Could your consignment, resale, or thrift shop use two of these fantastic maternity display hangers?
They are my highest-recommended way to make all clothing displays look and sell great. Store Supply Warehouse is now stocking this maternity version because TGtbTers asked for them (and Tom was at SourceMart in June because I suggested it to him!)
Store Supply Warehouse and TGtbT want YOU to sell maternity better so they are giving away free two pair of tummies! All you have to do is
reply here at Auntie Kate the Blog with your best tip on selling maternity wear.
- Is it important where your maternity section is located?
- How you arrange sizes or colors?
- Nifty signage?
- Contacting potential customers?
- Leaving coupons in OB-GYN offices?
What ideas do you have? We look forward to them! Simply “reply” here with your best tip by Monday October 5 and you’re entered into the drawing! (Sorry, replies in any other location will not be eligible.)
Store Supply Warehouse will ship TWO lucky winners each a pair of these forms.
Winners will be chosen randomly on Tuesday October 6 from all replies here at the blog. And be sure to visit our drawing sponsor, Store Supply Warehouse and see their other choices in these great forms plus everything else they have! With all items in stock in their three warehouses, SSW can deliver to 96% of the US in 2 days or less.
UPDATE October 6, 2009: Winners have be drawn!
The winners of the consignment and resale shopkeepers’ Win a Brace of Bellies contest for a free pair of maternity display hangers have been selected.
Winner #1 is Kirsty of House of Consignment in New York State. Tom Smith of Store Supply Warehouse will be sending her a pair of these great forms to perk up her maternity displays. Hope that you sell enough more maternity, Kirsty, to get your shop listed as a Sponsor on HowToConsign.com Clickable Map & Directory, the #1 Google site, so folks looking for shopping opportunities in your part of the world discover you and your site!
Our second winner is one lucky lil gal. Elizabeth of Mommy’s Lil’ Rascals in Pennsylvania won a Spotlight Shop listing at HowToConsign.com last year, and now she too has won a Brace of Bellies!
Congratulations to these two shopkeepers, and many thanks to all who entered our contest!
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
Here are a few of my tips. First, I make sure that any resale items are in PERFECT condition. I do not accept faded clothing at all, as I want my customers to feel as though they are in a retail not not a resale shop.
With regard to children and maternity wear, we have our “mama’s baby” section (baby clothes) and our “baby’s mama” section (maternity). It’s fun to hear when customers yell to their friends “i’m in the baby mama section!” – everyone gets a laugh. I think keeping the mood light and fun in a store keeps people there longer.
The mama’s baby section is displayed in color groups by size and separated by gender. Boys clothes are a lot harder to find for new moms so I make sure I try to get baby boy clothes that are cute and in pristine condition, this way I can give it a slight markup over the large volume of girl clothing.
The Baby’s Mama section is conveniently placed next to the infant/toddler clothes to catch the eye of the shopper. These are also displayed by color groups and size. It’s easier for someone who is looking for a black top to just go to the black section of the rack. Also, a large shelf is placed on the wall next to the maternity section that houses breast pumps, yoga pregnancy dvds, bottles, cloth diapers, and anything else maternity – pregnancy-newborn related.
To increase sales, as stated above, keep quality of merchandise very high. Your store will be known as the “good” store. People are willing to pay a little more if items are in excellent condition and they feel as though it’s as good as “new”.
Also once a month on a random saturday, have a sale! The randomness will keep people guessing so they are more likely to stop in even if it wasn’t in their plans.
Always keep aisles free of clutter, and try to have things arranged as neatly as possible. We use a flip n fold to neatly fold items.
I’ve thought about having an incentive item for the store, like buy $15 worth of items in one visit and receive a card that gets stamped with the store logo. Once your card reaches 10 stamps, you can get $10 off a $15 purchase!
I think that would work, but I haven’t implemented that yet in the store.
I’d love to win the forms so I could have maternity items displayed in the window. I believe that would draw people in even more.
Thanks for the generous offer in this contest. Best of luck to all store owners!
My children’s and maternity store is in a narrow space. I keep the maternity at the back of the store so the expectant moms have to walk past all the great baby stuff on their way there. Maternity was my best-selling category last month, closely followed by baby gear and infant clothing. The dressing rooms are at the back of the store anyways, so it is convenient to have the clothing right there.
You need to have a large selection in order to make it worth it for moms-to-be to stop in.
We put our maternity section directly next to the fitting room (we are kids/maternity). This way it is more private for the mom-to-be to come out and get more to try on. We also have the infant apparel, nursing items and baby gifts next to our maternity section. And yes, Kate, we have put our business cards in OB offices. : )
By the way, I was one of those at the NARTS conference who requested maternity forms. Can’t wait to get some whether through winning or buying.
The best selling point for maternity in my little store is having it visible as soon as you enter the store. It is a strong, consistant seller…and not just to the mammas-to-be! I also mix it up frequently, and always display cute ensembles.
Maternity does best for us when placed amidst the baby clothing. When a new mom-to-be starts to shop she first looks at the baby clothing. Suddenly, there she is…faced with an adorable arrangement of Maternity!
I have a small section of maternity, but the turn over is great.
I hang 3 storks from the ceiling to draw attention to the section.
I have a lot of ladies that buy maternity because it fit their shape better.
Well, I’m going to be short and sweet with my “Best tip”
Our key ingredient in selling maternity is location in the store. We keep our maternity right in our newborn/0-3m/unisex section. This is the first place the pregnant women go to in our store and it’s impossible to not see the trendy maternity clothes we carry.
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Keep most current pieces on display.
My best-selling trick is to display a full maternity outfit (not necessarily from same label) up front in the store, with a complimenting infant outfit. Right now we have a gorgeous plum turtleneck sweater and dark brown khakis with a matching infant green/plum wool dress. It’s in season, colors are “now” and it’s the first thing you see when you walk in the door (hanging from a standing display).
I also display an outfit on front of each of my racks. This sounds obvious, but it looks so cool to see the same denim styles as one would wear before she was pregnant hanging out front. It lets the mom-to-be know we carry the same styles she did before she was pregnant, just in a maternity fit. I also sometimes display a Baby Bjorn or sling with our outfits. It kind of just pulls them all together.
We have carried maternity clothes in addition to our children’s products for over 10 years. We find it to be a consistent seller for us. Our maternity customers have gone on to be great customers of our children’s store.
Here are some ideas we have used to sell maternity clothes.
1. You must have a good turn around of new maternity product. Customers come in regularly to shop maternity and expect new inventory.
2. Product must be new and in style. Buyers do not want their mother’s maternity clothing! We only stock current styles.
3. Plus sizes are a must! They are hard to find and are our most sought after size.
4. We carry all seasons year round. Where else can you find a maternity swiminsuit in December?
I recently reintroduced maternity back into our women’s and children’s shop after not carrying it for a couple of years. I am happy to say it is selling very well. The reason I started it back was that my customers were asking for it. I think I am being pickier with it than I was before, trying to only accept items that don’t really look like they are maternity clothes. My customers want to look stylish and comfortable. I think selection is the key.
Here are a few things that have worked for us:
Have a selection of short sleeved tops on hand even during the Winter months as some expectant moms are overly warm especially at the end of their pregnancy.
Set a mannequin in a maternity outfit next to a nursery display of a crib complete with the bedding, mobile, changing table, etc. so when the expectant mom is checking out baby furniture & accessories she will be reminded to check out the maternity section. Also, don’t worry if you don’t have a pregnant mannequin. We have made our own “baby bump” on regular mannequins using towels, pillows and even a fanny pack!
Set a mannequin in a maternity outfit near or next to the bathroom because we all know the expectant moms are gonna have to go! 🙂
1. Make sure your maternity section has good signs so it is easy to find.
2. Try to have a variety of sizes. If you are low in a size send out emails to get sizes that you need.
3. Be picky about styles. Most people hang on to maternity clothing until it is outdated. Make sure consignors know it must be current.
4. Don’t be afraid to sell maternity to “nonpregnant” customers. The tops are very much like babydolls and some women like the band on the pants.
5. Don’t hang on to items just to keep your racks full. You can get away with keeping maternity longer than some items though.
“SCS” (size, color, style) has been a key ingredient for our maternity section. We try to always keep items sized first, then by color and then by style. We also have had lots of success with carrying Plus size maternity because it is next to impossible to buy anywhere in our area besides online. I do not have any of these forms but would love to be able to add them as an extra feature. We are preparing to restucture this area in our store, so this would be a great addition.
I have always carried maternity since we opened 10 years ago, and I have always ordered from SSW, they are GREAT!!!
My TOP 5 best tips for encouraging sales are:
1)Definitely put out brochures/fliers with pictures of actual sample merchandise that you carry. List hours, convienences like dressing rooms, return/exchange policies,etc. Suggested locations: laundromats; libraries; ob/gyn offices; pediatricians; family practice physicians; chamber of commerce; YMCA; daycare centers and support agencies; WIC and Public Aid offices; Pregnancy centers; any public bulletin boards you can find; Women’s consignment/resale stores–they may not find it worth their time to have only a few pieces, and would gladly refer them to you , as long as you refer them to that(those) shops ;etc. I suggest going as far as a 20miles radius from your store.
2) Always have at least 1 maternity outfit in your window display.
3)Keep it Trendy—no matter the brand. It can be Pea in the Pod or MiMi, or Announcements but if the style is not right, it won’t sell even if it is the trendy brand. casual sells the fastest, but we do sell the dresses/business casual wear.
4)Be as knowlegeable as possible in the latest gadgets for your target market,–(even if you don’t carry them in stock)bella bands, new adjustable/removable buttons,etc. get some to let the customer try them out(they’ll remember the customer service)
5)Take different panel styles in all your merchandise, and encourage your shoppers to try all the different ones on. Underbelly, midbelly, full panel, side panel, no panel. Each one works better in certain stages than others.