Posted in economics of resale, Not-for-Profit Resale, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged consignment, kidswear, resale shopkeeping, success | 1 Comment »
Consignment, resale, and thrift shops are addicted to using Facebook to keep their names in the forefront of their loyal customers’ shopping minds. But not all of them do it well. For example, albums. They can be a virtual catalog, a on-screen showroom, and a big part of your business branding. The right photos, with the right captions, add so much perceived value to your merchandise! Here’s a shop which has done it well:
Too much work, you say? Well, there are time pressures sometimes involved. But this next example takes ZERO time, and I love the look.
Ready to work on your Facebook albums (or better yet, on your blog posts which get posted on Facebook?)? Here’s some help:
- Editing Photos & Organizing Albums, from Facebook
- Spring into Spring with a Facebook album, from Auntie Kate
- And more from Auntie Kate (who knew she felt so strongly about using your social media time wisely?)
- Have some FB album photos you just LOVE? Turn them into a book to put next to your husband chair to further brand your shop.
Posted in 5- Minute Fixes, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged perceived value, selling, web | 8 Comments »
A few ideas from. . .
229 Promotion Ideas Especially for Resale Shops
To make your shop more memorable, create Continue Reading »
Posted in Shopkeeping talk | Tagged promotions, success | 1 Comment »
Bloggers just LIVE for the thoughtful questions posed to them, and Auntie Kate is no exception.
Imagine her delight when this missive from a resale shopkeeper landed on her virtual desktop:
“How long should my consignment period be? I currently have a 90-day consignment period. Should it be shorter? Longer? What symptoms should I look for that might be telling me that?”
Auntie Kate replies:
A shorter consignment period will give you more variety as merchandise flows in and out of your shop. A 60-day period is what many, if not most, shops use. Some shops use 6 weeks; some use a 30-day period.
What’s best for you? If your shop is always overcrowded, and you are turning down things you could sell for lack of space, if you feel the only way to cope with massive incoming is to place a numerical limit on your suppliers…a shorter period might be called for.
Examine the selling percentages for items of different “ages.” I’m sure you’ll find that percentage highest in the first three or four weeks, with the percentage of sales going down as items age. Goods which have been on the sales floor for 60 to 90 days probably have the lowest selling rate, so you could be using up space on items least likely to sell.
I was in a shop one day when the owner was crowing
over the fact that she had just sold a $45 dress. . . which had been on her racks for nine months! Just imagine if she had removed that item at 60 days. That would have given her seven months to use that space for other items. If that space was filled with a $30 item which sold every 30 days, she would have realized $210 for that same space (that is, 7 sales of a $30 item each month for seven months.) And customers would have seen that many more possible choices, and so be motivated to visit more often!
Perhaps one hanger-space doesn’t sound like a lot. But if this held true throughout the shop…Hmm, 10,000 garments times that seven more stock turnovers…Are you worried about making the change from 90 days to 60? Thinking that consignors will desert you? I wouldn’t. Consignors simply want their items to sell. If you explain to those concerned that a faster change of stock means more customers, that should do it.
Oh, and remember 3 things.
Making a Change in your Consignment Agreement The three things you must remember when making adjustments in your consignment agreement at any point in your shop’s progress. Available in our Lunch with Kate mini-Products for the Professional Resaler.
Posted in Mailbox: 1-on-1 Advice, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged consignment, consignors |
The gift to “see ourselves as others see us” can be a bit unsettling at times, but it can also be hugely rewarding.
I hope these past Auntie Kate posts will be rewarding for you.
5 Things Your Consignor Won’t Tell You.
5 Things Your NON-Consignor Won’t Tell You.
5 Things Your Consignment Customer Won’t Tell You.
Posted in Shopkeeping talk | Tagged success |
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