While they are certainly effective at displaying and marketing women's clothing, they can also be used for men's clothing as well. Don't limit yourself to just one gender. Take full advantage of your mannequins by using them to display both women's and men's apparel.

#4 - Mannequins as Weapons

Would you have guessed that mannequins were once used as weapons in the military? The ancient Chinese military used them to draw the attention of their opposing combatants. Soldiers would see the mannequins from a distance and believe they were real people.

Laying The Foundation For Long-Term Success

Most entrepreneurs start a business or company hoping that it will achieve not only immediate success but long-term success as well. Once you've invested a large portion of your time, energy and financial resources into a starting a business, you probably don't want to start all over again. This is why it's important to always keep one eye looking down the road at the future of your business. Owners who remain shortsighted by focusing only on the immediate needs of their business will likely suffer as a result.

Setting Goals For Your Business

Laying the foundation for long-term success of a business starts with clear professional goals. Ask yourself what you hope to achieve with your business. Using a pen and paper, write these goals down and hang them in a visible area to serve as a constant reminder. If you happen to lose focus or drive, you can look up at your goals to get your business back on track. Revealing these goals to your employees is also helpful at encouraging and motivating them to work more efficiently.

Set both short-term and long-term goals for your business. Short-term goals will give you and your employees something to immediately strive for, while long-term goals will act more as a roadmap for the future success of your business.

Grow With The Times

Businesses must keep up with the times if they wish to succeed later down the road. We live in a high-tech age where people use Google and social media sites to locate contact information for businesses more than phone books. If your business lacks an online presence, you are missing out on one of the key tools for any modern-day business. Launching a website and a social media networking page for your business takes very little effort but will pay off huge.

Of course, this is just one example of "growing with the times." Don't be afraid to adjust and modify your business according to recent trends and technological advancements. Complacency is a killer for businesses and companies, so don't allow yourself to fall victim to it.

Products and/or Services

Want to know the secret to achieving long-term success with a business? It's offering a product and/or service that's superior to your competitors. This will naturally attract more customers while creating a name for your business through word-of-mouth marketing. Focus on building an exceptional product or service and you will reap the benefits of long-term success.

3 Ways To Improve Customer Service In Retail Environments

Retail stores typically rely on local transactions for the majority, if not all, of their sales. If local customers aren't walking in to your store, you can't expect to run a successful business. The good news is that you can encourage more customers to visit your store by focusing on customer service. In this post, we're going to cover 3 simple and effective techniques for retail store's to improve their customer service.

#1 - Connect With Your Customers

Improving customer service in a retail environment starts by connecting with the customer. Don't treat your customers as business assets, but instead treat them as your friends. Taking the initiative to say things like "Hello, how are you?" to each and every customer walking into your store will set you apart from your competitors. People want to feel acknowledge and appreciated when they are shopping, so make sure you are greeting every customer who walks into your store.

#2 -Train Your Employees

Unless your employees are properly trained in dealing with customers, all of your hard work is for nothing. Employees are essentially a representation of your business when you aren't around. If they fail to offer good customer service, it will send the wrong message about your store. The damaging effects of poorly trained employees can have a disastrous impact on a business. If you haven't done so already, train all of your employees how to talk and deal with customers in a friendly manner. To make sure they are practicing good customer service, you can send some secret shoppers into your store to critique their behavior.

It's also not a bad idea to send your employees through a customer service retraining program on occasion. After a while, it's easy for employees to forget certain aspects of their training. Retraining them, however, will instill these elements so they'll be more adept at representing your business.

#3 - Go Above and Beyond The Call of Duty

What exactly does this mean? Well, there are countless different ways for store owners to go above and beyond the call of duty. For instance, if you see a customer waiting outside 10 minutes before the official store opening time, perhaps you can unlock the doors and let them inside. It's not going to harm you by letting customers shop early in your store, and doing so will leave a positive impression on the customer. Another idea is to run monthly giveaway contests for customers who signup to your Facebook page. This is a highly effective tool for gaining more exposure while the customer receives a freebie.

Identifying Retail Fashion Trends

If you own or manage a retail apparel store, it's important to closely monitor and follow current fashion trends. Doing so will allow you to choose hot-selling product for your store, essentially increasing your sales and profits. Overlooking this critical aspect could bring your retail apparel business into a downward spiral. But just how are you supposed to find trends in the world of fashion?

Fashion Shows

There are numerous ways to identify trends in the fashion industry, one of which is to attend fashion shows. Some of the country's biggest fashion shows occur in New York City and Los Angeles. As a retail apparel store owner, you should attend some of these shows to help identify current and even future trends. In addition to seeing new fashion styles and trends, you'll also have the opportunity to network with other like-minded individuals. This alone makes the trip worth your time and money. Besides, taking trips to fashion shows is a fun experience that will give you a break from the normal work week.

Fashion Magazines

In addition to attending shows, you should also check out some of the fashion magazines to identify trends. There are literally dozens of wonderful magazines out there which showcase new fashion trends and styles. Subscribing to just a few of them could prove to be well worth it in the long run. You'll be able to see what styles are coming in and which ones are going out.

Observe Shoppers

As a retail apparel store owner, you can observe shoppers to see what style they typically wear. This is arguably the single easiest and most effective way to gauge trends in the world of fashion. Keep a close eye on your store's customers to determine their preferred style and any changing trends.

Now that you know how to identify fashion trends, you might be wondering what to do with this information. Well, ideally you should use it to modify your store's inventory. If there's a newly emerging apparel style, then perhaps you could offer it in your store. On the other hand, if there's a style that seems to be declining, then you might want to consider getting rid of it. You can place it on a clearance rack or offer similar sales and discounts to help move it faster. The key thing to remember is that you want your store to reflect the current trends in the world of fashion.

How To Know When It's Time To Expand Your Business

There comes a point in time for every business owner when they must consider expanding. The fact is that businesses can only grow so much if they remain isolated in a single local area. In order to truly know the potential of your business, you must expand. But how do you know when it's the right time? If you are business owner who's thinking about expanding, you should first read some of the tips listed below.

Local Success

You should only consider expanding your business if you are already have success locally. You simply can't expect to have success elsewhere if you aren't performing well in your current location. During the first few years of your business, work solely on local performance, trying to capture as much of the marketplace as possible. This can be done through a variety of techniques, one of which is marketing. Spread the word about your business through any and all available outlets. The more people who know your business, the more successful it will become. This is essentially the principle behind branding as well -- so get your business's name out there and in front of potential customers.

Capital

Regardless of the specific industry or line of work, expanding a business takes a great deal of capital. Many owners underestimate just how much money it takes to expand a business, forcing them to close up shop in just a couple months after opening. Don't make the hastily decision to expand without fully setting aside enough capital. Some of the costs involved with expansion include leasing a new store, hiring new employees, training, purchasing product, business licenses for the respective district, etc. Go through all of these items to ensure you're business is fully capable of paying for it; otherwise, you should continue saving until a later time.

Unknown Demographic

One of the biggest hurdles when expanding a business is the fact that you don't know the demographic. Sure, you can read reports all day long, but it doesn't compare to firsthand knowledge and experience that comes from running a store in the area. While your current store location might pull profit easily, a new location could prove to be an entirely different story. The only way you'll know for sure is to test it out.

Expanding your business into a new location isn't a surefire way to increase your company's profit. On the contrary, it can oftentimes have disastrous consequences, sending some businesses underwater. But not taking the risk essentially limits your business's success.

Retail Therapy Really Does Improve Shoppers' Mood

Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of cash and a day at the mall to brighten your mood. If you feeling down or stressed out, you might be able to turn your outlook around using retail therapy. Although this term has been around for some time, it was widely disregarded in terms of accuracy. However, recent studies suggests that retail therapy does in fact improve shoppers' mood.

Let's face it, splurging and buying yourself something nice once in a while instantly lifts your spirits. Whether it's a new television, CD, DVD or just a shirt, buying stuff is sure to make you happier. According to a recent survey done by Ebates.com, 51.8% of all Americans have purchased items for the sole purpose of feeling better. With numbers such as this, there must be some kind of truth behind retail therapy.

So, what's the number one item purchased during retail therapy? According to the survey, it was clothes for women and food for men. When women are down and depressed, they will hit the mall or local apparel stores in hopes of brightening their day through retail therapy. On the other hand, men are more likely to purchase food to try and cure their blues.

The survey also reveals the leading triggers of a "retail therapy shopping spree." The number one trigger is a bad day at work. I think we've all experienced at least one bad day at work before, probably a lot more if you are like most people. Perhaps the boss is getting on your case about a deadline or maybe a coworker is trying to cause trouble. Either way, having a bad day at work will linger long after you leave the office. A simple cure for this problem is to go out and purchase yourself something at a local retail store in your area.

Store owners can take advantage of retail therapy in a number of different ways. For starters, market to your customers both outside and inside your store. Far too many store owners overlook the importance of in-store marketing, and as a result, they lose sales and profits. By throwing up some "on sale" and "clearance" signs in your store, you'll help trigger the purchasing impulse in your customers. Keep plenty of signs up in your store that highlight and draw attention to products that are currently selling well. This alone will naturally encourage more sales, especially from customers who are on a retail therapy shopping spree.

The Psychology Of a Shopper

Understanding the the psychology of shoppers will give you a huge advantage as a retailer. Knowing what triggers the "buy" response in a customer will naturally result in more sales and more profits. Practically ALL big-name national grocery stores and retailers use this technique, so why aren't you? Contrary to what some people may believe, it's actually a simple concept.

"Luxury" Items First

Ever notice how most grocery stores place snacks and junk food close to the entrance? This is because people are more likely to purchase them when they first walk into the store. Cakes, snacks, cookies and other non-essential food is considered a luxury purchase simply because people don't need it. Allowing the customer time to shop around before exposing them to luxury items will reduce the likelihood of them purchasing it. Of course, snacks and junk food is just one example of a luxury item. If you are in the retail clothing industry, then perhaps you can place some of your accessories up front.

You have to think outside of the box when it comes to luxury items. Identify your store's primary customer base and then choose luxury items that would blend well into your line of products. Perform some initial tests with these items to see which ones sell and which ones don't. At the very least you'll get some helpful data to improve your store's layout from tests such as these.

Impulse Buys

Impulse buys are similar to luxury items in the sense that they probably aren't what the reason why the customer came to your store. Nonetheless, you can still encourage customers to purchase "impulse buy" products by choosing the right type of product and the right location. The best location is typically around the cash register where customers will wait in line with nothing to do. While they are waiting, they may see an impulse buy product that catches their eye, and hopefully they will add it to their shopping cart.

So, which type of impulse buy products should you use in your store? It really depends on your store's industry. With that said, I've seen video games, movies, snacks, sodas and even art supplies in line waiting to check out at a major apparel store. These are all items that people probably wouldn't normally purchase at a clothing store, but since they are waiting in line with nothing else to do, they might feel encouraged to make an impulse buy.

4 Reasons Why Retail Businesses Fail

Running a successful and profitable retail store is no easy task. Over half of all newly opened retail businesses will close up shop within just 2 years after their initial launch. Even if you "think" you have all of your bases covered, there are dozens of other factors that could send your retail business underwater. As a store owner, it's your responsibility to identify these potential problems so you can fix them in a timely manner.

Reason #1 - Theft

It's not something most store owners want to think about, but theft is a growing problem in the retail industry. Regardless of what types of products your store sells, you need to take the necessary precautions to reduce theft. Each year, billions of dollars worth of products are stolen from retail stores in the US. Unless you want to contribute to this statistic, take action to reduce theft in your store. Installing additional security cameras, locking cables, and placing your high-end products behind glass cases can all reduce theft.

Reason #2 - Not Enough Capital

Like most businesses, retail stores require capital to maintain a constant flow of products. Without capital, you simply won't be able to purchase new products for your store. This doesn't necessarily mean that you need cash on hand, but you do need credit. Before jumping into the retail business, make sure you have a proper business plan with open lines of credit; otherwise, you could find yourself between a rock and a hard place.

Reason #3 - Poor Staff Training

Having a well-trained staff of employees is critical to your retail store's success. Employees who simply show up to work for a paycheck without any real drive will have a negative effect on your business as a whole. Only hire driven, focused individuals who are enthusiastic about the job. After hiring them, take them through every aspect of their job in a full training course. You can also encourage employees to work harder and more efficiently by rewarding them with additional "perks," such as gift certificates, free lunches, etc.

Reason #4 - Hard-To-Find Location

I can't stress enough the importance of a good location for retail stores. If customers are forced to drive around in circles trying to find your store, you'll naturally lose sales and profits. Sure, some of the non-premium locations might have a lower lease price, but you'll end up losing far more money in lost sales. Don't try to cut corners by choosing a poor location for your retail store. Instead, choose one that's near a main road where people can easily find it.

How To Obtain a Business License For a Retail Store

To legally open and run a retail store in the US, you must first acquire certain business licenses and permits. Simply overlooking this important matter could place your store in jeopardy of being fined and/or shut down. Unless you want to risk the future of your business, it's recommended that you acquire all of the necessary licenses before opening your retail store. But just where are you supposed to acquire them? Keep reading to learn more about obtaining business licenses for retail stores.

The first step in obtaining a business license is to gather all of your accounting and tax information. If your business is operating under a corporation or LLC, then it will likely have an EID. Go through your paperwork to locate this information. In the event you are unable to find it, call up your accountant for a helping hand.

Federal Licenses

Certain retail establishments will require federal licenses in addition to the basic state-level license. Federal licenses are more expensive to acquire, but they still necessary in certain situations. If your store sells tobacco, alcohol or firearms, you'll need to submit an application for a federal license. Because of the high volume of applications, the turnaround time on these is a bit longer. You can find more information about federal license by visiting sba.gov.

State Licenses

Thankfully, applying for a state license is easier, quicker and costs less money. The exact process varies depending on your regional location, so it's best to contact the city hall for more information. They'll be able to point you in the right direction towards acquiring a state license for your retail business. Acquiring one may only require that you visit the city planning office and submit all of your paperwork. Once the office has gone through the paperwork, they'll either mail your new business license or you can pick it up in person.

It's important to note that business license expire after a certain period of time. Most state business licenses are good for exactly one year, at which point you'll have to renew it for an additional year. Federal license, on the other hand, are oftentimes good for several years. Check to see how long your license lasts to ensure it doesn't expire, leaving your business vulnerable to fines or worse. You should be able to determine this information simply by reading the license. It will have an acquisition date as well as the expiration date, so refer back to this when in doubt.

Selecting a Niche For Your Retail Clothing Store

Retail fashion is a cutthroat industry that's becoming increasingly difficult to enter. With the national brand name store companies spending millions of dollars in advertising, smaller fashion stores struggle to stay afloat. The bottom line is that you have to set yourself apart from other stores by focusing on a specific niche. Doing so will give customers a reason to visit your store rather than some of the larger national stores. But just what niche should you build your clothing store around? If you are having trouble choosing one, keep reading to learn the steps to selecting a retail clothing store niche.

Why Niches Are Important For Retail Fashion

Niches are important in the retail fashion industry for a number of different reasons, one of which is the fact that it creates a specialized theme for your store. For instance, customers will feel more inclined to visit "Kim's Dresses" if they are searching for a dress rather than visiting some generic national clothing store. As a result, you'll likely gain a strong following because of your store's specialized focused. The principle of building a store around a niche works in a variety of businesses, fashion included.

Choosing a Niche That Interests You

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurial store owners make is choosing a niche simply because it's profitable or "in demand." While this may seem like a good idea on the surface, it ultimately ends up failing because the owner isn't knowledgeable on the subject. Instead of choosing a niche based around its "profitability," you should choose one that interests you. Doing so will allow you to apply your knowledge and experience on the niche to your business.

There are countless different options available when it comes to choosing a niche for a retail clothing store. As previously stated, you should choose one that's naturally interesting to you. Not only will this give you a knowledgeable edge, but it will also make your job more enjoyable. Check out our niche list below for some ideas. Remember, these are just a few of the MANY fashion niches available.

Here are just a couple idea for niche clothing stores:

• Swimwear
• Maternity clothes
• Big and tall men's clothing
• Baby and infant clothing
• Teen clothing
• Dresses
• Tuxedos
• Hip and trendy apparel
• Plus-sized apparel
• Custom-tailored clothes