While most resale and consignment an
d thrift shops have been seeing more shoppers and more gross sales* what with the recent economic woes, there are some belly-aching. They complain that their shoppers have stopped shopping, that their clientele is losing their jobs right and left, that “no one is buying.”
Well, that might be 100% true.
Their current, historic, customer could well be hurting, and the lack of sales from this segment of the community could be drastic. But what of those 90% of shoppers in every community who have never, or seldom, shopped resale?
The key to whether a resaler is doing well or not has to do with realizing that her buying public, or her potential buying public, has changed. And that, therefore, her business MUST adapt.
Yes, the lower-disposable-income resale shopper may have dropped off your map: she may not be shopping at all; she may be frequenting the lowest-end thrift store; or she may restrict her buying to garage sales and freecycle; she might even be only swapping with buddies… but the NEWly-awakened resale shopper, she/he who is experiencing the gently-used market for perhaps the first time, is more than ready to fill the gap.
And if you are ready to appeal to THOSE shoppers, you have limitless potential. But those who stand still in a bare-bones, bargain-basement approach to resale could well be hurting for customers. Here’s an excerpt from an article to get you thinking:
Wal-Mart Has Its Day
The discount giant is attracting traditional upscale shoppers trading down. Can it keep them?
An economy meandering its way through tough times has Wal-Mart back on top of retailing. So what happens when things get better? It depends on all those traditionally non-discount shoppers currently trading down to save money. Will most of them see Wal-Mart as a forced pit stop or… (read Forbes.com ‘s take on the whole situation, Kate’s emphases in the quote)
What you, as an independent retailer with limited financial resources but maximum brainpower, need to do is attract and HOLD those “trading down to save money” clients.
Oft times, this involves investing money. And that’s scary when the media keeps crying “woe is everyone” and Obama lets CPSC shut down whole segments of resale and threatens to tax to death the few remaining. But you do need to orient your shop to these new shoppers if you want to grow your business.
And changing always involves investing time and effort. Just when, perhaps, you’re feeling at your lowest (I’m upside down in my mortgage, I’m no longer able to think of my spouse’s income as a padding for my business) you have to gird your loins and get out there fighting. It’s hard, but it’s rewarding: retail’s the most fun you can have with your cash register on.
What have YOU done to appeal to the previously-not-caught-dead-in-secondhand shoppers?
* Over 74% of member businesses reported sales increases fall 2008 over fall 2007 –Narts.org reports (available to members only).
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
Print ads are expensive, that’s for sure… here’s some ideas that are more in line with a beginner’s budget:
* Thank-you notes. Have you written, hand-written, one to each of the customers who have signed up for your mailing list so far?
* Bring-a-Friend: especially as a brand-new shop, are you planning (for when the weather’s a bit more cooperative!) an after-hours event so that all your new fans can bring a friend, enjoy a pampering evening, sip and munch as they enjoy your shop?
* Smaller ads in local papers, thanking everyone who’s helped you so far: the local handyman, the deli down the street whose sandwiches fueled your labors getting the location ready, the librarian who steered you to the right how-to books…anyone local whose name is recognizable to readers,. These types of ads make “strangers” feel like your shop has been accepted, is a part of the community, and is worth stopping in to see. Not to mention that everyone’s who’s thanked will talk you up!
* Broadcast emails. A regular schedule of these will keep your shop in the forefront of your new clients’ minds.
* Passing out your card…every consignor/supplier should be offered 3 to 5 cards to hand out. Exchange business cards with allied businesses in town (most office-supply chains sell plexiglass multi-card holders nowadays, bring these along with you as you visit your fellow merchants.)
* Take-aways: a customer service brochure such as those at http://tgtbt.com/layouts.htm takes your name home with every visitor, and are ideal to hand out after a chat in the grocery-store line, when someone asks what you do, even at the “free literature” tables at your library, community center, other gathering places.
I certainly agree with all the comments that I have read. We try to “pamper” our customers with every sale or just a browser. Our trouble is that the weather (we are in the east, and was hit with two ginormous snow storms during the month we opened. We are on a busy street, have made our store truly visible, but we cannot get people to come in. We have a great little “homey” store, and our prices are reasonable. We don’t have money to do a huge print ad, but we are putting together our website, and facebook page, and holding our breath. We know that a great ad would help, but we just don’t have the funds at this time. Any suggestions? Thanks
[…] They’re feeling blue. They can’t afford that shopping trip to Manhattan, that visit to Grandma. BUT: Your shop has the ability to make a homey, back to basics celebration feel special. Play up the traditional, the eco-aware, or the charity-outreach mood particular to your area and your clientele. Play it up BIG. Can you attract and HOLD “trading down to save money” clients? […]
Today more than ever people are going green. It is usually the upscale shoppers who are doing it from what I can see. Now is the time to remind them of the green aspect of our businesses. Once we get them in we can show them the benefits of shopping resale. I think adding value as Kate always says is what will set them apart and make them WANT to shop in our stores once we get them there. We try to make shopping at our store a pampering experience for our customers. We wrap their packages in tissue paper, etc. We go that extra mile to make them feel good about shopping with us. It is psychology that works. I just spent twice as much money on an undergarment at Macy’s than I usually do at Kohl’s because of the top notch service I got from the sales person. In my head I was thinking, I can get two for the price I am paying for this one but I wanted to buy it from the sales person by the time she was done pampering me.
[…] Now is the time to bolster your business and give it a giant step forward. The time could not be more right to get your shop noticed, whether you want people to consign, to donate or to sell to you, as well as to introduce the concept of secondhand shopping to all those people who have never explored the option! That’s what I was thinking when I answered a comment on one of my earlier entries. […]
Hi Jocelyn,
These shoppers, who were previously unaware of resale, or who strictly shopped malls, can be reached by the means they are used to: newspaper ads, TV, radio, and the Internet.
That’s the BAD news…trying to persuade shoppers who have never THOUGHT of resale to come see your shop isn’t easy.
But the GOOD NEWS is: it’s a hot topic, news-wise, to shop more thriftily…if your local media, from weekly paper to big-shot TV station, hasn’t run multiple stories on “how people are shopping with the downturn in the economy”, that would be unusual.
Getting “strangers” in your oh-so-thrifty yet oh-so-fashionable doors works best if you seize this opportunity of thriftiness being the current lifestyle. This is an opportunity which comes around only every decade or decade-and-a-half, so now’s your moment to SHINE with press releases, media coverage, TV ads SHOWING your shop and its wonderful ambiance.
In addition to the media attention, you will make full use of your web site and your blog and (for building loyalty and reminding one-time visitors) your broadcast email service.
Directing readers/ viewers from any and all paid advertising and all press mention to your site is the ultimate in “learn more at…” A small ad, a short commercial, which leads viewers to your site or blog, allows you their uninterrupted attention for as customer-centric a message as possible.
So:
Work on press releases, your press kit, doing news-worthy events/promotions and getting the media to cover same.
Make sure your web site reflects the wonderful experience a new shopper will have in your shop.
Refer all paid ads to your site, and even to a specific page on your site, to maximize your advertising dollars.
Gain, use, and cultivate every contact you receive, from those who sign up for your email news while in your shop, to “passers-by” on your web site, to your personal and professional contacts.
I agree with you, but what suggestions do you have to find those “previously-not-caught-dead-in-secondhand shoppers?” Traditional advertising channels or or this a different segment that needs to be found with non-traditonal methods?
Thanks!