The Ultimate List of what you need to open your Boutique
Here’s 23 items you absolutely need to open your brick and mortar clothing boutique
Congratulations on deciding you want to open your own boutique! Wether it’s a short-term pop-in, or a long term lease in a mall; there are a million things you will need. But in this article, we pulled together our must-have list of our favorite items that are necessary to have in your shop. We assume you’ve already made the decisions about the paint color, the shop signs, and the lighting. So in this article, we cover the necessary items for the “behind the scenes” or back-of house, then we move into the needed items for the selling floor. Next we will cover the point of sale area and as an added bonus, we will tell you about some of the best selling product we have seen in the hundreds of boutiques we have worked with.
Operational, or back-of-house items you need to organize your boutique shop
Once UPS delivers the packages to your shop, you’ll need to open the boxes and prepare your product for the selling floor. So the first item you need to make sure you have is a folding table to put your boxes on. Getting the boxes and product up off the ground will save your back (trust me!). Also having a large trash can with heavy duty liners will save you loads of time as you remove the plastic wrapping from the product.
As you open each item, be sure you are looking for defects and damages because you’ll want to return those to the vendor immediately! Plus, comparing the items shipped to the packing list will save you headaches when you are trying to reconcile your inventory.
Having a cohesive style to your hangers will make your shop look more professional. When selecting what style of hanger to use, be sure there is a cohesive look in each type of hanger you will need. For example, make sure the top hanger looks good next to the skirt or pant hanger.
Having worked in retail for over 30 years, I have learned that having high quality rolling racks and multi-tiered carts are a must have for every retail shop! Being able to place folded product on a rolling cart, then wheel it out to the sales floor will help you save time and save your muscles! Plus, it’s easy to walk away from the cart when a customer walks into your shop, and then go back to the cart once you are done with the customer. Because the other option is to pile stuff on a table, or at the point of sale; and those piles make your shop look cluttered to the customer.
Here’s a full list of what I suggest you have to make your behind the scenes area easy to unpack your product. Oh, and I need to tell you that if you choose to purchase any of these items, I may make a small commission off the purchase because I am an Amazon Affiliate.
Box Cutters
Hangers for tops, pants, skirts, swimsuits, scarves
Fixtures and Signage holders you need to order to organize your boutique
You’ll want a mixture of fixtures to hang items on as well as fixtures to fold items onto. Having varied fixtures is what helps a shop look curated and what will help the customer feel comfortable in your shop. But again, as we said before about the hangers, you’ll want to make sure that all of your fixtures have a cohesive look to them as well. Do not be the person who makes their shop look like they bought all the fixtures at a second-hand rummage sale!
When a customer walks into your boutique, the first group of fixtures they see should be a cohesive statement that gives an overview of your shops assortment. It could be a table and a couple of hanging fixtures that have clothing, shoes and a few cute items all pulled together to make a statement about what you have to offer.
Most customers then turn to the right and begin walking working the shop in a circular pattern. Use your largest fixtures as the “stopping point” in each area. For example, place a table in front of the main wall. This allows the customer to stop at the table and take in the view of what you have to offer in that section. Then place smaller fixtures like ballet bars and t-stands as the space allows.
Having stopping points throughout your shop gives the customer time to consider picking something up. But it is also important to have some “wow” moments in the shop as well. Placing mirrors and selfie spots throughout the shop will encourage the customer to take pictures and tag your boutique. Be sure you have vinyl lettering or signage of your shop name on all the mirrors will encourage her to tag your shop. And we all know that User Generated Content is super important to the algorithms!
Do not allow your fitting rooms to be an after-thought. They are very important in the customers experience; you need to make her feel as if you created the space just for her! Having a chair or ottoman for her to place her bag on, and also use to sit down, is a must. No woman wants to put her handbag on the floor! Having several hooks or rails for the clothing is needed as well. Most customers sort products as they try things on; they sort into the yes pile ( or hanger) and the no pile (or hanger); so have multiple hooks available. And the absolutely most important part of the fitting room is the mirror. Never, ever, ever but a cheap mirror for your boutique because you will lose sales! A high quality mirror is sturdy and has quite a bit of weight to it, that weight keeps it from buckling and giving the fun-house wobble.
Again, here is a list of the items we love to have in our shops!
4-ways
Ballet bars
Mirrors
Vinyl lettering or signage
Fitting room mirrors, chairs and hooks
Point of Sale Items you must have to open your clothing or product-based shop
Your point of sale area is the last impression you give your customer and it needs to be a great experience. Be sure you have your pens, paper and small items all contained and out of the customers sight. Be sure she has an area of where to place her handbag while she gathers her cash, or gets her credit card out of their wallet. Also having tissue paper easily available for your team member to package the product is a must. No one wants their new dress shoved into a shopping bag. Instead, customers want to see the sales person gently fold the item and wrap in tissue paper as they smoothly lay the item into the shopping bag and then softly drop in the thank you note. Taking the time to make the point of sale area comfortable for the customer will pay off in her experience and in how often she comes back to shop with you again.
This is the list of items I suggest you place at your point of sale area:
Point Of Sale System
Pens
Notepads
Thank you cards
Shopping bags
Tissue paper
Garment bags
Bonus: great product ideas of things to have in your boutique
We have worked with over 500 boutiques in the past 5 years and we have seen hundreds of these items sold over and over again. Here’s links to some of the best sellers we have seen. And wether you purchase these through Amazon, Faire, or through your favorite distributor, we know these are winners for sure!
Evening bags wether they are satin, blingy, or crystallized they will always sell because every gal wants to shine!
Cotton dresses can be dressed up with heels or wedges, and dressed down with kicks and swimmies; but they are always a staple in every gals closet. Having a good size range in a few colors is always a smart move because they layer well and work with a lot of body types.
Trendy earrings are always a great purchase at clothing boutiques. Be sure the earrings you choose coordinate well with several of the outfits your have. But also choose a few classic styles for those who are not as adventurous with their earrings.
Having two great styles of flats or sandals is an easy way to make sales over and over again. Women are constantly realizing the shoes they chose to wear that day are uncomfortable and they look for a inexpensive yet cute pair of shoes to replace whatever they left the house wearing.
So that is our list of 23 things we know you need to have when you open your boutique. Plus, we gave you a handful of ideas of what to have on hand to make consistent and easy sales. We love to help women grow their businesses and get their businesses thriving! If you are looking for more tips, click here for more. Or, reach out to me at Brooke@iSpeakBoutique.com and we can chat about your specific needs. Thanks for reading the article and we wish you the absolute best! -Brooke
