I got an email the other day from a shopkeeper who had read my two past posts on differentiating one’s consignment or resale shop from competition via packaging, and she asked
What else can I do to make my shop memorable? I am in an area with a lot of similar shops, in fact so similar that shoppers forget which store they’re in. That can’t be helping my word of mouth! if they don’t know who’s who. I even have consignors come in to get paid…who consigned somewhere else, not with me!
Great question! Here’s some ideas beyond packaging to take your shop
from AU (Absolutely Unremarkable)
to GOLD (Good Original Luxurious Detail.)
* Outstanding decor. Whether it’s a leopard-print back wall or extravagant dressing rooms, is there something that will impress and be a stand-out? And is it truly impressive enough? One gold-painted frame on a wall display is nice… a whole series of them, outstanding.
* Elegantly-dressed staff. Most of us shudder to think of wearing a uniform, or asking our staff to do so…but is there something that will make your crew look like, well, a crew? Maybe something as simple as striped shirts, tan bottoms, and a seasonal scarf/ tie? Good-looking name badges (naming both the person and the business!), to me at least, are mandatory.
* Unique exterior. Not all of us have a lot of choice when it comes to altering our building or its exterior accessories, but most of us can do outstanding… and outstandingly unique…window displays. Whether it’s a stack of dining chairs for a furniture resale shop or a mock tree fort that fills a big window in a childrenswear shop, consider your display windows as more than just something to show merchandise. Even simply framing the edges of the window glass in a bold motif can be Good Original Luxurious Detail.
This is a topic on which YOU can comment, and I hope you do. What is it that takes your shop to the top of the GOLD standard in your market area?
The two packaging posts that consignment shop owner was referring to? A silly penny more or less and Packaging can make all the difference.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
[…] Going from Absolutely Unremarkable to GOLD […]
[…] Basically happy with your business, but want to take it one step further? Go for the GOLD! […]
We play GREAT music and many customers comment about coming in to hear the music while they shop. This summer we will be piping some from the doorways. The dressing rooms are also user friendly, kids are welcome even though children’s wear is a very small part of what we do and baby holding is free š
Branding. A logo. Signage with the logo on everything you print or hang, and all of your advertising. We have our logo on our ‘Sold’ “Hold’ and “This item is on Lay-a-way’ tags that are attached to our items. They are 4’x6′.
Oh so true, Donna! I’d add to your list: dressing room walls and/or curtains. Designer-item hang tags. Merchandise bags of course… even staff t-shirts (at least for special events and photo ops, community service stints and festivals). A frieze/ border around the store’s ceiling line. I’m sure there’s more!
paint the name of your store inside the store in big letters somewhere visible when they come in
We stand out by having an exception swing shop of our most prized furniture and accessories. We have been known as the shop that “smells” good. Now other local shops are on the band wagon. So we still smell like home. A professional scent machine with crisp apple, is the only fragrance we use.
We have also added more lighting and a pop of color to walls to stand out.
That’s a comment I never expected but get all the time, as well! People say, “It smells fresh in here!”