We all (well, except for some very, very misguided shopkeepers and thrift store managers) know how wonderful maintaining and using a wish list, or a want list, is for our shops’ reputations.
We show our care and concern by “keeping an eye out” for special items our customers crave, we emphasize the personality of a local shop, we beat the big-box stores hands down…and we get to collect contact info too!
Wish lists are wonderful. It helps you sell (you have a ready-made customer, perhaps), it helps you price (just HOW many people want a Bottega Veneta bag?) and it pleases a customer at the same time. Even if all you can do is contact her saying No Bottega Venetas in this week…but there’s a spectacular soft Gucci clutch in caramel I think you’d like, you show your concern and probably nudge her into visiting and into giving your shop great word of mouth.
As important as these aspects of Wish Lists are, there’s another, even more important reason that this customer amenity can take your shop from just another resale shop to the top of your town’s A-List:
Don’t “just” please your Wish List customer…show off what you can do for others…what great finds they can get in your shop, how pulled-together they can look with your help, and how delighted they are with the results! All it takes are
Request Fulfillment Photos.
Show your customers in their finds. Snap a shot at the dressing rooms, or ask for a photo in use, like the mother-of-the-bride example below. Then start a photo album (“Dreams DO Come True”? ) on your business Facebook page, or a category on your blog (“They found it here!”? ), or a page on your web site (“Style is Beautiful the Second Time Around”?). Or collect a handful for every issue of your shop’s broadcast e-newsletter. Or heck, print ’em out and post them on your community bulletin board in your entryway. Just don’t forget the captions!
Here’s some examples to get your brain cells dancing. I’ve borrowed the photos from around the web, and added ideas for captions that invite viewers into considering your shop “THEIR” shop…and isn’t that what service is all about?
Sammie needed a WOW outfit to go with her glamorous shoes...look what we found her!
Jamie, our part-timer, dared us to find her something to go with those stockings. How'd we do?
The thigh-high boots are hers. The rest, we put together from our vintage racks. Do you BELIEVE how great that jacket looks?
It had to be pink and it had to look good in bare feet. And she needed it by January 15. We promised Mary we wouldn't publicize how much she paid but let's just say, it cost less than the groom's boutineer 😉
Photos from Dallas Vintage Shop (boy I hope they’re on the NARTS bus tour next June), quizilla.teennick.com (great fun quizzes), and a defunct blog or two.
Let us know if you develop this idea to highlight your wonderful shop!
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
[…] Why your want list isn’t JUST a selling tool, but also a great way to build your shop’s reputation (and counteract online shopping!) […]
I use the exact system that Kate suggests – works perfect. I am a “computer person” who likes almost everything computerized but the index cards in a file is what works for a wish list. People like it when they see you actually writing their “wish” down, and it is very easy to look through every couple of days.
Thanks Jill, it’s true: writing that index card as you’re interacting with the wisher is a VERY strong personalized y\touch that is miles above standing at a keyboard typing. Thanks for the reminder!
We just created a Word document called WISHLIST.DOC and enter the name, the wish, and contact info. Easy to search the list…which is now very long…and that’s a good thing. Can make for an easy sale when you have what is wished for!
-Linda
Well, I am known for KISS…which technically stands for Keep it Simple and Sweet…but perhaps it’s Kate Is SO Simple 😉
How’s about a simple 3×5 index card file? On each card, include date requested, name, contact info and as much detail as necessary for what it it the customer is seeking. Maybe a “need by” date for something like a mother-of-the-bride dress.
On the back of the card, you can make notes: Called 8-27 with green Burberry sweater…no go/ Called 9-2 with tweed B. swtr…sold!
I filed these by category, e.g. handbag, coat, household… and made sure that even if we forgot Susie Shopper wanted a Gucci, we’d catch it by going through the whole file every few days.
Requests that went unfulfilled for more than a few weeks were called/ emailed re whether we should continue looking…GREAT reason to reach out and touch someone!
Fulfilled requests deserve another contact, thanking them for the opportunity to be of service, a few days or a week after the sale.
Wow great ideas but how do you start a wish list, using the computer? what program…I have consign pro and the feature does not work well, anyone have some good ideas? thanks for keeping us informed Kate